Mutiny

I grew up watching my dad wearing his shining white Navy uniform. I often polished his white uniform shoes and shinned his belt buckle with brass -dreaming that someday I'd myself be an officer in military. The kids on the block used to look at my dad with envy and it used to make me real proud. It is not unusual for military families to have higher than average nationalistic feelings. Regardless of that, Papa always told me that I'd not be a good fit for the military. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I could never get up early in the morning. Or maybe it was due to the fact that I never wanted to get a short hair cut even when I was a child. But few years ago I finally realized why he always insisted that military service was not for me. The reason was that you are not supposed to ask questions. You follow orders -plain and simple. First you oblige than you question but once you have already obliged, there is no point questioning the fact after the act. He was right. I would not have survived a single day in military. How can you not ask question? How can you not question authority? Mind is a terrible thing to waste. I even doubt that military would have enlisted me to begin with. There is no room for critical thinking in that culture unless it is in the confounds of pre ordained thought process. That is why military wants to hire them young -younger the person, easier the brain washing process.

I could not help but feel sorry for the US troops that are now charged with mutiny. Even though I think that it is too little and too late but nevertheless a start that was long overdue. Someone is finally standing up and questioning the marching orders -an exercise in futility it may be. With an overwhelming lack of evidence of links between Saddam and 9/11, I'm surprised that this mutiny did not happen sooner. Even though this time around the premise of mutiny is well bogus, to say the least. The bigger issue is that how prevalent this phenomena is in US troops in Iraq and elsewhere.

Even though these soldiers are paid by my tax dollars to follow orders, I say more power to them!