I haven’t felt much like commenting on things lately. What is being done to our liberties in the name of fighting ‘terrorism’ has eroded my optimism about any likelihood that this trend can be reversed. A good article I found while at infowars.com about the similarities between Orwell’s 1984 and our current situation. It is highly recommended.
Though the propaganda war has been a success, it has not resulted in increased military enlistment. Maybe people aren’t so stupid after all. To anyone thinking about joining the military, take a deep breath and don’t fret too much. There are jobs to be had with a high-school degree. Being in the military is about as cool and exciting as working as a busboy for 4 years. Don’t fall for the pretty uniforms and exciting commercials. I’ve known many a dupe who joined the military because of career anxiety. They all agree on one thing: the military sucks like no other job AND you have to be away from your loved ones and at risk for an early death. War and violence are the real enemies. Read Johnny Got His Gun it’s all in there. From a 1970 introduction by the author, Dalton Trumbo:
- Numbers have dehumanized us. Over breakfast coffee we read of 40,000 American dead in Vietnam. Instead of vomiting, we reach for the toast. Our morning rush through crowded streets is not to cry murder but to hit that trough before somebody else gobbles our share.
An equation: 40,000 dead young men = 3,000 tons of bone and flesh, 124,000 pounds of brain matter, 50,000 gallons of blood, 1,840,000 years of life that will never be lived, 100,000 children who will never be born.
You can usually find several copies of this book at the used book store. It has been in the past and it should be now required reading in school.
Somehow Counterpunch has escaped my notice for a few years. This is an excellent site for the newsletter by Alexander Cockburn of The Nation. It has great articles by Edward Said, Noam Chomsky, and a piece by Russ Feingold about why he opposed the idiotic anti-terror legislation.