Counter Recruitment
The following are excerpts from an article written by former Marine Corps officer and veteran of the Vietnam War, Camillo Bica entitled “On the Duty to Counter Recruitment.”
"It should be clear by now to all rational human beings (to many it was clear long ago), that the war with Iraq was a mistake. Many, of course, have arrived at this conclusion only because of the frustration of not having enjoyed a quick and total victory and an unwillingness to sacrifice further American lives and treasure attempting to resolve the quagmire of sectarian violence and civil war. The preemptive invasion and occupation of Iraq, a sovereign nation, are much worse than a mistake...There were no weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was not the mastermind behind the events of 9/11, nor was he harboring Al Qaeda terrorists. Further, and this is critical at this juncture, to continue to wage – even escalate – an illegal and immoral war and occupation – “to finish the job and achieve victory” – merely because we started it or from a concern that out nation would lose credibility in the world were we to “cut and run,” makes no moral or legal sense... Finally, even from the perspective of a pragmatist, tactically and strategically the war in Iraq is clearly a tragic and utter failure. As we surpass the number of Americans killed on 9/11 (a John Hopkins study puts Iraqi deaths at more than 600,000) and enter our fourth year of occupation, it is clear as well that a military resolution of the debacle is impossible and our continued military presence in Iraq merely serves to exacerbate the turmoil and violence. Faced with the reality of a continuing, even escalating, illegal and immoral war, of a President who arrogantly ignores the advice of his military leaders and, most important, the will of the American people, it is not only permissible, it is morally required, that we bring pressure to bear upon our leaders to end both the aggression against the Iraqi people and the exploitation and victimization of members of our own military... With the decreasing popularity of the war in Iraq and the President’s approval rating at an all time low... These conditions, morality requires that we act to protect those most vulnerable – impressionable young people in our high schools and colleges and the underprivileged who see the military as their only alternative to poverty, crime, and unemployment... those who are being recruited will not be risking their lives and physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, to defend America, our freedoms, or the values we hold sacred. Rather, they will be made complicit in the crimes of aggression. Morality demands that we protect our young people from being enticed, seduced, brainwashed, and deceived, into becoming killers and cannonfodder for corporate war profiteers. We counter recruit because we must. It is our moral and civic duty. To do anything less would be unpatriotic, nay treasonous and morally irresponsible."
The article can be found at: http://www.svaphilosopher.com/CounterRecruitment.html
"It should be clear by now to all rational human beings (to many it was clear long ago), that the war with Iraq was a mistake. Many, of course, have arrived at this conclusion only because of the frustration of not having enjoyed a quick and total victory and an unwillingness to sacrifice further American lives and treasure attempting to resolve the quagmire of sectarian violence and civil war. The preemptive invasion and occupation of Iraq, a sovereign nation, are much worse than a mistake...There were no weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein was not the mastermind behind the events of 9/11, nor was he harboring Al Qaeda terrorists. Further, and this is critical at this juncture, to continue to wage – even escalate – an illegal and immoral war and occupation – “to finish the job and achieve victory” – merely because we started it or from a concern that out nation would lose credibility in the world were we to “cut and run,” makes no moral or legal sense... Finally, even from the perspective of a pragmatist, tactically and strategically the war in Iraq is clearly a tragic and utter failure. As we surpass the number of Americans killed on 9/11 (a John Hopkins study puts Iraqi deaths at more than 600,000) and enter our fourth year of occupation, it is clear as well that a military resolution of the debacle is impossible and our continued military presence in Iraq merely serves to exacerbate the turmoil and violence. Faced with the reality of a continuing, even escalating, illegal and immoral war, of a President who arrogantly ignores the advice of his military leaders and, most important, the will of the American people, it is not only permissible, it is morally required, that we bring pressure to bear upon our leaders to end both the aggression against the Iraqi people and the exploitation and victimization of members of our own military... With the decreasing popularity of the war in Iraq and the President’s approval rating at an all time low... These conditions, morality requires that we act to protect those most vulnerable – impressionable young people in our high schools and colleges and the underprivileged who see the military as their only alternative to poverty, crime, and unemployment... those who are being recruited will not be risking their lives and physical, psychological, and emotional well-being, to defend America, our freedoms, or the values we hold sacred. Rather, they will be made complicit in the crimes of aggression. Morality demands that we protect our young people from being enticed, seduced, brainwashed, and deceived, into becoming killers and cannonfodder for corporate war profiteers. We counter recruit because we must. It is our moral and civic duty. To do anything less would be unpatriotic, nay treasonous and morally irresponsible."
The article can be found at: http://www.svaphilosopher.com/CounterRecruitment.html
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