America: A Militarized Society

America is a militarized society.

It has been this way since the days of Ronald Reagan....and it has become worse ever since.

But it is a form of semi-concealed militarism, so ubiquitous and subtle it is not noticed by most Americans.

For starters, Americans are not really asked to 'sacrifice' anything (at least not yet). There is no better example than George Bush's encouragement to fly, take vacations, travel, shop and have a good time a short time after 9/11, right at the beginning of 'The War on Terror.'

That's right, live it up, have fun and enjoy life, just remember...we are at war.

It's surprising to say Hitler attempted the same thing with the Germans (upon whom he had recently poured all the nifty extras the modern socialist welfare state) right up until he invaded Russia without bothering about total mobilization (something England had done right at the beginning). In fact, Hitler did not even bother encumbering the German population with the hardships of total mobilization until 1943 (even newcomer America done so a year earlier)!

You see, Hitler wanted to remain popular and carry out all his military adventures without resorting to the politically unpopular act of total mobilization, scarcity and hardship...which all total war requires.

Sort of like us today.

That's right.

Enjoy your backyard barbecues, shopping, holidays, vacations and fine TV programming...all while America engages in armed conflict the world over.

Just make sure you salute the flag and our parading troops on cue.

Yes indeed.

America has become a militarized society subconsciously immersed in worship of militaria.

What I outline below are the ways in which this is happening (some of which might actually surprise you).

Please read on.

A militarized society is not what one might assume it is at first glance.

Here we go:

THE SURPRISE HOMECOMING SEGMENT

The time for our daily minute of military indoctrination has arrived.

The newscaster smiles warmly.

He or she says they have a very special heart-warming story before closing.

But we already know what it is, right?

The setting switches over to a school, or a house some other mundane location, where children are congregating.

Suddenly a door opens...or giant box shows up on the doorstep...or the ice cream truck pulls up...or something else happens....and out into the open and to the complete shock and awe of a child here daddy shows up in a complete military combat uniform.

As our hearts grow warm with joy, the Army veteran in combat uniform takes up and embraces his child through tears of joy of Mom and jr.

End of scene.

Before we break away from this scene, lets analyze it a bit, shall we?

How was the network notified that the father was about to show up 'by surprise' at his family and or kid's doorstep?

Furthermore, how is it that the man gets a 'surprise' leave in the first place.

Anyone in the military (especially in active duty) knows that there is a pre-set time in which you will be either granted leave or be slated to return from deployment.

You know it, your family knows it, and everyone waits expectantly for that one date.

There is no surprise.

The Army does not like surprises and does not accommodate or grant any (except when it comes to involuntarily extending your enlistment or cutting your pay).

So somehow we are supposed to believe that this NCO or CO got a surprise leave from the war zone in the middle of a deployment.

Having swallowed that, we are then supposed to believe the TV network just coincidentally got a hold of that fact and homed in for the scoop.

How exactly did that happen?

Did hubby call mommy and mommy call the network to let them in on the surprise visit? Or did she film it and then give the network the tape. Or did the network just run across the entire scheme by chance?

And why is the guy always dressed in a full battle dress uniform or BDU? Why is he not wearing a polo shirt and jeans, you know, the way a dad normally looks?

Nope, when daddy shows up, he is always the incarnation of the WARRIOR, in full battle uniform, come home to be with his wholesome American family (big, strong and tall too).

The truth?

The whole thing is a repetitious psyop (psychological operation) designed to ingrain the militaristic concept in the American television viewing mind.

The message?

There are several.

First of all: “There is a war going on” - this is why daddy is not home and when he does show up, he is in a combat uniform (we don't want the American public to forget that we are 'at war' and that our troops are 'deploying' on a regular basis and that it is OUR war).

Second: “American soldiers are all good, wholesome, sweet, warm, caring dads” like the one you see on the segments (not war criminals or murderers abusing occupied populations).

