The military scandal of Abu Ghraib, Iraq in 2004 was a huge disgrace for the United States Military in particular and the United States in general. What happened here was a complete breakdown of military command. Many US citizens responded with outrage; rightly so, however, the blame game went crazy and schizophrenic.
To understand what happened you must understand the psychology of what happens to men at war. These men could be your brother, husband or co-worker who was the nicest guy you ever met. Let me recount a little of my experience as a Vietnam Army veteran. I arrived in Vietnam on 6 May 1968, just after the Tet Offensive. After a week of temporary duty loading ammo at the Tan Son Nhut Airport in Saigon, I was assigned to the I Field Force headquartered in Nha Trang, on the Central coast of South Vietnam. I recall that the first thing I saw upon disembarking was a sign that read "Although I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for I am the evilest son of a bitch in the valley." This was an offensive perversion of Psalm 23 in the Bible. This saying was later discovered on Zippo cigarette lighters. Click here for a story in the NY Times. I looked at that sign and thought that I had just stepped into a very different world than what I had just left in the states.
After a few months in country I could see that some of my fellow soldiers acted like they were a law into themselves. An example. One night, after having a few drinks at a military club, a group of us were walking back to our barracks to pack it in for the night. Along the way one of the guys decided he wanted to grab a person riding along the road in his motorcycle and throw him off the bike. I challenged him and told him he was doing no such thing. I could not help but think that this type of mentality was scary. Who was to say that this person could not turn on anyone, including fellow soldiers? Many men at war act like the moral compass they grew up with did not apply to them in a war zone. Indeed, a few months prior to my arrival in Vietnam, the My Lai Massacre had occurred. Again, men at war who had lost their moral compass, and in this case, it included their commander, 2nd. Lt. William Calley. A second lieutenant is the lowest officer ranking. This commander, probably, had no, or very little, experience in war, or completely lost it. It was his responsibility to control his men; he failed. Understand, that it is difficult to assign blame here. No one knows what these men were reacting to. When you see your fellow soldier blown-up in front of you, or your best friend killed, you can snap and take out your rage on anyone. No one can understand this if they have not experienced it. War is hell, literally. Sometimes men snap, and some men snap at smaller things.
To understand what happened in Abu Ghraib, you have to understand that, in my opinion, it was a complete breakdown of military leadership and command. I'm referring to the commander of the prison. When you're in the military, your commander is in total charge. If you mess up, you will pay big, such as military disciple, which can include non-judicial punishment (Article 15) or judicial punishment. The commander is the king, dictator, overlord and whatever you want to call him. Military officers must keep a tight rein on everyone because if anyone screws up under their command, they pay the price also. Whatever happens in a military unit, the commander must answer to it. In some cases the commander can lose his command and his career is ruined.
What happened in Abu Ghraib was the responsibility of the commander, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski. The commander either failed to train her troops on what was expected of them or failed to monitor them; simple as that.
Before going to Vietnam, we were taught military tactics but no ethics, culture sensitivity, nothing. We had no idea of what to expect or how to act. This was a failure of the military itself. You cannot just send men into a war zone without training in ethics and culture sensitivity. Without this training everyone is on their own. I don't know if today's military does any culture or ethics training; my guess is that they do not, in light of Abu Ghraib.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Benghazi: Treachery and Shame
Unless you've been in solitary confinement on an isolated island, you've heard what happened in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012. You've also heard about how the Obama Administration perpetrated a lie about what happened by blaming it on an obscure video made by a private person in Cerritos, California and posted on YouTube, which only a handful of people had seen. Here is a terrific documentary of what happened in Benghazi, by Fox News: Click here to watch. Some facts:
Libya had just experienced an insurrection where the dictator, Muammar al-Gaddafi, was hunted down and brutally killed. The country was without a functioning government, infrastructure and a hot bed of militias who killed at will. A totally lawless country. In light of this why would any country, let alone, the most powerful country in the world, the United States, station a handful of diplomats in the middle of this hell on earth with only a half dozen guards to protect them? Why did the Obama Administration not prepare for a possible attack on the anniversary of 9/11? Why did Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State at the time, refuse the Ambassador's pleading for more protection? I could go on and on. Given that it did happen why was nothing done?
