BLOOD SHOULD FLOW
FROM THE BOTTOM;
NOT FROM THE TOP!
In war there is no right or wrong. There is but survival.
To know me is to know that I’m not a fan of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; to put it mildly. Not because I’m a peace-loving hippy, but because I believe war to be a horrific struggle to survive. Since there exists no such imminent threat from Iraq or Afghanistan, then quite naturally then I see absolutely no reason to engage in such horror. And no, this snow-job of preemptive war to save us from another 911 is bullshit, plain and simple.
It’s far more practical, not to mention considerably more strategic, to just secure our own borders. But yet this incredulous government abandons our porous borders in favor of war on the other side of the planet. What loons! Not to mention that if this government was really all about security then they’d arrest and prosecute those Customs & Border patrol agents who were stealing from the Treasury when the September 11th terrorists were hiding in plain sight right under their iniquitous noses. So whereas we don’t want to see another 911, backing a contrived war brought by the same neophyte government types who were criminally derelict in their duties to protect our borders in the first place, is not the answer. I hate to beat a dead horse here, but when will people get it? We have far more to fear from the enemies within, than we do the enemies without!
Make no mistake. I’m not saying we should run away from our duty to apprehend or kill those responsible for September 11th; simply that there is a crucial distinction here. That being that there is a marked distinction between using military assets for a surgical strike to kill or capture a criminal element utilizing a sovereign nation as safe-haven, as opposed to occupying and going to war against an entire nation.
For those that history is lost on, warfare has been, is and will always be the taking of life and land. There is no such thing as a clean or politically correct war. Indeed, the politicians have sold us on such, but in reality, it doesn’t exist. In war there will always be horrific collateral damage. Yes, men, women and children. It’s not a matter of if; it’s only a matter of how many.
The point being here is that to go to war without the expectation and acceptance of such collateral damages is to incur the ravages of war where perhaps no war actually exists. And therein lays the crux of the matter. A combatant in a struggle to survive doesn’t have time to dwell on such matters. If the focus is on collateral damage then obviously your survival is not in jeopardy; therefore you’re not in a war. The target of a criminal element worthy of a military strike, perhaps; but war, absolutely not!
This is why factual due-diligence and great constraint should always be exercised before hand. Where things get convoluted and muddled in this process is when we permit those of questionable character and meager education to make such dire decisions. Such as the history-challenged ignorant government neophytes we have of late. They think warfare is some kind of board game. They believe that they can control not only the outcome but the manner and means by which war is waged. They, clueless demagogues that they are, champion war as some kind of campaign tool. They claim to be all knowing and powerful; even though what they predict rarely goes according to plan. Then in the end, no matter the outcome or consequences, they portray themselves as prevailing; impervious to the death and destruction they’ve wrought. And this brings us back to Iraq and Afghanistan.
George W. Bush and his terrorist side-kick, Dick Cheney, led us into war; war most foul. Not based on facts but fabrications. Not because they believed we were in imminent danger, but for power. Not to apprehend or slay an enemy, but to exact a plan of domination. And this is precisely what we’ve gotten; a fabricated war brought for power and money. Anyone who states that we are safer by the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan is an utter idiot. Anyone who purports that there is a war to win is in love with their own voice. Nothing has become of these wars other than death, debt and further threat. In the end, over 5,000 of our most virtuous citizens (Military) have died right along with the thousands lost on September 11th. And the death toll of Iraqis and Afghans in these contrived wars, greater yet. And to who’s benefit? Certainly not us or the over 30,000 troops wounded thus far.
Naturally, when these loons are queried as to these losses they immediately shoot back; “But we’re saving you from the terrorists!” “If we didn’t go to war tens of thousands more would die!” Of course, they have no evidence to substantiate their claims.
Yet we continue to permit the most vile and incredulous loons of our society to take us to war and promote it as some kind of security measure. Obama, with his peace-prize in hand, states that our troops’ sacrifices are necessary to both America’s safety and world security. But security is a myth; of which only the most uneducated would buy with their own blood. When did world security fall to us anyway? And even if we pretend that it did, what historical malfeasant would contemplate that which is not possible? To have lived these past 10 years is an assault on the mind and on reason itself. This brings us to the orders our troops are given when put in harm’s way; commonly referred to as Rules of Engagement (ROE’s).