Third: “Sacrifice” it obvious the family is 'sacrificing' by letting dad be away for months or years on end and is so very glad and thankful when the STATE grants him a few surpise weeks with them.

Fourth: “The Troops are happy” Don't you see the wide, happy, warm, content and easygoing smile on the dads face? You might think he was coming home from work at 6 pm. And please note it's only Jr that cries, never dad (say, because he is missing seeing his children grow up or becoming unable to bond with them or because one of these days he might be coming home a cripple or not coming back at all). Naw, dad never cries, that would be a sign of weakness...and unhappiness with the state.

These scenes of happy reunion are shown over and over again without the American population realizing they are being the indoctrinated through carefully crafted state propaganda.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

Just about the dumbest generalization I have even heard is “support our troops.”

They even created a symbol (a yellow ribbon) to represent this.

And how do you support our troops?

By cheering the troops at parades, applauding and agreeing with every deployment the government comes up with, not criticizing any burgeoning war, and supporting the government on any military decision it might take.

To do otherwise would NOT be supporting our troops.

What do you think would happen if we didn't support our troops by doing all these things?

Why, we would increase the morale of the Taliban. Our troops would burst into tears when they hear we don't support their new deployment.

You want to know how the troops really want to be supported? (and I hear this over and over again right from the horses mouth – the troops).

They want the American people protesting out on the streets to get them the hell out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria or whatever other God-forsaken place they are forced to deploy to on a yearly basis to suffer fear, stress, deprivation, danger, filth, disease, stress, depression and death on a daily basis for one entire year - that's what they want!

But somehow “supporting” our troops has been translated by the State Media into us agreeing with whatever military action the government orders our troops to undertake – unneeded actions which the troops DON'T WANT, which they consider useless and dangerous and which they want OUT of.

How's THAT version of “supporting our troops” suit you?

But whatever the case may be, supporting our troops is easy when all you need to do is sit at home, watch TV, go shopping and live in comfort while the 'war' continues.

WORSHIPPING PUBLIC SERVANTS

Hey, in the War on Terror, everybody's a hero:

the police, because they face danger daily on our behalf to keep us safe and secure (even though that is not their job - it is to enforce the law - but safe and secure sounds warm and fuzzy), the Firemen, because 'they were there' on 9/11 and paid the ultimate price, the teachers, because they protect and educate our kids, Park Rangers, Postal Workers, what the heck, anyone wearing a freaking uniform suddenly becomes a hero to be worshipped.

We are at war and the government is directing that war and there are a lot of sacrifices being made so basically anyone dressed in any type of uniform...and a gun (and there seem to be more and more of them every year) becomes an object of respect, adoration and worship.

There's a 'war on terror' on and these are our foot soldiers keeping us safe.

VETERAN CONCEPT

In America, the concept of 'veteran' has become a bit overblown.

When I was a small child, 'veteran' meant someone who had fought in war.'

Nowadays anyone who has done any sort of military service is called a 'veteran.'

And copious amounts of respect and admiration are given 'our veterans' even though it might be someone who pushed paper for two years in an office.

It's all part of the militaristic worship which has become part of America.

The 'veteran' of old was a simple man who had gone to war, seen some pretty bad stuff and kept most of it and his military service to himself, bringing it up only if asked about it.

Nowadays, a couple of years of paid military service entitles you to be a 'veteran' just like the old pros.

All sorts of benefits, favors, special treatment and glory are accrued to our 'veterans' (now meaning simply people who have served in our military), at least on paper.

But to a major extent its a sham.

Just ask the veterans who have come out of the Army with Gulf War syndrome or some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder – the attitude of the Veteran's Administration is that they 'don't exist.'

But it sure feels good to grant a 'veteran' all those benefits like subsidized mortgages, free education, choice seating at baseball games, etc.

Sometimes I think the whole 'anything for our vets' is there more for the public than our 'veterans.'

It keeps the wartime psychology going.

VETERAN'S DAY / MEMORIAL DAY

Or as I call it, Veteran's Day and Dead Veteran's Day.

