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.

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

* * *

The crux of the NSA story in one phrase: 'collect it all'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/15/crux-nsa-collect-it-all

How the NSA is still harvesting your online data
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-online-metadata-collection

Inside America's Dirty Wars
http://www.nationinstitute.org/featuredwork/fellows/3260/inside_america%27s_dirty_wars/

Revealed: Pentagon's link to Iraqi torture centres
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/06/pentagon-iraqi-torture-centres-link

The Global Intelligence Files
http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html

Leaked HBGary Documents Show Plan To Spread Wikileaks Propaganda For BofA... And 'Attack' Glenn Greenwald
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110209/22340513034/leaked-hbgary-documents-show-plan-to-spread-wikileaks-propaganda-bofa-attack-glenn-greenwald.shtml

Guantanamo Detainee Begs to Be Charged as Legal Limbo Worsens 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324069104578527012686080732.html

Collateral Murder
http://www.collateralmurder.com

Brandon Toy works for US defense contractor General Dynamics as an Engineering Project Manager building Stryker armored fighting vehicles. Previously, Brandon served in the Michigan Army National Guard as a Multiple Launch Rocket System Fire Direction Specialist, Team Leader and Vehicle Commander. He was deployed as a military policeman to Baghdad, Iraq in 2004 - 2005.

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This article was originally published at Common Dreams