Anti War: Thread

grarpamp grarpamp at gmail.com
Mon Feb 7 01:18:58 PST 2022


Because the world may be getting closer to some sort
of real war, and because among some cypherpunk cadres
are claims that crypto solves for everything... the great
diviner of truth, and decider of right from wrong.

https://www.antiwar.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-war_movement



Ex-CIA Officer Asks: What Happens When America Experiences Real War
With A Superpower?

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/vietnam-regurgitated/

During my first years as a young CIA officer in Vietnam from 1965-67,
I went to school (so to speak) and received the real education of my
life. I learned about my government, its politicians, and military
leaders. I learned about the lies, the high explosive and chemical
bombings, our superior fire power, villages bombed and burned, the
payoffs we made to our ranking Vietnamese allies and the reasons for
our losing the war.

The enemy fought to unite their country and expel foreign domination.
The US fought because of corrupt leadership and our losses were a mere
fraction being fought on the enemy’s turf with our superior fire
power, money and material support. They fought for a cause. We fought
for no justifiable reason. They won. We did not.
AP image: Napalm strike near US troops on patrol in South Vietnam, 1966.

Remember the body bags displayed on the tarmacs of our returning dead
from Vietnam? Not like the lack of media coverage today given the
damage we inflict. Remember the disapproving reception of our
returning soldiers? Now we celebrate them as heroes and wounded
patriots.

Here, at home, we have not experienced wars employing mass-destruction
weapons. Maybe one day will we receive an education about the
consequences of wars as a nation. Surely, we learned nothing from
Vietnam as it never happened here.

Our commitment to the two-decade, multi-country invasions in the
Middle East have shown our cowardliness to the world if not to
ourselves. Our hypocrisy is stunning. No draft, no engagement (almost
no KIA’s each year). Far more troop suicides than battle deaths while
displacing, killing and maiming thousands of innocent civilian lives
year after year. For whom and what? And, yes, a media in full march
step with these disgraceful invasions and occupations.

Remember the uproar about Vietnam? Burned draft cards, asylum in
Canada, draft dodgers, street demonstrations and sit-ins galore. And
why not these now? The unending, shameful action by our government is
making sure the public is not paying a price in people. No draft, very
limited engagement with the enemy and an approving media. What more
can our government and Pentagon ask for? We will keep dropping bombs
and feeding others money and weapons to assist with the killing and
displacing of innocent populations for us.

But are these wars really for us? Certainly not.  Remember George W.
Bush, and his failing presidency, who was made a hero the morning
after 9/11 with his WMD declaration that fooled no one but Americans?
Not a sound from the citizenry. Would we try the pitiful WMD routine
on China or Russia? They have the ability to hit back.

The national celebration that greeted George H.W. Bush in death is a
far cry from his presidency. It was not until after 9/11 that George
W. Bush obeyed the lobbies’ demands to destroy Iraq that his father
was resurrected and the son was hailed as our glorious leader.
Remember his welcoming carrier landing which turned out to be a dud?

These wars that we persist with are not only cowardly, they
demonstrate our lack of respect for other nations, their people and
our national conscience. Notably, they demonstrate our being a failed
nation not capable of controlling or directing its own interests. We
will go down in history as that most powerful, but most surrogate
nation ever. Stunningly shameful with the blood of others staining our
once proud national emblem.

While we busy ourselves with "enemies" that we and "friendly" others
have invented, we have become oblivious to the enemy within. The one
taking us down.


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