I look down at the weapon that I hold in my own hand,
standing over a lifeless body in a strange and foreign land.
I just took a life and I don’t even care!
But on my daughter’s head, I would not harm a hair.
What difference should it make and how could I ever kill?
And yet I look down at you and in death, you lie so still.
I stand here blaming you for the cause of your own death
and never think that who I kill for are those who hold the wealth.
They say that I am a soldier and that what I do is right.
I just go to the wars they start and then I begin to fight.
What use is there in wondering if it’s me who’s in the wrong.
I know that what I do ain’t right and I’ve known it all along.
But you see, it’s just a job to me, it’s not personal at all.
Remember, I’m just a soldier and your death was not my call.
If I take the fight to you, then you won’t bring it here.
They control us with their lies and say it’s you that we should fear.
You are dead and I’m alive but for how long I do not know.
The war machine continues on and someone’s blood will always flow.
Think about who the REAL enemy is! Yeah! I know, ‘thinking’ for yourself is a novel concept, but attempt it anyway!
Written by,
Shelby I. Courtland
©2014 Shelby I. Courtland
Very powerful poem.
A pity we can’t make the corporate elite fight their own wars, like the Malvina Reynolds song “We Hate to See Them Go”:
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Thank you Dr. Bramhall! Oh there’d be no wars if the bankers and the diplomats, the warmongers had to go. They plan the wars and send someone else’s child into war to kill or be killed and who profits from war? It’s certainly not the cannon fodder sent in to fight the wars and yet, they continue to go. That is why I have continuously placed blame on those who enlist and get shipped out because if they refused to go, there would be no soldiers for Obama to send into Iraq, yet AGAIN! We’ve all heard it before about how there will be no long-term fighting in this country or that country only to have long-term fighting in every single country that we send military troops into. When will the cannon fodder ever learn that if they truly hate to see their comrades fall, then they need to stop going to wars started by shits who don’t give a damn about them?
They are not stopping the enemy from coming to U.S. They are fostering and fueling hatred of us that could spiral beyond borders. Continuously meddling in the affairs of other countries will certainly not produce a flow of warmth and friendship toward Amerikkka, quite the contrary. And yet, we think that by wandering around the world causing chaos, calamity, death and destruction, that we will not reap what we sow? Like I’ve stated many times before, Amerikkkans ain’t never been known for actually thinking things through. They’d never get my ass in military fatigues and brandishing a weapon heading overseas to kill someone who hasn’t done a goddamn thing to me. If I can understand the concept that you don’t kill just because you can, then I don’t know why others can’t. Sigh! I despair of us!
And thank you for posting that video. It fits right in with this post! As always, I value your input Dr. Bramhall!
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One of the main reasons the Vietnam war ended is because the troops rebelled and started fragging (killing) their own officers. If it’s happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, it’s not being reported.
Apparently there were a lot of instances of “search and avoid” in Iraq – which was a big part of the reason Bush pulled the troops out.
Search and avoid is when GIs go out every morning and avoid engaging the enemy: http://www.antiwar.com/jamail/?articleid=11806
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Wooow. Shit. This is powerful. So true
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Thank you for that glowing comment Rajiv! I just wish so very much that it wasn’t true. I wish those who fight the wars for the warmongers would cease and desist. We need not add yet another name to a wall dedicated to dead soldiers. We’d need not erect another wall for the names of dead soldiers to be inscribed on and yet we can’t figure out what it would take to get this done. And for this again, I SIGH!!!!
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Dr. Bramhall, of course they wouldn’t report that even if it were happening all over the place because it would more than likely catch on. And we don’t even wonder why in recent years, soldiers have been going on shooting sprees on the base and going off on innocent people for no reason.
http://caravandaily.com/portal/another-fort-hood-massacre/
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33678801/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/gunman-kills-wounds-fort-hood/#.U6RzFixOXIU
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2113410/US-soldier-kills-16-Afghan-civilians-deadly-shooting-rampage.html
Obviously, I could go on and on but I think the message is clear. As long as the warmongering shits start wars and other people’s children are used to fight them, this is going to continue. When you turn people into killers, what are they good for after that besides killing? As has been proven time after time with so many servicemen and women returning with mental illness, many of these people can’t be ‘fixed’ with a pill and some sessions on a therapeutic couch.
We are somewhere worrying about a ‘foreign’ enemy when we’re turning our own citizens into potential ‘terrorists’. I guess this is why they spy on ALL of us, we’re all goddamn terrorists now.
Thank you again Dr. Bramhall for your input!
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Wow, now that’s a genuine insight right there! NSA and all the gov’t agencies expect mass revolt and citizen riots/ protest so they’re monitoring every single one of us. In their twist minds, we ARE all terrorists because their handlers say so! It’s up to US, the people to take back Babylon from the real terrorists, charge their elite asses with crimes against humanity and send them to Gitmo. Nice poem btw!
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Thank you 1EarthUnited. The U.S. is turning its own military into the enemy. It is only a matter of time before another stressed out, too many times deployed, fed up soldier goes on another rampage. They are ticking time bombs and the shits that put them through 8 and 9 deployments can’t seem to figure out that those soldiers are running on fumes and are fuming. When they come back, they have access to weapons so that’s no problem and then everyone is shocked when a soldier goes off on a rampage. I don’t know why as it should be extremely obvious why they go off. More will follow because some will commit suicide and still others will try and take out as many people as they can. They can’t just turn the ‘kill’ switch off. It’s not like leaving the office at the end of the day and turning off the lights. But we’ve always had to find out these things the hard way and so it shall be.
Thank you for your comment and for liking my poem. I appreciate both!
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So fucking true!
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Wow! Tube! I am taken aback by your response! I SO love enthusiasm, oh yes I do!!! Thanks again man!!
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