Trigger warning: if you are an active or recently active part of the US military you prolly ain't gonna like what I'm about to say.
The US military would have you believe that it is a force for America, freedom, justice, peace. Or as the intro to the Superman TV show I used to watch in the 60s would have it, "Truth, justice, and the American Way!"
This is a blatant lie. The US military has occasionally been used in support of our values, notably in WWII. Arguably Korea. Probably Bosnia. I believe there are some purely humanitarian efforts that have been undertaken, but I can't name them. Perhaps the simple presence of warships in a conflict zone has tamped down some antagonism and thus maintained the peace in one place for a bit.
Outside of these conflicts the best one can say of the military is that they've sometimes worked hard to undo some of the damage they recently did. We've all read noble stories of the forces working hard to rebuild some parts of Iraq. After we busted it up. We've all read of the frustrations these noble rebuilders face such as lack of trust from the locals. Imagine that. Stormtroopers Inc's rebuilding squad has trouble finding trust.
Some things our military has supported: Colonialism. Corporate money grabs. Corrupt leaders who maintain their power over their people in part by their allegiance to our particular brand of self-righteous gangsterism. Land grabs.
Some people have joined this American gang because it is a path out of poverty. My step-father is one of those. Gods only know where he'd have ended up without the Marine Corps to give him a career. I have deep sympathy for those people and deep anger at our government for taking advantage of them. We would be a much healthier country if we provided a different way to support these people with jobs and careers*.
Some people have joined this American gang because they like violence and like the opportunity to commit mayhem in a legal way. Fuck those people. Seriously. Fuck those people.
The vast majority, I suspect, are people who believe that the military is that force for peace, justice, and America. There are people who believe that they owe a debt to this country for their opportunities. I can respect this, in abstract.
But anyone who believes that TODAY, in light of all the horrors and blunders, in spite of all the corruption, the support of corrupt leaders for our own financial gain, or for points on some global scoreboard, anyone like that is ignorant. Any respect that I have for such people is coupled with a pity and scorn. How could you not know?
The balance between respect and scorn also depends on time. The Viet Nam war was the great eye opener. Anyone who enlisted before the end of the war gets a pass. Anyone who enlisted in the next 2 decades gets a slightly smaller pass. Anyone who enlisted after the first war in Iraq, damn, buddy, you shoulda known. Anyone who enlisted after second Iraq war? There is very little excuse for your ignorance. Anyone who enlists today, after 4 years of the craven one in office, exposing corruption every day with his own putrid, amoral, ignorant, grasping international "policy"? Fuck you.
*In 1989, on the cusp of the fall of the Soviet Union, I traveled by train across what was still then Yugoslavia from Italy to Greece. There were armed guards in each train car. Where we had conductors and attendants in Italy and then Greece, in Yugoslavia we had guards. This is one approach to unemployment: give people a gun and call them military and put them on the trains and all throughout society. Hey, presto, away goes the unemployment! I suggest that just supporting the train system with government money, regardless of its "profitability", and giving these people jobs as conductors and attendants is the better approach.
right?!!?!?! also how exactly would that work? if I as an american write something mean about ted cruz on the british guardian website can he sue them? if he can't wouldn't facebook just move their site overseas? also I don't get how facebook is supposed to be censoring republicans, look at the top ten stories from yesterdayhttps://twitter.com/Faceboo...
"Section 230 otherwise has no nexus with national security." only in as much as the toddler-in-chief's pathological insecurity affects national security which is *pushes glasses up nose, check notes* bigly.
Isn't it interesting that we named military bases after members of a military who weren't citizens of the United States of America? I think we should name American military bases after Americans.
Did they have green jello?
They can wait until the afternoon of Jan. 20 when there will be President again.
You fry shoes?
Trigger warning: if you are an active or recently active part of the US military you prolly ain't gonna like what I'm about to say.
The US military would have you believe that it is a force for America, freedom, justice, peace. Or as the intro to the Superman TV show I used to watch in the 60s would have it, "Truth, justice, and the American Way!"
