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Title: Dying for the Empire Is Not Heroic
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URL Source: http://original.antiwar.com/srichma ... 10/20/dying-empire-not-heroic/
Published: Oct 21, 2017
Author: heldon Richman
Post Date: 2017-10-21 05:26:32 by Ada
Keywords: None
Views: 484
Comments: 26
Predictably, the news media spent most of the week examining words Donald Trump may or may not have spoken to the widow of an American Green Beret killed in Niger, in northwest Africa, in early October. Not only was this coverage tedious, it was largely pointless. We know Trump is a clumsy boor, and we also know that lots of people are ready to pounce on him for any sort of gaffe, real or imagined. Who cares? It’s not news. But it was useful to those who wish to distract Americans from what really needs attention: the U.S. government’s perpetual war. The media’s efforts should have been devoted to exploring – really exploring – why Green Berets (and drones) are in Niger at all. (This is typical of the establishment media’s explanation.) That subject is apparently of little interest to media companies that see themselves merely as cheerleaders for the American Empire. For them, it’s all so simple: a US president (even one they despise) has put or left military forces in a foreign country – no justification required; therefore, those forces are serving their country; and that in turn means that if they die, they die as heroes who were protecting our way of life. End of story. Thus the establishment media see no need to present a dissenting view, say, from an analyst who would question the dogma that inserting American warriors into faraway conflicts whenever a warlord proclaims his allegiance to ISIS is in the “national interest.” Patriotic media companies have no wish to expose their audiences to the idea that jihadists would be no threat to Americans who were left to mind their own business. Apparently the American people also must be shielded from anyone who might point out that the jihadist activity in Niger and neighboring Mali is directly related to the US and NATO bombing of Libya, which enabled al-Qaeda and other Muslim militants to overthrow the secular regime of Col. Muammar Qaddafi. That Obama-Clinton operation in 2011, besides producing Qaddafi’s grisly murder and turning Libya into a nightmare, facilitated the transfer of weapons and fanatical guerrillas from Libya to nearby countries in the Sahel – as well as Syria. Since then the US government has been helping the French to “stabilize” its former colony Mali with surveillance drones and Green Berets based in Niger. Nice work, Nobel Peace Prize winner Obama and Secretary of State Clinton. (Citizen Trump was an early advocate of US intervention in Libya.) Need I remind you that the US/NATO regime-change operation in Libya was based on a lie? Obama later said his failure to foresee the consequences of the Libya intervention was the biggest mistake of his presidency. (For more on the unintended consequences for the Sahel, see articles here, here, and here.) So the media, which pretends to play a role in keeping Americans informed, have decided the people need not hear the truth behind the events in Niger. Instead, “reporters” and “analysts” perform their role as cheerleaders for the American Empire by declaring the dead men “heroes” and focusing on the tragedy that has befallen their families. Public scrutiny of the military operation is discouraged because it thought to detract from the Green Berets’ heroism. What makes them heroes? They were killed by non-Americans in a foreign land while wearing military uniforms. That’s all it takes, according to the gospel of what Andrew Bacevich calls the Church of America the Redeemer and its media choir. But are they really heroes? We can question this while feeling sorrow for the people who will never see their husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers again. Reporters and analysts who emote over alleged heroism base their claim on the dubious proposition that the men were “serving their country” and “protecting our freedom.” A brief examination, however, is enough to show this is not so, although the troops, their families, and many others believe it. First, their “country,” if by this term we mean the American people, did not call them to “service,” which itself a question-begging word. The source of the call was a collection of politicians and bureaucrats (including generals) who wouldn’t know the public interest from a hole in the ground. Second, US intervention in the Muslim world, which predates 9/11 and the creation of al-Qaeda and ISIS, has not made Americans safe. On the contrary, it has put them at risk, as the attacks on the World Trade Center demonstrated. Is it hard to believe that people will seek