demonstratr

The UK College Dems will be having a “military appreciation day” on Wednesday, October  4.  I suppose I understand the “political” motivations behind such a thing.  And, I imagine they’re about the same as those that led to a 100-0 vote in the Senate recently on a $70 Billion appropriations bill for the war in Iraq.  Or, the same as the motivations that led 12 Dems to vote for the torture bill on Thursday.  Nobody wants to be soft on “defense.”  And, apparently nobody wants to ask the hard questions about what is being “defended.” 

I don’t appreciate the military.  And, I’m saddened that the Dems (at UK and across America) can’t see beyond their very narrow “political” goals. 

I say I don’t appreciate the military.  What does that mean?  What is the military?  I don’t think we should think of it as a specific group of people.  Indeed, every day the set of people “in the military” changes, but the military itself does not.  So, when I say that I don’t appreciate the military, I don’t mean that I don’t like the people or that I think everyone ”in the military” is bad.  I know plenty of people who are or were ”in the military” that I think are great people. There are also, obviously, a bunch of assholes ”in the military.”  It’s as ridiculous to believe that everyone ”in the military” is a hero or a great person as it is to believe that everyone “in college” is a genius or a rational person.  Institutions don’t work like that.  People (good people, bad people) find themselves “in” institutions - they enact them.  Mostly, this doesn’t promote or discourage good or evil behavior.  By and large, institutions are value neutral - so long as one behaves in conformity with the rules of the institution, it is not disturbed by otherwise commendable or repugnant actions.  I don’t ”appreciate the miliaty.”  This doesn’t mean that I don’t like anyone who is or was in the military.  Just the same, it doesn’t mean that I think everyone in the military is a great person.

So, what is the military?  The military is the instrument of warfare.  It is the institution that prepares for war and orders the behavior of humans such that they are capable of engaging in warfare.  This I do not appreciate.  I do not find it of value that human beings be made capable of engaging in war - that they be ordered (both in the sense of commanded and in the sense of arranged) to kill other humans.  Indeed, warfare is the ultimate confusion concerning what is of value (the word ”war” comes from the Old High German ”werran” meaning to confuse).  The conduct of war (again this should be taken in the double sense of the actual engagement in warfare and the behavior that enacts such an engagement) presupposes that human lives are less valuable than some proposed objective or goal (e.g. homeland security or procurement of oil).  But, of coure, humans are priceless (or worthless).  There is no goal that justifies murdering us - we are worth nothing in that we always transcend the realm of any possible e-valuation.  Warfare puts a price on human life - anyone is potential “collateral damage.”  The military is the institution that is called for and grounded in the misguided attempt to make human life “valuable.”  The word “army” is derived from the same word as “arm” (think of “taking up arms” and “armament”)  which is at once the word for the appendages attached to our upper body and the word for an implement or tool (think of the relationship of the words ”hand” and “handy”).  The military or ”army” is the means for achieving some end.  It is the tool for conducting war.  I don’t appreciate war or find it of value (neither do I find humans of value, but for clearly different reasons).  Therefore, I don’t appreciate the military.

It’s a shame that “politics” must always amount to posturing for the Democrats.  I still believe this is why they can’t beat the Republicans - they refuse to ask hard questions or propose serious answers.  Instead, they “appreciate the military.”  Which is to say, they mouth words and perform deeds that are propagandistic at their heart.  And, again, propaganda is a very basic way of disrespecting people and treating them as means to some end.  Accordingly, people aren’t smart enough to be told the truth or brave enough to set out on the path of serious questioning (e.g. what is the military?).  And, people are useful - in that their agreement can help one to secure or sustain “political” power.  It would be sobering and inspiring if anyone in the “political sphere” had the guts and the vision to respect people and to treat them as priceless (or worthless) and therefore as deserving honesty.  Apparently, this isn’t the sort of thing we can expect from the Democrats.                 

First, we will be meeting tomorrow, September 28 at 8 PM at the Common Grounds Coffee House.  Anyone who’s interested please join us.  We’ll be planning another mini-rally on UK’s campus and other actions for the semester.

Next, the Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice will be hosting a press conference in Fort Knox, Kentucky in support of Darrell Anderson on Tuesday, October 3 at around 11:30 AM.  There is a group leaving from Lexington from the Vo Tech school off of Leestown road at around 9 AM.  They’d like to see us out there and this would be a good thing to be a part of.  if anyone would like contact info, please let me know.  I sent out a couple of articles on Darrell’s case, so I hope everyone is familiar enough to understand the importance of such a press conference.

Brandon

OPERATIONS 

In autumn, Operation Enduring Freedom commenced,
 which some party-poopers wanted to nickname Operation  Infinite Self-Indulgence.
We tied flags to the antennae of our cars
that snapped like fire when we drove. 

