Letters to the Editor
October 27, 2008 by Spadoman
This letter was sent to the Minneapolis Star and tribuneLetter to the Editor.
While John McCain and Barack Obama discussed Joe the Plumber’s fictitious concerns, Matt the Soldier and Kris the Veteran were just outside the debate hall in their military best with their second request to attend the debate and allow two veterans to ask just two questions of the candidates. One question was in regard to fighting an illegal occupation as termed by Obama, and the second was why McCain doesn’t fund the VA especially since so many active service members commit suicide. As the candidates directed 20-plus responses on Joe the Plumber, Matt and Kris were being arrested and Nick the Reservist along with some others were being trampled by a policeman on horseback trying to disburse the crowd.
How sad the media rushed to find out and showcase Joe the Plumber, and ignore Nick the Reservist’s crushed and torn face.
And even more shameful: Why didn’t the candidates mention the struggles of Joe and Jane the Service Members as they return and try to find work and face foreclosures ?
Ann Galloway
Note: Ann Galloway is a member of WAMM, Women Against Military Madness. I know she is very active with this organization and participates, motivates and stands as an activist for WAMM. I had the pleasure of standing with her often during the RNC here in Minneapolis. The the person named Nick she speaks of was the subject of an article that appeared here not long ago entitled, “Veterans Arrested and Beaten at Presidential Debate”. It can be found veterans arrested and beaten at presidential debate.
This second article is a letter received by the Minneapolis Chapter 27 of Veterans For Peace. Bob is a member and a virtual clearinghouse of information for the membership and others to read, so as to inform and take action.
Dear colleagues. I just got this request and knew there were some of you that could skillfully reply. If you send to me, I will forward to her. Bob
Hi Bob. I am asking a favor. My grandson wants to join the Marines. He thinks he’ll go to four years college and come out a Lieutenant .
This is a letter I wrote to him. Could someone from VFP write him??? Do you have a service like that???
This is the contract that the military makes for you.
1.
I will give you money and limited status. ( only for some people, see #8)
2.
I will militarize you to make you hate who I think you should hate, It depends on the war Southerners, Northerners, Germans, Japanese, Russians, Koreans, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Arabs, Iranians, Iraqis,
We may be friends with them later, but you must believe they are you enemies when we say they are.
3.
In order to keep the world order that might is right, our politicians must dominate any country they feel they need to. They need not be skilled at diplomacy, or imbued with fairness. They have you.
4.
In order to do that; you will back up what the government tells the military to do.
5.
You will kill, bomb, torture, or be part of such an action, whoever we say, whenever we say, without question.
6.
If you join, then see it is too horrible, you will have to lie to yourself constantly, that you are killing, or being part of the killing process, for a just cause. If you in good conscience can’t do this, and want to leave, we will make your life hell, and then we will court-marshall you.
7.
To enable you to do this; you will socialize only with military people, to make sure your conscience is not challenged. You must develop groupthink and support each other.
We will do everything we can to build camaraderie and make you think you have a family; there will be much talk of buddies, comrades, having someone to take your back. The object, however, is reinforcement.
8.
If people say this is wrong, you must call the weak, naive, foolish and call them a traitor. You must distance yourself from them.
9.
You may not have to kill, but you will be expected to support the organization that kills, to the best of your ability.
10.
For this we will give you money. Not 30 pieces of silver, a lot more.
Gary, You never knew my dad who would be your great grandfather. He was a marine. He knew what foolishness it was. I some ways your great grandpa was not a very good role model, but he had a saying that made up for any lack of wisdom you might think he had. When he saw someone doing something that was not right for money, He’d say “I’ll let you know when I’m that poor”. He didn’t die a rich man, but he left me that, and that was better.
My brother, like you, was looking for a free ride. Although he made a lot of money, it ruined his life. He became someone else. He fell for that “officer and a gentleman” lie. A gentleman does not take part in killing, theft, bullying or intimidating. it was number 6, constantly lying to himself. You must constantly lie to yourself, when every bone in your body that is humane and honest, knows that you are part of doing wrong.
You must know that they lie. Once you sign you cannot complain you didn’t get all the nuances of the fine print. Talk to some parents who have their kids in. They promise one thing and do another.
Boot camp – notice you do that first – itself is geared to change the unformed frontal lobe of a teenager.
I have a few diamonds. I will gladly sell all of them and give you the money to pay for part of tuition. I am as serious as I can be about this.
I have never heard that your dad minded paying your tuition. The cost of adopting you was huge. Why would he balk at that? He expected that, even hoped for that. He is certain to get a good job and Jeanette is working. She likes you a lot.
I am not worried that you will die. You will die. So will I. I am worried that you will kill.
Not you, my love, Not you.
Grandma
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Wow, what a powerful letter. I will print it and keep it and use it and read it to never forget it’s message. Thanks for sharing it. Spadoman rocks!
(full disclosure: I am married to Spadoman and he is as awesome a person as his carefully selected and written articles show)
I love your husbands words Barb. Thank you for sharing him with us and the rest of the world.
I just said “Wow” out loud after reading this letter. I was having similar thoughts earlier today, while they have this yammerfest about fricking joe-the-plumber, people are dying, suffering in remote American prisons, and there is some urgency to the business of trying to regain a democracy in this country.
They like to talk the talk about respecting Vets, but not the kind of Vets who would ask the tough questions. They have no problem bashing the heads of those same Vets they give lip service to. It was Smedley Butler who said deciding about going to war should be done by the people who would be doing the fighting, and those in power should not be allowed to make more than the lowest paid soldier.
Now there’s a man who knows “War is a racket”, and he figured out a solution.
Take out the profit, and what is it good for? Absolutely nothin’ ~ as the song goes.
(full disclosure: I am NOT married to Spadoman, but he is a friend who speaks the truth, to the heart).