Analysis of Howard Zinns Argument in his Article Dying...

Analysis of Howard Zinns Argument in his Article Dying for the Government In June of 2003, Howard Zinn’s â€Å"Dying for the Government† was published in â€Å"The Progressive† newspaper. He discusses the government’s claim to military victory in Iraq, and he believes that many innocent people have died for an unjust cause in that war. His claim is that soldiers died for their government, not their country. An important part of his argument is his discussion of democracy, which he says is what our country is supposed to be based on. He also brings up some history of U.S. wars and quotes Mark Twain’s statement about the invasion of the Phillipines by the United States. Even though some of his assertions lack evidence, Zinn uses authority†¦show more content†¦To make up for his lack of evidence, Zinn uses strong authority in his essay. He first uses the Declaration of Independence, which he says is â€Å"the fundamental document of democracy† (159). He quotes this document when he says â€Å"governments are artificial creations, established by the people, ‘deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,’ and charged by the people to ensure the equal right of all to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’† (159). These words are what our country is supposed to be based on, and he strongly feels that the government is violating our trust â€Å"when [it] recklessly expends the lives of its young for crass motives of profit and power, always claiming that its motives are pure and moral (‘Operation Just Cause’ was the invasion of Panama and ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ in the present instance)† (159). What he is saying is that these so-called â€Å"moral† wars are just about power. He feels that if the war in Iraq really was to free them and create a democracy there, then those innocent Iraqi children would not be dead and injured. This argument makes the reader realize that these war titles are inaccur ate because those Iraqis are not truly getting their freedom. His other authority comes from Mark Twain, who he informs us was â€Å"called a ‘traitor’ for criticizing the U.S. invasion of the Phillipines† (160). Zinn quotes Twain when he says â€Å"‘[we] have thrown away the