This is a blatant lie. The US military has occasionally been used in support of our values, notably in WWII. Arguably Korea. Probably Bosnia. I believe there are some purely humanitarian efforts that have been undertaken, but I can't name them. Perhaps the simple presence of warships in a conflict zone has tamped down some antagonism and thus maintained the peace in one place for a bit.
Outside of these conflicts the best one can say of the military is that they've sometimes worked hard to undo some of the damage they recently did. We've all read noble stories of the forces working hard to rebuild some parts of Iraq. After we busted it up. We've all read of the frustrations these noble rebuilders face such as lack of trust from the locals. Imagine that. Stormtroopers Inc's rebuilding squad has trouble finding trust.
Some things our military has supported: Colonialism. Corporate money grabs. Corrupt leaders who maintain their power over their people in part by their allegiance to our particular brand of self-righteous gangsterism. Land grabs.
Some people have joined this American gang because it is a path out of poverty. My step-father is one of those. Gods only know where he'd have ended up without the Marine Corps to give him a career. I have deep sympathy for those people and deep anger at our government for taking advantage of them. We would be a much healthier country if we provided a different way to support these people with jobs and careers*.
Some people have joined this American gang because they like violence and like the opportunity to commit mayhem in a legal way. Fuck those people. Seriously. Fuck those people.
The vast majority, I suspect, are people who believe that the military is that force for peace, justice, and America. There are people who believe that they owe a debt to this country for their opportunities. I can respect this, in abstract.
But anyone who believes that TODAY, in light of all the horrors and blunders, in spite of all the corruption, the support of corrupt leaders for our own financial gain, or for points on some global scoreboard, anyone like that is ignorant. Any respect that I have for such people is coupled with a pity and scorn. How could you not know?
The balance between respect and scorn also depends on time. The Viet Nam war was the great eye opener. Anyone who enlisted before the end of the war gets a pass. Anyone who enlisted in the next 2 decades gets a slightly smaller pass. Anyone who enlisted after the first war in Iraq, damn, buddy, you shoulda known. Anyone who enlisted after second Iraq war? There is very little excuse for your ignorance. Anyone who enlists today, after 4 years of the craven one in office, exposing corruption every day with his own putrid, amoral, ignorant, grasping international "policy"? Fuck you.
*In 1989, on the cusp of the fall of the Soviet Union, I traveled by train across what was still then Yugoslavia from Italy to Greece. There were armed guards in each train car. Where we had conductors and attendants in Italy and then Greece, in Yugoslavia we had guards. This is one approach to unemployment: give people a gun and call them military and put them on the trains and all throughout society. Hey, presto, away goes the unemployment! I suggest that just supporting the train system with government money, regardless of its "profitability", and giving these people jobs as conductors and attendants is the better approach.
He has no concept of recognizing quality, so you could make the replica out of painted cardboard and he'd never know.
Speaking of the Resolute Desk -
"Trump's furniture fail: that's not a desk, Donald โ it's a table for TV dinners"
https://www.theguardian.com...
right?!!?!?! also how exactly would that work? if I as an american write something mean about ted cruz on the british guardian website can he sue them? if he can't wouldn't facebook just move their site overseas? also I don't get how facebook is supposed to be censoring republicans, look at the top ten stories from yesterdayhttps://twitter.com/Faceboo...
It's always quid pro quo with lardo.
It was some ill communication.
So he's done with the very minuscule Reprobate desk?
I thought he was only allowed do things at the tiny Craven desk (pre-school sized) these days?
Also too:
"Section 230 otherwise has no nexus with national security." only in as much as the toddler-in-chief's pathological insecurity affects national security which is *pushes glasses up nose, check notes* bigly.
He should threaten to defund the police if Joe Biden doesn't concede the election, next.
Isn't it interesting that we named military bases after members of a military who weren't citizens of the United States of America? I think we should name American military bases after Americans.
Transactional is as transactional does.
Enough garlic and butter, and everything's haute cuisine.