On the MIC and its brainwashing/recruitment of our children.

I am sick and tired of seeing military recruitment commercials on TV. But even worse than that is recruiters in schools, particularly in poor areas. The military-industrial complex is not satisfied with the trillions of dollars of your money they waste each year. Oh no, squandering money that could be spent housing the homeless or feeding the hungry isn't enough for the modern day war hawks, they want to spend your child's life on war as well.

From a young age most children are taught to idolize the soldiers who “keep us free” despite the fact America is actually less free than many countries, and even than it used to be. Much of this teaching comes from movies, from history books used in schools that are written by the same people who use the American soldier to further their own goals, some comes from the aforementioned commercials that make the military look like a good and possibly even heroic career path, but even more of this false idol worship comes from the parents themselves.

We have been brainwashed for as long as we can collectively remember to believe the American soldier is a hero. But the truth is the American soldier is not only not a hero, but they happen to be the worst criminals since the Nazis. From dropping atomic bombs on Japan, a move the military commanders and inventors of the bombs themselves said was absolutely unnecessary, to the interventions in Korea and Vietnam, the latter of which still suffers from the residual effects of America's illegal chemical weaponry, to Iraq, and Iraq again, which is also suffering from America's illegal use of chemical weapons. This isn't counting America's aid to cartel backed “death squads” in South America, or the occasional warlord in Africa who promised oil or diamonds, or even the current day Nazis who have taken over the Ukraine.

The United States is responsible for the death of tens of millions of civilians. A guaranteed death toll of a million civilians killed by US forces in Iraq alone, with many sources claiming higher numbers. This is not counting those who have or will die from the destruction of basic infrastructure and or the various poisons released by the US. This is also not counting the soldiers lost on both sides.

Despite all of this the common man still licks the proverbial boot. Letting or forcing their children to view the American soldier as a hero. This makes the job of the recruiter very easy. The commercials prime children enough, but did you know the military has even made video games, one very popular game called America's Army. This game originally came out in 2002 and has had multiple sequels. These games, like all games, are primarily targeted to the youth, which makes sense considering most gamers are young, but also sets a nasty trend.

Is it not enough that private companies target our children with their own war glorifying games? The government itself is making games that exalt the most brutal and violent military force in the world. That is the literal definition of propaganda. But the people who worship the gods that are the American soldier love this propaganda, and viciously, and sometimes even violently, attack those who seek to defend our children. Even if the people who point out how wrong it is are veterans, they are called traitors, cowards, hippies, commies, or some other semantically derogatory term.

Many veterans now speak out publicly against the government as a whole and the military in specific. Even more veterans who do not speak out do know that what they have done as part of the MIC is wrong, but are afraid to speak out. This can come from the fear of being hated, the inner fear of having to admit to themselves and the world the crimes they were apart of, or even the fear of being “suicided” should they know too much.

Many more veterans suffer mentally and emotionally, estimates range from an extremely conservative fifty thousand to a more likely number of two hundred thousand, or even more, being homeless on any given night. Twenty two veterans commit suicide every single day, meaning more have died by their own hands than in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The same people who worship the military tend to vote republican, this shows they have a great sense of tragic irony as republicans always vote down increases for veterans affairs, including aid for those that are homeless and or suffering from extreme disabilities. Of course they never said they cared about the people, only that they “support the troops.” Though I wonder how so many of them can continue to hold the same old politics when their own family are the veterans being tossed aside and ignored once they can no longer fight the banker's wars.

I have no idea how so many people can claim to support the military while sending them, often their own children, to die, and kill, in meaningless wars. I have no idea how we can let the government get away with brainwashing our children to be good little slaves, how we let them recruit in schools, specially schools in poor areas, in areas where the idea of military service is easily sold to kids who grew up poor and want out of a bad neighborhood.

I have seen military recruiters straight up lie to kids. Lie about how easy it is to get out, about the pay, the ease of promotions, the ease of choosing what specialty you go into, how deployments work, etc. This is absolute bullshit, it should be criminal, but it is actually the law. Did you know that? The law mandates that schools must be open with recruiters and give any personal information of any student if the recruiter asks for it.

I am truly disgusted by the propaganda which serves only to make our youth more willing to serve the political elite in wars which make us no safer, no more free, and only makes us bankrupt, and hated the world over. Men are fallible, and hero worship must stop. When deeds are good congratulations and thanks are in order, but we must never become blinded by legends and the past that we ignore the wrongs being done in front of us.