War Is A Racket (Repost)

So much for the dead – they have paid their part of the war profits. So much for the mentally and physically wounded – they are paying now their share of the war profits. But the others paid, too – they paid with heartbreaks when they tore themselves away from their firesides and their families to don the uniform of Uncle Sam – on which a profit had been made. They paid another part in the training camps where they were regimented and drilled while others took their jobs and their places in the lives of their communities. The paid for it in the trenches where they shot and were shot; where they were hungry for days at a time; where they slept in the mud and the cold and in the rain – with the moans and shrieks of the dying for a horrible lullaby.

But don't forget – the soldier paid part of the dollars and cents bill too.

Up to and including the Spanish-American War, we had a prize system, and soldiers and sailors fought for money. During the Civil War they were paid bonuses, in many instances, before they went into service. The government, or states, paid as high as $1,200 for an enlistment. In the Spanish-American War they gave prize money. When we captured any vessels, the soldiers all got their share – at least, they were supposed to. Then it was found that we could reduce the cost of wars by taking all the prize money and keeping it, but conscripting [drafting] the soldier anyway. Then soldiers couldn't bargain for their labor, Everyone else could bargain, but the soldier couldn't.

Napoleon once said,

"All men are enamored of decorations...they positively hunger for them."

So by developing the Napoleonic system – the medal business – the government learned it could get soldiers for less money, because the boys liked to be decorated. Until the Civil War there were no medals. Then the Congressional Medal of Honor was handed out. It made enlistments easier. After the Civil War no new medals were issued until the Spanish-American War.

From War Is A Racket, a book written by the only two-time medal of honor winner in history, Major General Smedley D. Butler. Check it out.

..."and is gravely to be regarded"

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States cooperations -- corporations.

Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet, we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. [my emphasis because, geez--did he predict the eduwars too?] The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present -- and is gravely to be regarded.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Quote Of The Day: USM Special Ops Are "Protectors Of The Christians" Edition

"What I'm really talking about is how eight or nine neoconservative, radicals if you will, overthrew the American government. Took it over. Many of them [key branches of the U.S. military are being led by Christian fundamentalist "crusaders" who are determined to "turn mosques into cathedrals."] are members of Opus Dei. They do see what they're doing...it's a crusade, literally. They see themselves as the protectors of the Christians. They're protecting them from the Muslims [as in] the 13th century. And this is their function."

Seymour Hersh via Foreign Policy

Friday Cartoon Fun: In Through The Out Door Edition

Wednesday Cartoon Fun: Mentally Ill Edition

Do You Know This Kid XVII? Updated

I know this picture is a bit grainy and it looks a little like Bob Dylan.

This American kid was born at the turn of the last century, a couple years before my paternal grandmother was born. He became very famous, some would say infamous, and died of natural causes amid old questions of his integrity.  He enjoyed riding horses and poetry.

There have been books written about him. There has been at least one movie made about his trials and tribulations. He had a less-famous (though not infamous) brother.

He was Jewish. He was brilliant. Those two things are not connected.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Update:  As usual, Althea got it.  This J. Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the Manhattan Project, father of the atomic bomb, suspected Communist, and brother of Frank Oppenheimer who founded the Exploratorium in San Francisco (bet you didn't know that!).

There is very little video of Oppenheimer. The video below is the only one I could actually find, though I am sure there must be more somewhere (from the trial, or hearing, or whatever it was).

In this video, after a verbal description and some shock-wave footage of the test, we see Oppy talk about the reaction to the first atomic bomb by those involved with the Trinity test.  This is his famous "I am become death" statement.

It's interesting to note that although he seems bothered by the bomb's use both in the video and in correspondence at the time, he was giving advice to the military as the bomb was being dropped on Hiroshima.

I read a very good book, called American Prometheus (the link has music, so don't get startled), that is thick (maybe too thick, but so detailed) with details about the suspicion he fell under of being a commie. Check it out (it's where I got the picture, though it is also online in its original form with Ernest Lawrence standing there with Oppy--I cropped it for this post).

I came away from reading the book pretty confident that Oppenheimer was not a commie.

Wednesday Cartoon Fun: We're Dupes Edition

Saturday Cartoon Fun: Pile Of Rubble Edition

War Is Still A Racket

I posted about Smedley Butler before but didn't have this video to go along. The actor does a good job reciting some of Butler's words. It's frightening how prescient Smedley seemed to be. Of course one could call it obvious instead of prescient. When will the rest of America catch on?

