WAR! Good God, Y'all!

What is it good for?  ABSO-FREAKING-LOUTELY NOTHING! I'm being serious.

I read a particularly upsetting article in Rolling Stone this morning about a particular "kill group" that exists in the military during our war in the Middle East.  You can find the article  > here.

Anyway, the article provides a very graphic description of members of this group killing an unarmed civilian in Afghanistan.  A boy of 15, working in his field.  They treated this unarmed boy, now deceased, like a trophy kill.  You know, like when they were boys with their dad hunting deer.  Grabbed the poor boy by his hair, held his head up and snapped souvenir photographs.

OMFG.  Are you serious!?!  He was minding his business.  Did everything you asked.  WAS UNARMED.

You took him away from his existence.  You snuffed him out.  YOU ALL HAVE BECOME KILLERS AND IT IS ALL ARMY'S FAULT!

With all due respect of our great military that keeps us safe, I beg your pardon.  I know that we live a pretty sheltered existence here in America, and we are afforded this privilege because we have such a strong military.  I am proud of our military.  I am proud when our soldiers do good work.  Not when they treat innocent citizens no better than a buck they would have shot during deer season.

*DING*

I had an epiphany.  Do you guys have family in the military?  I'm sure you all do.  Give them a hug for me, by the way.  Anyway, there is a reason that these soldiers behaved in this manner.  ARMY changes you.  It does, and sometimes not for the better.  ARMY (or any military) has to get into your brain and train you to be a killing machine.  They can't have that sweet little boy that is still afraid of the dark out there on the battlefield.  I get it.  But when you push someone so far, you force people to exist in such a culture that it is ok to kill innocent civilians, you are doing more harm than good.

Have you ever wondered why your dad or grandfather wouldn't ever talk about their days in the war?  Probably because they would much rather forget the horrible things that went on during their time fighting for our country.  God bless them.  Seriously, we wouldn't have the privileges afforded us today without those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom.

But since the world view of America has become one of stupidity, coldheartedness and loud, boomy destruction paired with laziness, it makes me question our future as a world power.  Stop the killing.  Stop the bombing.  Stop running in to save everyone else's problems and fix the problems on your own soil.

And hug your military loved ones a little extra hard, because they have to put up with a lot of crap that I'm sure they never thought in their life they would.  And all at a ripe old age of 22.

Have a great week, y'all.  And remember.


War is Bad.

xoxo