Hey, we got not one but TWO holidays in which we idolize the military.

Can you imagine Germany or Japan having TWO holidays celebrating their soldiers?

Oh, no.

The Chancellor of Germany gets lambasted because he dares visit a German military graveyard (in which a few SS are buried).

The Prime Minister of Japan creates and uproar when he gathers up enough courage to visit and bow down before a shrine commemorating Japanese war dead.

Hey, folks, these much smaller countries lost several times more soldiers than we did in WW-II, while attempting to defend from destruction don't you think they are entitled to their veteran's day?

Nope – stuff like that would bring up too much of the militarism of the past.

But it's okay for us to have TWO veteran's days because we never have been, are not and never will be militaristic, right?

On top of that, WE never committed war crimes like the Tokyo Firebombing, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Dresden, Japanese-American Internments and Post-War prisoner abuse, right?

Well, the truth is....

...we ARE a militaristic society, have been since WW-II and have been finding every and any excuse to remain one.

Our two Military Days are a good time to remind everybody of that.

MASSIVE MEDIA CENSORSHIP

I have stopped reading books about the Iraq War or the Afghanistan War, whether historical or first person accounts for one reason: it has become apparent to me that most if not ALL written material on the war is PROPAGANDA written by government shills.

That's right.

Almost EVERY book you pick up on the subject is as phony as a three dollar bill, being either a fictional account or a heavily censored description of events.

No real emotion, no real insight, no real description of what has really happened.

A lot of these books are written by 'journalists' who have 'been there' with the troops.

The rest are written by troops who were there and are intelligence assets or are carefully handled by 'authors' who actually write the book.

The result?

A whole lot of empty, idealistic, censored, dry, patriotic propagandistic nonsense.

It's suspicious how a detailed post-war account of Operation Iraqi Freedom has never been written.

Is it because the Pentagon has NOT allowed historians access to its documents and officers?

This is the first time I have seen this happen.

Hey!

You want to read a book on the real Iraq War?

Try reading 'My War: Killing Time in Iraq' by Colby Buzzell.

This book was published in 2005 and they don't publish books like this anymore.

MEDIA PROPAGANDA

I am sure you have seen what passes as war films glorifying the military.

Most of them involve our hero of heroes: the special forces.

Listen.

The special forces are NOT heroes.

They get recruited jointly by the Armed Forces and CIA.

They get their orders directly from the CIA and are intimately involved with CIA dirty business.

They are amoral in that they have to be capable of carrying out any order against any enemy (foreign or domestic) with 'extreme prejudice.'

In practice, this translates into atrocities and war crimes.

The type of individual attracted to and recruited by special forces is a no holds barred thrill seeker with a touch of sadism, who gets off messing people up and carries no baggage based on principles or morality. In other words, the sky is the limit - just tell me who to kill.

They are involved, in murder, assassination and torture both inside and outside the country.

A US Congressman has testified that British special forces were committing atrocities in Libya that would be later blamed on the Libyan government.

Special forces have been caught carrying out 'wet' operations (i.e. killing someone) right here in America.

Yet these are the guys who are glorified in today's 'war films.'

To top it all off, a new tv series is coming out called 'Enlisted' which shows how military service is all good natured, wholesome fun and games everyone should get into, ala 'Stripes.'

Reminds me of Charlie Wilson's War, a CIA propaganda film glorifying the exploits of CIA asset-slash-Congressman degenerate Charles Wilson, who basically helped create Al Qaeda.

Can't keep the good 'ol boys at the agency from slappin' their own butts.

MILITARIZED POLICE

Can't have a militarized society without militarized police.

To remind us of our continuous state of war, emergency and crisis, our police have been given helmets, gas masks, machine guns and armored vehicles.

'By dosh we need 'em! 'Nev'r know where dose terr'sts might strike!'

Yeah, terrorist.

Meanwhile the police are busy using all that equipment to SWAT-team people's houses over unpaid child support, unpaid student loans, paltry amounts of drugs, mere happenstance or mistake.

