“The politicians are the ones you should be opposing, not the soldiers. The soldiers are there to do what they are told. They perform terrible acts because they are told to do so.” ~ A Critic in 2008

“I think you are picking on the wrong bunch.  All the things you list in your article are to be laid at the feet of the politicians. Our system requires the military to follow orders. If the people giving the orders are immoral etc. then you have the problems you allude to.” ~ A Critic in 2015

Some things never change—like excuses for the actions of the military. The song is a little different each time, but the chorus is the same: Just criticize the politicians; the troops are just following orders. War, Empire, and the M... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $5.24 Buy New $9.79 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)

During this time when there is such a tremendous drive to war that “for the first time in CNN/ORC polling, a majority of Americans (53%) say the U.S. should send ground troops to Iraq or Syria to fight ISIS,” there is only one group of people who can stop the drive to war. It is not the politicians in Congress. Many of them think that President Obama is not enough of a warmonger. It is not the Republican presidential candidates. Most of them can’t wait to become the commander in chief so they can get the United States involved in more wars.

It is the troops who do the actual fighting, killing, bleeding, and dying that can stop dead in its tracks the drive to war.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who fight the foreign wars.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who bomb, maim, and kill for the state.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who occupy foreign countries.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who obey immoral orders.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who fight the unjust wars.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who kill civilians for sport.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who act as the world’s policemen, firemen, and security guards. The Making of the King... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $15.25 Buy New $16.50 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)

It is the troops, not the politicians, who make widows and orphans.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who make war without a constitutional declaration of war.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who invade foreign countries.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who create more terrorists than they kill.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who undertake “nation building.”

It is the troops, not the politicians, who practice gunboat diplomacy.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who unleash sectarian violence.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who cause collateral damage.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who take their victims’ body parts as trophies.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who commit atrocities.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who mete out death and destruction overseas. War, Christianity, and... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $8.95 Buy New $9.95 (as of 09:10 UTC - Details)

It is the troops, not the politicians, who go to countries where they have no business going.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who urinate on the dead bodies of their victims.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who keep overseas brothels in operation.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who do the government’s dirty work.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who murder foreigners.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who destroy property and infrastructure.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who are a global force for evil.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who rape foreign women.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who serve as the president’s personal attack force.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who fight immoral wars.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who avenge 9/11 by killing people who had nothing to do with it.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who commit torture. King James, His Bible,... Laurence M. Vance Best Price: $2.07 Buy New $56.00 (as of 08:30 UTC - Details)

It is the troops, not the politicians, who “accidentally” kill civilians.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who recite vile cadences.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who fight senseless wars.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who kill remotely via drone.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who bomb wedding parties.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who lie to impressionable young men to convince them to join their ranks.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who conduct “regime change.”

It is the troops, not the politicians, who try to establish democracy at the point of a gun.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who fight unnecessary wars.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who regularly miss their drone strike targets and kill civilians.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who enforce UN resolutions.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who fight offensive wars.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who carry out an aggressive, reckless, and belligerent U.S. foreign policy.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who garrison the planet with hundreds of military bases.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who are stationed in 150 different regions of the world.

It is the troops, not the politicians, who join the Army, travel the world, meet interesting people, and kill them.

The politicians care more about contributions from defense contractors than they care about the troops. We can’t look to them to stop the drive to war.

Who can stop the drive to war? We must look to the ones who are ultimately responsible for waging war. It is the troops, the whole troops, and nothing but the troops who can stop the drive to war.

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