The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.
“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own Government…I cannot be silent.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Don DeBar
While the insiders in Washington parse the meaning of the paraphrased words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. regarding his own epitaph, his true legacy – the one that many believe led to his murder – has been whitewashed from the King Memorial entirely.
Four articles on the Marine urination issue follow. Would not be surprised if they and others like them trigger a round of navel contemplation within the DoD military Services that will result in command micromanagement (exacerbating coming end strength challenges), undermine concepts such as the Marine Corps' “Strategic Corporal,” and generate untold “programs” on professional military values under PAO-generated slick and trendy names. An excerpt from a fifth article, this one about Haditha, seems applicable here because I think the quoted Coast Guard officer has it right:
“… Relying on junior military personnel to make high-stakes decisions in remote foreign clashes can have grave consequences for U.S. foreign policy, said Capt. Glenn Sulmasy, a judge advocate and national security law professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New Haven, Conn. He pointed to the international outrage stirred by the images of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. …”
In context, to “make high stakes decisions” can be roughly equated to “do the right think when no one is watching.” Within the Army, I think the response will be framed through ever-exacting adherence to the minutiae of peacetime garrison soldiering.
How the Marines video made the Afghan war even tougher
We’re all guilty of dehumanizing the enemy
Marine video: Desecration of the dead is as old as war itself
Phi Beta Iota: Culture matters–culture and commander's intent are all a Marine has when they are cut off from micro-management by pasty-faced staff pukes far in the rear. The strongest cultures are deeply rooted in historical consistency and have integrity as their centerpiece. The desecration of corpses on the battlefield is a direct consequence of the descecration of democracy by the two-party tyranny and the various complexes that a corrupt Congress has created in order to stay in power at public expense and without regard to the public interest.
This appears to be a bluff, issues appears to distill down to how soon does our cut and run from Afghanistan become total.
Anthony Cordesman
Washington Post, 15 January 2012
…withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops from Afghanistan could plunge that country into a recession or depression by the end of 2014 unless Kabul receives a massive new aid package. Afghanistan would need major assistance to compensate for the phaseout of U.S. and allied military spending that has kept its economy alive during the past 10 years of war, to pay for the services its government must provide to win and retain the loyalty of its people, to pay for the military and security forces it must develop, and to sustain the government until the Taliban and other insurgents are defeated or accept a political settlement.
Phi Beta Iota: For Cordesman to focus on Afghanistan going into a recession while ignoring the fact that the US is in a depression and heading for a major collapse in 2013-2014 is to celebrate the insanity and amoral idiocy of the Washington environment. America desperately needs to pull back, consolidate, restore its core values, and live to fight another day. We are at 22.4% unemployment going toward 40%. There is NO ONE now running for President or pretending to be President (the incumbent) who combines both intelligence and integrity on all the core issues. This includes Ron Paul, who is great on Liberty but ignores General Welfare. The Preamble to the Constitution is provided below as a reference point:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Max Blumenthal of the Nation Institute explains the further militarization.
Police being armed with military weapons. Posse Comitatus being side-stepped by converting police into a virtual military — includes long-range acoustic device as well as tasers and military grade pepper spray. US citizens protesting non-violently now being classified as criminals with a blurring of the lines between protestors, criminials, and terorrists. The police mind-set against non-violent civilians is now anti-Constitutional.
Hundreds of US police officer now being trained in Israel to use Israeli tactics against the Palestinians, against US citizens protestin
Joint Terrorism Task Forces being used to federalize police. Police Commissioner Kelly of New York City has made several trips to Israel and appears to have embraced their concept of crimi-terrorists: anyone who is disruptive of the “official” perspective.
And for a little emphasis from OccupyHarlem:
Dr. Jill Stein, GPUS Presidential Candidate, will be in the Northern Virginia/DC area, mid-January. We have scheduled a house party so people can get to know Jill better. We'll meet at the home of John Reeder. We'll have snacks and drinks. If you can, please rsvp to tamar@gp.org. Even if you haven't let us know, come anyway. We're just trying to get a rough estimate of attendance.
When: Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 7:30pm
Where: 1812 N. Huntington Street, Arlington, Va 22205
Contact: Tamar Yager, 703-534-2187 or 502-296-3849
Metro: Orange line to East Falls Church. Need to call Tamar for a pick-up (advance notice please).
Driving directions: from Lee Highway and Harrison Street go south on Harrison Street to 18th Street; go right onto 18th Street and go 3 blocks to a right onto Huntington Street. The house is the third house on the left.
Phi Beta Iota: There are multiple candidates for the Green Party nomination, listed below. Dr. Stein appears to be the most visible candidate; Cynthia McKinney is obsessing on Libya and probably not in the running for 2012.
Below from Politics1, BOLD is Announced, Italics Possible.
Winona LaDuke (Minnesota) – Native American activist, economist, writer and '96/'00 VP nominee.
Cynthia McKinney (California) – Ex-Georgia Congresswoman, Ex-State Rep., College Professor and '08 Nominee.
Kent Mesplay (California) – Biomedical engineer, environmental activist, '04/'08 candidate & '06 US Sen. candidate.
Harley Mikkelson (Michigan) – Retired state employee, Vietnam War veteran & frequent candidate.
Rhett Smith (Texas) – Company auditor, Navy veteran & frequent candidate.
Jill Stein (Massachusetts) – Physician, progressive activist, author & '02/10 Governor nominee.
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See Also:
Ron Paul – Chuck Norris – Clint Eastwood – Jesse Ventura – John Wayne – Joe Rogan – all agree
Directory & Link to Public Intelligence
DemoPublicans–One Bird, Two Wings, No Difference – Occasional Observations
Tip of the Hat to Theophilis Goodyear.
