Militarism

A disturbing trend in current political culture is the carte blanche acceptance given to military service as a qualification to hold civilian office. Former Marines are greeted with the kind of deference given formerly to Catholic priests and ministers. We are seeing clearly that former deference to the so-called ordained was not deserved. I feel the deference given to veterans should be earned by more than wearing a uniform.

As a humanist, committed to peace, social justice and non-violence, I am very wary of voting for anyone with a military background. In order to wear a uniform, a person must commit themselves to kill other human beings at the command of a superior officer. This is a basic requirement of a soldier. Once the line of killing is crossed, a human being is permanently changed, in my opinion. That change is obviously not in the direction of peace and compassion.

The blend of celebrity, sex-appeal and militarism is a well-worn method for Right-Wing extremists to attain power in politics. Military veterans most often present themselves as soft-spoken pragmatists, coming from a position of the war-weary, tested hero. Usually, they are front men for social and financial conservatives, whose agenda never changes. More wealth for the wealthy. Less opportunity for the poor and socially responsible.

A veteran certainly has a right to run for public office. However, America is a democracy, which has constitutional control of the military by civilian leadership. The increasing control of the country by corporate power and the longstanding co-dependency of the military with the corporate industrial complex in opposition to the best financial interests of the general public raise are troubling trends. An alarm goes off in my mind when I see an increasing number of cosmetically enhanced veterans marching into the political arena with shadowy financial support.

I look forward to a day when the American military returns to a policy of defense of true American values of peace and protection of the rights of the common people in America. The current policy of the U.S. military is obviously centered on aggression and the promotion of American corporate interests abroad at a great cost to the common people of America and the countries it invades. Veterans coming away from that military culture cause me great concern, when I see them seeking political office.