Brandon Toy resigns in honor
July 24th, 2013
Brandon Toy was a Michigan Army National Guardsman who was deployed as a military policeman to Beghdad at the start of the Iraq War. Then he became military contractor with General Dynamics building Stryker armored fighting vehicles. Now he has resigned, and he did it in a pretty public way, which deserves to be honored and saluted because he not only resigned, he boldly condemned the criminal activity of both the military and the US government. Acts of principle like this deserve to be praised, and I hope his words inspire others to put down their rifles.
Here is the complete text.
I Hereby Resign in Protest Effective Immediately
by Brandon Toy
I hereby resign in protest effective immediately.
I have served the post-911 Military Industrial complex for 10 years, first as a soldier in Baghdad, and now as a defense contractor.
I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down. At the time of my enlistment, I believed in the cause. I was ignorant, naïve, and misled. The narrative, professed by the state, and echoed by the mainstream press, has proven false and criminal. We have become what I thought we were fighting against.
Recent revelations by fearless journalists of war crimes including counterinsurgency “dirty” wars, drone terrorism, the suspension of due process, torture, mass surveillance, and widespread regulatory capture have shed light on the true nature of the current US Government. I encourage you to read more about these topics at the links I have provided below.
Some will say that I am being irresponsible, impractical, and irrational. Others will insist that I am crazy. I have come to believe that the true insanity is doing nothing. As long as we sit in comfort, turning a blind eye to the injustices of the world, nothing will change. It is even worse to play an active part, protesting all along that I am not the true criminal.
I was only a foot soldier, and am now a low level clerk. However, I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down.
Sincerely,
Brandon M. Toy
Stryker Engineering Project Management, General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan
Or if you prefer, here’s Amanda BillyRock’s reading of the letter:
It’s a short letter, but it’s important for a number of reasons. He says, “we have become what I thought we were fighting against” which essentially amounts to an accusation of State terrorism against the military. But he doesn’t stop there.
In his list of grievances he lists traditional war crimes, like drones and torture, but he also lists domestic violations like suspension of due process and mass surveillance. He also lists “regulatory capture” which is an unfamiliar term for most, but as a military contractor he was in a perfect position to witness.
Regulatory capture is when government regulations are created in the name of public interest, but which actually satisfy the interests of the big players in the industry they claim to regulate. It’s like when big tobacco lobbies for stricter regulations on cigarettes because they know only the large firms can afford to comply, thereby squeezing small firms out of the market. To refer to regulatory capture among a list or war crimes tells you what he’s alluding to wars being carried out for the profit of military contractors, not some misguided crusade for security.
In case there was any doubt openly says that journalists, “shed light on the true nature of the current US Government.” And what is that nature? Well if you follow the dominoes as they fall, he’s also saying the Government itself has become what he thought he was fighting.
He concludes, “I have come to believe that the true insanity is doing nothing. I have always believed that if every foot soldier threw down his rifle war would end. I hereby throw mine down.”
But his letter is not only directed at soldiers. It is directed at all of us who tacitly support these wars by doing nothing. Because it is equally true that if every tax payer threw down their checkbook war would end… notice too… he didn’t say the war would end. He just said war would end.
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