2 ms·

Of the two systems they list, there is a nuance and a difference between the two, one is an facilitating technology which just makes the DoD work better and ano

Of the two systems they list, there is a nuance and a difference between the two, one is an facilitating technology which just makes the DoD work better and another directly helps them kill better. A similar difference is the difference between someone who say designs bombs vs designs bomb hard armor that lessens soldier deaths on our sides. It's similar to what anti-war people have done for years during drafts, which was to volunteer for medical service as opposed to fighting. It's a hard decision to make, and an easy thing to say is just if you do anything for the DoD, you're making it easier for them to kill people and hence it's wrong. Blanket statements like these however put people like janitors and paper pushers in the same bucket as those who manufacture arms that are shipped to Saudi Arabia.

pmoriarty 8y ago
"Blanket statements like these however put people like janitors and paper pushers in the same bucket as those who manufacture arms that are shipped to Saudi Arabia." What's that saying about wars being won more through logistics than through arms? If you are working for a startup that merely delivers pizza to the troops, sure, you can't seriously be put in the same category as a torturer in Abu Ghraib. But you're still (indirectly) helping the military kill people. Whether that sort of indirect support weighs heavily on your conscience is something everyone has to decide for themselves. Personally, I don't want anything to do with the military or military contractors, even if in an ostensibly peaceful capacity.
- noobermin 8y ago
  I mean by paying your taxes you also fund the Pentagon. By publishing research that others can read including military engineer s, you're helping the Pentagon. By supporting things like Veteran Affairs, your easing the pain of those in the military by making it clear to them they'll receive some compensation once they make it out. And even then, by living in the US, you benefit somewhat from the military defending our borders and being a ward against threats of invasion. I am against most military spending because that ends up inflating contractor salaries, as is our constantly meddling in other countries including other democracies, but so many turn this into a blanket opposition to the idea of the military full stop, which doesn't make sense in our world today, especially when everyone in this country essentially thrives due to it.

pmoriarty 8y ago

"Blanket statements like these however put people like janitors and paper pushers in the same bucket as those who manufacture arms that are shipped to Saudi Arabia." What's that saying about wars being won more through logistics than through arms? If you are working for a startup that merely delivers pizza to the troops, sure, you can't seriously be put in the same category as a torturer in Abu Ghraib. But you're still (indirectly) helping the military kill people. Whether that sort of indirect support weighs heavily on your conscience is something everyone has to decide for themselves. Personally, I don't want anything to do with the military or military contractors, even if in an ostensibly peaceful capacity.

noobermin 8y ago
I mean by paying your taxes you also fund the Pentagon. By publishing research that others can read including military engineer s, you're helping the Pentagon. By supporting things like Veteran Affairs, your easing the pain of those in the military by making it clear to them they'll receive some compensation once they make it out. And even then, by living in the US, you benefit somewhat from the military defending our borders and being a ward against threats of invasion. I am against most military spending because that ends up inflating contractor salaries, as is our constantly meddling in other countries including other democracies, but so many turn this into a blanket opposition to the idea of the military full stop, which doesn't make sense in our world today, especially when everyone in this country essentially thrives due to it.