Tell Me Again -- Why Are We In Iraq?

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Soldiers, by and large, are tools used to advance the interests of those who own and run the country. They are lied to, conned and conditioned to believe they are fighting for "freedom" when in most cases they are killing, dying and being maimed to enrich domestic elites and their allies/business partners. This is a big hard truth to swallow, which is why a lot of military personnel, and many vets, prefer the standard story. Recently, I caught on radio a reporter just back from Iraq, and he addressed this very issue. Many of the soldiers he spoke to were upset that what was said to them by recruiters and officers did not hold up in Iraq. The con job was cracking. But instead of exploring why this was so, many of these disgruntled soldiers further retreated into a black & white world, where they are on the side of Good and anyone opposing them is Bad. This is understandable on a basic human level -- nobody likes to be lied to or made a chump. But it's al so dishonest and potentially destructive, both to the soldier and the society at large. The Soldier Mantra cited above is an authoritarian appeal and an intellectual and historical dodge. You don't honor the troops by reducing them to stereotypes, however seemingly attractive.