The ROE’s are essentially a litmus test for war. If war is justified, the ROE’s will state “Take life ~ Take ground ~ Win at all costs!” If war is not justified, if it is only a contrived war that is sought, the ROE’s given are similar to those issued to our troops in Afghanistan today:
• “If you are in a situation where you are under fire from the enemy… if there is any chance of creating civilian casualties or if you don’t know whether you will create civilian casualties, if you can withdraw from that situation without firing, then you must do so.” General McChrystal
• Our troops are restricted from acting against people unless they (enemy) commit a hostile act or show hostile intent. American troops say the Taliban can fire on them, then set aside their weapon and walk freely out of a compound, possibly toward a weapons cache in another location. Our troops are prohibited from firing on them while they walk away!
• Troops engaged in combat often ask for air or artillery support, only to be refused for fear of collateral damage.
Politicians and high ranking officers will tell you that in a ‘Counter Insurgency’ these ROE’s are just what is necessary to win. They paint all insurgents as foreign radical zealots hell-bent on killing everything good and holsum. But the truth of the matter is that the insurgents are, in great part, nothing more than Iraqis & Afghans who don’t like us or our propped-up puppet governments; criminal governments at that. The truth of the matter is that we are fighting someone else’s civil war. Whether or not said war started before or after we got there is irrelevant. It’s still war; just not ours! And the unequivocal truth here is that our troops are dying trying to comply with these ridiculous ROE’s. Such as a corporal who in a good-faith effort to comply with said ROE’s, hid behind a wall while under fire; only to be struck in the heart with a ricochet and killed!
The obvious question here is why? It’s not our country. It’s not our fight. But back we go to the bullshit ruse of; we’re saving you from another 911! To which I respond; Iraq had nothing to do with 911. Nor was there any credible intelligence to support Saddam’s possession of WMD’s. And if Osama bin Laden is truly the target then why haven’t we targeted him? By God, if there was ever a just cause to lay down horror on a biblical scale, then September 11th was it. But look at the facts.
Here we have the quintessential right and duty to strike at Osama and his merry band of terrorist, but when we had them holed up in Tora Bora, a mountainous area in Afghanistan with few non-combatants, we walked away. Yes, this government that says it is hell bent on winning let him go! By every account, from those that were there, the only reason we didn’t kill Osama and his compatriots right then and there (December, 2001) was because this government, yes ours, refused to go to war. Did you get that? I repeat myself; this government refused to pull out all the stops (issue ROE’s consistent with WAR) and give our military the support required to lay to rest once and for all those who brought death and disaster to our shores. How treasonous is that? Instead, these incredulous bastards start a war with a nation that had nothing to do with 911! There are not even words to describe the treason of these fools!
We, us and our troops, are being played. Our sons and daughters join up to serve and fight the bad guys, but are sent to die in belligerent ruses instead; with their hands tied behind their backs no less. We’re told that we’re being made safer, but the truth of the matter is that we’re being sold a bill of goods. The truth here is that the government wants to go to war to dominate, not win. And towards that end they will gleefully shed gratuitous blood and bankrupt generations of Americans to come; all the while selling us imaginary security. And here we sit buying it!
The absolute is that in war people die; and if such gratuitous death and destruction are unacceptable then don’t go to war. But by God if war is to be, then trying to compromise with death with such ludicrous ROE’s is to incur death ten fold over. Remember Viet Nam? (58,000+)
At this very instant in time our troops are in harm’s way. Not to save us or what’s left of our Republic, but for the benefit of other nations, their propped up criminal puppets and these treasonous bastards we permit to command them. All the while, living and dying under ridiculous ROE’s. This is a travesty of the highest order. I for one believe that if the blood of a nation is to flow, that it should flow from the bottom dwellers and charlatans who started these contrived wars and implemented such suicidal ROE’s; not from the brave and virtuous of our society who have risen to the top through acts of true sacrifice and courage.
Brian Kilcullen
Enemies in War,
