Special Interest Group on CRAP

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. The intent of Memorial Day is to honor and remember those who have perished in military service to their country. Those who pay the ultimate price for their country are owed a debt of gratitude that is unquestioned.

Our military services operate for two purposes. The primary role (as defined by the Department of Defense) is to defend the country against attack, or to mitigate the effects of such attack. All Americans share their pride in the military for fulfilling this role, and we are united in honoring the service of our military. Those who take up arms in defense of the country are owed a debt of gratitude that we should all pause to contemplate.

Unfortunately, the political leadership (if you can call it that) in the United States has repeatedly eroded the honor of those who choose to serve in the military. The controversy and divisions within the United States arise from disagreements about the proper role of military force in our foreign policy. More often than not in the past 60 years, the military forces of the United States have been used as an instrument of aggression, often subtly disguised under the subterfuge of calling it defensive. The history of misrepresentation is telling:

1. the domino theory, used to justify invasions in Korea, Vietnam, and Nicaragua.
2. the misrepresentation of the Iraqi regime as having been somehow involved in the attack on the United States in 9/11
3. the assertion that Iraq would use weapons of mass destruction against the US

This is not to say that threats do not exist - they certainly do. Our need for a military defense is unquestioned. Unfortunately our foreign policy has repeatedly eroded our ability to defend ourselves, and has also eroded our moral standing and claim of defense. Moreover, by repeatedly engaging in aggression against foreign lands. we encourage other nations to follow our lead by using their weapons against us. It’s a recipe for failure in the defense of our nation.

It’s unfortunate that our nation’s foreign policy sullies the role of the military in defense of our country. The military signs up to follow the orders of their leaders, and they don’t have the liberty of deciding which of these orders to follow. They are getting a raw deal, and this heightens my sense of debt to their honor.

So on this Memorial Day, support your troops, but evict your government. Let’s restore the honor of those who serve in the defense of our country by using them for defense instead of aggression.