Let's look at the possibilities of what could have been done, if properly prepared. The United States has air bases in near-by Sigonella, Sicily, less than one hour of flying time from Benghazi, Spain and Aviano Airbase in Northern Italy. In addition, the United States maintains the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, which could have been positioned within 10 minutes of Benghazi.
The Obama Administration gave some pretty lame excuses such as it would have taken too long to respond; we did not know who to shoot at, and other stupid excuses. Some simple questions:
- Why not send fighter jets over the area where the guards could have easily painted targets for them with a laser?
- Why was the rapid deploy force waiting in Tripoli told not to go? (stand down),
- Why did they even think of putting people in harm's way without the proper protection?
- Why did President Obama not stay in contact with U.S. agents and military forces in the area during the attack? The following day he left for Las Vegas to campaign. Check out this story to verify Obama's absence.
- Why were helpless Americans left to die with no help of any kind?
- Why did the American main stream media not cover this story? Check this for proof.
- Why does the American mainstream media (MSM) refuse to look into why this happened and the lies told afterward, to this day? Can you imagine what would have happened if George Bush was president?
The cover-up continues. The people close to this disaster, such as the second in command, Gregory Hicks, was disciplined and hung out to dry for refusing to go along with the Obama Administration's lies as to what happened. Check out this story, along with an interview that ABC News did yesterday. By the way, this is the first I've seen of any MSM actually checking into this. I applaud ABC News.
Friday, August 16, 2013
What Happened to the War on Poverty?
As I've suggested on this blog, those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it, as philosopher George Santayana famously said. History is a great teacher. We learn lessons by learning from our mistakes. This is true for a nation as it is true for each one of us in our personal life. Are you making the same mistakes you made as a teenager?
One of the issues that fascinates me is what happened to the War on Poverty, started by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The highest poverty rate in the US was in 1959 with 22% of people in poverty. By 1965 that rate had fallen to 17.3% (today it is 15%). Johnson started the War on Poverty to great fanfare. The left felt really good to do it; as it does to this day. But as Lt. Columbo would say before he left his suspect: One more question, if you don't mind: Have we won the war on poverty? and how much have we spent? We've spent over 15 Trillion dollars. Our current national debt is about 16 trillion dollars. The result: nothing. That's right nothing. Click here for verification. Had we not spent that 15 Trillion we would not have a national debt today.
What does the left want to do still to this day? Spend more money to fight poverty. Now, as one who loves logic, how does this square with facts? The political left not only does not learn from history, it ignores it completely. You see, for the left facts do not matter; feeling good about themselves does. If you appear to be doing good, even if it does not accomplish what you intend, it does not matter to them.
Economist all over the world are in almost total agreement that poverty cannot be alleviated by government handouts; on the contrary government policies do most of the damage by their incoherent policies, such as minimum wage which causes more unemployment. In the August 26, 2013 issue of "The Weekly Standard," An article titled "Don't Forget the Poor" states: "Moreover, many of the conditions that trap Americans in poverty are the direct result of governmental policies, often implemented with good intentions." Further down in the article it says this: "Government itself often holds back the poor, for instance through the ever-growing regulatory state. Outdated union-protection laws like the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires union wages on many federal project, reserve desirable jobs for union members."
Listen to one of the best economists in the US, Thomas Sowell, talking about the economics of poverty. Click here.
One of the issues that fascinates me is what happened to the War on Poverty, started by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The highest poverty rate in the US was in 1959 with 22% of people in poverty. By 1965 that rate had fallen to 17.3% (today it is 15%). Johnson started the War on Poverty to great fanfare. The left felt really good to do it; as it does to this day. But as Lt. Columbo would say before he left his suspect: One more question, if you don't mind: Have we won the war on poverty? and how much have we spent? We've spent over 15 Trillion dollars. Our current national debt is about 16 trillion dollars. The result: nothing. That's right nothing. Click here for verification. Had we not spent that 15 Trillion we would not have a national debt today.
