Search Results for: thuggery

Fort Hood's Nidal Hasan – or – Why Today's Soldiers Go Crazy

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Excerpt: “Schizophrenic behavior” is defined as behavior which is motivated by contradictory or conflicting principles, or which results from the co-existence of disparate or antagonistic activities. In other words, when your ideals frequently conflict with each other, and when your actions feel equally conflicted, it can drive you nuts. Fallible human attempts to live up to one’s ethics, values, standards and goals can make even the best soldiers feel schizophrenic.
Excerpt: When soldiers from any nation come home from their wars, of course they have trouble rectifying all they've participated in, with their peacetime ethical, spiritual and religious beliefs about what it means to be humane, caring, good—all the many understandings parents and teachers carefully taught them about what makes relationships work, and what make life worth living. Many returning war veterans basically go insane for years. Others are unstable or crazy for the rest of their lives. Continue reading →

What About All Those Pesky Missing WMDs in Iraq…?

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Excerpt: I wish a researcher would list who and when and what each war critic wrote at that time, to answer all those who now say, “Everyone worldwide thought there were WMDs.” This assertion is simply blatantly false–”everyone” did not believe that. A multitude of spot-on pre-war critics were writing frantically, in both U.S. and international periodicals and newspapers, offering scholarly, articulate, and perfectly reasonable rationales against WMDs and invasion, although by then, most Americans–including, unfortunately, many in government leadership roles–were so terrified by the steady drumbeat of pro-war, pro-fear propaganda that their minds were made up, and they never even bothered to read about or consider such warnings…. Continue reading →

Coulda Been, Woulda Been, Shoulda Been….Sad Lessons in 20/20 Foresight

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A few weeks after 9/11, my local newspaper published my (pre-blog) “solutions” and comments about “what we should do next/now….” Excerpt: I would figure out which American foreign policies have resulted in so much global hatred and criticism, and change them….I would not assume that everyone wants us to come over and tell them how to live….I would offer help to others in reaching whatever goals are important to them….I would give no support to government policies and decisions that legitimize treating non-Americans in ways we Americans would not wish to be treated….I would use this terrible, tragic attack as an opening to form global alliances based in respect and love for human life, human freedom, and human interests everywhere….I would not use the arguments of “stablity” or “American interests” or protection of our citizenry to legitimize unjustly invading, occupying, imposing on, or exploiting any other peoples, or to create or support undemocratic governments favorable to American interests….If some of the money we spend on military and intelligence were spent on kindness, diplomacy, and sharing, we'd be a safer, richer, happier country….I pray in the name of (9/11's) most direct sufferers that their memory will not be disrespected by using them as an excuse to start World War III…. Continue reading →

We Need Not Add to the Sum of Human Injustice

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Excerpt: Our most powerful “weapon” is our national reputation. As long as the U.S. is seen as a rich, selfish country careless of human welfare and disrespectful of international opinion, no stirring words, no proud history, and certainly no amount of spending on intelligence and defense can protect us from our multiplying enemies…. Continue reading →

Lead Me On, Oh Great Commander in Chief. But Whither?

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Excerpt: Peace and democracy aren't missions that can be accomplished. They're missions that never end. You can't end a war against an abstract noun. Besides, there will always be one more bomb-throwing terrorist to provide an excuse for one more retaliation. I hope Geena teaches us that sometimes you just have to endure a certain amount of injustice–but you almost never have to add to it. Continue reading →