Your ideas are terrifying and your hearts are faint. Your acts of pity and cruelty are absurd, committed with no calm, as if they were irresistible. Finally, you fear blood more and more. Blood and time. -Paul Valéry
I think by now everyone has seen, or heard of, the pictures on http://www.nowthatsfuckedup.com/. AmericaBlog recently had a big story on it. And the more I think about this, the more disgusted I feel. About the lack of leadership, and the way military intelligence put them up to it, yes, but also about the attitude of some of these soldiers, which frankly, turns my stomach...
I realize that both parties are trying to outdo each other in the "Support our troops" sentiment. But when all the lionizing makes us blind to what has clearly become a thrill-kill kult for some soldiers who are justifying this online by claiming its "blowing off steam" - something is WRONG.
Over the past century, our military has had to work very hard to increase the "kill ratio" of the average soldier. Military training has increased the bloodlust and desire to revel in the suffering of the enemy. More and more, under cover of the flag, soldiers are encouraged to celebrate the basest, most vile, barbaric instincts. Coupled with more and more deadly technology it seems we are witnessing the unraveling of the American Soldier's mind.
Now I am no pacifist. I realize that a strong military is necessary, and when in combat, soldiers must kill. What is sickening is the celebration of the fruits of violence that I saw on this website, a complete dehumanization of the enemy, to the point where savagery is out of control.
Frankly, what the combined spectacle of these sorts of sites show me is that many soldiers in our armed forces are mentally no more capable of being soldiers than the 8- or 9- year olds we are so shocked about that commit unspeakable acts of barbarism in African civil wars.
Frankly, at some point, there has to be a "personal responsibility" check with all soldiers that if something like this is going on, you owe it to yourself to say STOP and protest what is going on, even if it means your career.
These are the people that are going to be rejoining civilian communities, working in your schools and hospitals. Frankly it scares the shit out of me.