Currently, all across the USA, peaceniks are conducting vigils to commemorate 2000 dead soldiers. Here's Medea Benjamin and Gayle Brandeis in their current Commondreams post, "2000 Too Many":

"The grim milestone of the death of the 2000th American soldier should be a time for national reflection. As the families of our soldiers know all too well, 2000 is not just a number. These are 2000 human beings we've lost; 2000 people with names, with grieving families; 2000 people with hopes and dreams that will never be realized. Let's honor them by stopping more soldiers from dying. Let's honor them by giving Iraqis a chance to run their own country. Let's honor them by bringing their buddies home."

The American military, from top to bottom is a hideous blight on our planet. There are no innocents in this massive killing machine. There's no 'honour' in volunteering for the worlds largest terrorist organization, now under the command of the deceitful, criminal cabal led by George W. Bush. American soldiers are well trained to kill, and obviously, to torture, and they go off to Iraq all of their own 'free will." They know that they will kill, and that they may die. There will not be any "honour," or "glory" for these stupid youngsters who continue to volunteer themselves for 'duty' in Bush's appalling adventure. These soldiers, including the 2000 dead, by taint of their volunteer status, are each personally responsible for the murder of 100,000 innocent Iraqi's.

True, there are several heroic, courageous and righteous American soldiers, -namely Brandon Hughey, Jeremy Hinzman and others who have revolted against the criminal, inhuman behaviour they were expected to participate in. When will all those 'Gold Star Families' start recognizing that these are the only true heroes coming out of the USA military? The idea that you can "Support the Troops" and be against what they do in the world is simply irreconcilable. The terrorist mastermind of their deaths says exactly the same thing every day: "We've lost some of our nation's finest men and women in the war on terror," Bush said. "Each of these patriots left a legacy that allowed generations of their fellow Americans to enjoy the blessings of liberty."

Some people are finding similarities between the Iraq and Viet Nam 'quagmires,' perhaps most glaringly seen in their common grass-roots defeat of the American military behemoth. But there's a single fundamental difference between these two heinous crimes against humanity which nobody is talking about. In Viet Nam, young Americans were forced to participate in the slaughter, whereas in Iraq those troops all go there voluntarily. In Viet Nam, more than a few times, courageous soldiers shot their own commanders, rather than comply with some atrocious order. I dreamed recently that the worlds most humoungous terrorist weapon of mass destruction, the aircraft-carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had been sunk by inside mutineers. For those who love what America is supposed to stand for, that would be a supreme act of military heroism.

The American Peace Movement would do well to bite the bullet and stop adding to the litany of phoney glorifications heaped on those who are 'serving,' and those who have died in the American attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to put out the message that joining the American military is a vulgar, stupid offence against humanity. The soldiers should be actively discouraged from participating in the first place.

Ingmar Lee is wracked with guilt and outrage over his Canadian governments participation in the invasions, occupations and massacres currently underway in Afghanistan and Haiti. He can be reached at ingmarz@gmail.com