It's Time We Stop With the Forever Wars

Our lives are worth more than Raytheon's Quarterly Earnings

I was on the TikTok today, because, well it’s Monday, and I fucking hate Monday. Everyone walks in with this fake smile and “OMG! How was your weekend?”

I spent it with sweat running down my ass crack as I fought 400 square feet of laminate flooring Karen. Fuck off. I haven’t had my Red Bull yet.

Anyway, I stumbled across a rather compelling video, as will happen from time to time. Take a moment to give it a look.

I’m not sure I’ve heard more accurate words. We have allowed our Republic to become one that moves from war to war with little, if any, thought to the reality of warfare. We don’t give a second thought about it when we can yell “bomb the fuck out of them” at the evening news, because that fact is, America doesn’t go to war anymore. The military does. America scrolls tiktok and eats Hello Fresh while our military does the impossible.

We turn them into Warriors, we train them to kill, send them, once more into the breach, and if they make it, we send them home often with nothing more than a piece of paper, and maybe a hand shake.

We turn them over to a VA system who’s only solution to any problem, is pills. We give them long waits for appointments, suicide hotlines that go to voicemail, and we look at them as weak, because they came home from killing people and now don’t know how to turn off the violence. or maybe they can’t come to terms with killing in the name of Freedom™️.

We were once warned by the architect of our victory in WWII, to beware the evils of the military-industrial complex. We should have listened. Since the end of WWII we have become a nation moving from one fight to the next. Our tax dollars have funded almost non-stop “military operations” since Korea, and technically, we’re still fighting that one. Hell, we’re still in Europe, and that shit show is damn near 80 years in the past.

And here we are now, 2023. After 20 years in Afghanistan(not counting that whole mujaheddin thing, seriously, read Charlie Wilson’s War or watch the movie) fighting another proxy war with Russia, American Warriors sitting in Poland helping train and arm the Ukrainians. Simultaneously, we are having some rather strong words with China about who the big dog is in the Pacific, and just who exactly owns Taiwan. And let’s not forget that things are getting rather testy in Niger, via the Wagner Group, Putin, et al.

How long till we pluck some kid from Bumfuck, Nebraska and drop his ass into <threat to Freedom™️> with nothing but a hope and a prayer?

Once upon a time, I was a recruiter for the Army. I spent my days trying to sell kids the features and benefits of a job that may get you killed. I put a kid on some nameless hill in Afghanistan. And that kid was the only one to walk off it. Some kid who watched 9-11 happen, in real time, and wanted revenge for what he saw. I sat in his living room one evening and told his mother everything would be just fine, he’d be able to pick whatever job he wanted(provided he’s qualified and there is a training slot available). I did this because he was only 17 at the time, and needed a parent to sign off. So, she did. Smash cut to him on his back, firing his grenade launcher straight up because he was being over-run.

I bet earnings were great that quarter.

There’s a reason why songs like War Pigs and Fortunate Son resonate with American Warriors and Veterans alike. Because for many of them, it’s the reality of the situation. We still let the ruling class decide our fates by entangling us in other nations affairs, and we still let them send the peasants to fight their wars.

It’s time to rewrite the book.

It’s time to stop the bullshit wars.

It’s time to take care of our Warriors.

Because we sent them there.