Allen L Roland

Three dead Americans in Iraq ~ why ?

War is a waste so why do we celebrate it with parades, flags and glorious war stories when, in reality, they are fought by our youth who are but pawns in the hands of old men ~ seduced by power and greed ~ who are more than willing to waste our most precious resource:

On this Memorial Day 2009, America is still enmeshed in a costly and illegal war and occupation of Iraq, rapidly increasing its military presence in Afghanistan and preparing for the possibility of war with Iran. American defense secretary Gates told NBC television today that president has instructed him to refresh plans for military action against Tehran ~ prepared during the Bush era. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/1,7340,L-3720065,00.html

The American War Wagon has not slowed down but is accelerating ~ with little if any reflection on the true human and moral cost of this insanity.

On this Memorial Day, much of the media will roll over backwards to glorify war and all the soldiers slaughtered in wars. Tributes to the dead are easy; the dead don't talk back and if they did they would most certainly say ~ why ?

To save your world you asked this man to die; Would this man, could he see you now, ask why ?: W. H. Auden: "Epitaph for an Unknown Soldier"

War is a waste as Doug Bandow wrote in March of 2007 and I have updated his figures ~ " War is a huge waste, a monstrous blight upon humanity. Sometimes we must wage war, but it should always be a last resort. Even the winners usually suffer a terrible toll. Some 4,200 dead in Iraq may seem to be a small bill compared to that for many other conflicts, but 4,200 wasted lives are 4,200 too many. We must bring this needless war to a speedy end. And ensure that U.S. policymakers never again frivolously loose the dogs of war." http://www.antiwar.com/bandow/?articleid=10741

Kristina M. Gronquist calls it the OLD LIE ~ Dulce et decorum est - Pro patria mori ( To die for one’s country is sweet and becoming )

It's from the poem “Dulce et decorum est” by the English poet Wilfred Owen, 1893 -1918, killed at the front a few days before the Armistice.

Here's an excerpt from her timeless article written on memorial Day 2005 ~ " The media will continue, this weekend, to suppress the truth, which is that the war in Iraq is a massive foreign policy failure; Iraq is a failed state, an incredibly chaotic unstable mess where tens of thousands of Iraqis have died needlessly. Unworried Americans will say we can’t judge Iraq yet, we have to “wait and see,” because down the road, if oil rich Iraq becomes a (Western-style) democracy “it will all be worth it”. These are such easy words to utter, from the armchair experts on democracy for Muslims, so smug with remote controls in-hand. Yes, tell the loved ones of one million dead Iraqis that someday the deaths of their family members will all be worth it, as your own children scurry about safe and warm...

On Memorial Day we will blithely ignore the massive protest and hatred that our polices, occupations, torture and wrongful imprisonment have inspired in the Muslim and Arab world. Come to think of it, many Europeans, Latin Americans and Africans aren’t enthralled with our foreign policies either. But an empire can ignore the common sense of the global masses of people who oppose war, and we can easily choose not to try to understand root causes of anti-American sentiment. C’mon ­- America, it’s Memorial Day, tune that negative reality out and turn on your television for yet another glorious war hero story." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8970.htm

We must now face the hard cold reality that War is an insurmountable human waste and not a cause for glorification and celebration ~ and then demand action from our political leaders to end this waste.

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction of war is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty and democracy?: Mohandas Gandhi.

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Allen L Roland http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2009/05/24.html

Alternative Press Online columnist and psychotherapist Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private consultations ( allen@allenroland.com )

Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net