My Story -

I joined the Army in the early months of 2001; my patriotism led me to the recruiter’s office. I had grown up in awe of my grandfathers and their stories of World War II, and their reminiscing became my dreams. When I got to basic training I did not talk about missing home like the other recruits around me, I felt at home in ways I never had before.

In 2003 I was rolling across the desert in the back of a Bradley fighting vehicle, part of the spearhead into Iraq. Other than those first three weeks of “Shock and Awe” what I remember most about Iraq was the people. Crowds of kids wanting to know about Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, open-minded adults wanted to know about our social freedoms, and Iraqis who just wanted to raise their families in peace and did not hesitate to tell us. I really fell in love with the Iraqi people. My platoon and I played soccer with some of those crowds of kids, we had dinner and shared food with families in their homes, we even went to a few house parties, and my lieutenant and I spent one very memorable afternoon swimming in an irrigation ditch with five young women. It is all of them I think of when anyone tells me we need to turn the Middle East into a sheet of glass or that all Muslims are our enemies.

I remember thinking on this briefly when I was there, but more so since I’ve returned, usually when I’m day dreaming, but what we were doing when we were doing our jobs, patrolling the streets, conducting road block vehicle searches, bodily searching individuals, and searching houses, couldn’t be helping our long range plans for winning hearts and minds. I really have to wonder, how long would it take me to move from a position of thanks for my despotic government being removed to feeling like I lived in a conquered and occupied country if I saw foreign troops on the streets of my hometown everyday? Add to this our having bases and troops in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia, ( I may have missed a few, we have approximately 700 bases in 130 countries) our Navy of their coast, our fighter jets in their sky’s , the CIA in business with monarchs, dictators and thugs, and our State Department treating their leaders like irresponsible children, it’s no wonder moderate Muslims takes to the streets shouting “ Death to America” and a minority takes action against us. I would expect we would be doing the same thing if say, China had bases on our soil, and her Navy patrolled our coastline and Chinese fighter jets streaked across our sky. In short, this is all hard to admit, but our actions do have consequences. To do nothing in the face of foreign tyranny on our soil would be Un-American and unimaginable. The Chinese would brand me a “terrorist” would you?

All of this is why I left the army in January 2008, Its wasnt an easy decision for me to make, with seven years already under my belt, I had planned on proudly serving twenty, but I can not in clear conscience continue serving a government that governs in an unconstitutional manner. Congress has abandoned it’s responsibilities and needs a refresher course in just what their job is, I urge everyone to read Article one Section eight of the constitution where it is spelled out in plain language. The Presidents powers are very limited and found in Article two Section two, we need to remind anyone who takes that office of that limitation. When I took an oath to serve, upholding the Constitution comes above all else, as a soldier I can no longer do that when our civilian leadership runs roughshod over that very same document.

Why are we the world’s policeman when our own country is being openly violated? Why are we borrowing money hand over fist from nations not exactly our friends, just to spend it on our out of control foreign policy? These are questions more people need to start asking, or the discussion will become a moot point as we as a nation will be economically and morally bankrupt. I am starting to feel like the powers that be do not have America’s interests in mind at all, it is starting to feel like our ruin is their objective. America is crumbling, yet I love her far too much to watch her fall apart. Join me, its not to late to turn things around. Educate yourself concerning the crushing debt we are now under and the history of nations who took this path that we are now on.

I hope to put the uniform on again one day, when the only time the American military goes to war is when our freedom and sovereignty is in jeopardy, and not the interests of global corporations, a politician’s personal desire to make a mark in the history books, or to prevent potential ambiguous threats from materializing; we do not hang people because we think they may commit crime in the future, and we should never again do so to another nation, no matter how much we detest their leaders and their policies. Our founding fathers were wise men, I suggest we start conducting ourselves in foreign affairs in a way that does them honor.

When America once again stands up for itself, and ends this madness of empire, then I can feel the pride of serving again.

What Am I doing Now?

I'm doing all I can to see Allen Boyd defeated - Allen Boyd who voted for the war - who still votes to pay to continue the war - who supports the military industrial complex at every turn.

His opponent Mark Mulligan may be registered republican, but closer inspection shows a candidate who has been politically independent, and even registered as a green for a while. He opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, and wants us out today. Mulligan belongs to Ron Paul's Liberty Caucus. Mulligan lists this as his basic philosophy - "Peace and cooperation should be universally shared values." I will be putting party affiliation to the side when I vote for him, and do so with a clear conscience, knowing I am voting for an anti-war candidate.
I hope you join me.

In Liberty, Zak Carter
850-443-7787

"peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none."
- Thomas Jefferson

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