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March 17, 2008 at 16:23:23

Headlined on 3/17/08:
Winter Soldier 2008: From a Marine Mom's Eyewitness account of the Testimony

by Elaine Brower (Posted by Elaine Brower)     Page 2 of 2 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

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So why do we do this as a Country?  I walked around to the Korean monument where they had life-size statues of a platoon on patrol, and faces carved into another granite wall hailing the suffering and sacrifice of those soldiers.  For what, I asked myself.  I saw bus loads of visitors from all over the Country taking pictures with the statues, wreaths in the background, and against the granite walls, smiling and awestruck at our “heroes.”  A guide was touting how freedom isn’t free and how our military is the most honorable and the best in the world.  We should be proud of them.  Small children with their own cameras were taking photos and looking in wonder at the soldiers standing in formation, battle hardened faces carved into metal. 

 

I asked myself, why are these kids here?  How could this be such an attraction?  So this is where it starts, taking them on bus trips to the nation’s capitol and looking at war monuments.  They are being indoctrinated from the inception of their lives that America is brave and wonderful because of its military. 

 

I started thinking what wars we had fought that actually preserved our Country.  That actually preserved our “way of life” here in the United States.  None.  We were attacked in Pearl Harbor, that is why my father at the age of 27 was drafted who had a small son, but then we dropped 2 atomic weapons on innocent people.  Was that heroic?  No, it was malicious and vengeful, and meant nothing to the security of our shores.  The damage was done, people died, so now it was time to pay back the Japanese, a million times over.

 Then I thought about Hitler, and the Jewish camps, where he was ultimately responsible for murdering 6 million Jews from all over Europe.  It took this country a while to get into that war, but we were able to liberate Europe from the death grip of a madman. I might be able to get my mind around that, and maybe that is why we should have a military.  But I am not sure anymore.  I know that Americans were rude and vicious during that war also.  They were responsible for raping and pillaging many towns on the countryside in France and England.  

Our military might equals imperialism.  We train our soldiers and marines to kill and to be merciless, while we train our sons and daughters to be God fearing and loving.  They have the best weapons that our money can buy, and are trained to use them on the enemy, whether they are an innocent civilian or someone who is threatening their lives directly.  It is indiscriminate killing at the behest of a government that has its own agenda. 

 

So how can you throw your medals away, tear up a commendation given to you by the highest General in the military, and not hate the military?   I guess as my son would tell me, they do it for their battle buddies.  And as long as this government, and we the people give this government the power to kill millions, destroy generations and then build monuments, this will never end.  Those brave new breed of resisters must now stand up and throw off their military bonds forever to say they were not proud to serve in this Country’s armed services.

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Virginia Simson is a spiritual journalista/activist who runs a visionary planetary tutorial blogspot, www.ladybroadoak.blogspot.com as well as a blog on the uranium industry and depleted uranium at www.lowlevelradiation.blogspot.com. She feels that we must educate the young as to the real issues of the day - economics, clean energy, a drug free lifestyle, friendship and concern for the environment. We must plan for seven generations in the future. She unconditionally supports impeachment and...

to see more of bio, click on member name

ladybroadoakVirginia Simson is a spiritual journalista/activist who runs a visionary planetary tutorial blogspot, www.ladybroadoak.blogspot.com as well as a blog on the uranium industry and depleted uranium at www.lowlevelradiation.blogspot.com. She feels that we must educate the young as to the real issues of the day - economics, clean energy, a drug free lifestyle, friendship and concern for the environment. We must plan for seven generations in the future. She unconditionally supports impeachment and...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Thank you for writrig this!!

I too am a marine mom . nothing I could do to stop it -- even having put in all those decades of activism.

 Worse, now back my son and I no longer speak - he can't .. he's too messed up to even know what in this world is even important.

 the effects of this INSANCE GWOT and the "you are either with us or against us" mentality surely must stop.

 I hope that winter soldier goes a long way towards stopping all the war crimes and the genocidal effects.

 I just do what I CAN every single day to make sure my voice is never drowned out.

 Many hugs - I am passing this article on as far and wide as I can.

 I read Barbara Lee, called her office in fact about a month ago to say how much I appreciate what she says and what she DOES, with real sincerity.

What a woman and a patriot!  I watch her video on the invasion of Iraq ever once in a while to keep myself CHARGED.

May God protect her and keep her safe.

 

by ladybroadoak (37 articles, 20 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 390 comments) on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 11:35:03 PM
 


Anti-war activist, mother of U.S. Marine currently returned from Fallujah; member of Steering Committee for the "World Can't Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime" and Military Families Speak Out.
Elaine BrowerAnti-war activist, mother of U.S. Marine currently returned from Fallujah; member of Steering Committee for the "World Can't Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime" and Military Families Speak Out.

Glad to hear from a marine mom

I was happy to see your comment, and saddened that your son is so effected by this horrible occupation also.  I certainly can understand what you are going through, but I tell myself everyday that I am just lucky to be able to hug him and kiss his cheek.  He is very angry, and takes it out on the entire family, but I am hoping that will change.  We try to talk to him, and I am glad he is living at home, even at 26, so I can keep an eye on him. 

Take care and bless you.

by Elaine Brower (16 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 17 comments) on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 10:53:21 AM
 


Student of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and advocate for peace, justice and the unity of humankind, not through force, but through self-realization and mutual respect.
Mac McKinneyStudent of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and advocate for peace, justice and the unity of humankind, not through force, but through self-realization and mutual respect.

Thanks for Candor

Thank you for your candor, Elaine.

The proper use of the United States military should be for the legitimate defense of the nation. Even now the sophists in power have to pay lip service to that fact, because they just can't come out and say, "I came, I saw, I conquered." But that is their intent, and that is why they have to continuously concoct fantasy scenarios and outright fabrications of extreme existential threats to America to launch what are, in effect, both wars of conquest and and acquisition as well as racist pogroms, for racist has deep layers within American society, particularly the traditional anti-Semitism, which was, until World War II, mainly directed against the Jews, but has now been largely transferred to Arabic ethnic groups, the Arabs being considered a semitic people too. In Vietnam, we saw wholesale slaughter of the "Gooks", the common term used in the military to demonize Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians. Now we have the "Hajis and Sand Niggers" engrained in our servicemen even in boot camp.

It is all despicable and degrades our military endlessly, destroying any ethical core in the American military, which is fast approaching becoming a sickening reflection of the Nazi Wermacht. Some would say we already are, but although the Marine Corps and Army have embraced the dark side fervently, I would still hope that the Navy has not been fully contaminated.

Douglas MacArthur, perhaps our greatest wartime general and leader said it all with this statement, which I have posted many times and, interestingly, never gotten a response about, as if it a statement to be shunned, because if we were to follow its paradigm, there would be at least a few military officers, perhaps generals, swinging from the gallows for profaning the essence of the American military:

"The soldier, be he friend or foe, is charged with the protection of the weak and unarmed. It is the very essence and reason for his being. When he violates this sacred trust, he not only profanes his entire cult but threatens the very fabric of international society. The traditions of fighting men are long and honorable. They are based upon the noblest of human traits - sacrifice."

-General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur, 1946, confirming the death by hanging sentence imposed by a United States military commission on General Tomayuki Yamashita, convicted of failing to prevent Japanese Imperial troops under his command from committing massacres and outrages against prisoners of war and civilians in the last stages of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.

by Mac McKinney (40 articles, 55 quicklinks, 127 diaries, 893 comments) on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 11:45:21 AM
 

 

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