The Military Doesn't Need An Effing Year To End DADT

An email from a Navy submarine officer to Tom Ricks:

The debate may exist in the media, and certainly exists in Congress, but on the ship, if it's talked about at all it with a little bit of confusion about what the big deal is. Don't get me wrong, there is homophobia and there are a few loud, mostly uneducated, mostly very junior, and mostly still well-meaning people who would tell you they think its wrong -- but they're the kind of people who are just saying it because its what they were brought up to say, and even they aren't saying it with much fervor. I can tell you with certainty that if the ban were lifted tomorrow -- no year of preparation -- life would go on exactly as it did before....[emphasis mine]

Life would go on. Mostly what I heard after Admiral Mullen's declaration was, "it's about time." There is no question if the military is ready -- the military is waiting.

... I just want the press to understand that it is the Congress that needs pushing, not the military, and that excuses such as "senior military officials like the CJCS and SecDef are out of touch with the low-level, young guys on the ground" may be true on many issues, but not this one.

Tuesday Cartoon Fun: Funding Edition

Help The Military With Holiday Gifts That Matter

From DWT:

My friend Mimi's nephew Devin is a Marine Captain stationed in Iraq. He's been there for several tours and he wrote a letter home to his family this week that Mimi gave me permission to publish.

Dear family,

If you were wondering "what does Devin want for Christmas??," please follow the below link and choose from a number of great products:

http://fromharmtohome.org/

Do not worry, I have done thorough research on the organization and it is legitimate. Also, a close friend from high school used to work with them and can vouch. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was founded in 1933 at the request of the head of the International Relief Association (IRA), Albert Einstein, in order to assist Germans suffering under Hitler (sean-hope I have your attention). Since then the IRC has provided aid to Refugees fleeing from conflicts in Vietnam, Zaire, East Pakistan, Uganda, Chile, Soviet Union, Lebanon, El Salvador, Poland, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and most recently Afghanistan. For over 75 years, the International Rescue Committee has been a leader in humanitarian relief. They mobilize quickly, bringing sustained support to regions devastated by violence and deprivation. The most important aspect of their mission, in my mind, is that they provide hope to extremely vulnerable populations. I will explain what that means in a minute.

First, I'm sure you're asking at this point.. "uh.. is he serious? Isn't he a Marine? Has he gone soft? Is this spam??.." Nope, just hang with me. Providing support to a population who have become refugees as a result of armed conflict benefits more than just those individuals. It benefits you, your family, and your MARINES fighting abroad. How you ask?

I shall explain:

As I'm sure you can imagine, refugee camps are a terrible place. They are filled with displaced individuals who are jobless, moneyless, education-less, hungry, and angry because they were forced from their home/family (directly or indirectly) and moved to a trash heap in a countr that doesn't want them.

The depression that results from this environment breeds something called "hopelessness," especially in youths. Back in my F&M days while studying the Hopelessness Theory of Depression I learned that experiences in such negative environments can lead to the formation of dysfunctional beliefs, which in turn lead to negative self views, which in turn leads to depression, followed by desperation. THIS is why you have a "vulnerable population" within these refugee camps. Desperate people are easily exploited. Many terrorist organizations or extremist groups recognize this and are taking advantage of the social and psychological dysfunction within these camps to breed dysfunctional beliefs (Radical Islamic Extremism) and recruit suicide bombers.

You often wonder, "how can someone walk into a crowded square and blow themselves up?" Research refugee camps on the border of conflict ridden regions and Im sure you will understand how easy it would be for an al-Qaida operative to recruit individuals using promises of hope, meaning to life, and a guaranteed spot in heaven. A large majority of the suicide bombers who are killing our troops in Afghanistan are not Taliban. They are extremists who grew up in refugee camps bordering Pakistan. Look deeply into conflicts in Somalia and the Congo, you will find similar backgrounds in the majority of the extremists, guerrillas, or terrorists involved.

SO, by getting me my Christmas present you can save a life and disrupt the proliferation of terrorism by providing these underprivileged individuals with an alternative form of hope. Give them education to fight extremist views, food and medicine to maintain their desire to live, and HOPE that they can create a better life for themselves and their families. Help fight the long war.

If you can find a present like this in a store at the mall.. Let me know... I'll buy stock.

Thanks for taking the time to consider my Christmas list. There are many organizations to give to during the holidays and this is certainly not the only one you should look into. I look forward to seeing/hearing from you all this Christmas. Take care, Miss you!!

