It’s common knowledge we should respect the military.
After all, the common rhetoric goes, the soldiers overseas are fighting for our freedom.
If any American mentions the military in a less-than favorable light, their fellow citizens will often remind him or her it was the military who earned the right to free speech.
If soldiers earned me the right to free speech, then I am sincerely thankful.
Hopefully, speech is free enough for me to criticize the organization from which this freedom allegedly springs.
I don’t know what enemy’s freedom-hating machinations the troops overseas are keeping us safe from. Surely not all the troops overseas are fighting for freedom.
The Spanish-American War was just an imperialistic land-grab. The 1953 overthrow of a democratically elected government in Iran was just a power play. The recent war in Iraq was just a …
Well, I don’t really know why we caused 4.7 million refugees and 100,000 civilian deaths at a cost of $3 trillion — the equivalent of more than four Katrinas, 30 Sept. 11’s and 1,000 “cash for clunkers” programs. If it was for any reason, it wasn’t to protect our freedom.
Troops overseas put your freedom in jeopardy. When we sent doughboys into the trenches of the first world war, we empowered the allies to levy massive penalties on Germany that paved the path for Adolf Hitler.
More recently, the U.S. Navy provided support for the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Witnessing the bloodshed was the birth of Osama bin Laden’s hatred of American imperialism.
“I couldn’t forget those moving scenes, blood and severed limbs, women and children sprawled everywhere. Houses destroyed along with their occupants and high rises demolished over their residents, rockets raining down on our home without mercy,” bin Laden said in a 2004 speech. “The situation was like a crocodile meeting a helpless child, powerless except for his screams. Does the crocodile understand a conversation that doesn’t include a weapon?”
When he responded to the attack on unarmed civilians with an attack on unarmed civilians, the U.S.’s constellation of 700 overseas military failed to keep us safe. Despite spending trillions of dollars over the decades, the U.S. Department of “Defense” couldn’t even defend its headquarters.
Having troops overseas doesn’t make you safer, even against enemies capable of waging symmetric warfare. The Soviets stayed their hand because they feared mutually assured destruction, not because our troops were spraying Agent Orange on overseas rice paddies.
Think about the actual limits on your freedom. The reason you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays, purchase competitive health care from across state lines or use Fed Ex to ship envelopes is because of government decrees.
Sure, it may throw you the odd bone, but is a couple thousand dollars in scholarship money worth the $400,000 every household owes for future government liabilities?
It doesn’t matter how you answer that question because you don’t get a choice. The bonds our treasury sells overseas are backed by your future earnings. You’ll spend your entire life paying off the debt your elders used the government to incur.
The government takes its cuts of your paychecks, wages an unwinnable war on drugs, jails more than 2.3 million citizens and employs almost 1.4 million active-duty military personnel.
And that’s why it’s lunacy to suggest troops abroad are fighting for your freedom. The troops are employed by the one organization that limits your freedom more than any other.
At best, soldiers can prevent foreign governments from sending their troops to protect your freedom.
Daniel Morgan is a 21-year-old economics senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_dmorgan.
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Contact Daniel Morgan at dmorgan@lsureveille.com
The Devil's Advocate: Overseas troops are not protecting our freedom
Published: Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, November 3, 2009
 "Photo: (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)")
(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
In this picture taken Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, an Afghan policeman washes the hands of U.S. Army U.S. Army Lt. Jonathan Smith, right, from Garland, Texas, as Sgt. Matthew Clark, left, from Dublin, Ohio, looks on while soldiers from Bravo Co., Division Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, eat dinner with Afghan policemen before a joint patrol of Qalanderkhail, outside of Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.
7 comments
nick
In my opinion there is no disputing this article. The harsh reactions here are based entirely on emotion with no consideration of truth. Very often, the truth is kept from our troops such that they believe they are fighting for one thing while in actuality are fighting for something completely different. Which means these amazing young men and women have no idea what they and their brothers and sisters are dying for. These people deserve better than this. I still fail to see the correlation between all of this carnage, and my freedom of speech.3 trillion dollars can go much further with more to show for it than lost lives and destroyed families. Child hunger for example.
Your name
Military service is honorable. Not here to say we should not have a strong and ready military- because there is an important role to fill- but reaching for an honest understanding of what that role is- maybe this is one way to pay respect to veterans.The Armed Forces operate as enforcers of US foreign policy. Foreign Policy goals & objectives may, or may not have anything to do with the individual rights and freedoms of American citizens, our physical security, or defending the constitution.The day women or 18 year olds got the right to vote, prohibition was ended, blacks were first able to marry whites, Miranda rights were instituted, the federal government stopped going after medical marijuana, etc. - It was not because we were kicking ass somewhere overseas.Maybe Dr Martin Luther King Jr could have saved much wear and tear if he had just phoned over to The Joint Chiefs of Staff and had them send out "The Troops" to protect American rights and freedoms.When we are told our concealed carry permit is void on National Parks lands- can we have The Joint Chiefs of Staff send out "The Troops" to somehow restore our freedom?If I want to go down to the bar with my 20 year old girlfriend (a responsible adult) to order up a few beers and celebrate freedom should I contact The Joint Chiefs of Staff for authorization?
D
I agree. You have a right to voice your opinion, and I am glad you did, because it created conversation on the topic, but I challenge you to look up more information on this matter, or better yet, talk to a soldier. I mean, I know you thought about this in history class, but the world is so much bigger than a few textbooks or a class.
Z
As a veteran who has fought on both fronts I will say that you do have the right to say what you want when you want. Now after saying that, you are very wrong. You haven't the slightest idea of what we do, but if you don't think we protect the interests of this country then move. See how free the rest of the world lives. Better yet, enlist in the service and find out for yourself the truth of how we deal everyday life so you can sit and whine about how bad your day is.
meg
This is absolute garbage. You can criticize the military without insulting the troops, and you can disagree with the military's policies without disrespecting the men and women who risk their lives fighting overseas.
Bryan
Joe, if you want to be taken seriously, you must provide examples of your proclamations. Links to articles on the historical events you are thinking of would be a start.
Joe Vergo
I believe you should read some history to go with your economics courses if you truly want to learn how soldiers fighting overseas and on our soil have given their lives for your freedom.
