Morning Report:
Nobel Laureate Barack Obama has abrogated unto himself the control of
drone missiles. The usurpation of power
by the Executive Branch continues and magnifies.
Drones, still in
their inception stage, are used primarily for political assassination purposes,
but, of course, we don't call the targets political leaders or even
politicians. We call them terrorists,
in typically quixotic Pentagonese.
Drones are
activated at vast distances from their targets, say in California, Nevada, and
North Dakota. The targets are presently
confined to the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent, important portions of
the World of Islam..
Unless the target
is riding on a camel alone in the middle of a desert, there will be people
around him, in the house or on the street. Drones kill well, but they're not as
exact as a sniper's bullet. Drones give
no advance warning, so there's no place
to hide, either for the target or for the people around him or her. So drones kill more than just the terrorist
target. Civilians in the line of fire
are killed just as dead.
Some things to
consider. As now practiced, the
decision to employ killer drones rests with one man, the President of the U.S.,
who is a Nobel Laureate. What a gross
anomaly. Another thing: when did the U.S. adopt a policy of
political assassination? That’s KGB and Mossad stuff, isn’t it? Does it really belong in the land of the
free and the home of the brave?
Of course, all's
fair in war. Ambush is universally
employed. Surprise attacks have been
common throughout history.. Surprise attacks from the rear are even more effective. But this country
maintains that it is not at war with any state or nation. Our war is on ephemera, people the U.S.
categorizes as terrorists. At present,that means anyone is un fair game, even
Americans..
Another thought:
The ancient code of chivalry is still maintained in the grisly game of
boxing. That is to say, boxing's rules prohibit such tactics as rabbit
punching, which is hitting an opponent
on the back of the neck or head, with the intent of damaging the spinal cord;
kidney punching; thumbing an opponent's eyes, and hitting below the belt. In the event of a knockdown, a boxer must go
to a neutral corner so that if his opponent is able to get back to his feet,
the match is resumed with the contestants facing each other. These are principles in boxing. Nothing comparable exists in drone attacks.
At some point
growing up, kids used to learn that hitting from behind was dirty pool. You couldn’t bite, scratch or gouge,and you
didn’t hit a guy when he was down. At the start, a real or symbolic line separated the
disputants. Very often, the portent of
opponents facing each other across the line brought quick resolution, plus huge
savings on dentist bills. Too bad
adults, leaders of nations great and small, forget these things.
World peace, if that dream is still considered to be
worthwhile, would be greatly enhanced if Obama and the U.S.Military Industrial
complex would foreswear use of these dirty, cowardly weapons of death. But that’s hopeless naivete here in the land of the world’s
predominate nuclear power. To the
contrary, it’s likely that drone missiles are already capable of delivering
tactical nuclear weapons.
Gun Running: Gun
deaths in the U.S. since Newtown: at least 1,000 since December 14.
Also, the final tally of 2012 revealed that 125,000 citizens
here now possess permits to carry loaded weapons concealed upon their
person. This is an uncivilized response
to mass murder by gunfire. Across the nation and here, as well.
One of its cruelest
aspects is concealment. If the lady
next to me on the train is armed, I would like to know so that I could move as
far away from her as possible. Same
thing at the store, at the game, on the street, in church.
The main water boy for the NRA in our Legislature packs
heat, of course. He does so because, as he says, “You never know.” He also affects a western wardrobe. That might suggest Sheriff Joe Arpaio, of
Maricopa Country, Arizona, as a possible role model, but that’s probably not
true. More likely, our solon is
inspired by the derring do of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, posters of whom
decorate his legislative office windows.
The Revival of Molly Pitcher: Service women in combat is the military's biggest snafu of the
year. Of course, the year is only two
months along. But we don't need any
more killers. Men already do pretty
well at it. T.O.& E.’s base a ratio
of ten support soldiers for every combat soldier, so the number of women in
foxholes, perimeters, and patrols is not apt to be great. Even so, combat is not the best way for
women to contribute to the service of our country.
What we need are peacemakers. Men don't do that well at all.
But peacemaking could be women's supreme opportunity. It could be exactly what they've been waiting
for. Exactly what the world needs
Countries fight to achieve peace, don't they? Women should be in complete charge of the
nation-building that follows; that is,
securing the peace, introducing and nurturing democracy, giving new life to the
downtrodden. No service to the country, to the world, could be more productive.
Back to Drones:
And this will likely happen often, moving forward.
Those wacky little elves at the Army’s Institute of
Heraldry,* a vital, but little known example of your Defense dollars at work,
face a momentous challenge. Each morning, after
trumpeting Institute Director Charles Mugno down the length of the lush carpet
that forms a path to the steps leading up to the seat of his seat of office,
the wacky little elves put down their heraldic trumpets and quick-step to their
benches to resume their efforts to create …..(drumroll) a medal suitable for
awards to the valorous launchers of defensive drone missiles.* [As one might infer, these are weapons of
defense, since they are purchased by our Defense Department, in accord with the
dictum of Rufus T. Firefly, that madcap dancing dictator of Fredonia, who said,
“The best offense is a good defense,” which we know to be true, even though
Chico. Harpo, and Zeppo seemed to have had trouble grasping its meaning.]**
Maybe Director
Mugno has something here. Drone pilots,
as they are classified, must meet very high standards of performance in order
to qualify. They must learn, most
importantly, that the green button means “go,” and the red button means,
“oops!, or, “aw, what the hell.”
They must be able
to activate ambidextrously, that is to say, first, they must train the right
thumb, the right forefinger, and the right second finger,to push with equal
facility. And they must achieve the
same dexterity with the left thumb, the left forefinger, and the left second
finger.
In the event of
a mass onslaught of hang-nails, the intrepid pilot must activate the button
with his nose. The green one, The green button, not the green nose.
After the launch,
the pilot, with either his right or his left hand, reverses the position of the
hand, so that the back is facing in the general direction of the arc of the
flight and the second finger is extended to a perpendicular position . (This is all in the manual.)(which can
remain open during the entire, or any part of, the mission.)
Piloting a drone
isn’t easy. But the pilots get to wear
green flying suits and some wear fighter pilot helmets decorated with little
decals of a bearded man wearing a turban.
And they may even get a medal..
Rev Cox
*Slate.com, 7/11/12.
**Duck Soup, Paramount Pictures, 1933
For additional
Military Heraldry Context, search Bill Maulden Cartoons.
Also see A Phony Hero for a Phony War by Lucien V. Truscott
IV,
NY Times, 11/18/12
In the next post: The Balkanization of the U.S.
.
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