I have a new article on Lew Rockwell that was an extremely difficult article to write. It is about my father's military burial at sea and the glorification of the US military and American exceptionalism...
I think it might be very disturbing to many people.
"In Japan, the old order before World War Two told people that they went to war in China and Asia to bring peace and to fight for the emperor. In the USA, the old – and current – order tell people that they go to war to be free and to protect American freedoms.
These things are all lies.
In this regards, the Japanese are decades ahead of the average American; they figured out long ago that the propaganda was a lie. The average American still buys this trash hook, line and sinker."
Here's some excellent letters from ex-military readers that I received:
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Appreciated your article. As an Army trumpeter who has performed Taps for over 1,000 funerals, I can agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. While the service itself, when done properly, is very reverent and moving, I have seen the deaths of young men and women exploited by the government in shameless self-promotion time and time again. Ironically, I intend to state in my will that I do not want Taps, or any kind of military burial when it is my time to go, for the exact reasons you so eloquently stated...
James
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Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers,
Thank you for your recent posting on LewRockwell.com [Used by the State, Even in Death]. I am a veteran who served in both the Army and the Navy. It took me a long time to get passed the propaganda and revisionist history before I could see the world for what it is. I’m making up for lost time by reading Lew Rockwell everyday. I’m sure you’ll get some hate mail, but not from me.
Thanks,
Dave
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Mike,
As a multi-military brat, I have an idea of the pride with which your father
wore his uniform. I would not have wanted my USAF father or my Army aunt to have understood - in their old age - that they were put in harm's way in
WWII (and Viet-Nam) by a group of international bankers for profit and
control. The shock would have been too depressing. But I hope they know and
understand, now, somewhere. I hope hundreds of millions of soldiers from
all times and places (but especially the modern era) understand how badly
they have been used by their supposed 'leaders'.
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Mike,
I, too, came to this same conclusion many years ago... The hype and the yard of bull crap about the sacrifices necessary to protect us from communism had me fooled for a long time ... To see the broken bodies of the current warriors is sad... And the politicians make sure to stand beside these poor souls in their quest to gain reelection...
I support the efforts of the misguided military people... They in fact do a good job...but to what end..
I still do not believe or understand how the national guard became our fighting force in foreign countries...Did I miss the memo changing them from home guard in the states to what they are now?... Old guys with families dying or maimed in combat...
While the bureaucrats stand firm about this constant battle to protect us (we) citizens from harm from the invisible terrorists with our own form of terrorist called the TSA..
As the saying goes freedom isn't free. And we are losing it fast...How easy to fool the masses of sheeple...Wave the flag and play the national anthem...gets them every time...
P T Barnum had it right...a sucker born every minute...or was that a fool and his money will soon be parted ...either way we lose in the eyes of the rest of the world...we are tolerated not loved by them...and they want to come here to get on the gravy train not because its the last best place...
Charlie Schumer's bill will disallow leaving with your money... so we are trapped inside this monster...the politicos want your money and will legislate it into the coffers of the govment...if all is not lost where in hell is it hiding...
Sorry for the loss of your father and also sorry it was not a proper ceremony with respect to his service...
I believe political war (and most are) is wrong...except for the revolutionary war...and I now think that outcome (constitution) is slowly being stolen from us... With that in mind... Keep the faith
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You`re not at all insane when criticizing the abuse of even an individual`s death by the criminal state and its military. Plain abuse of every individual not belonging to the ruling elites by the state is the truth and you should never be ashamed or afraid of the truth even if it concerns matters of family and heart. The sacrifices of soldiers were never made for protecting the freedoms of their loved ones back home but always for the interests of the ruling elites. If you are a moral and honest person and use your brain the only choice you have in life is to detest the military and say so explicitly. It doesn`t matter at all if you will be criticized for your article by people without a functioning intellect. The only thing of importance is that you always remain sincere vis-a-vis yourself!
Best regards
Ferdinand
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My condolences twice. Once for your loss of your father and then for the
thoughts that you must hold under the circumstances.
Having said that, this old Vietnam veteran jar head laughed out loud
(really) at your last line.
Peace,
Dave
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Whew! Great article on Lew Rockwell site. I've not been there before, but perhaps I will visit it more often.
ReplyDeleteI'm a political science major (along with a journalism grad). My poly sci revolved more along the psychological behavior of political science... what I called the Tom Sawyer motif... how to get people to do what you want, without them realizing they are doing it.
War may indeed started off as a difference of ideals, but there are always those who will profit from it by creating a 'real' reason for the war to occur.
When I was a child, I thought war was cool. Then I saw a book with hundreds of b&w photos of Auschwitz. Then I read a kid's sticker book (The How & Why series) on WWII and learned about Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Then I heard about mustard gas in the trenches of WW1, and I learned that war is not hell, as in tough. It is hellish, as in a nightmare. I wasn't even 10 years old yet.
I respect the men and women who serve. I do. I do believe that they are helping people. Unfortunately, we realize now, that they were being used by others to get what they really want.
Even in death? Propaganda is important. While your dad wasn't a martyr, we know how important that is for the propaganda machine.
Sending you the flag? Why you? Why not to your brother who really wanted this type of honorific funeral for your dad? Were any of his buddies from Korea at the funeral? Aside from your brother, did anyone at the funeral actually know your dad?
Requesting a funeral from the military is not the same as the military wanting to give you one. And I mean no disrespect to your dad or his wishes. I have no idea why he would want to dictate the funeral parameters. Funerals and mourning are for the living... for them to get some satisfaction from a sad event. To gain some closure.
I'm unsure what closure the US military gets from performing a funeral for a person requesting a military funeral - except perhaps now they no longer have to pay out benefits.
But, as is your point... they look after the dead. It may not be as good as getting a bunch of virgins in heaven, but at least the military looks like they care.
Semper Fi, baby, Semper Fi. Even in death.