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New Outrages
Jun. 2nd, 2004 12:35 amFrom a website that ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lucid_whisper linked me to.
"Just before he died, Sherwood plainly illustrated where a life of hard work and dedication gets you--hungry and thirsty in the desert. In his last e-mail, he asked that we send him and his fellow soldiers food and water. As it turns out, the most powerful military machine in the world has its soldiers on rations.
How does this happen? I went to Halliburton's website to look for clues. After a dispute with the government over a few million dollars in overcharges, Halliburton stubbornly stated, "We may withhold all or a portion of the payments to our subcontractors" who provide food services. Which basically means that U.S. soldiers in Iraq don't eat. Despite its newfound billions in revenue, Halliburton has failed to fulfill its most basic responsibility--feed our troops. Our soldiers, on the other hand, have to do their job, no matter how hungry they are, or face courts-martial and time in Leavenworth. Just ask Camilo Mejia, the conscientious objector who was sentenced to a year in jail. "
I'm against this war and I've always been against this war. I'm torn on how I feel about the military men and women who are serving there. As a strong pacifist, it's always been hard for me to understand why people join a volunteer army in peacetime for a country that hasn't done much but promote war over the past fifty years. But I also realize that there's socio-economic forces working here and that many (all?) of these men and women feel like they're serving a just cause. I don't agree with it, but it doesn't change the fact that there are men and women dying (and families and friends mourning) over this stupid war Iraq. No one should have to sacrifice their lives to GW's campaign for reelection and the Haliburton welfare fund. It's obscene, and sadly it's a familiar tale---poor boys die for rich men's plans.
lucid_whisper linked me to. "Just before he died, Sherwood plainly illustrated where a life of hard work and dedication gets you--hungry and thirsty in the desert. In his last e-mail, he asked that we send him and his fellow soldiers food and water. As it turns out, the most powerful military machine in the world has its soldiers on rations.
How does this happen? I went to Halliburton's website to look for clues. After a dispute with the government over a few million dollars in overcharges, Halliburton stubbornly stated, "We may withhold all or a portion of the payments to our subcontractors" who provide food services. Which basically means that U.S. soldiers in Iraq don't eat. Despite its newfound billions in revenue, Halliburton has failed to fulfill its most basic responsibility--feed our troops. Our soldiers, on the other hand, have to do their job, no matter how hungry they are, or face courts-martial and time in Leavenworth. Just ask Camilo Mejia, the conscientious objector who was sentenced to a year in jail. "
I'm against this war and I've always been against this war. I'm torn on how I feel about the military men and women who are serving there. As a strong pacifist, it's always been hard for me to understand why people join a volunteer army in peacetime for a country that hasn't done much but promote war over the past fifty years. But I also realize that there's socio-economic forces working here and that many (all?) of these men and women feel like they're serving a just cause. I don't agree with it, but it doesn't change the fact that there are men and women dying (and families and friends mourning) over this stupid war Iraq. No one should have to sacrifice their lives to GW's campaign for reelection and the Haliburton welfare fund. It's obscene, and sadly it's a familiar tale---poor boys die for rich men's plans.
