Monday, May 08, 2006

In the army now

I should first say that I am not a politically minded person. As several of my friends will tell you, I could care less. This could be due to the fact that my mother was a democrat while my father was republican. As a result, politics weren't usually discussed much; which is alright... I have a sneaking suspicion that, given my parents, any political debate might have ended with the house in flames.
And so, I don't really have a political stance. I think some things are wrong while others are right. One thing I have always been against is war. Personally I don't think the best way to bring someone to your way of thinking involves violence (unless it involves Napoleon dynamite fans, but that's another story). This could be because I'm not a violent person, well, not normally, anyway.
A big source of contention between my father and I while growing up was my refusal to join the army. While I'm not sure what his point was, exactly, he always got angry when I would refuse to even consider joining the army. Who knows, maybe it would have been good for me. Personally, I don't think I would survive the army or military... I'm just not that type of guy (I break under pressure when pressure is defined and mean military men shouting at me..... Come to think of it I was never a fan of GI Joe either....). While I think my Dad thought I was condemning the military, I wasn't; it just wasn't for me.
I always support the men and women to protect our country. It's the political leaders and decisions that direct the military that bothers me. I don't think we always have the best reasons to go to war, nor do I think war is always our best option.
I have several brothers, four of which I grew up with. Two are currently in the armed forces, with a third to join here very soon. Our father was also in the military. I think the military is an honorable profession, as I said before, but it disturbs me that I know nothing about the politics that will ultimately decide my brother's fate. How sad would it be if, on the day of my brother's funeral, I was unable to explain to my child or nephew why their uncle or father wasn't coming home, or what he died for? I don't want to know about politics, and I think war and the reasons why we fight are childish. Apparently my brothers don't (or they also don't care and figure it's a paycheck... Who knows). I think I owe it to them to find out just what they are fighting for.
I don't agree with war, but I suppose it's a little more productive than fast food (although I do believe that the cheeseburger could be credited for several inventions... But that's another story).