No, not Tolstoy though I have read that tome. First an aside. What was it with the military and flat feet? With wet feet I leave no sign of an instep with my perfectly flat feet but I managed to walk 72,000 miles with a thirty-five pound mailbag with nary a twinge.
Second a reveal. From lifelong I have been a pacifist opposed to war in any form and the military establishment in general. As a flat-footed allergic asthmatic about to become a full-fledged senior I am in no danger of being recruited. Furthermore I am appalled at the distortion of the second amendment rights in the US Constitution to bear arms and the gun culture it fosters. I do not understand how having a lethal weapon around whose only purpose is the taking of human life can add to anyone’s sense of security.
That said I feel America pays an awful price for training so many of its citizens to be experts in the taking of human life and so arming them. But I also say that having so trained them and deployed them it owes them the even higher cost of rehabilitation and re-integration into society when they return. The cost of such care typically is triple the cost of any war ever waged. Politicians and Generals too often do not budget for these expenses. Did you know there is still an open file left over from the American Civil War?
Military training is aimed at creating killing machines who follow orders without thinking. Is it really wise to train so many to ignore the moral imperative against the taking of human life? Having taken impressionable boys on the cusp of manhood and so inculcated them they are sent off to experience inhuman conditions, be subjected to violent heart-stopping stress, where human life is little valued, they witness scenes of depravity, and the death and maiming of their mates. Having been subjected to these conditions for a year or longer they are sent back home and suddenly expected to adjust to North American Society.
Should we be surprised that victims of Post Traumatic Stress act out? Who is qualified to deal with their emotional distress even did they wish to relive it? Do we do them or society any favours in training them to be strong and tough it out? Are we failing them in teaching them that to seek help is a sign of weakness and failure?
Second a reveal. From lifelong I have been a pacifist opposed to war in any form and the military establishment in general. As a flat-footed allergic asthmatic about to become a full-fledged senior I am in no danger of being recruited. Furthermore I am appalled at the distortion of the second amendment rights in the US Constitution to bear arms and the gun culture it fosters. I do not understand how having a lethal weapon around whose only purpose is the taking of human life can add to anyone’s sense of security.
That said I feel America pays an awful price for training so many of its citizens to be experts in the taking of human life and so arming them. But I also say that having so trained them and deployed them it owes them the even higher cost of rehabilitation and re-integration into society when they return. The cost of such care typically is triple the cost of any war ever waged. Politicians and Generals too often do not budget for these expenses. Did you know there is still an open file left over from the American Civil War?
Military training is aimed at creating killing machines who follow orders without thinking. Is it really wise to train so many to ignore the moral imperative against the taking of human life? Having taken impressionable boys on the cusp of manhood and so inculcated them they are sent off to experience inhuman conditions, be subjected to violent heart-stopping stress, where human life is little valued, they witness scenes of depravity, and the death and maiming of their mates. Having been subjected to these conditions for a year or longer they are sent back home and suddenly expected to adjust to North American Society.
Should we be surprised that victims of Post Traumatic Stress act out? Who is qualified to deal with their emotional distress even did they wish to relive it? Do we do them or society any favours in training them to be strong and tough it out? Are we failing them in teaching them that to seek help is a sign of weakness and failure?
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