As a child of the ’60s, I grew up hating war—protesting and demonstrating against them, uncovering as a writer the global military-industrial complex, and seeking peace with my pen.
Through the years, I saw myself as a herald—someone who could help people, through my writings, liberate themselves from programmed ignorance and institutionalized stupidity.
Well, now that I am in the third act of my life, my understanding of how the world works has changed.
I used to believe there was an invisible hand controlling the planet—families and organizations that have manipulated everything since the dawn of conscious time.
These rulers were ruthless and made names for themselves as conquerors: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, the Spanish conquistadors, William the Conqueror, and so many more.
I thought they were all cut from the same cloth—and that even in this day and age, they’re still making their deals in back rooms, divvying up the world between themselves.
But now I realize something deeper: No matter our technological achievements or how “civilized” we’ve become in every corner of the globe, we are still predators when you get right down to it. It’s dog-eat-dog, kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. The law of the jungle is alive and well.
No matter the back room deal, the predators will betray each other for the land and power they seek. Rules do not apply. No honor amongst thieves.
And that is why countries arm themselves: to stop other countries from taking what they want by force—and enslaving the losers.
We need investors in things that kill because we need those things to fight off other predators who take what they want with violence.
It’s a deadly chess game the leaders play with one another—waving their weapons aloft, signaling to the other predators out there that we’re ready to do the same to them should they try to take us out.
So it behooves us to arm ourselves to the teeth—to make sure we have so many weapons, no one dares mess with us.
I hate to have to say this but we need our military-industrial complex and those who invest in it. Without it we would be speaking German, Russian or Chinese by now.
The missiles, drones, satellites, battleships, hypersonic jets, germ and chemical warfare—they are all necessary to ward off the enemy.
Forget about peace. A fully automatic Uzi can take out 100 sign-carrying protesters in a minute—provided one has enough magazines.
Violence—lethal violence—wins wars. Diplomacy has its place, but it needs the backbone of space-age weapons to back it up. It needs teeth!
There are no rules in this game other than the rules of physics—the platform upon which these weapons are created.
A threat can manifest from anywhere. Someone can steal a backpack nuke and mess up our port cities and electricity grid.
So now I understand why we have spies, and the CIA, and the FBI, and all kinds of covert entities. We need everything we’ve got to keep from being invaded by our lethal enemies.
We need things that go boom in order to stay free. These predator nations look for the weakest chink in our armor to exploit should war break out.
So now I see things differently. It’s not just about billionaires profiting from their investments in war.
It’s about having the best weapons we can produce—to beat and outcompete the weapons our enemies have.
Damn. I do not like this conclusion. But truth is truth. We let down our guard for an instant, and they’ll see it as weakness—attack, and plunder.
Proof in the pudding? Look at Russia and Ukraine. It’s a war of attrition. Without the weapons we and NATO provide, Ukraine would be overrun. Russia would grow stronger. Poland would be next. And who knows what after that?
And let us not think that morality or concern for humankind would stop a person from nuking a sleeping civilian population. Look at what we did in Japan.
War is war. Forget hoping your enemies will be kind and merciful.
Go get yourself a gun—the best and biggest you can get. Stay locked and loaded. Be prepared to kill or die for your way of life. Our enemies never stop planning for our death.
Support our military-industrial complex. As odious as it may seem, we must choose—between survival and extinction.
This is an advertisement
3 Comments
So much to unpack here. Some true but much of it untrue.
Having the largest most technically advanced military in the world means nothing if trained and used improperly.
Look no further than 1993 and the failings of Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu. The March 1999, Serbian Anti Aircraft Artillery shooting down a US F-117 Nighthawk “STEALTH”ground attack aircraft using a S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile. Or
Marines being ambushed while clearing a multi-story building, known as “Hell House,” in the city’s southern area. Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, were ambushed while clearing the building, suffering casualties including the death of one Marine. This event occurred during Operation Phantom Fury, which was a major battle in the Iraq War. And of course the August 6, 2011, shoot down of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, known as Extortion 17, was shot down in Afghanistan, resulting in the death of 30 American servicemen and a military dog. This incident remains the greatest single loss of life for Naval Special Warfare since the Afghan War began
Your statement about Ukraine having survived Russia’s illegal war upon Ukrainian Sovereignty solely because it was provided foreign weapons is only partially true. Ukraine has proven itself quite capable of taking on Russia’s far larger further technologically advanced vehicles, aircraft and weapons. Russia has suffered 4-6 times the casualties that Ukraine has. Ukraine continues to fight and survive with or without our support. They will fight with sticks and rocks if necessary because they have no choice if they wish to continue existing as a nation and people.
