The Lie of the U.S. Military
I get this a lot: Hey Mark, you know what you should do, you pathetic piece of liberal S.F. scum? You should kneel down right now and thank our angry God there's a hard-ass non-pussified non-wimpy U.S. military out there protecting your pathetic little butt, baby.
And there are many more emails, most filled with flaming bile, aimed at me, at S.F, at progressives, at gays -- anyone, really, who is not in blind lockstep support of everything ShrubCo spins their way, and never failing to leverage the rather inane "be grateful you live in this country" argument.
Here it is: The military does not protect my freedom. Our soldiers are not out there right now safeguarding me, or you, or us, from some sort of total, '50s-era, Red Scare-esque dictatorial overthrow of our nation; nor is the military guaranteeing I have the right to write this column any more than it is protecting your right to read it, or to protest the war and speak freely and smoke imported French cigarettes and watch porn and drive really fast. Not anymore, they're not. Not this time.
More than ever before in recent history, the otherwise worthy U.S. military is right now in service not of the people, not of the national security, but of the current government regime and its corporate interests. Has it always been this way? Of course. But this time, with our smirky Enron president and cash-hungry CEO administration, it's never been so flagrant, or insulting, or invidious.
Our soldiers are not protecting our freedoms. They are not preventing more terrorism. They are not guaranteeing continued free speech. Because the only true threat to such freedoms is coming from within.
Was I supportive of quick, aggressive military action against the largely fragmented and untraceable al Qaeda? Was I glad to see undercover air marshals on civilian aircraft shortly after 9/11? Do I support our military in times of true crisis and need, when there is an actual viable threat? Absolutely. Is this one of those times? No way. Here's how I support them now -- get them out before a single one is killed.
Because here is the freedom our military is currently protecting: The freedom of expanded power in the Middle East. The freedom of continued American gluttony abroad, of a foreign policy that reeks of isolationism and corporate greed and preemptive fist-to-face threats. It ain't worth it.
Is the military protecting us from terrorism? Doubtful. By most every estimate, Shrub's war will only ignite more anti-U.S. hatred, spark more countries to fuel up and prepare for America's random attack. We are not pouring water on the dying embers of U.S. revulsion -- we are kicking them. As hard as we can.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...otes030703.DTL
And there are many more emails, most filled with flaming bile, aimed at me, at S.F, at progressives, at gays -- anyone, really, who is not in blind lockstep support of everything ShrubCo spins their way, and never failing to leverage the rather inane "be grateful you live in this country" argument.
Here it is: The military does not protect my freedom. Our soldiers are not out there right now safeguarding me, or you, or us, from some sort of total, '50s-era, Red Scare-esque dictatorial overthrow of our nation; nor is the military guaranteeing I have the right to write this column any more than it is protecting your right to read it, or to protest the war and speak freely and smoke imported French cigarettes and watch porn and drive really fast. Not anymore, they're not. Not this time.
More than ever before in recent history, the otherwise worthy U.S. military is right now in service not of the people, not of the national security, but of the current government regime and its corporate interests. Has it always been this way? Of course. But this time, with our smirky Enron president and cash-hungry CEO administration, it's never been so flagrant, or insulting, or invidious.
Our soldiers are not protecting our freedoms. They are not preventing more terrorism. They are not guaranteeing continued free speech. Because the only true threat to such freedoms is coming from within.
Was I supportive of quick, aggressive military action against the largely fragmented and untraceable al Qaeda? Was I glad to see undercover air marshals on civilian aircraft shortly after 9/11? Do I support our military in times of true crisis and need, when there is an actual viable threat? Absolutely. Is this one of those times? No way. Here's how I support them now -- get them out before a single one is killed.
Because here is the freedom our military is currently protecting: The freedom of expanded power in the Middle East. The freedom of continued American gluttony abroad, of a foreign policy that reeks of isolationism and corporate greed and preemptive fist-to-face threats. It ain't worth it.
Is the military protecting us from terrorism? Doubtful. By most every estimate, Shrub's war will only ignite more anti-U.S. hatred, spark more countries to fuel up and prepare for America's random attack. We are not pouring water on the dying embers of U.S. revulsion -- we are kicking them. As hard as we can.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...otes030703.DTL
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