christallen
Cynical Optimist
These days I see a lot of talk in the news media about military action being vital to personal freedoms. The phrase typically used is some variation of The military fights to defend our freedom and is coupled with some kind of sentimental talk about supporting the troops and their mission. I find this position to be absolutely absurd and can see no evidence of any of our current conflicts having any direct effect on civil liberties, except in cases where the civilian government restricts those freedoms in the sake of security. Through most of the history of this country, the military has been used to suppress individual liberty and support oppressive policies.
We are currently fighting two wars that can be understood in the traditional sense and one war that seems to be using the term in an abstract fashion. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have effectively proven themselves to be unnecessary conflicts whose only purpose seems to be some kind of protection of corporate interests or worldwide police action. While the Iraq war was sold to the American public as necessary to prevent worldwide catastrophe, the Afghanistan war banked on this countrys citizens' want for revenge after the World Trade Center tragedy. Both of these tangible conflicts have absolutely no effect on civil liberties within this country. They are completely self-contained within their conflict zones. While they take a toll on the economy, morale, and life expectancies of the countries involved, stateside freedom is simply not an issue.
The one war that is a bit more abstract is the War on Terror. This is a conflict that has no specific location, and takes place in a worldwide arena. The policies that have spurred from this conflict have definitely affected civil liberties in this country but in a negative sense. The War on Terror has resulted in the passing of The Patriot Act which does more to strip away the rights guaranteed in the constitution than any other government policy since the Second World War. In recent months, our president has even authorized the assassination of American citizens who are identified as enemy combatants. The wide scope of this war, and the vague definition of the enemy allows for further intrusions into personal liberties on the pretense of protecting our citizens. This is certainly not the first time that the government has pushed these policies, but perhaps we should take heed of the words of Benjamin Franklin, They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Many times in the history of this country, the military has been used in the service of the elite to suppress the disadvantaged. In the 19th century, the military was used on multiple occasions to break strikes and ensure continued productivity from a work force that had to deal with absolutely horrible working conditions. Subsequently, in the 20th century, the military has been called in to intimidate and sometimes violently disrupt peaceful protests. You can still see a strong National Guard presence at most any large protest, and they still carry automatic weapons as if theyve learned nothing since the Kent State massacre. One of the most glaring misuses of the military in recent years was in the New Orleans area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While there were definitely soldiers working to save people from the flooded city, there are reports of soldiers firing on looters and guarding the property of affluent members of the city.
Typically when I express my views on this issue, I am told that the only reason I can say such things is that young men have died for the freedom I so cherish. I simply respond that no government can give me freedom, and no war can be fought in the name of liberty. I was born free, and the only power the feds have is to take my freedom away.
We are currently fighting two wars that can be understood in the traditional sense and one war that seems to be using the term in an abstract fashion. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have effectively proven themselves to be unnecessary conflicts whose only purpose seems to be some kind of protection of corporate interests or worldwide police action. While the Iraq war was sold to the American public as necessary to prevent worldwide catastrophe, the Afghanistan war banked on this countrys citizens' want for revenge after the World Trade Center tragedy. Both of these tangible conflicts have absolutely no effect on civil liberties within this country. They are completely self-contained within their conflict zones. While they take a toll on the economy, morale, and life expectancies of the countries involved, stateside freedom is simply not an issue.
The one war that is a bit more abstract is the War on Terror. This is a conflict that has no specific location, and takes place in a worldwide arena. The policies that have spurred from this conflict have definitely affected civil liberties in this country but in a negative sense. The War on Terror has resulted in the passing of The Patriot Act which does more to strip away the rights guaranteed in the constitution than any other government policy since the Second World War. In recent months, our president has even authorized the assassination of American citizens who are identified as enemy combatants. The wide scope of this war, and the vague definition of the enemy allows for further intrusions into personal liberties on the pretense of protecting our citizens. This is certainly not the first time that the government has pushed these policies, but perhaps we should take heed of the words of Benjamin Franklin, They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Many times in the history of this country, the military has been used in the service of the elite to suppress the disadvantaged. In the 19th century, the military was used on multiple occasions to break strikes and ensure continued productivity from a work force that had to deal with absolutely horrible working conditions. Subsequently, in the 20th century, the military has been called in to intimidate and sometimes violently disrupt peaceful protests. You can still see a strong National Guard presence at most any large protest, and they still carry automatic weapons as if theyve learned nothing since the Kent State massacre. One of the most glaring misuses of the military in recent years was in the New Orleans area in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While there were definitely soldiers working to save people from the flooded city, there are reports of soldiers firing on looters and guarding the property of affluent members of the city.
Typically when I express my views on this issue, I am told that the only reason I can say such things is that young men have died for the freedom I so cherish. I simply respond that no government can give me freedom, and no war can be fought in the name of liberty. I was born free, and the only power the feds have is to take my freedom away.
