Veterans Day

"There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a 'just war'." ~Cardinal Ratzinger

I never get excited about or even interested in Veterans Day. Why? It is not because I harbor any ill-will towards vets. It is because I consider most wars to have been morally unjustified. So, why would I be thankful for those who fought in unjust wars?

I don't know how many Americans think the way I do on this subject, but I came across an article titled Thank a Vet? by Laurence M. Vance, that I can relate to:

"We’ve all seen the bumper stickers: "My son is in the Air Force," "If You Can Read This in English, Thank a Marine," "Proud Vietnam Veteran," "Fly Navy," and of course, "Thank a Vet."

"Why should we?

"Why should we call them heroes, give them military discounts, grant them veterans preference, express our support for them with ribbons on our cars, honor them with a holiday, hold military appreciation church services for them, and thank them for their "service"?

"Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to commemorate the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. It had nothing to do with honoring current and former members of the military like Veterans Day is celebrated today. And if the sole purpose of Armistice Day was to honor World War I veterans, it should never have been celebrated since no American soldier did anything honorable by intervening in a European foreign war. And it doesn’t matter if he was drafted or not." (Continue reading this article)

There are veterans that I do respect, the ones who have good reasons for opposing the war in Iraq. Visit Iraq Veterans Against the War

Remember on this Veterans Day, "War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today." - John F. Kennedy

Watch:
The Troops Are Waking Up - Mike Prysner on the War of Terror: 'The real terrorist was me!'

Universal Soldier by Donovan