Radicalized
I'm not fighting
For justice
I am not fighting
For Freedom
I am fighting
For my life
--Day After Tomorrow, Tom Waits
___________
For justice
I am not fighting
For Freedom
I am fighting
For my life
--Day After Tomorrow, Tom Waits
___________
We at Ranger discuss the lack of war protest today at any meaningful or effective level.
We wonder WHY? Why is America lying back, accepting a devastating war destroying both our international standing and our dollar? We are heading the route of the Soviet Union. Our national coffers are as empty as our savings accounts (df.: a quaint notion to which every grade school student used to contribute, like a piggy-bank. A place to save money [if you had any.])
From 1964-68 Ranger was a "ROTC Nazi" Army cadet. The years '66-'68 saw "radical" war protests across the nation, many on college campuses. Our ROTC reviews were often on the receiving end of these well-organized political protests, scripted as good theatre, led by groups such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS.)
Ranger wore his uniform to class and represented the U.S. Army on campus, a happy little troop defending rural Ohio from godless Vietnamese Communist hordes. Ranger was not a radical.
How odd it is that those opposing violence and warfare are deemed radicals, while those supporting mindless militarism are patriots. Many an hour Ranger pondered this concept while huddled under a poncho hootch.
In the '60's the main way to stymie the protesters was via drug enforcement, as most of the SDS-types smoked marijuana and from all reports, inhaled. One such protester was given a 15-year sentence for possession, with the sentencing judge saying that he would not allow Bowling Green to become another Berkeley. (Not a chance, really, since the Wood County courthouse still featured a historical display of the town's last legal public hanging.)
The Nixon administration would later fine-tune its silencing of the the opposition to include IRS harassment.
Now in 2008 the U.S. finds itself in a "long war" that is accepted as business as usual on all levels of American society. Where is the outrage and public opposition? Some artists are writing protest songs, but they gain no airplay. Why the complacency?
The government has been stolen from the will of the people. And after all, it is professional soldiers fighting for the flag and motherhood. That is why they joined, so fuck 'em. The problem is, they represent the U.S. and our function is not to fight but rather, be a responsible member of the world community.
We are not citizens because our Army can bully-boy the Arab street corners of the world. Sounds like Ranger has become radicalized himself, if being radical means not supporting phony, preemptive, open-ended wars without any clear benefit to the U.S. I thought only people like Rush Limbaugh and "radical shiite cleric" Muktada al-Sadr were radicals.
It has been a long, strange road from the ROTC classroom in Ohio.
--Jim
We wonder WHY? Why is America lying back, accepting a devastating war destroying both our international standing and our dollar? We are heading the route of the Soviet Union. Our national coffers are as empty as our savings accounts (df.: a quaint notion to which every grade school student used to contribute, like a piggy-bank. A place to save money [if you had any.])
From 1964-68 Ranger was a "ROTC Nazi" Army cadet. The years '66-'68 saw "radical" war protests across the nation, many on college campuses. Our ROTC reviews were often on the receiving end of these well-organized political protests, scripted as good theatre, led by groups such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS.)
Ranger wore his uniform to class and represented the U.S. Army on campus, a happy little troop defending rural Ohio from godless Vietnamese Communist hordes. Ranger was not a radical.
How odd it is that those opposing violence and warfare are deemed radicals, while those supporting mindless militarism are patriots. Many an hour Ranger pondered this concept while huddled under a poncho hootch.
In the '60's the main way to stymie the protesters was via drug enforcement, as most of the SDS-types smoked marijuana and from all reports, inhaled. One such protester was given a 15-year sentence for possession, with the sentencing judge saying that he would not allow Bowling Green to become another Berkeley. (Not a chance, really, since the Wood County courthouse still featured a historical display of the town's last legal public hanging.)
The Nixon administration would later fine-tune its silencing of the the opposition to include IRS harassment.
Now in 2008 the U.S. finds itself in a "long war" that is accepted as business as usual on all levels of American society. Where is the outrage and public opposition? Some artists are writing protest songs, but they gain no airplay. Why the complacency?
The government has been stolen from the will of the people. And after all, it is professional soldiers fighting for the flag and motherhood. That is why they joined, so fuck 'em. The problem is, they represent the U.S. and our function is not to fight but rather, be a responsible member of the world community.
We are not citizens because our Army can bully-boy the Arab street corners of the world. Sounds like Ranger has become radicalized himself, if being radical means not supporting phony, preemptive, open-ended wars without any clear benefit to the U.S. I thought only people like Rush Limbaugh and "radical shiite cleric" Muktada al-Sadr were radicals.
It has been a long, strange road from the ROTC classroom in Ohio.
--Jim
Labels: lack of war protest, radicals, rotc
posted by Lisa at 12:11 AM
4 Comments:
funny how the events of today prove the apprehensions that madison expressed in the federalist papers (writing as publius) about a standing army. he regarded a professional, standing army as a threat to democracy and an invitation to tyranny. hamilton disagreed, but mostly because when hamilton envisioned a standing american army he envisioned himself at its head. hamilton was also a "che" style proponent of long revolution. he would not have bothered with trivialities like the louisiana purchase, he would have simply marched and taken it. he had dreams of taking an american army into mexico to snatch it from the spanish. same same florida. he even used a variation of the "sweets and flowers" bullshit in predicting how the peons of mexico would greet the gringos.
in many ways, hamilton was one of our most interesting founders. he was certainly the most dangerous.
It has been a loooong road. But I think there have been more protests than most folks think---blame the media and their overlords that little is known about it. D.C. is due for a new round next week---Monday, Tues, and Wednesday to be exact. Folks plan to hand Congress its own stop-loss order telling them to stay there at work until the war is done and the troops are home. So, we will see if this appears on the news, won't we? (check it out at www.stop-losscongress.org)
MB,
It is very interesting how th Founder's apprehensions have borne themselves out.
Thank you for bringing Hamiltonian thinking out for consideration.
__________
labrys,
Right--protests are no good without coverage. The press has been toeing a pretty straight and narrow line of late, so we shall see.
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