Hold Americans Accountable
Press Action
Friday, December 29, 2006
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/soldo12292006/
By Tony Soldo
What do you think the connection is between the troops doing the dirty work for the war profiteers, and the U.S. government and mainstream media bombarding us daily with “Support Our Troops” propaganda?
At what point in history do we collectively start telling the young men and women who sign up in the military that they are accountable for their decisions and actions, instead of saying that they are just serving their country and protecting our freedom?
At what point do we teach our young people that all wars are started and capitalized on by the war profiteers that and the young naive patriots are fighting for the corporations, not the people of the U.S.A.?
Major General Smedley Butler of WWI wrote a book called War Is A Racket and one of the best quotes from him was: “The flag follows the dollar, and the soldiers follow the flag.” That is true more so now than at any time in this country’s brief history.
I am a Christian Pacifist, and I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ found in the New Testament Gospels.
The book of Matthew has enough of Jesus’ teachings and commands to live by , if that’s all you have time to read.
Berating troops might not seem “Christian-like”, but I am simply “calling out” anyone who is guilty of involvement in moral crimes against humanity, whether they be the politicians, the businessmen, the troops, or the supporters, and war IS the biggest moral crime against humanity.
I do not attack the people, I attack their actions, and if the people are offended by my criticism of their actions, then that is between them and their “god”.
By expressing that I am a Christian Pacifist, I am not telling others that they must become Christian Pacifists, nor am I expecting our world leaders to become Christian Pacifists, and I have no desire to hold any position of power, in government, business, or religion, so I will never “force” my beliefs on anyone, unlike all world leaders and religious leaders.
Again I ask: At what point do the people fighting wars become accountable for their actions, and stop using financial gain, or blind patriotism as a “moral blank check” to go around the world invading, occupying, killing, and controlling other human beings?
If we the people know that a war is wrong and every young life that is snuffed out from this point on is totally unnecessary, and then we do nothing to stop it, are we not accountable for our silence, and lack of action?
Would you be willing to sacrifice your son or daughter today in Iraq or Afghanistan, and tell them they died for freedom and their country?
If you said yes, then I truly am sorry for you and will pray for you, because you have no right to sacrifice your child for YOUR beliefs.
The real tragedy in all of this is that we are teaching our children to blindly obey and be loyal to a group of war-mongering businessmen who don’t care about you or I, at all.
We are not fighting for freedom around the world, never have, we are fighting for the biggest corporation in the world: the U.S.A. Inc.
The next person to die in Iraq and Afghanistan today will die for NOTHING!
Haven’t we learned anything from the Vietnam disaster?
Anyone who says that the troops should stay to “finish the job,” should stop what they are doing right now, quit their job, leave their family, and join the military , and I don’t want to hear about anyone who has already served, sign up again, if you believe in the cause. I challenge YOU!
If you are past the age of 42, too old to enlist, then fly overseas as a private mercenary working for some war-profiteering corporation like Blackwater Security, and put YOUR life on the line.
The “Job” will never be completed, because the enemy is anyone who does not go along with the U.S. government, anyone who dissents, whether it be in Iraq, Afghanistan, or here in the U.S.A.
The enemy combatants around the world will continue to multiply as long as the U.S. continues to invade, occupy, kill, rape, pillage, and plunder all the other nations of the world.
What would YOU do if a foreign nation dropped bombs and sent troops here in the U.S.A.? In your state? In your hometown?
Would you stand by and let them run through your streets? Kick in the door to your house in the middle of the night, and ransack your home, and take you and your family members away to a secret torture chamber? Rape your 14 year old daughter, and kill your whole family and burn down your house?
What would YOU do?
I say it’s time for all Americans to be accountable to the world for these crimes against humanity.
Tony Soldo is a Christian Pacifist and can be contacted at