The Theft of War

It's been a week of gentle reminders of just how much I detest war. Firstly, we had a very heartfelt session in the Viet Nam Vets support group that I help facilitate at the VA. They are such tough, brave guys yet they are still in so much pain even these many years after they came home. They are hurt and isolated and it breaks my heart. Thank God they have each other to help with the healing because nobody really understands what they are feeling that wasn't there. They are good people that were forced to do some bad things and because they are good people they hurt because of it.
Another reminder was an article in National Catholic Reporter about women who serve in combat. They come home physically and spiritually maimed as well. War doesn't end for the soldiers just because they leave the battle field. They bleed for years right to the end of their days.
We love to glorify war in this country. We cheer and pontificate about our "cherished way of life" and "democracy" and "Freedom" and all manner of other high sounding hyperbole in order to keep the guilt of causing so much carnage at bay. I really wonder if the wars we fight are really about any of those things. It's a tough pill to swallow when you consider that no matter what the justification for war, somebody always gets rich off the bloodshed. Patriotism is easy when you are lining your pockets and you don't have to fight. Our gated communities and country clubs are full of fat cats getting huge paydays while are kids bleed and lose limbs.
War is the most theft driven process in the human experience. Firstly, look at the military lexicon. The objective of most tactical actions is to "take" something, It might be a town or a hill or a valley. Once taken then the objective is to "deprive". That is to say, deprive the enemy of said town, hill or valley. Consider the common law definition of theft: The taking of the goods of another with intent to permanently deprive.
Then there is the looting. No army in the history of the world refrained from rewarding itself for victory with an orgy of theft, among other things, at the expense of the vanquished. Crops, cattle, household goods, artifacts, possession is determined by the sword. The victorious swords get the spoils. Only war makes this twisted moral lapse lawful and acceptable.
Then of course, there is the taking of life, No human life is spared, men women and children. Today, it is noncombatants that now make up the bulk of wars casualties. Villages are destroyed and civilians killed indiscriminately either by suicide bombers or air strikes or a thousand other instruments of destruction.
There is also the theft of national treasure. No process more efficiently siphons money from public coffers into private bank accounts like war. Oceans of tax payer dollars go to arms manufacturers and support service corporations at a rate that boggles the mind. At no time in our history has war been more privatized then it is today. Food service, transport, security and all manner of other services are being farmed out, at considerable cost, to private companies. These companies are reaping huge profits and the citizenry is footing the bill. Do you really think that it is an accident that this war has gone on for nearly ten years? It certainly is not. US business knows a good thing when they see it and they will keep it going as long as they possibly can. After all. it's not their blood being spilled.
Lastly, there is the theft of our morals. war is glorified, fears are played upon and children are taught from a very young age that to serve the nation as a soldier is glorious. Killing and maiming becomes okay if it is in the name of "National Security" or our precious "way of life". Hate also becomes a virtue, words like "Kraut" and "Jap" evolved into "Gook" then "Towelhead" or "Hadji". Hate is a vital ingredient of war. As soon as a people stop hating "the enemy" then the jig is up. Peace ensues and the corporate gravy train comes to a screeching halt. No more profits for stockholders and politicians lose a golden opportunity to be "heroes". After all, how can you be a "hero" if there is no "enemy" and it is a lot easier to sell military hardware in a shooting war then in peace. In peace time, the people have a nasty habit of thinking of their own communities instead of killing people they don't know.
The time has come to stop this. War is unsustainable militarily, economically and morally. We need to reevaluate what the threats realistically are and examine alternatives in dealing with them besides the deployment of troops. War is the killer of cultures and civilizations and ours is in danger.

This is also posted at www.jesusradicals.com