Telling people-
“Go get yourself a gun—the best and biggest you can get. Stay locked and loaded. Be prepared to kill or die for your way of life. Our enemies never stop planning for our death”
is your right under the 1st amendment. But do you really think “everyone” should own firearms? How many gun owners do you think even have a clue as to what to do in combat? Who are our enemies both foreign and domestic? Do you even know? Which “enemy(s)” do you perceive doing harm to American civilian gun owners? You’re correct about one thing, “our enemies never stop planning for our death” . The US has many historical enemies who have never stopped doing so. Some are Russia, China, Iran, N Korea. While other Traditional Enemies of the US are right here on US Soil such as the Anti Government Militias, Sovereign Citizens, Aryan Nation, KKK and others have never stopped plotting against our Federal and State Governments nor committing violent crimes against them.
Weapons have made it into many many wrong hands resulting in many many senseless, needless and violent shooting deaths. A “Call to Arms” is what leads to uncontrolled mob violence like we all saw happen on January 6th 2020 at the US Capitol. In very rare instances responsible civilian gun owners have successfully provided armed intervention of would be violent offenders. But this is extremely rare. More often than not there is no intervention or the person responding is an off duty law enforcement or armed security officer. Ask any cop what scares them the most and they will tell you that it is untrained people with firearms intervening in all the wrong ways usually evolving into law enforcement having to deal with two threats. The threat from the assailant(s) and the threat posed by Joe Snuffy waving his AR around posing a threat to everyone else.
Warfare is an ever evolving beast. When I was in we feared Snipers, Landmines, Mortars and Artillery. We were just evolving into digital auto encryption comms.
Today soldiers have to fear attacks from Autonomous Weapons and Aircraft, White phosphorus spitting airborne drones, Solar and Electric powered Tanks, Ships and Aircraft that can for go having to be supported with fuel caravans, AI drone swarms, robot dogs with TOW missile systems strapped to their backs, humanoid robots that mimic and counter our every movement from shooting weapons to unarmed combat.
Our current leadership has axed a large number of volunteer soldiers. Many of which have Combat experience. It also gave the axe to Force Protection issues such as climate change as well as funding for measures to protect bases from literally sinking. It nixed alternative fuel sources and renewable energy. So while China’s tanks and planes assault us in wave after wave of alternative fuel vehicles and aircraft, our troops will be waiting at the Halt for petroleum to be convoyed up to our
M1 Abrams main battle tank which is notoriously thirsty, with estimates ranging from 1.5 to 3 gallons per mile. This means it’s not measured in miles per gallon like a car, but rather gallons per mile. Our current leadership has its head in the sand to say the very least. I’d rather have a well trained military equipped to handle our rapidly evolving battlefields than have one that looks good on parade and is useless otherwise!
What the hell is wrong with you, Tommy? Did the Trump brainwashers kidnap the Tommy we used to know and replace him with a caricature of his former self? How could you support the masters of war and their infernal factories of death? There has to be a way to end wars and bring peace to the world through love and understanding. It sounds like you’ve given up hope—that the evil ones have won and there’s nothing we can do to change the world like we once believed we could. Now you’ve all but admitted you’ve given up, joined the other side, and are ready to wage war yourself against an enemy that would invade us were it not for the massive military machine that keeps them at bay.Tommy, how could you disappoint us so? Were it not for commenters like JB and TJHall, your rag would be a Republican platform. Maybe you’re just being a cynical wise-ass, trying to irk the rest of us into taking the bait and voting every Republican out of office this mid-term election.Whatever the case, I pray to God you’re just being facetious.
He was just being facetious. Still the same Tommy.