By losing our collective soul.

In the old days, when we went to war, as a nation, we had conscription. The draft. But no way would Americans stand for war any more if we forced ‘em into uniform. And our politicians know it. So they’ve had to find other ways to raise an army, a navy, an air force. They have to look for volunteers. And it helps if there’s a pool of jobless and relatively uneducated young people out there. Makes ‘em ripe for the picking. Especially if they are sold a bill of goods. That it’s patriotic. To fight for your country. To risk your life. In gawd-forsaken and immoral wars all over the globe. In Iraq. In Afghanistan. If nothing else, it gets you a job. Not very decent pay, of course. But then, when you’re dumb and patriotic, pay doesn’t matter. Yes, a whole class of Americans have been manipulated. To make war possible. The technicians have helped, too. With lethal weapons. Drones. Missiles. Guided bombs. We’ve learned how to kill more efficiently and effectively. From a distance. We just bomb the hell out of places. Call it shock and awe. And to hell with the collateral damage. But we also can resort to highly trained killers. Elite assassination/execution squads. To take out individuals. Yes, we Americans have mastered the art of war. By losing our collective soul. –Jim Broede