It has been a long, strange trip, rife with hospital visits, medical outrages, loss of our cat Tofu, and gaining an adopted son/first mate. And a new kitten. Sailor Sam has signed on to the motley krewe. More, later.
As I begin to surface from the depths, I'm pondering the silence of the Generals. The cream of the crop of military officers. (I fled -screaming- as a Regular Major.) So I do take an interest in the professional lives of those deemed so far my superior.
My initial impulse remains unchanged after 40 years. They need to be lined up and shot. Burn their bodies and scatter them. They chose war. They allowed Cheney to make them dependent on contractors, instead of government operated logistics. You never lose your logistics tail. Patton was a brilliant field General. He got lucky. Do not try this with Halliburton. You can't afford it.
They let it happen. They let torture happen. They let Gitmo happen. They run the NSA. They are the logistics whore for the CIA and DEA, both Fascist organizations.
If we allow our next generation to die in Holy Wars, we will continue on the path of Fascist tyranny.
Why should a military remain loyal to a government that promises them misery and neglect if they survive their term of active duty?
What sort of General Officer condones such treatment of the people whose lives are in their hands?
During my career, I was fortunate enough to hold two commands. In both cases, one in Ohio and one in Korea, I was a 'tenant' commander. This meant my direct boss was not in the the local chain of command.
Which meant that I was independent of, and equal to, other Commanding Officers. I was issued G-series orders, which gave me absolute authority within my Commission.
I faced down Generals, exerting my right to be the sole judge of my unit's conduct. I was willing to stand Court Martial but no one ever called my bluff. They did call me 'Dragon Lady' behind my back.
What I was defending was my word of honor. People under my command watched as I went toe to toe to protect them from abuse of their rank and station. Loyalty is a two-way street. I did my damdest to be predictable. So they could predict my reactions to a variety of situations. Word for word. No one likes to disappoint the Dragon Lady. They had a rock in a very strange place. They saw me every day, drifting around the unit. Asking questions about their work. I tried to earn their trust, so they could function without fear. I was there to take the bullet for them. I took an oath to receive my Commission. Dammit.
That's the difference between officers and enlisted. In a Classic military organization, there is a strict and absolute chain of command. Breeching the chain of command was the worst thing an officer can do. The second is condoning a breech of the coc.
Post-WWII, my parents continued the military organizational model as their best chance at managing their new world power. Suburbia was an imitation of base housing, grouped together by social and financial status. The conformity of the 1950s became so oppressive, early Boomers revolted. Our younger sibs craved a little security from the explosive changes their elders were hell bent on pushing. Yuppie backlash and the helicopter nation.
(American children grow up under surveillance 24/7 the first decade of their lives. It's a criminal offense to leave your child unguarded. What sort of adult does that produce?)
Monogods and the men who love them are no longer tenable. A White penis is no longer confers demi-god respect. Abrahamic religions and the modern military are both withering away.
Both demand absolute obedience emanating from a single authority. One with a White penis. That world died when mass communications became a two way street. There are no more 'remote' countries with no internet. The military unit is constantly corrupted by the distraction of the family life which is conducted via web.
Allowing Christianity back into military units would seem a natural match, but they are competitors for loyalty. Absolute authority. By authorizing and promoting competition for loyalty among the troops under their command, they betray their commissions.
Hang them all.