The Port of Olympia issued a news release celebrating military troops and saying that the Port, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Olympia Yacht club will loudly blow sirens and horns to “salute the troops” on at 7:45 a.m. on September 6, 2019. Law enforcement agencies and a variety of other local entities and power centers would supportively participate.
Mainstream America and powerful sectors within the U.S. want to “support the troops.” I’m still waiting for nearly 50 years for any local governments to celebrate Conscientious Objectors – the many people in the U.S. (such as me) and elsewhere whose consciences or religious faiths prevent us from participating in war.
Our draft boards recognized the validity of our C.O. claims (mine in 1972), but we are excluded from the kinds of benefits and preferences that military veterans receive.
JFK was right when he said wars will continue as long as Conscientious Objectors are denied the respect and thanks that military people receive.
Our national culture is saturated with the glorification of war and militarism, and many powerful institutions — all the way down to the Port of Olympia and the Yacht Club — reinforce the worship of military violence.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world needs peace, and NO GOVERNMENTS and NO POWERFUL MAINSTREAM ENTITIES celebrate Conscientious Objectors or the many people who are volunteering, donating, and organizing for peace.
This is why our “endless wars” continue — and why so many people around the world have contempt for the USA.
