--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I went off to the army when I was 17…" description: "\"When I went off to the army when I was 17 years old, I believed in America and the rights of freedom. But today I believe my government is lying to the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/jack-herer-26906_america_when-i-went-off-to-the-army-when-i-was-1_1652054.jpg" --- # When I went off to the army when I was 17 years old, I… ![“When I went off to the army when I was 17 years old, I believed in America and the rights of freedom. But today I believe my government is lying to the American people and that my president, George Bush, is a criminal.” quote by Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/jack-herer-26906_america_when-i-went-off-to-the-army-when-i-was-1_1652054.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/jack-herer-26906_america_when-i-went-off-to-the-army-when-i-was-1_1652054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/jack-herer-26906_america_when-i-went-off-to-the-army-when-i-was-1_1652054.jpg) > “When I went off to the army when I was 17 years old, I believed in America and the rights of freedom. But today I believe my government is lying to the American people and that my president, George Bush, is a criminal.” [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young veteran once trusted America’s ideals but now sees government deceit and labels the president a criminal **In simple terms:** He feels betrayed by his country’s leadership Key Takeaway Question authority and seek truth Themes disillusionment politics trust betrayal activism Mood frustrated angry skeptical Type political personal When to use this quote - voting - activism - community organizing - media literacy Key Concepts cynicism propaganda power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile patriotism with criticism? - What actions can restore trust? A Different Perspective The view may overlook positive reforms and collective agency ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Lying to the American people wasn’t part of my job description.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-moss/lying-to-the-american-people-wasn-t-part-of-my-job-description/) [Ralph W. Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-w-moss/) > [I have another question: Hillary Clinton, lying to the American people about her selfish, awful judgment in making our secrets vulnerable.Guilty or not guilty?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-have-another-question-hillary-clinton-lying-to-the-american-people/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [The next time you see John Stossel or Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, these flat-Earthers, these corporate toadies, lying to you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy-jr/the-next-time-you-see-john-stossel-or-glenn-beck-or-rush-limbaugh-or/) [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy-jr/) > [If you think the Obama White House and Ben Rhodes lying to the American people about Iran - and laughing about it - was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/if-you-think-the-obama-white-house-and-ben-rhodes-lying-to-the/) [Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/) > [You can't accuse the creator of The Boondocks, ... Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil and the government is lying about 9/11.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-mcgruder/you-can-t-accuse-the-creator-of-the-boondocks-jesus-was-black-ronald/) [Aaron McGruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-mcgruder/) > [History can come in handy. If you were born yesterday, with no knowledge of the past, you might easily accept whatever the government tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/history-can-come-in-handy-if-you-were-born-yesterday-with-no/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [People have been willing to accept that the government is lying to us, but they are now more willing to accept the concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/people-have-been-willing-to-accept-that-the-government-is-lying-to-us/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [With attention deficit democracy, I am trying to wake up people to how the combination of mass ignorance, fear mongering by the government, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/with-attention-deficit-democracy-i-am-trying-to-wake-up-people-to-how/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Excuse me. Everyone, I have a brief announcement to make. Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-freeman/excuse-me-everyone-i-have-a-brief-announcement-to-make-jesus-was/) [Huey Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-freeman/) > [There's this big debate that goes on in America about what rights are: Civil rights, human rights, what they are? it's an artificial debate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bond/there-s-this-big-debate-that-goes-on-in-america-about-what-rights-are/) [Julian Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bond/) > [I learned that not everyone values life like we do in America, or the rights that are endowed to every human being by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/i-learned-that-not-everyone-values-life-like-we-do-in-america-or-the/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [In America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever-films-i-ve/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [The Supreme Court is the last refuge in America for our rights and liberties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/the-supreme-court-is-the-last-refuge-in-america-for-our-rights-and/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) > [I believe in an America where the rights that I have described are enjoyed by all, regardless of their race or their creed or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/i-believe-in-an-america-where-the-rights-that-i-have-described-are/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [As you know, in America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio, so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/as-you-know-in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) ## More by Jack Herer > [Many artists and writers have used cannabis for creative stimulation - from the writers of the world's religious masterpieces to our most irreverent satirists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/many-artists-and-writers-have-used-cannabis-for-creative-stimulation/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [Hemp is Earth's number-one biomass resource; it is capable of producing 10 tons per acre in four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/hemp-is-earth-s-number-one-biomass-resource-it-is-capable-of/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [Well, as I understand it, the main supporters are beer companies and the pharmaceutical companies. I'd like them to show me the dead bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/well-as-i-understand-it-the-main-supporters-are-beer-companies-and/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [Rag paper, containing hemp fiber, is the highest quality and longest lasting paper ever made. It can be torn when wet, but returns to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/rag-paper-containing-hemp-fiber-is-the-highest-quality-and-longest/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [I was 30 years old and this girl I knew found out I had never gotten high. Nobody had ever told me about marijuana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/i-was-30-years-old-and-this-girl-i-knew-found-out-i-had-never-gotten/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [Our leaders are acting like lemmings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/our-leaders-are-acting-like-lemmings/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [The only dead bodies from marijuana are in the prisons and at the hands of the police. This is ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/the-only-dead-bodies-from-marijuana-are-in-the-prisons-and-at-the/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [Hemp will be the future of all mankind, or there won't be a future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/hemp-will-be-the-future-of-all-mankind-or-there-won-t-be-a-future/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [I was a normal American nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/i-was-a-normal-american-nerd/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [If you substitute marijuana for tobacco and alcohol, youll add eight to 24 years to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/if-you-substitute-marijuana-for-tobacco-and-alcohol-youll-add-eight/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [My family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1940 where I was raised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/my-family-moved-to-buffalo-new-york-in-1940-where-i-was-raised/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [Growing hemp as nature designed it is vital to our urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases and ensure the survival of our planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/growing-hemp-as-nature-designed-it-is-vital-to-our-urgent-need-to/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [You see, the Greenhouse Effect is a direct result of burning fossil or old carbon fuels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/you-see-the-greenhouse-effect-is-a-direct-result-of-burning-fossil-or/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [I don't want to wait 20 or 50 years for something to be done about petrochemical pollution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/i-don-t-want-to-wait-20-or-50-years-for-something-to-be-done-about/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [But you can count the dead bodies from alcohol, tobacco, and legal pharmaceuticals by the millions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/but-you-can-count-the-dead-bodies-from-alcohol-tobacco-and-legal/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) [Explore all 21 Jack Herer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I went off to the army when I was 17 years old, I believed in America and the rights of freedom. 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