Until recently, this photo was never seen in the U.S. It's a soldier making a last desperate attempt at climbing out of a military vehicle after it had been hit by an incendiary bomb. This was during Desert Storm in 1991.
This is the side of war our leaders don't want you to see. For us they want it to be all about waving flags, marching bands, grandiose speeches, stars-and-stripes lapel pins.
But this photo is what war is really all about. That scorched corpse could be your son or daughter, one of your grandchildren, an uncle, cousin, nephew or niece, that freckled neighborhood kid that used to ride by on a bike.
When our politicians speak about some new crisis that requires our military intervention, some challenge to our national interests or terrorist threat to the homeland, then with the appropriate somber expressions and deeply furrowed brows reel off patriotic slogans and chest thumping battle cries that beg for our bravado and self-sacrifice, they want you to imagine proud soldiers in clean pressed uniforms, glorious fireworks reflecting in the pool of the national mall, the flag majestically waving in the background atop the White House, they want you embracing that triumphant feeling of being a citizen of the greatest country in the world. They most certainly do not want you thinking about that photograph.
Sure, our leaders claim that they want to avoid at all costs sending our brave soldiers into harms way. They claim to value every young man and woman in uniform as they do their own children -- though for some reason their own kids never get sent into battle.
They claim the decision to wage war, even to commit our troops to "limited engagement", is a very serious one, that putting "boots on the ground" is something we do only when every other conceivable option has been duly explored, considered, weighed, exhausted.
Warning! When you hear any of this talk about war as a last resort, be VERY AFRAID. Because it means the bombs are about to drop and the bullets are about to fly. Last resort is now pure cover, a charade, just one component of a PR game to tenderize public opinion, just more cynical role play to get people ready for the slaughter.
When our leaders say they hate war, be VERY ANGRY. Because their actions betray their love -- their worship! -- of military power. Just look at their priorities. Just look at the national budget. Just take out a world map and try to identify the 800+ military bases the U.S. has in over 80 countries across the globe. If they really wanted peace, these would be Peace Corps camps, not military installations.
When they talk about "humanitarian war" and "R2P" -- responsibility to protect -- LAUGH, then CRY. Because any humanitarian concern is not about you. And when you're getting your ass shot at, the only reason they want to protect you is so you can shoot back.
On the increasingly rare occasions, when our leaders do give their token nod to promoting peace in the world, be INDIGNANT -- be OUTRAGED -- at the blatant hypocrisy. Why, our Nobel Peace Prize winning president even used his award acceptance speech to make the case for "necessary wars".
Let's see . . . necessary wars. When I was in college, it was Vietnam. Commies would take over the world if we didn't stop them. Then we had to stop Saddam Hussein from taking over Kuwait so he could throw premature babies out of their incubators, even though 9 out of 10 American thought Kuwait was a tropical fruit. Then, of course, we had to bomb the sh*t out of Afghanistan to catch Osama bin Laden, though he strutted around the caves and allegedly continued to make threatening videos for the next eight years. Then, we really had to get Saddam Hussein, this time before he dropped an atomic bomb on Baltimore or Orlando, even if he didn't have one and if he did had no way to lob it further than the Sea of Galilee. Then there was Libya because we had to get rid of that pesky Gadaffi. And Syria because . . . well . . . you know, Assad. And of course, we've been having a regular hissy fit about Iran for decades now, so they're high on the hit list. And now we have the Ukraine, for a lot of reasons, including the need to "weaken Russia" and/or overthrow Putin. And there's the rise of the BRICS, and the abandonment of the dollar. Oh yeah? Maybe it's time for a visit by some B-52s. Plus you have China threatening our national security and economy. Well, if we let that happen, there goes the American Dream! Sounds like war to me. We have the piles of military hardware and after all, you can't just leave that stuff laying around, because it's dangerous, so it's imperative we use it. Hell, let's throw some ordnance at someone, anyone . . . Yemen! . . . and . . . I know . . . send it to the Israelis so they can ethnically cleanse the Palestinians from Greater Israel. Just like the Bible says they should.
Wohoo! Bomb bomb bomb. We came. We saw. They died! Rah rah rah!
Whew . . . all this carnage and chaos, all these "necessary wars" are exhausting!
As anyone who reads my blogs knows, I have never recommended any organization and directed readers to support its activities. There are hundreds -- thousands -- of good, hard-working, well-meaning, probably extremely worthwhile groups out there trying to make a difference. My reluctance stems from observing that despite their best efforts, not a lot seems to be getting done. They are unfocused, pushing stale and ineffective messaging, using dated and now irrelevant tactics.
But now, since time is running out and this might be our last best hope, I'm going to break tradition.
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