Veterans

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This is Veterans Day here in America. It was originally celebrated as Armistice Day, a commemoration of the end of "the war to end all wars", World War I, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Study of World War I politics and military leadership reveals that the Great Powers intentionally massacred millions of human beings in order to play out a political chess game. Armistice Day was simply a token gesture to acknowledge the stupidity and waste of war to placate the horrified and traumatized survivors of the debacle. The subtext was "we promise we won't do this to you again".

Veterans Day has become a celebration of militarism in America. It is equivalent to May Day in Red Square in the former Soviet Union. The elevation of soldiers to the status of heroes and martyrs is a time-worn method of militaristic societies to justify their aggression for their own selfish purposes. Behind the drum beats and the banners is the harsh reality that the poor and directionless are used as cannon fodder for geopolitical maneuvers of the wealthy to gain more wealth by wresting control of natural resources and territory from which to dominate regions of interest.

The original purpose of Armistice Day was to remind the world that war is an unproductive and unjust method to solve human problems. The politicians and wealthy classes are still using war as a method to maintain their control of human destiny. War is poison to true democracy and true freedom. This is not the way to universal human rights and real justice.