vengeance against those whose government bombs them and starves their children, as the US government did in Iraq all through the 1990s (to take just one example)? Dying (and killing) for the Empire is not heroic. Allowing yourself to be ordered to intervene in distant conflicts you surely don’t understand is not worthy of admiration. What’s heroic is resisting the Empire. Anyone who thought Trump would bring the troops back should now know better. He, of all people, is not about to give up imperial power. The Guardian quotes a former military officer saying, “Since [President] Trump took power, US forces deployed around the world have had a lot more room to maneuver. Decisions about when and what to engage have been devolved right down to unit level. Any soldier knows that if you give guys on the ground more independence, then they will be that much more aggressive and will take more risks.” At this point we can’t expect the corporate media to quit propagandizing on behalf of the war state and start informing the public of the harm “their” government has inflicted abroad and at home. Fortunately, we have virtually costless access to alternative sources of information about the politicians’ and military’s mischief. The conundrum is that most people, having been fed a steady diet of pro-war propaganda, won’t turn to those sources until they become suspicious of power. Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of The Libertarian Institute, senior fellow and chair of the trustees of the Center for a Stateless Society, and a contributing editor at Antiwar.com. He is the former senior editor at the Cato Institute and Institute for Humane Studies, former editor of The Freeman, published by the Foundation for Economic Education, and former vice president at the Future of Freedom Foundation. His latest book is America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Reprinted with permission from The Libertarian Institute.
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#1. To: Ada (#0)
First of all,he wasn't a Green Beret. A Green Beret is a hat,and he was a man. The soldiers who have earned the right to wear the Green Beret are Special Forces soldiers. He wasn't a Special Forces soldier,either. He was almost certainly a support troop from a Civil Affairs Unit that is attached to a Special Forces Group. These are the people whose job is to dig wells,build medical clinics,build schools,dig drainage ditches,build septic tanks,give inoculations against diseases,etc,etc,etc. They have VERY important jobs,but they are not combat troops and are not properly armed or trained to handle the combat role of a SF soldier. Nor do they have the mindset of a combat soldier. I have no idea how these guys were allowed to go forward into an "iffy" area/village like that without infantry support on the ground and air support on call,but somebody needs to lose their career over that mistake,if not spent time in prison. The author of this piece is nothing but a sniveling coward,trying to justify his cowardice by pretending to be anti-war. You know what you call people who don't think it's necessary,and even (gasp!) "honorable" to fight for your country,your freedoms,and your way of life? The word you are looking for is "slaves". BTW,anyone else notice there were FOUR American soldiers killed that day by the very people they went there to help,but the ONLY one the media seems to care about is the ONE black soldier? WHEN are people going to start noticing and commenting about the racism involved in THAT? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Two of the four killed in Niger were Green Berets. None of them were fightenhg for our freedom, our country or our way of life.
You don't think fight against Islam is protecting our freedoms or our way of life? How do you feel about wearing a Burka and being property? Remember,Islam declared war on US. We have yet to make an official declaration of war on Islam,and IMHO,it's long overdue. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
If you're not being sarcastic, me thinks you've been hitting the kool-aid a bit too much..
How do you feel about wearing a Burka and being property? Remember,Islam declared war on US. We have yet to make an official declaration of war on Islam,and IMHO,it's long overdue. Of course not. Muslims never bothered us before we bothered them.
Ask the Europeans about the Moors... Now the Europeans invite them in.
Matrix person. Or hasbara. Same effect.
So true. Ron Paul is more right than wrong.
The same ppl that gave us Empire have given us Alqaeda, ISIS and Sharia if they can.
The European people did not issue the invitation. Twas their leaders who sought to benefit. All those countries have armies paid for by taxpayers for all the good it did them in repelling the invasion.
Gotta have a controlled opposition.
