Wojtek writes:
> As far as military service is concerned - I find it hard to believe that anyone in his right mind can see any bona fide public good being served by this institution. . . I used to work for the US military as an instructor, and my impression was that that most recruits were, in fact, soldiers of fortune lite. They joined the service for economic benefits (mainly college tuition) but they did not expect to do much in return - certainly not to risk their own lives
for the empire.
Most men and women of color who join the military do do so for the economic benefit. They also see the military as a way out of the grinding poverty of their communities. I do not believe this makes them soldiers of fortune. To me soldiers of fortune enjoy fighting. For most people of color, joining the military is a way to avoid the violence of their communities.
This poverty, of course, has been manufactured by a white power structure in order to create recruits. In this way whites can continue to enjoy the middle class entitlement of student loans for their children (who are kept carefully away from the military for the most part), while poor people of color are forced to join the military in order to create educational opportunities.
> That is, btw, why I think that the "support the troops, oppose the war" approach is utter oxymoron, an idiotic expression of faux populism by the way-in-the-left-field-liberals. Why should anyone support soldiers of fortune?
But what if they are not soldiers of fortune, but rather poor people of color taking advantage of one of the few (if not only) opportunities that existed for them.
> Unlike the conscript army, they joined the service voluntarily for a personal gain, even though they knew, or should have known, that they will be used as the cannon fodder for the empire? Why would that deserve any support?
Well, I think this war in Iraq would be over now if we did have a conscripted army. All those white middle class mommies and daddies would be up in arms (pun intended). That is why Charlie Rangel's idea of a new draft went nowhere with either Democrats or Republicans.
As for support, I would support the troops since their limited choices were created through the machinations of a white power structure that chose to limit their options. Between dealing drugs, being unemployed, being in jail and being in the military, the military might seem the best option to someone who did not possess the privilege of being part of the white middle class.
Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister