I disagree. It is important to criticize his premise especially when parts of his analysis are flawed. The “war for petroleum” is one such flawed premise.

How is it “scientifically fraudulent”? Can you suggest an alternative? How about human experimentation? Will you be a volunteer? Or do you really think the multinationals and the scientific community are engaged in a conspiracy to torture animals just for the hell of it? Why would they bank so much on animal experimentation if it doesn’t work (especially given that they would have so much to lose from following dodgy methods that don’t yield useful results)? Please, be serious, and actually listen to what you’re saying. Yours was the sort of ignorant rhetoric that chips away at a writer’s credibility, even if the overall argument of their article is sound.

The Kurds must know they are Iranians before being Kurds and they are expected to defend Iran against the war criminals if they do not want to be called TRAITORS. Thus, to attack the military and their criminal superiors is NOT ENOUGH to prevent wars. The imperialist/Zionist can not achieve anything without the local facilitators and traitors. Israel and the US helping Kurds financially and military to act as their facilitators. These war criminals must be exposed and condemned worldwide. To expose the internal facilitators and lackeys are as important as exposing those who take us to war based on lies and deception for expansion of their influence around the world.

To the person that said the troops…I say the troops as opposed to our’ troops because I don’t have any troops and if I did they wouldn’t be in Iraq they’d be here protecting the homeland…are fighting for freedom.

What freedom? The freedom to plunder, rape and pillage?

[1] But surely every suicide bomber is merely following orders as are those detonating IEDs in Iraq.

This assumes that the people engage in this activity are being coerced or pressured like U.S. soldiers into following orders. This is a bogus attempt to make the Iraqi resisters appear to be motivative by the reasons as U.S. soldiers. This is a terrible and insensitive analogy. There was a very good article on Counterpunch this week written by Patrick Cockburn where he quotes a women who is now motivative to become a suicide bomber because U.S. soldiers killed her husband and children. The Iraqi resistance are clearly motivated by the U.S. occupation not the other way around as is being implied by Mickey Z.

[2] The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are not fighting for my freedom. They are fighting to keep the world safe for petroleum.

I refer Mickey Z to James Petras. The destruction of Iraq was not motivated by the oil companies. It was motivated by Zionism. Yet again we see left-wing denial and its unwillingness to confront Zionism.

And I realize also that it would take some massive re-organization of the economy to transistion out of this burgeoning global economy . . . but let’s be honest – what does a global economy contribute to the masses of people? Nothing but cheaper shit at Walmart.

The whole much-touted global economy really only has benefits to the the capitalists with the most money to invest.

I would contend that an American military need only be large enough to defend ourself against possible threats on the continent – and that would be . . . Mexico and Canada?

I mean, think about how much peace and prosperity we could share in North America. We’re blessed with peaceful neighbors – and seperated by two oceans from the rest of the world.

It’s sad how many self-identified liberals buy into the crazy notion that we need a military of the magnitude that currently exists. Afraid of the Muslims overrunning us? How are they gonna get here? Swim, or fly coach? Maybe book a fleet of cruise ships? Give me a break.

However, the problem lies within that. That is to say, as opeluboy mentioned above – the soldiers are not defending American in Iraq. I’m sorry, they’re not. What they’re doing there (in regards to corporate/political/hegemonic means) I don’t know, none of us do except a select few power elite. What they’re not doing is defending the United States.

And while on the subject of defending the United States – is there anything so vehemently disgusting as nationalism? Does being forced to take pride in your nation not mean that you have nothing to take pride of in yourself? This thought that just because I was born somewhere, it therefore must be the best somewhere – is ridiculous, and the thinking that enables the perpetual cogs of war to keep spinning until humans finally recieve their self-inflicted coup de grâce. How soon we forget that nationalism caused the death of upwards of 100,000,000 people from 1914-1945

Look, here is my problem with war: I accept the fact that evil people exist. I accept the fact that some may even pose a threat to me. I refuse to accept the fact that innocent men, women, and children must die in order to take out these select few. That is, if these select few even exist.

