___________________________________________________________________________________Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire Chalmers Johnson summarized the intent of Blowback in the final chapter of Nemesis.
- "In Blowback, I set out to explain why we are hated around the world. The concept "blowback" does not just mean retaliation for things our government has done to and in foreign countries. It refers to retaliation for the numerous illegal operations we have carried out abroad that were kept totally secret from the American public. This means that when the retaliation comes – as it did so spectacularly on September 11, 2001 – the American public is unable to put the events in context. So they tend to support acts intended to lash out against the perpetrators, thereby most commonly preparing the ground for yet another cycle of blowback. In the first book in this trilogy, I tried to provide some of the historical background for understanding the dilemmas we as a nation confront today, although I focused more on Asia – the area of my academic training – than on the Middle East."[10]
Showing posts with label empire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label empire. Show all posts
Friday, March 28, 2014
Something to think about
Monday, August 20, 2012
The day J.F.K. lost my support.
Somewhere in the archives of TV land there is video or kineoscope or film of a few minutes in the life of President John Kennedy. I saw this piece of TV news film in 1962 and I can still recall the image and what I felt at that moment.
President Kennedy is at a military base somewhere in the southern United States. A large square platform has been placed on the ground and in the center of this platform is a large wooden chair, very substantial in appearance, throne-like in its immanence.
Kennedy is sitting in the chair. His arms rest on its arms.
A single military officer in dress uniform stands on the ground on each side of the platform; they hold a parade rest position, their eyes focused on the ground before them.
Kennedy, too, is looking frontward. He watches two men, trained in hand-to-hand combat, battle each other for advantage.
Kennedy has the look of a budding warrior-king, young Prince Hal, a man with a dream of power and empire. He is pleased with what he sees.
The TV narrator is describing Kennedy's satisfaction with the development of a Special Forces Group within the military. This is the seed bed of Delta Force.
I remember asking myself "Why does America need this?" I could find no answer. Instead I saw, no, I felt a dangerous trend, the beginning of a degenerative influence.
And so it was. Today America has a small army of highly trained combat warriors, skilled in murder, spying, explosives, torture, assassination, infiltration, disinformation, and more.
Their virtues and their value are touted in the press and by the government. We are told they keep us safe, that they are heroes.
Strange, though, is the fact that these heroes cannot be honored in the traditional way. Their deeds are so dark, so daring, we cannot see their faces, nor know their names. There IS no Hector, no Ajax, no Achilles, in 21st century America. There are only black silhouettes doing black deeds
They operate without reward, and without oversight. A dangerous combination that will slowly corrode our national soul. If it hasn't already.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
President Kennedy is at a military base somewhere in the southern United States. A large square platform has been placed on the ground and in the center of this platform is a large wooden chair, very substantial in appearance, throne-like in its immanence.
Kennedy is sitting in the chair. His arms rest on its arms.
A single military officer in dress uniform stands on the ground on each side of the platform; they hold a parade rest position, their eyes focused on the ground before them.
Kennedy, too, is looking frontward. He watches two men, trained in hand-to-hand combat, battle each other for advantage.
Kennedy has the look of a budding warrior-king, young Prince Hal, a man with a dream of power and empire. He is pleased with what he sees.
The TV narrator is describing Kennedy's satisfaction with the development of a Special Forces Group within the military. This is the seed bed of Delta Force.
I remember asking myself "Why does America need this?" I could find no answer. Instead I saw, no, I felt a dangerous trend, the beginning of a degenerative influence.
And so it was. Today America has a small army of highly trained combat warriors, skilled in murder, spying, explosives, torture, assassination, infiltration, disinformation, and more.
Their virtues and their value are touted in the press and by the government. We are told they keep us safe, that they are heroes.
Strange, though, is the fact that these heroes cannot be honored in the traditional way. Their deeds are so dark, so daring, we cannot see their faces, nor know their names. There IS no Hector, no Ajax, no Achilles, in 21st century America. There are only black silhouettes doing black deeds
They operate without reward, and without oversight. A dangerous combination that will slowly corrode our national soul. If it hasn't already.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
