RE: The Official "Damned Trump" Thread
September 4, 2020 at 8:28 am
(This post was last modified: September 4, 2020 at 8:33 am by arewethereyet.)
(September 4, 2020 at 6:43 am)Belacqua Wrote:(September 3, 2020 at 6:22 pm)Gawdzilla Sama Wrote: Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’
Trump doesn't know what he's talking about. But he is accidentally correct to say that WWI was a pointless and evil event which wasted millions of lives. Huge numbers of people were suckered into supporting it by propaganda and stupid nationalism, and they died for no good reason.
We should keep this in mind the next time we're asked to go die for the country.
Trump is a hypocrite to focus on WWI soldiers, since what he says about them is even more true of soldiers in the Bush/Obama/Trump wars. These wars have cost close to 6 trillion dollars, have ruined millions of lives, have made America less safe, and have just generally made the world a worse place. They have made a lot of money for certain corporations, however. Any soldier who has gone to one of these wars when he or she didn't absolutely have to is indeed a sucker -- tricked by corporate propaganda into risking (or losing) his own life for no good reason.
Recognizing this would make the continuation of such wars more difficult.
As for WWI, there was a draft in place and therefore only a legal deferral or illegal run for the border was the only way to get out of serving. The people who served weren't really given a choice and there are those who thought that fighting for their country when called is the thing to do.
As for the years since the mid-70s when the draft was done away with, again, those who thought/think that fighting for their country is the right thing to do doesn't make them suckers. Without a standing military the US would not have the defense it may need.
Maybe there is something within some people that made/makes them feel that fighting and potentially dying for their country is a worthwhile endeavor.
I am perfectly fine with the time I spent in the service. It was mutually beneficial. The military filled a need for me and my family and I filled a need for the military. The fact that I didn't die while in that service doesn't negate the fact that the possibility existed. I knew it when I volunteered and raised my hand to be sworn in.
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.” — Confucius