By: Gary D. Barnett
“I am not only a pacifist but a militant pacifist. I am willing to fight for peace. Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.”
~ Albert Einstein–Interview with George Sylvester Viereck (January 1931)
As many have noted recently, questions have arisen, and nervousness among the young has escalated, all due to talk of possible conscription concerning an expanded war in the Middle East. This nervousness is a good sign, as all should denounce conscription, as it is pure unadulterated slavery. Forced servitude to the state in any form is abhorrent, but forcing the young to kill on demand is especially atrocious.
When government mandates behavior, it is simply prosecuting slavery. This system of compulsion and conscription is in every situation immoral. It matters not if it is in the case of mandatory schooling or mandatory military service. In fact, compulsory schooling where indoctrination is the underlying goal sought, leads to a brainwashed population believing that the state is sovereign, and that the “greater good” is supreme to the individual. This is backward, but a mass belief in this absurdity allows for the tyrants to choose who should die for the state. To perpetuate this lie and keep the people in check, those American soldiers maimed and killed, as well as those that do the killing and survive unscathed, are made martyrs and heroes, and are celebrated for their murder and mayhem. There are no heroes in war, there are only pawns sent to slaughter under the guise of non-existent national defense. In this process, blatant murder is the result, as what were once considered normal people become the state’s murderers.
I know of these things because I saw it firsthand. In fact, I was drafted into this slavery in 1971, and was scared to death of what my fate might be in the future. I was fortunate to have had a father that taught me to be an individual, to remain independent, and to think critically from a very early age. This was not so obvious to me at the time, as my father was not an intellectual, but his wisdom was immense, as I came to understand later in life. Most believe that they have no choice other than to obey their “masters,” as this has been drilled into their psyche almost since birth. Even in the small town in which I live, the school system sends out its students regularly to propagandize by placing banners everywhere that say: Support school, community, state, and nation. This campaign is meant to demean these students by eliminating any value of the individual for the sake of the “greater good.” Is it any wonder that this is a nation filled with weak and confused sheep?
When I was drafted, or better stated, when I was taken as a slave by the state, I had to figure out what to do. I knew that I would never accept this as others were doing, but after much thought, I came to realize that I had only three viable options available to me. I could pack up, and escape to Canada, but this did not seem logical. I had no money, job, contacts, or any place to live out of country, so I felt that this was not for me. I could flatly refuse to go, but my fate would have been prison, and that was the easiest option to discard, as being caged is inhuman. So I decided to go into the Army, but not participate in any killing, and in fact cause as much harm as I possibly could to the evil military machine during my forced confinement.
It might be helpful to understand that times were much different in the early 70s than they are today. There was a vast amount of dissent in the country due to great numbers of Americans protesting against the heinous war in Vietnam. Many of the things I did then would have landed me in prison today. But due to the fact that the war machine was winding down, and troops were being pulled out of Vietnam and sent home, a unique environment existed. My first order of business at the Army reception center in Memphis was to stand and declare openly that I would not kill anyone in Vietnam under any circumstances. Fortunately for me, even though this outburst caused quite a stir, my rant got swallowed up in the moment and ignored. I meant what I said, and due to my saying it aloud in such a hostile place seemed to give me more courage as time passed.
I was 20 years old, the oldest in my company when I entered basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, the hellhole of the Army. I left there mostly unscathed, but much more educated about the brainwashing techniques being forced on the recruits. I did not accept any of the lies and indoctrination, and fought against it daily. This experience only solidified my position of protest and disobedience to so-called authority. During the rest of my time in the Army, I became such a thorn in the side of any who claimed to hold power over me that I was continually given every dirty detail possible, and purposely kept away from any officers and even the base. This was due to the fact that I gave them no respect whatsoever, and this attitude caused much angst for the lower ranks of sergeants because “crap” rolls downhill, something I learned to use to my advantage.
The bottom line of all this is that any can refuse orders, and any can refuse to go into the military or participate in any immoral behavior due to being conscripted. I did, and I was just a young man with little life experience at the time. One must always do what he feels is right and moral, regardless of the consequences. The alternative is to accept slavery at the hands of the state, and murder innocents on the orders of others when no legitimate or just cause is evident.
The choice is to be free or to be a slave. It is as simple as that. The government claims that wars are fought in order to protect freedom. In the same breath, government claims to have a right to take by force young men and women into slavery to die for their agenda. This would indicate that this same government wants to war for freedom while destroying all freedom in the process, and using the young of America as fodder for their cause. How can freedom be won in foreign wars by eliminating freedom at home, and forcing those supposedly fighting for freedom to give up their freedom in the process? The evil that exists in the houses of government, and in the minds of the ruling class is anathema to all that is right and moral. Wars will never stop until soldiers refuse to fight, and the rest of society refuses to support the killing.
“My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took its place; and I now resolved that, however long I might remain a slave in form, the day had passed forever when I could be a slave in fact.”
~ Frederick Douglass—Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass
Reprinted with permission from LewRockwell.com
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