What does the left want to do still to this day? Spend more money to fight poverty. Now, as one who loves logic, how does this square with facts? The political left not only does not learn from history, it ignores it completely. You see, for the left facts do not matter; feeling good about themselves does. If you appear to be doing good, even if it does not accomplish what you intend, it does not matter to them.
Economist all over the world are in almost total agreement that poverty cannot be alleviated by government handouts; on the contrary government policies do most of the damage by their incoherent policies, such as minimum wage which causes more unemployment. In the August 26, 2013 issue of "The Weekly Standard," An article titled "Don't Forget the Poor" states: "Moreover, many of the conditions that trap Americans in poverty are the direct result of governmental policies, often implemented with good intentions." Further down in the article it says this: "Government itself often holds back the poor, for instance through the ever-growing regulatory state. Outdated union-protection laws like the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires union wages on many federal project, reserve desirable jobs for union members."
Listen to one of the best economists in the US, Thomas Sowell, talking about the economics of poverty. Click here.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Et tu Brutè?
Et tu Brutè? (you Brutus?) were the last words of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. when he was assassinated by being stabbed in the back by his good friend, Marcus Brutus. One of the most shameful episodes in American history was the shameful betrayal of the brave men and women who answered their country's call to serve in Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans were treated as common criminals would be treated. Returning Vietnam Veterans were not only not appreciated; they were despised. What makes this even worse is that the men, most of them, were drafted and served their country honorably in a war that could not be won. The war could not be won because American politicians put them in a box for which they could not get out of. In Vietnam, you could not go after the enemy in their home turf. You had to fight him within the confines of South Vietnam. Advantage, the enemy. The enemy could wait and attack you at their liking and at their advantage. If they lost an engagement, as they often did, they would re-group at their convenience in North Vietnam. No army can win with these conditions. The Vietnam war was lost before one soldier hit the ground in Vietnam in the Kennedy Administration in the early 1960s.
Today, whenever we see a soldier in uniform, most people go up to them to thank them and sometimes pay for their meal. This is great; that it the way it should be. The Vietnam Veteran had a very different reception. The returning vet would be spat upon or called "baby killer." Let me recount my experience, and my experience was not the worst, by any means. When I returned from Vietnam in May 1969, the commercial jet full of returning soldiers landed in Fort Lewis, Washington. No one was there to greet us. I remember thinking why the Army did not even think of welcoming us home? No one thanked us. No one talked to any of us. I felt totally abandoned and forgotten. All of us got out and disappeared on our own; most to other airports for flights to our home. When I arrived at LAX, the only ones waiting for me were my family. No one even looked at me, let alone thank me for your my service.
Prior to leaving for military service I was a college student and had worked part-time for Calavar Corporation, a Santa Fe Springs, California company that serviced the telephone company (Pacific Telephone), vehicles. I had not planned on returning to this type of work but since I had not found other work, I decided to ask this company if they had any work for me. Calavar hired me. Upon reporting for work I was not assigned any particular work; I just roamed around and helped out anyone who asked me; I had no supervisor. They basically left me alone; no one talked to me. After the first week, someone presented me with my first check. This person said absolutely nothing to me, just handed me the check without a word. Upon opening the envelope. I read the word Termination on it; nothing else. I never asked anyone anything; I just left.
Most people blamed the American soldier for losing the war, not the real culprit, the incompetent and self-serving politicians in Washington DC who's idea it was to send us there. I went to Vietnam willingly, never questioning the cause. As I think about it today, I recognize the absolute folly and idiocy of this war. This was a war not based on any facts but on what we would call neurosis. In those days, the West was afraid of the possible spread of communism. This developed into a neurosis about it. The "Domino Theory"was trotted out by our government as the reason to fight communism.