In winter there was Operation Gentle Sledgehammer,
which seemed linguistically a little underdigested, 
but we lined up squads of second-graders
              to stand at attention while we beat a drum. 

 Let me make it clear that I was
as doubtful as anyone about Operation Racial Provocation 
but I loved Operation Religious Suspicion, 

which led to Operation Eye For An Eye, 
which was succeeded by Operation Helping Hand;
—Let me tell you that was a scary-looking hand!
But that was also a very successful Operation. 

 Someday you will be required to perform a terrible deed 
in order to save yourself,
                              but save yourself for what?  

 That would be a question for Operation
Self-Examination to answer,
which is a very painful operation
performed without anesthesia
in a naked room full of shadows and light. 

Perhaps I might suggest, instead,
Operation Self-Medication, or Operation Endless Mindless Distraction?
In the meantime Operation Collateral Amnesia
is proceeding very smoothly
When it is over we want call it Operation One Big Happy Family— 
Is that okay with you? 

The following is a recruitment e-mail sent to me by the United States Marine Corps.  I can only assume they got my address from the University.  Many of you, I hope, will remember the controversy surrounding the KY Educator’s Pledge in the Louisville Courier- Journal and elsewhere.  In every single venue we were told that as educators we should remain value-neutral.  If you haven’t looked at them already, my comments on truth and justice are relevant here as well.  The institution of the University is tied to the Military.  This email can only serve as further evidence.  I encourage anyone else who got these to let us know.  Maybe we can do something with them…  

Dear student, 

My name is Lieutenant Josh Jamison.  I am the Marine Corps Officer Selection Officer for UK.  The reason that I am contacting you is because I want you to be aware of an awesome summer training program called the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC).  The PLC summer course is six weeks for freshmen and sophomores.  For juniors and seniors, the course is ten weeks.  It is offered to all qualified college undergraduates, and we are looking for people to begin training this summer of 2007.  If you are an American citizen, a full-time enrolled student, and found to be medically and physically fit, then you may be eligible to participate in the PLC program.                                                                     This program will benefit you in many ways:   

1.  You will attend what Inc. Magazine calls “the best management training program in America” and test your leadership potential, physical fitness and mental prowess.                                                                                                     

2.  You will earn approximately $2400 (six weeks) or $4000.00 (ten weeks), plus room and board during the training.                                                                                  

3.  If you are interested in aviation and pass the Aviation Selection Test Battery, then you may be guaranteed to go down to flight school in Pensacola, FL upon graduation from college and train to fly some of the most advanced tactical aircraft in the world.  The Marine Corps is the only branch that will guarantee you a pilot seat as early as your freshmen year.                                                                                                       

4.  You will not incur any obligation to the Marine Corps, even after completing the training (you can choose whether or not to continue with the program).                                      

5.  Tuition assistance will be available to you after you complete your summer training.  You could potentially earn $8,000 to $25,000 for school, depending on your graduation date.                                                                                                                      

6. This program does not interfere with academic or athletic pursuits because your training is conducted during the summer.                                                                            

7.This is not ROTC. No on-campus training, drills or meetings.                                         If you successfully complete Officer Candidates School, you will be on your way to becoming a Marine Corps Lieutenant with an exciting job after completing college.  Marine Second Lieutenants receive starting salaries of $40,000-49,000 a year plus incredible benefits.                                                                                                 

We understand that the Marine Corps is not for everyone, so the beauty of the program is that you have no commitment beyond giving Officer Candidates School a try.  Many students treat it as a paid Summer Internship.  It is an opportunity to see if you have what it takes to be a leader in one of the most elite organizations in the world without committing yourself to service.                                                                               

Officer Candidates School will test you mentally and physically and push you to your limits.  Upon completion, not only will you be proud of what you have done, but will know for certain if a career in the Marine Corps is for you. If you have aspirations to attend a top business school, work for the FBI, CIA, Department of State, or as an executive in a Fortune 500 company, becoming a Marine Officer will give you the leadership experience that will set you apart from your peers.                                                                                                                      

If this sounds like something that you would like to do, reply to this e-mail  or contact me at 800-858-4086 so that we can sit down and talk about the program in detail.  Spaces are limited, and interviews are in progress now.  Thank you for your time.             

Respectfully,                                                                                                                   First Lieutenant Josh Jamison                                                                                      United States Marine Corps                                                                                      Officer Selection Officer                                                                                             525 West 5th St., Suite #119
Covington, KY 41011                                                                  kymarineofficer@gmail.com                                                        jamisonjb@marines.usmc.mil                                                                                    Phone: (800) 858-4086                                                                                            Fax: (859) 491-7357                                                                                                Cell: (502) 836-5034                                                                                    www.ocs.usmc.mil
www.tbs.usmc.mil  

Brandon