En Passant

The blogosphere, MSM, and John Murtha spoke loudly on the Haditha massacre this past week. Many compare it to My Lai which I don't find comparable. In either case the events are not defendable. Yes, the perpetrators will be punished if guilty. No, I don't think we can smear the entire military as indiscriminate revenge killers. If charged and convicted, the Haditha perps may join the other prisoners on Fort Leavenworth's death row.

As I have not seen the photos and forensic evidence in the hands of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, I don't know the truth in regard to what happened at Haditha. Personally, while I don't condone it, I can understand it. I can understand rage and frustration – not condone the response.

If the investigation brings charges the "left" will feel vindicated: A "told you so" sort of malicious satisfaction; and the "right" will get their mileage: See we told you we're moral, upright, rule of law and all that and will prosecute bad guys. (See the expendable Kenny Boy Lay.)

If the troops are cleared the "left" gets little political mileage other than maybe a reluctant sigh of relief the troops weren't madmen murdering and some will say the cover-up continues. If no one is charged in the incident the "right" will say: See how eager the "left" was to believe the worst, or see how the "left" makes a conspiracy out of everything. Either way both left and right receive talking points and move on to the next preplanned and presented leak or story. Of course the killing, paid for by Americans, continues.

Recently I was thinking of the previous anti-war warriors from the '60s and the general view of them today. The participants in that movement are not remembered as patriots and heroes but as the spoiled affluent middle class. Bored bourgeoise babies who dropped acid and smoked pot, creating campus riots, takeovers, sit-ins, love-ins. Most of today's generation views the past anti-waristas as violent, hairy, unwashed pot-head hippies, sympathetic to communists, clashing with authority in the streets and on campus. Similarly, the Black Panthers are not known for their good works in Black communities of the '60s, but as an armed militant gang of angry Black men. How will today's anti-war crowd appear to future generations? As Baghdad Cindys and Abbie Murthas?

In a statement to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 35 years ago John Kerry said war crimes by US soldiers in Vietnam "were not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command." After the war, to coddle and assure the masses they were good, the vets were painted as the bad and the ugly. A drafted military, uneducated, low class, the dregs of society. Go back to sleep Joe Nobody, you did nothing wrong. Reagan and Rambo and Oliver Stone will soon come along to make amends and heroes for you.

Surely John Murtha, Vietnam veteran, knows war is a day-to-day crime. Yet Murtha and Kerry have supported and been at the public trough of the political war machine for decades. Kerry understood politics better after his butt was barely missed at a Managua airport attack in 1985. Kerry continued to play "left" politically, but going "right" along with the military industrial complex. These same two men supported 12 years of Iraqi sanctions which murdered 500,000 Iraqi children; and according to their cohort Madeleine Albright "was worth it." Read my lips – the ruling elite and political puppets are not against murder for profit. The pols pretend to argue, using euphemisms and doublespeak, but remember 2 things : none will say the War on Terror is bogus and all have an abnormal love for Israel, although 1 or 2 critters will squeak up occasionally so we think there's congressional dissent on those issues.

The same lines heard today were heard 35 to 40 years ago. US racism, indiscriminate killing, shoot first ask questions later policy, cover-ups, trigger happy troops, plant a shovel and gun and instant "insurgent." The establishment "left" never covers racism at home as thoroughly as it does when the US exports it abroad. Those same lines fit right here at home; racism, indiscriminate killing, shoot first, cover-up, trigger happy cops, plant a gun .... over there it's a "pattern," at home it's an unfortunate episode.

Some "experts" feel My Lai was the turning point for the public against the Vietnam War but I don't buy it. The public majority never specifically soured on Vietnam. That war ended because the coffers of the military industrial investors were momentarily filled, having once again drained US tax dollars, and bringing the boys home became an election slogan, a revival of Ike's promise to bring 'em home from Korea. But the times are not the '50s and today's politicians are no Eisenhower.

Some are hopeful that Haditha will be the "tipping point" for the public on the Iraq War. Not gonna happen. Americans will say they're against war but actually doing anything about stopping war is not on their agenda. Too many other items to attend to. Too busy with survival, having fun, or simply don't want to be bothered too often with politics. The US is building the world's largest, most lavish, luxurious, self-contained embassy in Iraq and numerous permanent bases. We're going to be there a long time. The fighting may become sporadic and less intense but don't count on that scenario taking place anytime soon.

It bothers me that the Haditha coverage comes predominantly from the New York Times, Washington Post, and TIME magazine. Print media who haven't been particularly investigative or honest before, so why now? Nor are they being objective and have pretty much tried, convicted, and hung the perps with sensationalism.

WaPo gave us the dramatic and false account of Jessica Lynch with gun blazing as she emptied her clip before being shot and stabbed by her captors. The papers were relying heavily on Pentagon "sources" then, as they are now. When did the Pentagon grow a conscience? Was that around the same time the congressional democrats grew testicles and a spine? The answer to both questions is : they haven't, it's part of the political sideshow.

Unfortunately, looks like Joe Nobody will get the same staged results, more or less. Lines drawn, sides arguing and producing "revelation after revelation" about the other side; word fodder for talking heads. The War on Terror, like the Cold War and the War on Drugs will eventually grow dimmer on the media horizon and raise its ugly head at feeding time (funding).

As the majority of Americans don't care about an Iraqi's life or death, the outrage after outrage will lose audience. A few thinking folks will stay busy speaking and writing and stirring a small uproar over that which they cannot or will not do much about.

The "left" bristles at being told most Americans don't care – but such reality isn't a problem for the ruling elite – in fact they have made good use of Americans not giving a shit about anything. The attitude allows serial war and the guilt it produces periodically rakes in massive amounts for charity. Arguing the justification for a war-in-progress will occupy millions of minds for a few minutes (usually at election time).

"Left" and "right" jump on the latest poll to see who's winning the war for American hearts and minds. Pundits from both sides perpetuate the notion their side is winning when the truth is Idol and MTV and The Simpsons have priority. The "right" has a definite edge in recognizing and using the ignorance of their voting base - whereas the "left" believes if they bring folks to liberal Oz the voter becomes an intellectual, instantly smarter. Some may think we've politically swung from one extreme to the other but the US has been ruled by one "reich-wing" since at least WWII. Don't kid yourself, if we truly had a political left, right, and center we wouldn't be in the midst of fascism. We didn't arrive at this point from 3 or 4 BushCo years either.

Politicians will continue to support war, continue to affirm presidential nominations as insurance against any future genuine dissent. Iraq will eventually calm down, unless a third party intervenes to heavily support and arm the Iraqi resistance and that's very unlikely. The country may be redrawn into 2 or 3 mini sectors more easily controlled, i.e. North, South, Central Iraq run by the preferred puppet of local choice. If the US pays, the UN will supply more troops which removes a concentrated US personnel presence. The price of hegemony, as usual, will increase for Americans, as the price has since WWII. And from my soapbox it appears Joe Nobody will grow accustomed to living lower on the hog as the ruling elite and pols grunt at the trough.

If any Joe decides he doesn't like "the American way of life" – he can consider facing off against those murdering adrenaline addicted veterans and high tech weapons he allowed his government to invest in. Or, if history repeats, Joe won't stray far from a flickering screen where he can view graphic mutilations on CSI, Law & Order, etc. but don't show him too much of real war. Keep his cable TV affordable and entertaining; he can't sleep without background noise from the tube.