nuclear defense
About a year ago I was having the familiar problem with Army recruiters. Finally, instead of saying that I was interested and hanging up, I decided to talk to the guy. I told him I didn't want to join the Army because I was a pretty big fan of peace. He told me that's what fighting wars was all about. That they were fighting for peace. Hmph. War is Peace. So I asked him to explain exactly how killing people could possibly bring peace. "I... I'm not sure," he said. I could see that he was beginning to feel inferior - this soldier that was most likely twice my size. I could have toyed with him for another ten minutes, but I just said, "Well maybe you should give it some thought before committing your entire life to it." He said "Yeah" and hung up. I haven't heard from them since. Why is it that so many Americans believe that we are the heroes? Because President Bush is pushing the drug of patriotism? That word seems to be the blood of Jesus - bathing our transgressions to make them seem pure. Samuel Johnson said, "Patriotism is the last defense of a scoundrel." Right on Sam. Let me tell you something very important, we are not the heroes. America, while dangling Iraq by their ankles and shaking them until some sort of weapon of ma
Our current defense is just as ridiculous as the old "duck-and-cover" method during the Cold War. Costa Rica has had only one war in their entire history, and has not had an army since 1947. " In 2002, our government spent $338 billion on past military, meaning veterans' benefits, and national debt (80% of which is created by military spending). $334 billion was spent on current military, meaning military personnel, maintenance, procurement, research and development, nuclear weapons, etc. Many of them complain about finding rat droppings in their kitchens, dirt and grime on the hallway floors and walls, and paint is peeling and rotting away. Barbara Kingsolver said, "All of the promises of politicians, generals, madmen, and crusaders that war can create peace have yet to be borne out. ss destruction falls from their pockets, happens to have the world's largest and deadliest arsenal of toys designed for the game of death. But is raising rent and burning flowers any way to solve the problem? Ms. Their first president was not a slave-owning war-monger, but a schoolteacher. We laugh at the notion that jumping in a ditch and hiding under a sweater could possibly save anyone from nuclear fall-out, but stop and think about our current ideas. Not to condone the action of a few terrorists, but is it any wonder that we were attacked in September of 2001. We have bombed, starved, shot at, broken promises with, desecrated, and sanctioned more countries than most people can name. In fact, in the past he has found his mailbox pulverized, a brick thrown through his front window, and even the murder of his cat. It's just swell to think of these weapons as protection from evil enemies (who currently are being produced by the most broken and destitute places on Earth), but they were designed and built for one reason: to destroy thousands of people at the same time. Plumbing breaks down, floorboards rot, the lawns are never mowed, lights burn out, this breaks, that cracks.
Common topics in this essay:
Johnson Patriotism,
Carl Sagan,
Cold War,
War Peace,
,
Barbara Kingsolver,
Costa Rica,
Ms Kingsolver,
President Bush,
Ecuador Zaire,
military meaning,
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Acceptance Essays
