Governments Don’t Kill

“When men hire themselves out to shoot other men to order, asking nothing about the justice of their cause, I don’t care if they are shot themselves.” ~ Herbert Spencer

Stalin and his government never starved a single Ukrainian. Hitler and his government never gassed a single Jew. Mao and his government never beat to death a single Chinese peasant. And even though the senseless, immoral, unnecessary, and unjust invasion and occupation of Iraq resulted in a pile of a million dead bodies, the U.S. president and his government never killed anyone.

The U.S. government didn’t kill any Iraqis during the War in Iraq.

The U.S. government didn’t kill any Afghans during the War in Afghanistan.

The U.S. government didn’t kill any Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.

The U.S. government didn’t kill any American Indians during the westward expansion of the United States.

But aren’t the above people and organizations culpable in some way? Certainly they are. No one is disputing that. But you can’t say that the fault is all theirs or mainly theirs or mostly theirs since they didn’t actually kill anyone.

Why doesn’t anyone accept this “following orders” excuse for Americans who join the Mafia or a street gang? Why doesn’t anyone say that the evil deeds done by members of the Mafia and street gangs are not their fault? Why doesn’t anyone say that it is all the fault of the leaders of the nefarious organizations that these Americans have sworn allegiance to?

Is it the nice clean and pressed uniforms that U.S. troops wear? Is it the shiny medals on their chest? Is it the colorful patches on their shoulders? Is it the pretty stripes, bars, and service ribbons on their uniforms? Is it the polished boots on their feet? It is the nifty hats they wear? Sounds ridiculous I know, but then again there is the powerful cult of the uniform.

But, Mr. Vance, you are the one being ridiculous. The U.S. military is not like the Mafia or a street gang. You are right. It is far worse. The U.S. military has killed, maimed, displaced, made widows of, and made orphans of many millions more people than the Mafia and every street gang in history ever dreamed of.

The U.S. military is neither a benign nor a benevolent institution. The U.S. military is a maiming and killing institution. The U.S. military is an invading and occupying institution. The U.S. military is a bombing and destroying institution. The U.S. military is a widow- and orphan- making institution. The U.S. military is a meddling and intervening institution. And the U.S. military is a life-destroying institution. Just ask thousands of veterans who are suicidal, addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, divorced, homeless, missing limbs, and/or suffer from PTSD, panic attacks, nightmares, flashbacks, or traumatic brain injuries.

Members of the U.S. military do the dirty work of the U.S. government. They should not be thanked. They should not be praised. They should not be honored. They should be pitied, sympathized with, forgiven, helped, and, above all, told the truth about the evils of the U.S. government, its military, and its foreign policy.

Any American with access to an Internet connection on his phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop and five minutes could quickly and easily find plenty of things to question about the U.S. military. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. And neither is patriotism. The only way that American soldiers can keep from being responsible for killing is to stay out of the military.