What sort of disorganized logic is this? If we’re going on Utilitarian point of view, then when comparing the approximate 6,000 American dead (including 9/11) to the approximate ~500,000 Iraqi dead – there is no comparison. That is to say, 9/11 was a “better” alternative in relation to the world.

After all, we may be “Americans” – but we do not live in this world alone. We share it with 6 billion people . . . and I would rather refer to myself as a human being than an “American” anyday, even though it says it on my passport.

I can appreciate the close-knit family feeling that men at arms feel with one another. They truly are your brothers and sisters. . . but why can’t the Iraqi men, Czech men, Polish men, German men, and Indian men also be your brothers?

You said you saw “darkness” coming to the United States, and worried for your child. Do you not see that you have brought that SAME darkness that you so feared to the Iraqi civilians and their sons!? These are innocent people, afraid and worried for their lives, their families, and their children – just like you and just like me.

So in sum, this is why I loathe war: I do not narrow my thinking into defining myself as an “American.” I am a member of this world, and all the world’s men are my brothers, and I don’t believe in killing family members – even if they might want to kill me.

Because, until we stop enacting retribution over every little thing that occurs – we will live in perpetual violence and bloodshed.

But, some people like it that way. Cha-Ching.

While I can appreciate your concern after 9-11, and what I perceive to be a truly selfless act on your part — enlisting in the Marines — there are several problems.

First, you are making the understandable mistake of believing both the government and the media. You have no real way of knowing actually who was responsible for 9-11, but we do know now without a doubt that it was not Iraq and it was not Afghanistan. If you hold to the official narrative, it was al Qaida, and 15 of the hijackers were Saudi nationals. So being involved in the destruction of Iraq and the deaths of now upwards of 1,000,000 people — and another 4,000,000 displaced — while noble in your intent, is nonetheless a war crime.

I am not accusing you of willfully committing this crime, but for being lied into committing it.

And what if some day it becomes clear that 9-11 was not orchestrated by some shadowy Arab group, but by people within our own government, what then?

I also disagree with your statement that “there was a legitimate fight to be fought.” On what grounds was it legitimate? What did Iraq do to my country? Attacking and invading a basically defenseless country is illegal, when that country has committed no aggression.

And staying in Iraq to protect one’s fellow soldiers, while admirable in itself, does not negate the illegality of the invasion in the first place. Certainly staying would also entail killing even more Iraqis, people who again, did nothing to you or me (until we invaded them).

You state that you “have no love for the president or his ideology, but that does not grant me pass to pack and go home.” No, it doesn’t. Which is why there are hundreds of IDF soldiers (many of them officers), one of them Netanyahu’s nephew, sitting in jail cells in Israel for refusal to serve in the Occupied Territories, slaughtering and dehumanizing Palestinians.

You make three points I strongly agree with. First, I am certain that most people serving in our military are doing the best they can, and are not there to fulfill some sadistic need. Second, there is no question that our military is misused (has been for decades) and third, a well-equipped, well-trained military is an unfortunate necessity.

I would rather see nationally-minded young people able to serve their country some other way (and get training, money for college, etc.), aside from military service, as they are being grossly misused. Foreign bases should be closed. We do not need 700 plus. And the military we have should be for defense of the United States, not used as a private army for Corporate America or for our “allies” increased regional hegemony.

This will require Americans rethinking their love affiar with all things military, our infatuation with violence and the mistaken belief that it solves all problems. Hopefully, your experience can be used to further this change.

Perhaps I don’t think the warriors are decent people, or that they aren’t as guilty as the top brass or the capitalist war machine – but I suppose, as you said Lloyd – that what is done is done, and though their ignorance does not entitle them to amnesty from their crimes, they do deserve the mental and medical help they need.

Not because they are soldiers, but because they are human.

So I would like to change some of my earlier statements, after I’ve had time to get other peoples’ viewpoints on it.

I can sympathize with warriors when they don’t SIGN UP FOR WAR.

If there was a draft in place and the US was having mass conscription – my fullest sympathy would go out to every innocent person dragged into a unjust war.

But not when they sign up for it, get what they signed up for, and then wish they didn’t.