Sunday is Remembrance Day in Canada and the UK. I think Americans call it Veteran’s Day. It is a day to remember veterans who have died in the line of duty. I observe this day with respect, but I won’t buy into the ridiculous notion that these men (and some women) died for my freedom. They didn’t. They almost all died in stupid wars that were fought for political purposes only. The idea that they died for our freedom is pablum fed to the masses to make them feel better for having lost someone they loved for nothing. How did the Iraq war make anyone more free? We are obviously far less free today for that stupid war having been fought. Vietnam didn’t do much for the freedom of the villagers who were massacred, either. We accept all kinds of intrusions into our freedoms because we constantly fear for our lives due to the stupid wars these poor bastards fought.
I respect the men and women who serve in our armed forces (well, most of them) and I accept that we need them in this world we live in, but the greatest respect we can show them is to keep them the hell out of idiotic wars over oil, power, and ego. Freedom my ass. Support our troops. Bring them home.