I am not kidding.

Basically all that equipment is being used to bully, frighten and intimidate the American people.

What follows are the not-so-apparent and paradoxical but very true qualities of any militarized society.

VETERANS ARE THE ENEMY

Yep.

After all that celebrating and 'support our troops' its really strange that our own state department is now turning on the veterans and labeling them as dangerous mental cases who also happen to be latent 'terrorists' and should have their gun rights taken away.

Turning on the vets? Why is that?

Aren't we a militarized society?

Well...

...the truth is every militarized society keeps a tight lid on its veterans.

A veteran is a person well versed in the skills of combat and killing.

You don't want people like that running around...and especially not coming together in any type of organized group.

A militarized society feels THREATENED by its veterans.

This is why most militarized societies DISARM their citizens and isolate their veterans.

In ancient Rome, retired legionnaires were given a tract of land in some distant region of the empire, FAR AWAY from Roman cities, and especially from Rome itself. In effect, they were basically exiled for the rest of their lives.

The empire didn't want the 'mob of Rome' to be composed of armed veterans who could take on the Praetorian Guard on an equal basis.

The American Government is no different.

This is why it poisons its veterans with vaccines to the point that they sicken and become physical wrecks only a few years after they retire from the military.

But this doesn't seem to be enough.

The government is now labeling veterans as latently insane, violent, unable to bare arms responsibly and potential home-grown terrorists.

Makes sense.

All those veterans are well trained in armed combat. You don't want people like that coming together to oppose your hired thugs.

So, paradoxically, the militarized American system is turning on the very veterans it is always using to celebrate the American Empire.

MILITARIZED SOCIETY = A DISARMED SOCIETY

Ironic again.

The more militarized a society, the more disarmed and defenseless its people are.

Fighting is left to a small and highly trained force of professional mercenaries and warriors.

The people are not allowed to have any type of weapon or anything that could be used as a weapon.

Ergo the 'militarized' society of Tokugawa Japan.

Not only were the peasants totally disarmed, but their farming implements had to be re-designed to make them totally useless as weapons (no matter that they also became useless as farming tools as well).

The 'samurai' themselves had their swords shortened into ceremonial swords useless for battlefield use and their bows thinned into ritualistic toys. The 'martial arts' became more of a form of yoga, meditation and Tai Chi rather than methods of war. Rituals like the tea ceremony and how to draw a sword became the center of all attention.

Study of any true martial arts were prohibited on pain of death.

Why do you think Karate originated in Okinawa?

Because it was the only place far enough and isolated enough from the mainland to have enough freedom to develop and impart any form of martial art without government interference.

The 'militarized' society of Tokugawa Japan was a disarmed society...

...as was Imperial Rome...as was Napoleonic France...as was Nazi Germany...and the Soviet Union,

The present militarized American society is no different.

The population is to be disarmed and its veterans neutralized.

All defense of 'the homeland' will be carried out by small groups of specially trained mercenaries.

And this provides an interesting post-script on the fall of empires.

A militarized society gradually disarms and domesticates the population to such an extent that it becomes no longer able to defend itself.

Why do you think Babylon fell to a bunch of mountain nomads, or Imperial Rome to wondering barbarians...or China to mounted vagrants?

It was because their populations – their huge populations - which could have squashed the invaders in a day were totally disarmed and domesticated...

...and when the small mercenary army 'defending the empire' was defeated by the barbarians, the empire was open for the taking.

CONCLUSION

We are a militarized society.

Our media is ripe with militaristic propaganda cleverly disguised.

The American public has been made accustomed to a state of perpetual war.

Most of its films celebrate military style violence and makes heroic the professional mercenary forces that serve the state.

As our society militarizes, the state attempts to disarm the masses and neutralize the veterans.

In an extreme effort to disarm and neutralize the citizenry...while maintaining combat power...the state is now taking the extreme measure of turning to drones and robots as a substitute for a trained (veteran) citizenry.