My Experience with Abovetopsecret.com
Laura said:
Wikipedia:
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major (235-183 BC) was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic. He was best known for defeating Hannibal of Carthage, a feat that earned him the surname Africanus, the nickname 'the Roman Hannibal' and recognition as one of the finest commanders in military history.
I personally find it hard to glorify the military of any side in a conflict. I know that the plausible lie is that "we need the military for defense" but if EVERYONE in the world only used their military for defense as they claim is its purpose, then nobody would ever attack anyone and nobody would NEED military! So either everyone is irrationally and dangerously paranoid, or the governments KNOW that although everyone says it, not everyone means it. Which then HAS to lead to the logical question - how do we know OUR government means it, why would it be only the other governments that are lying?
And sure enough, the line is blurred even further when one is discussing when is it "necessary" to use the military. Was Iraq a threat? Is Bin Laden a threat? Are Palestinians a threat? Was communism a threat? All these threats that seemingly justified slaughtering people. But were these legalized mass murders truly necessary or was it that we are *told* they are necessary, and since we're just the average ignorant citizen with no access to national security and intelligence, only our government can make such a call, so we're supposed to trust they know much better than we know.
So here's the loop I see...
Government: We need to invade!
Citizens: Why?
Government: If we don't we're all dead!
Citizens: Who says?
Government: Our intelligence!
Citizens: Show us!
Government: We can't, it's classified.
Citizens: Why is it classified?
Government: Because it will reveal the identity of our spies to the enemy if we reveal it publically!
Citizens: What if you're making it up?
Government: Look, we are running out of time, if we don't act now we're all dead!
Citizens: But I insist on proof!
Government: Because of your bickering and stalling, it will be on your shoulders when the enemy invades us first!
Citizens: Oh man I dunno if I can handle the pressure&*#@#@ Oh fine bomb them :(
Government: Wise choice, our country needs more fine examplary citizens like yourself. Here, have a cookie.
.........................
And that's proof that the government is full of it and the military is not used just for defense. Any government that expects its citizens to blindly trust it and has "national security" IS STS and by definition lying and using its power to dominate and control. Only STS says "trust me, no I cannot give evidence just TRUST ME!!#@". There is no STO reason to do this that I can think of.
So I do not suppot any military "leaders" or "heroes" personally. My grandfather was in WWII fighting on the side of Stalin. Of course my whole family and country supported him and what he did as heroic and good and all that etc. And you know, he was the most loving and kind man I've ever known. But he was supporting and controlled by an evil NO LESS than what he was fighting, and that evaded him entirely. So just to clarify, I support him as a person, I love him (he's no longer in this world though), and I realise he only did what he "thought" was necessary at the time. Was it? Not sure. What I do know is that in war it's people like my grandfather who die and are forced to shoot other people who may happen to later be someone else's well-meaning grandfather.
And as they rightly say, good intentions pave the way to hell. And this is why Jesus said "they know not what they do" cuz really, a good man killing another good man because of ignorance/delusion on both of their parts? A whole army of well-meaning generally good people killing another army of well-meaning generally good people. This is tragic, and while I support the people themselves and love them and understand that they may mean well, I also know that they ARE responsible, in part, for their ignorance. They took no responsibility for their existance, they gave it to a government that was already demanding it and so gladly accepted it. STO never accepts responsibility for someone else's existance - C's constantly refused to "lead by the hand" and for damn good reason. And if anyone does accept the free will of someone else and therefore responsibility for their existance, they simply cannot be STO. And since there has never been a government that was totally frank with its people about EVERYTHING, having no secrets and never accepting responsibility for the people's lives - the only conclusion I can come to is that EVERY army of EVERY nation is intended for conquest and control, defense just being a plausible lie to justify it to the naive populace.