Unlike the rightwing pen hoes who regularly write the stupid comments they are paid to write, I don't get paid to express my political point of view. I would never want to get paid because I don't do this for money. I do it because of my passion for justice. It's that passion that has taught me to look at things analytically. For the last ten years we have been unindated with cries to support the troops who are serving in the U.S. military. I think it's time we broke down exactly what that means and what it doesn't mean. First, let's retrace the history. As a result of the rude treatment U.S. military personnel received from anti-Vietnam war protestors, the minds that craft propaganda learned a couple of things from the Vietnam war that unofficially ended in 1975. They learned not to show the U.S. people many visuals of the war ala dead U.S. troops. Thus, you have seen virtually no images of dead U.S. service people in the media. Then, they learned to pump this campaign to portray U.S. troops as heroes and people who should be venerated for their service. Now it's not my intention or desire to use this forum to attack those in the military because I understand that U.S. capitalism provides very little options for working class people and therefore uses military service as motivation, using benefits, to recruit people who often see themselves as having no other options to create a job and career for themselves. That process comes with intense propaganda about how wonderful it is to be in the military. You can see this from the constant stream of commercials in magazines, on television, etc. promoting a career in the U.S. military. So although I believe them to be misguided, I understand why people join the military. The purpose of this post is to expose the false declaration of support for these working class people by the capitalist supporting right (and left) wing elements in this country that truly support imperialism. Besides the point that no U.S. military action is engaged in for any reason beyond corporate profits (not freedom or any of the other lies they always tell), it's important that I note that it has always been the African (Black) service vets who have encouraged....No......Demanded that I not ever consider joining the military. The first one was my own father who was drafted during the Vietnam war in the 60s. From day one he strongly condemned the racism in the military and he told me that if I ever considered joining he would disown me. He wasn't serious about the disowning part, but even if he was, the concept of joining never once occurred to me because I was blessed to be in an environment with lots of people like him. These brave and courageous souls articulated to me and thousands of other disenfranchised African youth in ghettos like the one I was in that racism was the byproduct of U.S. capitalism. They explained to me that up until the Vietnam war U.S. military practices were segregated. What that meant was during WWII, when African troops fought courageously and died, they could not enjoy the quality of treatment that even captured German troops enjoyed. This was along with the fact that in the country they lived in, they were not permitted to enjoy the right to vote, live where they wanted, work where they were qualified, or have any of the freedoms they were supposedly fighting for Europeans to have in Europe. This contradiction crystalized during the Vietnam war and the contradiction was picked up by Nguyen Al Thoc, better known as Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Vietnamese resistance, who actually went to shcool at Columbia University and lived in Harlem, New York. As a result, Nguyen knew and experienced first hand the racism in U.S. society and he used that knowledge to regularly send that message to Black U.S. trooops in Vietnam. The Vietcong would release Black troops with this message often, similar to how the Allatolah Khomeini released Black hostages in 1980 at the U.S. Embassy in Iran. What's my point? It's that these Black troops figued out that it didn't make any sense for them to put their lives on the line fighting for freedom for other people when they didn't have it here in their own country of birth. So, those troops came back and joined the Black Panther Party and other organizations fighting for justice. Geromino Ji Jaga (RIP), was a purple heart receipient who served in Vietnam in 1967, 68. He came back and organized in L.A. He was illegally convicted of an FBI trumped up charge in 1972 and spent time in prison until 1997 when he was released. The FBI had to subsequently admit its illegal activity to frame brother Geronimo in an attempt to curtail his political work and they paid out a $4.5 million settlement in 2000. His story is just one of many. The point being if there was any real legitimacy to these wars than people like him could not exist. Also, if people truly supported these troops they would start first with those thousands who are homeless, unemployed, and desolate on the streets. Then they would fight to block the criminal attempts to take away these people's benefits once they return from these wars broken down physically and mentally. They don't do that. Instead they criticize people like me who point out the contradictions. The reason for this is they really don't care a rat's behind about the troops. In fact, when most of them wear those "support the troops" shirts and have those bumper stickers, what they are really saying is "go over there...fight....and die if you have too.....just keep me from having to sacrifice any of the comforts I enjoy from the suffering of the masses of people on the planet..Stop those people from fighting to control their resources because if we can't steal them....Then I have to live like they do....You." It's a sad, sad reality, but one that's so true. So for you two bit writing hoes who are only willing to express opinions that you are paid to express, if you want to spout your simple minded pro-industrial military complex rhetoric I have plenty of Black veterans who I can introduce you too.......Of course on this, like any intelligent challenge, you sorry people will respond with the same empty analysis that your pathetic political positions contain.
RSS Feed
