When I was 17 years old in 1973, I joined the US Marines because I wanted to help smash Communism and defend the United States (I was embarrassingly naive).  When we were sworn in, we took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies both foreign and domestic.  One thing that didn’t enter my mind was how much money I’d get out of the deal.

Now, with the unnecessary wars in Afghanistan (yes, the war in Afghanistan is just as unnecessary as the war in Iraq, for if the US politicians would have resisted the power of Israel’s lobby group AIPAC over the last few decades, the chances of 9/11 happening would be next to zero) and Iraq looking like they have no end, the “all volunteer” military is taking action to demonstrate just what is key to the vast majority of new recruits: cash! Just like the politicians who started these insane wars, cash is king with most of the cannon fodder, too!  (Those not motivated by the cash are more than likely simply and tragically naive.)

With recruitment for the US Army falling off over the last couple of months, the government decided to offer $20,000 sign up bonuses for recruits who agreed to be shipped off within a month or less for combat training. It’s called their “quick-ship” program, and it works! Over 90 percent of new recruits are taking the offer!

It appears one segment of the US population isn’t biting. Enlistments into the US military in general by blacks has fallen off by more than a third since the Iraq war was started by the US government. The drop is even greater for the Army. The number of blacks recruited in the Army has fallen by over 50 percent!  Hopefully, their white counterparts will catch on soon!

Lt. Col. Bobbie Williams, who recruits for the Army ROTC in the Washington, DC area, has a very twisted yet painfully prevalent idea of what soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen sign up to do. Bobbie doesn’t think politics should be a major issue for those thinking of joining the US government’s military. Bobbie said, “The policy-makers make the policy, we execute because we swore to defend. We can respectfully disagree, but our job is not to question the leadership.” This is exactly what a corrupt government wants: a non-thinking, non-questioning, very obedient herd! And as I state at the start of this column, new recruits don’t swear to not question the politicians, they swear to protect and defend the US Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. By not questioning the politicians, how can you know if they themselves are domestic enemies of the Constitution that need to be dealt with?

As readers of STR know, the Second Amendment to the US Constitution promotes the right of people to arm themselves. The reason for this is not so they can have a gun collection or go hunting, it is so they can overthrow a corrupt government. As the Declaration of Independence states, “. . . it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.” Also, Thomas Jefferson said, "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

It appears the government's senseless wars are upsetting some people to the point of actually breaking the law. According to OregonLive.com someone recently left a fake bomb on the steps of a military recruiting office in Oregon.  No one was hurt, but a scheduled parade had to be diverted. It appears over time these current wars may cause civil unrest, much as the government’s Vietnam war did in the '60s and early '70s.  Who knows, if people get fed up enough, maybe it will lead to another American Revolution?