There never seems to be a time when war wasn’t or isn’t being fought. Most people – even those in the military – oppose it. People demonstrate against it even before the bombing starts and history has seen numerous defectors, draft evaders and conscientious objectors. If the military uses “precision bombing,” why do we have “collateral damage?” If soldiers enter the “theatre of war,” do they need a degree in acting? If we take away the matches and cigarette lighters from war combatants, will that be the end of “friendly fire? The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are just for oil and the rich getting richer. It is just for the leaders who refuse to consider negotiation, but drop bombs instead. It is just for the politicians who vote for war but refuse to go themselves or send their children. It is just for the undertakers and criminal corporations that profit from it, such as the weapons manufacturers, chemical plants and contractors that overcharge the taxpayers for their services but refuse to be responsible in any way. The current wars are just like the Vietnam War, the World Wars, the Spanish American War, the Gulf Wars throughout the years and the U.S. Civil War (talk about an oxymoron) – really good for absolutely nothing.
Robert S. Swiatek taught high school mathematics for eight years and then entered the war zone of the business world. He left the rat race after twenty-five years to resume his third career as a writer. His books have been highly praised by critics and the general public – there’s that reference to war again – and in 2008, he published more of his books that in the last six years combined. He has visited Valley Forge many years after George – the true patriot – Washington led his men in the Revolution. He has been to Antietam, Andersonville Prison, Normandy, Vietnam, Beirut, Afghanistan, Baghdad and Iwo Jima, without getting into a plane. A member of the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Wilderness Society, Nature Conservancy and Buffalo Riverkeeper, he tasted the military for the first time in the Canisius College ROTC program. Hoping to get a commission from the program, he changed his mind after the first week of drill, realizing military intelligence is an oxymoron. You can find reviews of his books and helpful information at bobcooks.com, the web site he created and maintains.
