Of the many veterans running for Congress, only one (or two, depending on how you count it) are Republicans. Kos says:Too few Republicans have ever sacrificed for their nation and their utter contempt for it shows. It's no accident that some of the most principled Republicans are veterans, like Chuck Hagel and Lindsey Graham. But there are unfortunately too few of them. Democrats are already the party of veterans. The Fighting Dems are going to help make this point to a whole new generation of voters.
They overwhelmingly see the current political leadership AS the enemy. It's not difficult to understand why - they just needed to seek out
accurate intelligence. On December 18 of last year, Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D., Mich.) introduced into the House of Representatives a resolution inviting it to form a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment. Although buttressed two days previously by the news of the National Security Agency's illegal surveillance of the American citizenry, the request attracted little or no attention in the press nothing on television or in the major papers, some scattered applause from the left-wing blogs, heavy sarcasm on the websites flying the flags of the militant right. The nearly complete silence raised the question as to what it was the congressman had in mind, and to whom did he think he was speaking?
"I don't think enough people know how much damage this administration can do to their civil liberties in a very short time. What would you have me do? Grumble and complain? Make cynical jokes? Throw up my hands and say that under the circumstances nothing can be done? At least I can muster the facts, establish a record, tell the story that ought to be front-page news. " Conyers said.
While the Republican talking-point distributors have largely succeeded in keeping the real stories of Iraq out of the news and out of the awareness of their base, the reverse is not true.
Those out there ducking fire from an organized and increasingly skilled insurgency, those who see the spooks and contractors in action and eat in the Haliburton-provided mess tents know there are stories that should be told - and cannot be found in the print media or television. The absence is even more conspicuous within the armed forces media. Well, every veteran knows one thing for sure - it's not the information you are briefed with that is the problem - it's what's NOT in the briefing that will get you killed.
returning from war, have a direct appreciation of what even a relatively under-equipped and under-trained insurgency can do to the best active-duty armed force in the world. They would be fools to not do the math themselves and we should hail their patriotism in choosing to take the political route first.
Because if you think
Iraq is a clusterfuck - consider for a moment the difficulty of containing an expert, well-supplied and well-equipped insurgency based in the wealthy Blue States. Consider further the
possibility of entire state National Guard units, equipped with heavy weapons, armor, artillery and their own air support becoming a part of such an insurgency.
Nor would it be wise to assume that all regular US forces remain loyal to the CINC. Believe it or not, Regular Army, Navy and Marines can read, do read and have a professional appreciation for tactical and strategic realities. They also have family, home states and political beliefs which in such cases cannot be put aside as would be the case under normal professional circumstances.
In the past, under such circumstances, entire units have changed sides
en masse. This might well include large sections of the Pacific Fleet - along with a large percentage of our nuclear deterrent.
The reason this might occur is that deploying regular armed forces against insurgent citizens would violate the Constitution. That's what the National Guard is for - and in the worst case, it is for resisting illegal use of force against the citizens by "enemies, foreign and domestic." Indeed, attempting to suppress widespread armed resistance to the government is, under the terms of our Constitution reason enough to abolish that government and begin anew.
There is no right of Government to preserve it's existence established in the constitution. The president, congress, and every federal employee serves at the pleasure of the people in general.
Currently, two thirds of all Americans are displeased.
The ultimate outcome of a serious insurgency - even short of outright Civil War, can be in no doubt. No such insurgency has ever been defeated. The best outcome for an occupying power - which the Administration seems increasingly to resemble - is to inflict enough casualties early enough to reduce and restrict the insurgents to remote areas, keep them on the run and choke off their sources of supply, while the looting continues for a few more years.
Look at a map of the United States, though. Consider a map of your own state.
Then look at these numbers.Total active duty
personnel- United States and Territories 1,110,805
Even if every one of those persons were willing, able and armed to the teeth, they couldn't hold California. In practice, a good deal more than half are support personnel.
Should an insurgency form, it could easily outnumber all military effectives and armed federal agents combined. If this has escaped the attention of the Pentagon and the War College, they are even further up the creek than I believe possible. In all probability, there would be various loyalist militias. Not all states would support an insurgency against federal authority. And then there are various wild-cards to consider, including the capability of both sides to employ WMD against military targets and population centers.
It could be a very ugly thing - indeed, it would be. Americans would die in the millions. We would cease to be a single nation, almost immediately, as the forces contracted to center upon their regions of support. There would be atrocities and hatreds unleashed that would make Bosnia look like a recreationist holiday.
So support your Veteran congressional candidates to the hilt. Get as many people who love this country and have proven their willingness to put their butts on the line for it into office where it counts.
And then if you can, take the civil service exam yourself. People of conscience need to retake the government from within and return control of it to the people.
