Ticia said:
Does the end justify the means? Sometimes it does. You just need strong
people willing to make those moral choices. And brainwashed soldiers with
ninfo on need-to-know basis, who will follow orders without questioning.
War
is a game of Stratego.
Ticia ',:)
Me:
While I hope you didn't mean it, Ticia, I think this is a remarkably
offensive way to describe the men and women of the American armed forces,
probably days before they enter into battle. Soldiers don't follow orders
without complete information because they are brainwashed. They do it
because they have what the military terms "vertical loyalty." They believe
that their commanders are acting in the best interests of their country,
and they are willing to die because they think those interests are worth
dying for. War is _not_ a game of Stratego. War is something where young
men and women are fed to a monster that spits out only the dead and
wounded, in body or spirit. I have been variously described as a warmonger
and a jingoist on this list in the past few days - most often, I'd be
willing to bet, by people who know few or none of the soldiers who will
soon be risking their lives in Afghanistan, Iraq, or some other Godforsaken
spot on the planet. The irony is not lost on me, although I expect it is
on
most other people on the list. Most of the people I was most frightened
for on Tuesday worked in the Pentagon, not the WTC. Like most people who
are willing to use measured force when called upon, I do it not because I
like war but because I hate it - and I hate it because I know something
about it - not from personal experience, but from respecting and learning
from warriors - and hating it, I know that sometimes it must be waged to
prevent those things that are even worse. To get back to my initial point
- the soldiers who will soon be dying (and killing) to protect _you_
deserve better than to be called brainwashed pawns in a game of Stratego.
You may not agree with the choice to send them their, but I beg you not to
fall into the Vietnam War protester trap of disparaging the strong men (and
women) armed who will soon be placing their lives between us and our
enemies.
Gautam
