To the police and the military

I am not a veteran, but I would have served if the stigma of Vietnam had not repelled me from following a military career.

My "Career Aptitude Test" my junior year of high school, 1974, gave me a 99% fit with the general characteristics of a "Military Officer" career. I had a 95% with "Catholic Priest."

I became a teacher.

Nevertheless, the military is the key to saving our country. Fuck Iraq. What about "freedom" in the United States?

As long as the Republicans satiate the Pentagon's lust for taxpayer dollars, the Pentagon will pull all their strings--visible and invisible--to keep the elephants on top.

But, if the rank and file can join forces with the population and insist on the restoration of civil values--not merely economic ones--to our civilization, we will have another chance to have a democracy here.

I'm not advocating open rebellion, just democracy, even for the military. We political activists need to find a way to inform and encourage the armed forces personnel to do some soul searching.

What are you fighting for, what would you die for, really?

Is this the country our progenitors labored, bled and died to secure for us?

What do we have to do now as soldiers and officers to protect and defend our Constitution and our democratic way of life?

God help us, our country is in the grip of a fascist oligarchy and they control the media and the armed forces!

If democracy is to be saved in this country, it must be the will of the armed forces.