Love,
Devin

Teach Them To Kill

U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY TO JOIN NATION'S MILITARY LEADERS TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANCE OF EARLY LEARNING IN PREPARING FOR MILITARY SERVICE

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will join the nation’s military leaders to discuss the importance of early learning in improving a child’s chances for success in life, whether choosing college, the workforce or the military. The event will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Investing early in young people is critical to securing our nation’s future. Programs that prepare young people for academic success in college and the global workforce are the same ones that help them honorably serve their country, according to a report being released by the Pentagon. According to the report, it is critical that young people, especially those at-risk, have access to high-quality, early childhood education.

President Obama has laid out a cradle-to-career education plan, which begins at birth. States are being asked to reform their early childhood education programs, and invest as partners in raising the bar and improving the learning experiences for all young children, especially low-income students who will benefit most from high-quality programs and settings because they’re the students who start school behind and have to work hard just to catch up.

This is a great way to keep the war machine chugging along. Instead of teaching real stuff like tolerance, getting along, respect, accountability and civics, we have an education department convinced our youth don't know anything and that is the fault of teachers, and our youth need better preparation to do the bidding of the oligarchs that run our country.

If you want kids prepared to fight and kill in war then make all kids, when they graduate high school, join the military. Maybe we should bring back the draft. That way people will think twice about war-mongering if they know someone they love will have to go out and risk it all for nothing.

Imagine citizens taking responsibility for their country. The draft would be a great way to "incent" that behavior. Right Arne (who apparently missed out on enlisting)?

Eisenhower continues to spin in his grave...

h/t Mike Klonsky

Saturday Bonus Cartoon Fun: Don't Ask Edition

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Make It Go Away

The Boston Globe reports that the forthcoming issue of Joint Forces Quarterly seeks to determine a link between openly gay servicemembers and unit cohesion, the prime argument against allowing such service. Conclusion:

 “After a careful examination, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly,’’ writes Colonel Om Prakash, who is now working in the office of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. “Based on this research, it is not time for the administration to reexamine the issue; rather it is time for the administration to examine how to implement the repeal of the ban.’’

It would be nice to say we can consider this shameful chapter of American history closed, but first Secretary Gates, President Obama and Congress have to actually close it. There are no excuses. If there ever were. And there weren't.

h/t Attackerman

I assume most of my readers are on the same page as the Colonel mentioned above. We have heard from gay soldiers and their buddies that gayness is not an issue, not should it be an issue, in the military. We have known this for a long time.

This is also one of the things President Obama could fix right now. He doesn't need a law created. He is the Commander in Chief. It is his military and he can direct Gates to end all inquiries into teh gay. He can suspend DADT with a swipe of his pen. That he won't, or hasn't, is to me very predictive of how his presidency is going to be. I am not encouraged.

The Military Is So Gay

So, we have homoerotic craziness in Kabul, and now this:

A Youth Radio investigation has found that between 2004 and 2006, sailors in the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain Military Working Dogs Division, or "The Kennel," were subjected to an atmosphere of sexual harassment, psychological humiliation, and physical assaults.

It was inside that Bahrain kennel in July 2005 that Petty Officer Joseph Christopher Rocha, then 19 years old, says he was being terrorized by other members of his own division. "I was hog-tied to a chair, rolled around the base, left in a dog kennel that had feces spread in it."

Rocha says that beginning six weeks into his deployment, he was singled out for abuse by his chief master-at-arms, Michael Toussaint, and others on the base, once Rocha made it clear he was not interested in prostitutes. "I was in a very small testosterone-driven unit of men," Rocha says. "I think that's what began the questioning-you know-‘Why don't you want to have sex with her? Are you a faggot?’"

I am starting to get the sense that DADT was instituted in the first place because there is a lot of latent (and not so latent) homosexuality in the military, and the homophobes, who drink vodka from each others' butts, don't want to be exposed as gay, because they are not gay; they just like to put their faces in each others butts and drink deeply. That is so not gay! Not gay like "Clinton did not have sex with that woman". Not gay like, "I'm not gay, butt I wouldn't kick Mick Jagger out of bed".

Like I said before, gay is fine with me. No problem. Gay marriage? Awesome. Gays in the military? They're there, secretly, but there (not enough of them, obviously)! Gays in my house or my family? Again, good! Or even better, who fucking cares? Clearly, our macho military is actually pretty gay, and they kill people very, very well! Let the gays kill too!

