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Militarism

On National Greatness

Brian K. Noe · November 11, 2020 ·

Perhaps it is just my own perception, but I’ve noticed that Veterans Day 2020 seems, at least for some, to be more an occasion to celebrate military might than anything else.

To the extent that America is, or ever has been, great, that greatness has derived from the strength of our ideals, not from our nation’s ability to destroy more things or kill more people more efficiently than other nations.

Among ideologies, nationalism seems to me to be among the most childish and ignorant of all. I am sad to witness so much of it.

Preface notwithstanding, here is a post from nine years ago that still expresses the gist of my own personal observance today.

I wish you peace,

Filed Under: Notes From The Field Tagged With: America, Holidays, Militarism, Nationalism

The Endless Spectacle of Militarism

Brian K. Noe · November 6, 2015 ·

I love America. Truly, I do. It is the land of great ideals, as well as the land of my birth.

I also respect and applaud self-sacrifice in service to others, and in service to those ideals.

So I was slow to understand the true nature of the constant prompts to “support our troops” and the endless parade of militaristic spectacle over the past couple decades. In the wake of the attacks of September 11th, the knee-jerk jingoism didn’t sit well with me, but I didn’t fully understand why.

Then comes the news this week of a joint oversight report released by Arizona Republican Senators John Flake and John McCain, documenting that over the past few years, the Pentagon spent $6.8 million to pay for patriotic displays during the games of professional sports teams. For me, this calls to mind the 1936 Summer Games.

Here are a couple of articles of interest on the subject.

No, thanks: Stop saying “support the troops” – A nation that continuously publicizes appeals to “support our troops” is explicitly asking its citizens not to think. It is the ideal slogan for suppressing the practice of democracy, presented to us in the guise of democratic preservation.

Military spectacle and American sport – Fifteen years after the beginning of the so-called “War on Terror,” no facet of life in the United States—political, legal or cultural—has escaped the dark shadow of the American military-intelligence apparatus. Everything is subordinated to the needs of the state. Personal communications are intercepted and stored, protests are monitored and school curricula are manipulated. Hollywood works with the CIA to produce films like “Zero Dark Thirty” to justify the government’s illegal torture program, and a worker can hardly take his or her family to the ballgame without being inundated with pro-war lies and propaganda.

Filed Under: Commentary, Curated Links Tagged With: America, Militarism, Sports, War

New Report: Death by Drone

Brian K. Noe · April 17, 2015 ·

In 2013, President Obama promised that before any U.S. drone strike, “there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured.” Death by Drone, a new report by the Open Society Justice Initiative, questions whether he has kept that promise.

Learn More: Death by Drone | Open Society Foundations (OSF).

Download the Executive Summary.

Download the full report.

Filed Under: Curated Links Tagged With: Drones, Militarism, Obama, War, Yemen

The Military Indoctrination of Our Children

Brian K. Noe · April 8, 2015 ·

Middle school military programs are younger cousins of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), a Pentagon program taught by retired military officers and present in more than 3,500 high schools nationwide. There are strong similarities with JROTC— military-style uniforms, close-order drills, a curriculum that emphasizes patriotism and military history.

A review of programs in more than a dozen states found that there are at least 97 public middle schools currently offering military-style education.

Read more: America’s Tween Soldiers – In These Times.

Filed Under: Curated Links Tagged With: Education, Militarism

Military Fables from the Super Bowl

Brian K. Noe · February 3, 2014 ·

At Super Bowl XLVIII you had the military, the NFL and of course the smooth taste of Budweiser, all in one Fox camera shot of corporate Americana.

Read more from Dave Zirin: The Super Bowl’s Military Fables | The Nation.

Filed Under: Curated Links Tagged With: Advertising, Corporatism, Lies, Militarism, Sports

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