McVeigh & Why Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right
The blame for our foreign policy blunders lies heavy on the shoulder of the politicians and military higher-ups. It also lies on our own shoulders. Most believe that the soldiers, however, are a class that should be protected from criticism on the topic of U.S. empire, because “they are only following orders.” Putting aside the fact that a soldier choosing to enter the service is signing a contract ensuring his moral abdication from life and death issues, Laurence Vance asks questions that make you wonder – “What if soldiers occupied our country and did these things to us?”:
Here is a simple test to determine whether a soldier is a murderer or a hero. There are only fifteen questions and only one of two responses is possible so you should be able to keep track of your answers.
1. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and throws grenades at Americans. Hero or murderer?
2. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and incinerates Americans with a flamethrower. Hero or murderer?
3. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and blows up Americans with a land mine. Hero or murderer?
4. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and blasts Americans to kingdom come with a tank. Hero or murderer?
5. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and drops bombs on Americans. Hero or murderer?
6. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and cuts Americans in half with a machine gun. Hero or murderer?
7. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and launches missiles at Americans. Hero or murderer?
8. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and shoots Americans with a pistol. Hero or murderer?
9. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and maims Americans with mortar fire. Hero or murderer?
10. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and fires rocket propelled grenades at Americans. Hero or murderer?
11. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and shreds the flesh of Americans with cluster bombs. Hero or murderer?
12. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and burns Americans to a crisp with napalm. Hero or murderer?
13. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and destroys Americans with attack helicopters. Hero or murderer?
14. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States and kills Americans as a sniper. Hero or murderer?
15. A soldier from a country thousands of miles away travels to the United States via drone and performs targeted killings of Americans. Hero or murderer?
I don’t know of a single American who wouldn’t say, and say it fifteen times, that these foreign soldiers were murderers.
But why is it that when American soldiers do these things they are heroes but when foreign soldiers do them they are murderers?
Time for another test. Again, there are only fifteen questions and only one of two responses is possible so you should be able to keep track of your answers.
1. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they wore a government-issued uniform?
2. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they were just following orders?
3. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they joined the military to serve their country?
4. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they were patriotic?
5. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because their government said America needed a regime change?
6. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they joined the military because they couldn’t find a job?
7. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they were just obeying their commander in chief?
8. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they didn’t make their country’s foreign policy?
9. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they were drafted?
10. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because their government said there were communists in America?
11. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they joined the military because their father had been in the military?
12. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they just did what they were told?
13. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because their government told them they were fighting a defensive war?
14. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because their politicians are the ones responsible for their actions?
15. Should we excuse foreign soldiers because they thought they were defending the freedoms of civilians in their country?
Then why do we excuse American soldiers for these same reasons?
U.S. foreign policy is aggressive, reckless, belligerent, and meddling. We don’t need a foreign policy that strikes a balance. We don’t need a foreign policy that we can afford. We don’t need a foreign policy that is like Reagan’s. We don’t need a foreign policy that is less interventionist. We need a wholesale repudiation of the past century of an evil and murderous U.S. foreign policy.
You can probably imagine what I believe. We should be much more cautious in encouraging those we love to join the military. Do not let those you love be used by the morally proud bent on intervention in the lives of countries worldwide. Christ’s Golden Rule applies very clearly here…
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