An article recently appeared in the paper that was written by a Marine captain and who had a platoon under his command in Iraq and Afghanistan. The captain was not a sniper himself and he admits that he never killed anyone directly but he did order the death of so many people that he stopped counting after a while. Some of his comments are very revealing as to the type of people and society this country is creating.
The officer found that once killing loses its mystique, it is no longer a tool of last resort. In fact, he discovered that killing can become banal, trite. Gee, can you think of recent incidences in the local news where that policy seems to be true in amerika? He also discovered that it no longer bothered him when he ordered killings. Were the victims "terrorists" or were they just some people out for a walk? All that mattered is that they were dead. No one ever talked about "accidental" killings. One can only imagine the questions and memories such experiences leave in the minds of the soldiers doing the actual killing. This picture gives you a pretty good idea why there are so many messed-up veterans walking around in society.
Which brings me back to snipers. He states "Of course, our snipers became the celebrities of our deployment because they were the best killers." In order to promote war, why not make snipers celebrities in the fascist society? All you need to do is write a book, make a movie, have lots of "news" coverage and publicity and voila! you have an instant celebrity, a fictional version of a rock star. That is how you make war common place, acceptable and promote the use of guns. Not that the ruling fascists would plan it that way! Unfortunately for the ruling fascists, that scheme, like so many of their machinations did not end the way they thought it would.
Anyone promoting war knows that remote killing is the best kind. Can you think of a better way to destroy human life than by sitting at a desk on a computer and sending a drone possibly thousands of miles away to fire a missile at unsuspecting victims. Innocent or deserving victims, what does it matter? Just push the button and then go have a cup of coffee. Make killing banal, trite, commonplace!
What caught my attention most in the article was the following: "our deployment in Afghanistan had been exhilarating because we felt invulnerable. This invulnerability........was the most powerful sensation I'd ever experienced. I felt favored with the power to do anything. In my next post I will tell you how I experienced the same sensations, but in an entirely different context. My experience was to teach me a valuable lesson and it came from God - if you believe in such things. It answered a question I had been asking since the day I had become a torture victim. And maybe the Easter season is the right time to share it.
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