No One Cares by Chris Hedges

We are approaching a decade of war in Afghanistan, and the war in Iraq is in its eighth year. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands more Afghans and Pakistani civilians have been killed. Millions have been driven into squalid displacement and refugee camps. Thousands of our own soldiers and Marines have died or been crippled physically and psychologically. We sustain these wars, which have no real popular support, by borrowing trillions of dollars that can never be repaid, even as we close schools, states go into bankruptcy, social services are cut, our infrastructure crumbles, tens of millions of Americans are reduced to poverty, and real unemployment approaches 17 percent. Collective, suicidal inertia rolls us forward toward national insolvency and the collapse of empire. And we do not protest. The peace movement, despite the heroic efforts of a handful of groups such as Iraq Veterans Against the War, the Green Party and Code Pink, is dead. No one cares.

The roots of mass apathy are found in the profound divide between liberals, who are mostly white and well educated, and our disenfranchised working class, whose sons and daughters, because they cannot get decent jobs with benefits, have few options besides the military.








http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/no_one_cares_20100503/


I care.

I and my sister want OUT of these two wars. Our husbands served.

My two brothers want more death and destruction. Guess what? Their kids would never be caught near a base... let alone IN UNIFORM. So for them to advocate it is damn fucking easy.

One is a Rwer, the other is otherwise liberal, well educated, you know the drill.

yet I have some well off friends who do not care a whit who goes there...their children are Ivy League brats...they dont give a shit. and my warmongering brother? has never seen a uniform except when he plays soldier online

you said it.

One of my nieces said well war is ok. So I was blunt, when are you joining? She gave me a blank stare.

So I told her, at 18 YOU SHOULD have been forced to serve one tour... and since now you have a newly minted College degree one tour as an officer. If you are not willing to put up then shut the you know what up.

But you did not serve...

My husband did 21 in the USN, and I did ten technically in the Mexican Army. So either you are willing to serve and GO THERE, and risk your precious hide... or shut the hell up. WHY WE NEED A FUCKING DRAFT. That is the only way she will get it.

She changed the subject lickety split. Her father did as well when hubby asked him which one was he willing to serve up for a tour.

divided, like two different species. What is it that makes one person and insensitive elitist while his/her brother or sister is a humanitarian? In the Civil War is was "brother against brother", maybe we never really settled anything in that war. :(

I proudly wear the "black sheep" title of my family.
Me and my gay brother.

Take a special person to keep protesting when it's clear you're being systematically ignored.

that is the sad truth. Empire and the cost of Empire is something they don't care about as long as they don't have to pay for it... beyond lip service.

If we had a draft tomorrow, they'd do all to avoid it for their kids... and the war would suddenly become as unpopular as Nam.

until then, we send poor kids only and BUY mercenaries.

its a win win for the corporations.

maybe we'd get out by 2019 at that rate...

K/R

nice.

Hedges does have a point, too.

The page said someone had complained about it.

But a casual survey of postings at DU, a "Progressive" Website will confirm Chris Hedge's observation.

As long as it is Obama & "The Democrats" increasing Military Spending and escalating The Useless Wars, it is A-OK with far too many people who claim to be "Progressive" or "Liberal".

Many Democrats were elected to Congress in 2006, and 2008 because they pledged to block spending for The Wars.
What happened? :shrug:
.
.
.
Oh yeah. THIS happened.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/17-5

Obama unleashed the Winged Monkeys on their asses.
He made them an offer they couldn't refuse....Chicago style.
...and people say Obama can't play hardball!
He CAN, when he is playing against the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

once it became "our teams" war many of our formally anti-war brethren suddenly became happy chicken hawks. It's all about winning one for the "team", NOT standing by liberal and progressive values.

I care a lot. You bet I care a lot.

I just can't get the Conservadem/Blew Dogs/DLC types to care, nor the President to care.

After we got arrested in 2007 at a Veterans Day parade, (:wtf:) all of us felt pretty let down after we were acquitted.

Obama won the general election and we were hoping that perhaps, just maybe, he might pull the troops out of both occupations. Boy, was I wrong.

The latest thing we're trying is educational videos. Here's our first --> http://smedleyvfp.org/page40/page41/page41.html

Me? I'm looking to hit the streets again.

hook, line and sinker.

Look no further than GD-P. :puke:



But I still care and always will.