RANGER AGAINST WAR: Pressure <

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Pressure

Christopher Morris, Patriotism

All that you eat

Everyone you meet

All that you slight

Everyone you fight

All that is now

All that is gone

--Eclipse
, Pink Floyd

Now here you are with your faith

And your Peter Pan advice

You have no scars on your face

And you cannot handle pressure

--Pressure
, Billy Joel

______________

Regarding the photo: Christopher Morris's photo of troops waving flags upon receiving dignitaries was featured in Time magazine recently. It looked like patriotic overkill, but I think the irony was lost on that reading audience. I only confirmed my suspicion by checking out his other work. Visit Hasted Hunt Gallery online for his haunting images of vapid, gape-mouthed American patriots. Android-like citizens stare like Madame Taussad wax figures at rallies, transfixed by the rhetoric and indoctrination they have come to hear, always American flags plastered on their shirts or ditty bags.

But conspiracy theory is the purpose of my post. AOL greeted me this morning with the following:
"Danger Is All Around Us: Woman Nearly Dies After Detox Diet; Chimp Grabs Gun, Almost Escapes." Now detox diets and chimps don't scare me much, as they aren't a part of my daily routine. But I'm not above constructing conspiracy theories of my own, and mine is even scarier than grapefruit and chimps.

My theory follows from my recent post on the obesity epidemic, "Wide Load," and draws a linkage to the abysmal state of psychiatric care for returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, plus the Department of Defense's removal of a popular military blog this week. Here goes.


It does a conspiratorial and dictatorial government no good to have engaged, lucid and communicative citizens among the populace
. Likewise, there is no desire for a fit base of citizens trained in the military arts. Doubly bad is the citizen who can use and clean his weapon plus write tracts questioning military/government actions.

Soldiers who return after a tour of duty and become depressed are no asset. They are depressed for a reason. Better to have them self-medicate, and call them a hero should they commit suicide.


Hence, George Bush's directive to get out there and shop, and spend those bonus checks on Cheetoes and the like. Meanwhile, diabetes meds plaster the airwaves, often with overweight actors telling how various meds helped them "get their life back."
During any half hour of t.v. you will see an array of medications to allay your depression, and help knock you out at night. But you won't wake up drowsy, so you'll be able to get back up in the morning to do it all again.

Lietenant G's
"Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal," has been stopped; the Lt. has been promoted. Prime directive is to keep 'em happy. Not so for another soldier who kept a blog, "Milo Freeman" (The Calm Before the Sand.) Milo/Seth this week wrote an excoriating farewell posting. All the more poignant coming from a religious young man who joined in 2004 in good faith.

Milo said he will upend every yellow ribbon magnet, and he will not mourn the fallen soldiers, as they are doing wrong. In other words, he will not feign normality. It is a radical statement meant to make his point.


So my theory: keep them overweight, dim-witted and remove as many thinking soldiers from the brew as possible, either actively or passively.

Decide for yourself how far off-base my theory is.

Labels: , ,

16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It sounds about right to me, personally I'm on a Calif Foothill Zin. I get what your saying and on another Blog (can't remember)was the T shirt of the future.
I was Watching Amerikan Idol when Rome Burned.
I added the k because that's were we are. I wish they were all home Now and we would stop using them for Corp. dreams of profit.
Ah Sure
jo6pac
Everything is on schedule, please move along

Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 8:37:00 PM GMT-5  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Too much bread and very inferior circuses. I think I need to open a bottle of red wine....

Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 10:10:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

Lisa , let's combine your 2 articles.The military has been seving fast food diet since shortly after VOLAR.Yep -hamburgs, french fries and coke. Did agent orange cause type 2 diabetes in returning vets OR was it all the colas we drank as substitute for clean water.? ranger jim

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 8:55:00 AM GMT-5  
Blogger Long-time RN said...

Not one to comment often, but I have to say, this site keeps getting better as time goes on. Kudos to you both, and keep the intelligent 'conversation' going. And Minstrel Boy, you are a treasure as well.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 2:20:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

Long Time Nurse- I always cmt to MB that the lADIES LOVE HIM and now it"s happening on my blog!!!! I just can't get that crossover vote. :) jim ps I like his writings also- I'm really glad that I taught him so much. ;0 :)

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 2:49:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Lisa said...

l.t. RN,

Thanks--that's the goal, to initiate a conversation.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 2:57:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Lisa said...

jo6pac,

That's a great, sad-but-true T-shirt.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 3:03:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Peter of Lone Tree said...

