Author: Laurence Vance

Here is a banner that ought to fly from every home and business in America.

Bring Them Home

From The U.S. Government Guide to Surviving Terrorism, we read that the U.S. Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.”

Obviously, yes, since the U.S. continues to use unlawful violence to forcibly impose the ideology of democracy on Iraq.

The newest issue of the Claremont Review of Books (Summer 2005) begins an appeal for funds (“Make the Pledge”–p. 40) with this statement: “Our country is at war, and at the heart of a successful war effort must be the political conviction that this country is worth fighting and dying for.” What the Claremont warmongers really mean is that “this government is worth fighting and dying for.” But the 1,770 American soldiers who died in Iraq died in vain. They gave their lives for a government that is despicable in every way, beginning at the top. The country of the Founding Fathers invoked by The Claremont Institute is long gone.

Leading the pack of Christian warmongers that I mentioned in my last post who practically elevate military service to the level of the Christian ministry is President Bush himself. But Bush does them one better. He insists that there is no higher calling than military service. In his June 28th speech, he said:

“And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our Armed Forces. We live in freedom because every generation has produced patriots willing to serve a cause greater than themselves. Those who serve today are taking their rightful place among the greatest generations that have worn our Nation’s uniform.”

To those who are considering a career in military “service,” I would say: Don’t take a chance on wasting your life for Bush and the U.S. global empire. There are other ways of getting money for college–like working for it. We live in relative freedom in spite of the military, not because of it.

Christian defenders of war and the military, and especially those who practically elevate military “service” to the level of the Christian ministry, ought to pay more attention to the words of those who have been in the military instead of disqualifying me from criticizing the military because I have never “served.” Here is a recent “insider’s view” from one of my readers:

“I just read your piece from today’s Lew Rockwell. Well put. I find it hard to believe that so many nominal ‘Christians’ think that the military is some kind of enclave of virtue. I was in the Army for 4 years (’84 -’88). Let us forget, for a moment, that the purpose of the military is to kill and destroy property — as if that is not bad enough. How does the military hold up when it comes to instilling what Christians call ‘values’? Well, I was shocked at the pervasiveness of drunkenness and sexual immorality among my fellow soldiers. A half-hearted review of the divorce and unwed pregnancy statistics of military personnel would give one an outline for a book on military culture. Go to a VA hospital and see which department is the busiest — it will be the alcohol and drug treatment program. Military culture is rotten to the core (despite the clean-shaven, spit-shined facade), and it corrupts those who enter therein.”

L. G.
South Dakota