Not even the tiniest bit. You ever live in a 3rd World Country,or even a 2nd World country governed by Communists or their weak-kneed Socialist half-brothers? If not,you are braying at the moon or unworthy of life in America. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Admit it,you don't know shit about either Islam or history. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
And what color is the sky on YOUR home planet? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
If not,you are braying at the moon or unworthy of life in America. So people need to live in a Communist country in order to be true Americans? I don't see what your point is Pete. Not swallowing the obvious bullshit concerning what our military has been up to in the Middle East has nothing to do with Communism, one way or the other. Do you think it wise that we are in Afghanistan protecting the poppy plants? BTW Pete, since Iraq had a secular government, as does Syria, why did we need to destroy that country, and why were we trying to destroy Syria? Ever hear of PNAC? Of course not,but I get tired of hearing people whine about how much America sucks and how stupid our military is to fight to defend our way of life,while denigrating our way of life and not even having anything to compare it to,but some "pie is the sky" theory by some other asshole with no life experience. Then people like you double-down by saying stupid shit like "We need to eliminate taxes and keep our military here to protect us instead of going to other countries to fight their wars for them." Anyone that claims that is actually too ignorant to have an opinion. They are nothing more than parrots babbling the horseshit they have heard to justify their own selfishness. I don't see what your point is Pete. Not swallowing the obvious bullshit concerning what our military has been up to in the Middle East has nothing to do with Communism, one way or the other. Are you such a simpleton you really and truly can't understand that Islam is as big of a threat to world peace and our way of lives as communism was,and maybe even MORE dangerous? Do you think it wise that we are in Afghanistan protecting the poppy plants? No. Do you really and truly think that is why we are there,or is that just your excuse to justify your not serving or being wiling to pay taxes to support the military? If you honestly believe we are there to protect the poppy production,we have nothing more to talk about. Raising you to think and reason was your parents job,not mine. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
We destroyed Iraq for two reasons,both of which piss me off. 1:There was an election coming up,and Boy Jorge wasn't polling well. NOTHING gets the 'murikan peep-pulls behind a president like a war. 2:The Bush Crime Family is partially owned by the Saud Royal Family,and Saddam Hussein was a geniune threat to the House of Saud. EVERY one of the goat humpers in the Muddle East that leads a tribe dreams of being the Sheik of Arabia,where all the Arab/Muslim countries come under his rule. Including Saddam Hussein,who was a genuine threat to the House of Saud and unlike most of them,he had the army,the money,and the will to move against them. Problem 1: Boy Jorge advisors tell him,"We need a war,but where?" Problem 2 : Prince Abdullah tells his buttboy pal Boy Jorge's handlers,"I will give you these bags of gold if you will kill Saddam Hussein!" BINGO! SOLUTION! This was the issue that got me to tell JR and Fool Republic to stuff it up their asses. Their incessant cheer leading for that war while claiming that Saddam Hussein was a fundie Muslim and a threat to the US was more than I could take. FACT 1 : Saddam Hussein and Iraq were responsible for the deaths of more fundie Muslims that every other nation on Earth,combined. FACT 2: Not only was Saddam Hussein NOT a fundie Muslim,but he actually allowed Christian Churches and Jewish Temples to hold services,and even sent armed soldiers to both to protect them from attack. Yeah,there is no doubt he was a monster in the eyes of his fellow Muslims,and a merciless SOB,but since they are and were also OUR enemies,I flat don't give a damn. Ever hear of PNAC? Probably,but if I did,I paid no attention to it and have forgotten anything I may have heard. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
TEN PLANKS OF THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO http://www.criminalgovernment.com/docs/planks.html The Communist Takeover Of America - 45 Declared Goals http://rense.com/general32/americ.htm http://govtslaves.info/2017/10/warning-there-is-going-to-be-an-attempted- communist-revolution-on-nov-4/ I'd say we're pretty close. "...as long as there..remain active enemies of the Christian church, we may hope to become Master of the World...the future Jewish King will never reign in the world before Christianity is overthrown - B'nai B'rith speech http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/luther.htm / http://bible.cc/psalms/83-4.htm
Saddam was nothing of the sort. He was secular and kept the warring factions of Sunni and Shia in line with his republican Guard. After we invaded, it took the shackles off those groups who then formed a resistance to the U.S. occupation by planting roadside bombs to disrupt the U.S. abilities to wage war on their own terms. In the process, we poisoned the environment there with Depleted Uranium and gave newborn children horrible birth defects in the process. How is that for "liberating the Iraqi people"? ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
When the government makes your direct deposit every month you gotta stand up for the Empire!
