"Here's the deal with the situation in Iraq.  I don't believe in our reasons for being over there.  I don't believe in our reasons for staying over there, but the fact remains that we ARE over there, and there are young American soldiers dying over there."

This is a direct quote from an e-mail I recieved from another soldier in my unit, who is still in the unit awaiting deployment to Iraq.  Here's some more of what he said...

"I know you're a 'good guy' McCall, and I know that insurgents are pissed cuz we're over there and want us to leave.  Personally I don't want to go over there, I'm trying to go to West Point and get some college in man and avoid dying unnecessarily.  I don't want to die in Iraq and have my tombstone say

'Private H******

American Soldier

Died in Iraq from IED while serving with A Co 1/67'"

This is the mindset of an American soldier?  Why is he fighting?  He is fighting because it is all he understands.  He has been trained to do a job...no questions asked.  He thinks that by doing his job, no matter what the situation, everything is fine.  Afterall, he did sign a contract.

But, he has a conscience.  Yes, that conscience is qualmed by the training that he has recieved...just for that reason...but it is obvious that he is doubting what his job pertains to.  He is on the brink of making the right choice.

But will he make that choice?  Honestly, I doubt it.  You see, the military is built so that men, and women, have no chance to speak out against what is obviously wrong.  In the Army there was this saying: "Out of sight, out of mind". Most lower ranking soldiers live on that principle.  They believe that the quieter they stay, the smoother they will flow through, and essentially, the quicker they will get out.  They are afraid to speak out.  They know what can happen.

I knew what would happen when I spoke up.  I knew that when I requested Conscientious Objector status I would be made into a mockery.  And it came to fruition.  As soon as news got out, the fun started.  "Hippy", "Commie", "Shit-bag", and "Faggot" were only a few.  But I kept fighting.  I knew what had to be done, and I also knew that as a soldier, standing up for right was the way to go.

Why can't more men go the route that I have taken?  Because it is a hard, hard road to travel down.  Losing all rights in the nation of one's birth is only the beginning, and losing the support of one's family certainly isn't the end.

WE SHALL OVERCOME.

So...

I recieved my first notice to appear before a Canadian court today.  So, I'm pretty bummed.  Oh, yeah, and my family are being very, well, unsupportive.  So, it's just a horrible day.

So, I'm going for a bike ride.  A long bike ride.

Sorry

To those of you that have been to my site recently, I do apologize for being a lazy bastard.  I've been pretty busy, but, that is no excuse.  To assure you, so that you may have a reason for coming back to my site, I am working on some new stuff to post...so, by Monday there will be a few new thingys to check out.

Trust me.

WE SHALL OVERCOME.

Brad

To whom it may concern

This is a post directed to those of you that hate me.  You know, the ones out there telling me to commit suicide, or saying that I  should be "hogtied" and "dumped at the border".

First off, to address these threats, I openly invite you to make an attempt at hogtying me and dumping me at the US border, for you will, my dear friend, not succeed in this attempt.

Nextly, in defense of myself: I am a deserter.  I willingly admit this.  I am fighting for my beliefs.  I will not back down.  You ask why I do not just serve my time in Ft. Leavenworth?  Well, friends, I know, as well as you do that if I subjected myself to that punishment, I would be completely ineffective in fighting for the cause of the anti-war movement.  So, I will fight going to prison as long as I can.  I have a voice, and I will be heard.

Also, who are you people to question my word?  Have you been in the US Army?  Have you heard men laughing about murder?  Have you been laughed at when you attempted to report war crimes?  Your answer is more than likely, "no".  

So, fuck off.  I refuse to be held back by your Fascist views.  If you are so angry about my desertion, then go to your nearest recruiting office, and sign the dotted line. 

http://dustmybroom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1620&Itemid=1

PATRIOTISM: A Necessary Evil

Am I a coward?  

Am I less of a man for doing what I've done?

Am I guilty of treason, desertion, and anti-patriotism?

Me.  I am a 20 year-old male.  I'm six feet two, and I weigh in at a whopping one-ninety five.  Currently I am munching on organic chocolate chips, sitting in my girlfriends room, trying to figure things out.  So, I write.  I am going to write.  I will work this out.

I came to Canada with approximately thirty-five dollars in my pocket, a half-empty tank of gas, and a trunk full of clothes.  I was arrested at the border, intimidated by police officers telling me to return home, and jailed for two days.  I knew no one in Canada, and had never even been outside of the United States.  I was running from prosecution, as well as persecution.  I didn't even fully understand why I was doing what I was doing.  I just knew that it was right, and that I had to stand against whatever it was I was fighting.  Now, looking back, I fully comprehend exactly what my enemy is.  It is evil.  It is everything that causes hate in this world.  It is patriotism.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines patriotism quite simply as love for or devotion to one's country.  

So, is patriotism a bad thing?  Well, seeing that it is the cause of millions unnecessary deaths throughout the course of human history, I would say yes.  Think about it.  Without patriotism, would war exist?  Would nations exist?  

So, my next question is this:  Is it possible to live in a world without patriotism?  I think not.  Without patriotism, nations would not exist, nor would tribes, nor would any sort of society.  The world would be one of chaos.  

So, in conclusion, am I to be considered just a Utopian-minded dreamer, or is there really a chance in my "whimsical" thinking?

Maybe.  Just maybe.