Deja vu War

 

“Wars expose the callousness in people, depending on which side you're on.” Dr. BLR

 

One of the greatest things about growing old is that you’re capable of “seeing the forest for the trees,” “smelling the bullshit,” and saying, “been there, done that.” Well, this is where I am now regarding the recent military action against Iran. To say the least, I’m fucking tired, and it has nothing to do with not getting enough sleep.

Over the past couple of days, I saw and heard President Donald Trump talk ad nauseam about his plans to possibly go to war. In the interest of full disclosure, I have no idea who has nuclear weapons, but I will say that if other countries have them, then who the hell are we to say another country shouldn’t have one as well. Is this a controversial statement? Yeah, but so what? 

The United States of America, and yes, I spelled it out, has a record of bullying other countries. Our track record of invasions, coups, and regime change is well documented, but many don’t want to hear our true history. We cannot continue on this path because the inquisitive minds of younger generations will start asking tough questions. If they don’t like what they hear, our government will have to deal with an unruly bunch well-versed in the First Amendment. I am all for peaceful protest and for young people expressing themselves. Isn’t that what they are supposed to do in a democratic society? It’s rhetorical. No need to ponder. 

Going to war should only be done in the slimmest of circumstances, and only when those given the power to make life-and-death decisions vote to do so. I would hope that those who have some skin in the game would be involved, but this is not the case with President Trump. I won’t disparage him for chickening out on several occasions, but that’s what he did. Politicians, writ large, have sacrificed the lives of young men and women, all for what?  To line the pockets of shareholders in the weapons manufacturing industry…most definitely. Knowing that this is the case, why do they do it? There’s only one reason, because to them, poor people’s lives are expendable, full stop.

So, the more interesting question is why people volunteer to join the military and sacrifice their lives for this country when there’s no reciprocity. Don’t you believe me? Ask the homeless military, the drug-addicted, and the families of soldiers and marines who have had to bury their loved ones. I’m angered by the bureaucratic bullshit they have to go through just to be taken seriously about their mental and physical disabilities. 

History has shown us that the U.S. government cannot be trusted, and the person at the helm now is even less so. This is where I am stuck in this quandary of conflict. I come from a line of Black men who’ve served in the military, only to return home and still be disrespected. However, several generations of my family, including me, have made the sacrifice and signed up, knowing full well what to expect. 

I recently listened to the Coward in Chief say that during this campaign of terror against Iran, “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now. We're doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm's way. And we trust that with his help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the world, and they will prevail.”

The men and women of the armed forces deserve better leadership. Based on what I’ve seen on the Jewish-controlled media outlets, it would only be a matter of time before military personnel would be killed. Well, it didn’t take too long. Three service members were killed, and more have been seriously wounded, and for what? 

There is no doubt that more lives will be lost, and the mainstream media will have a field day with hours upon hours of coverage, interrupted by paid corporate sponsors. At some point, younger generations will need to be educated about past wars and how the federal government lied to justify sending young people into harm's way. Ultimately, they will have to decide whether their lives are worth being considered “patriotic” or whether enough is enough of this class warfare.