As for the Vietnamese, they were fighting for their freedom. They had been colonized by France for several hundred years. After World War II they fought and defeated the French with the final climactic battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The French fought brilliantly, but they were fighting, again, a war they could not win, no matter what. The United States learned nothing from the failure of the French. We ended up paying the price: 60,000 American dead and about 500,000 wounded; many wounded for life. Yet, when it came to thanking the American soldier for his sacrifices they spit in our face. In a recent article President Obama recognized the shameful treatment of the Vietnam Vet. Click here for the story.
There have been many wars where men lost their lives for no good reason and only for the folly, sometimes criminal folly, of such leaders as Hitler and Mussolini The Nazis, for example, condemned over two million of their own men to death and 3.5 million wounded in Russia alone for a war that they could never have won. Mussolini, condemned over 200,000 Italian soldiers to death in the Russian campaign of World War II supporting the Germans. The Hungarians, Romanians and Croats also sent troops to Russia and were eventually destroyed as well. In 1805, the ambitious and despotic Napoleon Bonaparte, sent 500,000 French troops to Russia; only 5,000 returned alive. All these men died in vain. All these men could say et tu Brutè? As my theme on this blog states: Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
Today, whenever we see a soldier in uniform, most people go up to them to thank them and sometimes pay for their meal. This is great; that it the way it should be. The Vietnam Veteran had a very different reception. The returning vet would be spat upon or called "baby killer." Let me recount my experience, and my experience was not the worst, by any means. When I returned from Vietnam in May 1969, the commercial jet full of returning soldiers landed in Fort Lewis, Washington. No one was there to greet us. I remember thinking why the Army did not even think of welcoming us home? No one thanked us. No one talked to any of us. I felt totally abandoned and forgotten. All of us got out and disappeared on our own; most to other airports for flights to our home. When I arrived at LAX, the only ones waiting for me were my family. No one even looked at me, let alone thank me for your my service.
Prior to leaving for military service I was a college student and had worked part-time for Calavar Corporation, a Santa Fe Springs, California company that serviced the telephone company (Pacific Telephone), vehicles. I had not planned on returning to this type of work but since I had not found other work, I decided to ask this company if they had any work for me. Calavar hired me. Upon reporting for work I was not assigned any particular work; I just roamed around and helped out anyone who asked me; I had no supervisor. They basically left me alone; no one talked to me. After the first week, someone presented me with my first check. This person said absolutely nothing to me, just handed me the check without a word. Upon opening the envelope. I read the word Termination on it; nothing else. I never asked anyone anything; I just left.
Most people blamed the American soldier for losing the war, not the real culprit, the incompetent and self-serving politicians in Washington DC who's idea it was to send us there. I went to Vietnam willingly, never questioning the cause. As I think about it today, I recognize the absolute folly and idiocy of this war. This was a war not based on any facts but on what we would call neurosis. In those days, the West was afraid of the possible spread of communism. This developed into a neurosis about it. The "Domino Theory"was trotted out by our government as the reason to fight communism.
As for the Vietnamese, they were fighting for their freedom. They had been colonized by France for several hundred years. After World War II they fought and defeated the French with the final climactic battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The French fought brilliantly, but they were fighting, again, a war they could not win, no matter what. The United States learned nothing from the failure of the French. We ended up paying the price: 60,000 American dead and about 500,000 wounded; many wounded for life. Yet, when it came to thanking the American soldier for his sacrifices they spit in our face. In a recent article President Obama recognized the shameful treatment of the Vietnam Vet. Click here for the story.
There have been many wars where men lost their lives for no good reason and only for the folly, sometimes criminal folly, of such leaders as Hitler and Mussolini The Nazis, for example, condemned over two million of their own men to death and 3.5 million wounded in Russia alone for a war that they could never have won. Mussolini, condemned over 200,000 Italian soldiers to death in the Russian campaign of World War II supporting the Germans. The Hungarians, Romanians and Croats also sent troops to Russia and were eventually destroyed as well. In 1805, the ambitious and despotic Napoleon Bonaparte, sent 500,000 French troops to Russia; only 5,000 returned alive. All these men died in vain. All these men could say et tu Brutè? As my theme on this blog states: Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
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