What I find problematic is denying gays the right to kick the shit out of these wimps who use sexual intimidation on subordinates. I know some gays who would not take kindly to that kind of behavior in their military, and they are big, hairy, beary, ass-whooping gays. The military clearly needs some gay grownups around.

Yummy, Ass Vodka! Updated

From Mother Jones:

Drunken brawls, prostitutes, hazing and humiliation, taking vodka shots out of buttcracks— no, the perpetrators of these Animal House-like antics aren't some depraved frat brothers. They are the private security contractors guarding the US embassy compound in Kabul.

These allegations, and many more, are contained in a letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday by the Project on Government Oversight, which has been investigating the embassy security contract held by ArmorGroup North America (a subsidiary of Wackenhut, which is in turn owned by the security behemoth G4S). The contractor was the subject of a congressional probe earlier this summer that found serious lapses in the company's handling of the embassy security contract, which internal State Department documents said left the embassy compound "in jeopardy." Nevertheless, the government opted to extend the company's 5-year, $189 million contract for another year.

Butt Vodka by TFT

>

Update:

Private security guards at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul were pressured to participate in naked pool parties and perform sex acts to gain promotions or assignment to preferable shifts, according to one of 12 guards who have gone public with their complaints.

Just so we're clear: I have nothing against gay people, or being gay, or knowing gay people, or loving them, or letting them get married and have kids. Gay is good, at least as good as hetero (maybe slightly worse than bi?), but I kid.

This is not an anti-gay post. Indeed, the crap described in the pictures above, and now with the interview, seems to obviate the need to get rid of DADT. I have a feeling that gay soldiers, if they could be assured of remaining in the military regardless their sexual orientation, would be among the first to see to it that this kind of sexual harassment, or of any kind for that matter, doesn't happen.

And technically, I have no problem with ass vodka, for others.

Whale Dyer

I watched Whale Rider last night. It made me cry like a little girl, or John Lithgow. Not that the cartoon has much to do with Māori culture, other than the whales dying on the beach and all that...

The Jesus Brigade: God, Not Democracy

The Jesus brigade in the U.S military is seriously frightening. Here is a taste from The Reason Project...

Grace, of course, means you’re favored by God, no questions asked, a blessing that you can neither earn nor deserve. To fundamentalists, it’s worth more than freedom, and they’re willing to sacrifice their freedom—and yours—for that glorious feeling. That’s a paradox, a box trap the fundamentalists have built for themselves. The first casualties of the military’s fundamentalist front are not the Iraqis and Afghans on the wrong side of an American F-16. They’re the spiritual warriors themselves, men and women persuaded that the only God worth believing in is one who demands that they break—in spirit and in fact—the oath to the Constitution they swear to uphold on their lives. “You’re laying down your life for others,” Hrabak says. “Well, there has to be some true truth to put yourself in harm’s way for.” True truth; truth that requires an amplifier. For the God soldiers, democracy is not enough.

Posse Comitatus: Repealed (apparently)

This is a bit scary because we are nearing the conditions necessary:

Report argues for domestic police role for military

by Jay McDonough

The Posse Comitatus Act was passed in 1878, just after the end of the Reconstruction following the Civil War, and prohibited the federal government from using the military for domestic law enforcement purposes except in very rare cases. Per Wikipedia, the Act was a political concession to Southern states, withdrawing the Union military forces that policed ex-Confederate states during the Reconstruction.

A couple months ago, the Department of Defense announced it was assigning a full-time Army unit to be on call to facilitate military cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security in the event of another terrorist attack.

A report in the Army Times last month first brought the domestic deployment to light. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division 1st Brigade Combat Team became the first unit assigned permanently to Northern Command.

According to the Army Times report, the Team would be on-call to respond in the event of a natural disaster or terror attack anywhere in the country, or they could be used to "help with civil unrest and crowd control." (Link)

This clearly raises issues with respect to the Posse Comitatus Act, but even more troubling are recent reports a U.S. Army War College professor has written a report asserting military intervention would be required in a number of domestic scenarios.

The author warns potential causes for such civil unrest could include another terrorist attack, "unforeseen economic collapse, loss of functioning political and legal order, purposeful domestic resistance or insurgency, pervasive public health emergencies, and catastrophic natural and human disasters." The situation could deteriorate to the point where military intervention was required, he argues.

The author of the report notes the proposals are his alone and don't represent U.S. policy, but it's also certain the report has been read throughout the Defense Department. But economic collapse? Loss of functioning political order? Purposeful domestic resistance? That's one terrifying slippery slope. And not in keeping with American values.