No shit on that one. I get my disability pay, and for every $2 I make on my job, they take away $1. How is that for a royal screwing over. Lucky for me I do not make a whole lot of cash where I work now. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the freeeeeeeeeee[???].... and the home of the SLAVE. "...as long as there..remain active enemies of the Christian church, we may hope to become Master of the World...the future Jewish King will never reign in the world before Christianity is overthrown - B'nai B'rith speech http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/luther.htm / http://bible.cc/psalms/83-4.htm
Fundie slaves. Duly note.
They are finding out too late they made a big mistake. The Muzzies in France said, "They invited us to come in." ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
Saddam was nothing of the sort. He was secular and kept the warring factions of Sunni and Shia in line with his republican Guard. Yes,I know. Didn't I make that plain in my post? What the Boy Jorge regime did when invading Iraq is nothing less than a war crime against a nation that had done us no hard and had to obvious intentions of doing us any harm. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Predictably, the news media spent most of the week examining words Donald Trump may or may not have spoken to the widow of an American Green Beret killed in Niger,
#2. To: sneakypete (#1)
#3. To: Ada (#2)
None of them were fightenhg for our freedom, our country or our way of life.
#4. To: sneakypete (#3)
"After tomorrow those SOB's will never embarrass me again. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.” – LBJ to his mistress Madeleine Brown on the eve of JFK assassination 
#5. To: sneakypete (#3)
You don't think fight against Islam is protecting our freedoms or our way of life?
#6. To: Ada (#5)
Of course not. Muslims never bothered us before we bothered them.
#7. To: FormerLurker (#4)
"Define yourself as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."—Brennan Manning
#8. To: Ada (#5)
"Define yourself as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."—Brennan Manning
#9. To: FormerLurker (#4)
(Edited)
"Define yourself as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."—Brennan Manning
#10. To: Cynicom (#6)
(Edited)
Now the Europeans invite them in.
#11. To: Rotara (#9)
The same ppl that gave us Empire have given us Alqaeda, ISIS and Sharia if they can.
#12. To: FormerLurker (#4)
If you're not being sarcastic, me thinks you've been hitting the kool-aid a bit too much..
#13. To: Ada (#5)
Of course not. Muslims never bothered us before we bothered them.
#14. To: Rotara (#8)
So true. Ron Paul is more right than wrong.
#15. To: sneakypete (#12)
You ever live in a 3rd World Country,or even a 2nd World country governed by Communists or their weak-kneed Socialist half-brothers?
"After tomorrow those SOB's will never embarrass me again. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.” – LBJ to his mistress Madeleine Brown on the eve of JFK assassination
#16. To: sneakypete (#13)
"After tomorrow those SOB's will never embarrass me again. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.” – LBJ to his mistress Madeleine Brown on the eve of JFK assassination
#17. To: FormerLurker (#15)
So people need to live in a Communist country in order to be true Americans?
#18. To: FormerLurker (#16)
BTW Pete, since Iraq had a secular government, as does Syria, why did we need to destroy that country, and why were we trying to destroy Syria?
#19. To: sneakypete (#12)
You ever live in a 3rd World Country,or even a 2nd World country governed by Communists or their weak-kneed Socialist half-brothers?
#20. To: sneakypete (#18)
claiming that Saddam Hussein was a fundie Muslim
#21. To: AllTheKings'HorsesWontDoIt (#19)
(Edited)
"Define yourself as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."—Brennan Manning
#22. To: Rotara (#21)
When the government makes your direct deposit evey month you gotta stand up for the Empire!
#23. To: Rotara (#21)
#24. To: AllTheKings'HorsesWontDoIt (#23)
"Define yourself as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion."—Brennan Manning
#25. To: Cynicom (#6)
Now the Europeans invite them in.
#26. To: BTP Holdings (#20)
claiming that Saddam Hussein was a fundie Muslim
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