When people describe war, they think of bloodshed, politics, and death - nothing positive. However, for some reason, the United States loves broadcasting about the breaking news of wartime and is constantly looking for more and more ways to spend money on military advantages. Because of all the negativity and fear of war, wouldn't you expect citizens to disagree with this dangerous turmoil, and hate that it can be viewed everywhere they turn? Well, if your answer is yes, then you're right! There are plenty of sources of antiwar citizens or journalists who speak against this expensive horror, but they are silenced by the government instead. It's so much harder to find information on these antiwar efforts because the government sees these antiwar sources as criticisms against the government, so they constantly censor these journalists, even though that is technically violating their First Amendment rights of free speech.
Counterculture of the 1960's - that's what most people think when asked about antiwar efforts. These efforts were very significant during the age of hippies, the 60's, because there was lots of unrest between the government and the people about involving the United States in the Vietnam War. As years have gone on, this same antiwar sentiment has remained detrimental in the government and citizen relationship as the United States continues to use citizens' tax dollars to pay for unnecessary wars and operations.
With the technology in today's age, many journalists have used anti-war websites as their outlet for expressing their disagreement with the government's wartime decisions. Antiwar.com and the American Conservative are important sources, but, they're not widely talked about because the government wants to hide any oppression they receive - especially when it's on such a large political and economic scale as war. Some of the articles in published on these websites aren't even about war, but they're about the devastating effects of violence on our home frontier. According to an article on the American Conservative by Jon Miltimore, "The percentage of US adults who say violence is a justifiable means to advance political change has surged in recent years, among Democrats and Republicans.". This could partially be a result of learned behavior, such as when citizens are constantly faced with war updates and crimes completed by the government; this influences the idea that violence solves all problems, on American soil and on foreign soil. It's embarrassing to realize that our government has enticed violence so much, that it has made our 'American dream' country to be scary to live in.
According to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, citizens have the right to petition the government; in blatant terms, they can criticize the government without fear of backlash. Unfortunately, the government has found a way to illegally slip through the cracks and censor those voices. This takes away a fundamental right which makes America, America. The United States is unlike other countries where monarchies and communism rule all, instead, the people are given the right to think and speak freely so they feel protected and valued in their homeland. The Founding Fathers are turning in their graves right now due to the utter disrespect the current US government has held to the Constitution, especially when that disrespect is toward the freedom of speech that can allow citizens to put their tax dollars where they see most fit.
Sources
https://fee.org/articles/us-capitol-attack-a-reminder-of-the-perils-of-using-violence-in-the-name-of-injustice/
https://www.antiwar.com
https://www.theamericanconservative.com
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