I once asked a knowledgeable friend, "Are they trying to drive our soldiers crazy?" in regard to the number of vets returning and killing their families, friends, and themselves. His reply was to Search "Persistence in Combat."

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 7:50:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Lisa said...

Peter,

I don't know how applicable "persistence in combat" (PIC) is to the incidence of PTSD.

It seems aimed at keeping mobility, cognition, and attention high if the soldier is wounded via better triage, enhanced pt, etc. In the Blade Runner version, soldiers will be zombified killers who just never go down. I don't know if that is achievable.

I do know soldiers are cold, hard assets, and the military's goal is to keep them a viable asset, and not necessarily to the soldier's advantage, such as continued fighting in the face of bodily damage.

Some aspects of PIC are troubling, like psychotherapeutic interventions. If soldiers are being doped on the field, then yes, upon disengagement from the service I can see some real problems.

This would be the most troubling aspect of PIC, and if this is widespread military policy for combat soldiers, and they are not acutely following these soldiers upon release, then that seems criminal. I do not know enough about this, however.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 9:44:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Long-time RN said...

Aw geez RAW, I had no idea of MB's 'broad' influence! In part, it may be due to his epicurean expertise. In all else, I'll assume you taught him well! =)
Lisa,
the postings and 'converstaion' keep my aging synapses jumping! Thanks again for a consitently interesting and thought provoking site.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 9:52:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger The Minstrel Boy said...

coyote tells a story with three morals

funny stories and chocolates go a long way with the ladies ranger.

Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 10:19:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Lisa said...

MB,

Oh, you have your work cut out for you if you take this one under your tutelage!

Monday, July 28, 2008 at 8:02:00 AM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

MB, i'll work on the funny stories.I just don't know where i'll find one.//Long time nurse-i was just funnin' as they say in the south.MB is one of my favorites also but i ignore his soft side. jim

Monday, July 28, 2008 at 12:22:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Milo said...

Ranger, Lisa,

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I appreciate the kind words, and I appreciate your invite to post with you. Perhaps, when I am more established, I will accept that invitation.

I would, however, like to clarify one point: I will ALWAYS mourn the fallen soldiers, for they are and have been my friends, my siblings. I will NOT, however, rend my garments and engage in pious displays of breast-beating. Too many in this country make a show of honoring that sacrifice, without even knowing what it means.

The soldiers in this are human, too. They deserve to be mourned as much as anyone else. But I will not pretend to furrow my brow, while still more suffer and die. It is an insult to the ones that are still alive, and the ones who are still to die yet.

I hope this makes sense. Again, thank you.

Sincerely,

Seth

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 6:12:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger Lisa said...

Seth,

Thank you so much for writing; your work is important, and I'm glad you'll keep this site in mind as a forum.

Per your (our) view on your fallen comrades, never in a a million years would anything but the highest respect be in order for their maximum sacrifice. As we have written, in previous wars, each soldier's death brought us one step closer to clearly stated goals and the end of hostilities.

The same cannot be said for these current hostilities. Mindless flag-waving and yellow ribbon displays do naught to ameliorate this fact. We have wavered on this very question. One cannot not revere the fallen soldiers, and yet, to aggrandize their deaths is to somehow legitimate these illegal wars.

What this administration has done using Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch as poster children for the war is unconscionable.

We wish you well in your transition back to civilian life. We are here for you, as are our wonderful military readers.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 9:18:00 PM GMT-5  
Blogger rangeragainstwar said...

Milo,
Lisa brought your work to my attn. I read your farewell piece.It sort of reminds me of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Fights.
We are of different generations but we share the same concerns and thats why Lisa extended her invitation which is seldon done on this blog. Generally we are lone wolves.
I have quit the vfw/am. leg and my shooting asssociation due to their partisan war stances. The Dav and military order of the purple heart are walking on a fine line. Both are making little steps in acknowledging the stupidity if not the criminal nature of the wars.
My biggest problem is what you touched on with The support the troop stickers so easily slapped and then forgotten on cars.These are one problem BUT for me -how does one justify support for the troops when their bodies and service are making a war of agression possible.I play sophists games by putting it off on the chain of cmd at the O10 level But it's just not that simple.
Take it from an old guy- it doesn't get any easier burying old friends and comrades. jim

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 10:24:00 AM GMT-5  

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