[extropy-chat] Re: Meta: Too far

[The Avantguardian]

--- Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:

> >      Well unlike you, I know what I am talking
> about
> >because I was once one of those U.S. soldiers.
> >Eighteen years old and clueless. Wanting to make
> >something out of my life and uncertain as to what
> to
> >do. So I signed up to see the world. I was part of
> the
> >force that invaded Panama to oust Noriega and I
> don't
> >remember you guys getting all in a huff about that.
> 
> Oh? Try: "The Panama Deception"
> 
>
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4078.htm
> 
> "This film shows how the U.S. attacked Panama and
> killed 3 or 4 thousand 
> people in an invasion that the rest of the world was
> against.  (Sound 
> familiar?) It won the Academy Award for best
> documentary."

Ok. But the documentary doesn't show soldiers sharing
their rations with hungry natives that live in what
amounts to cardboard houses in the jungle. Or the
passing out of candy to village youths. Nor does it
show those that fell in love with Panamanian women and
brought them to U.S. Nor does it show the medical
attention army doctors offer wounded civillians or
even enemy soldiers that are not threatening. I could
list many ways that American soldiers show their
humanity in the face of being ordered to do inhumane
things by their superiors. These are not part of the
official policy of the U.S. military. Nobody orders
these soldiers to show compassion and humanity. The
soldiers just do it. Many times they are small things
done on a person to person basis that goes by under
the radar of the brass or the media. The truth is that
when I was on the convoy to the air force base getting
ready to leave Panama, there were thousands of
Panamanians lining the route for most of the 50 miles.
They were cheering and waving. Maybe they were
cheering BECAUSE we were leaving. Or maybe they were
cheering because they genuinely appreciated what we
did for them. I will never be certain why they
cheered. All I know is for that couple of hours will
forever be burned into my mind. I felt like a
triumphant hero or an astronaut recieving a ticker
tape parade. This was despite the fact that I was just
one soldier amongst many in but one truck amoungst
many and had not really done anything all that worthy
of such adulation.      

> 
> Not exactly hiding its light under a Bush-ell.
> 
> True, 3/4000 people is not in the ballpark with
> Iraq.
> 
> >And the reason that the administration gave for
> that
> >one was not WMD or terrorism but simply drugs. Even
> as
> >an 18 year old, I knew that was bullshit but I went
> >any way to do what I saw was my honor bound duty.
> 
> It was obviously bullshit but you were honor-bound?
> This is a strange argument.

This is the Oath of Enlistment that I and all American
soldiers swear upon joining the military:

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
support and defend the Constitution of the United
States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that
I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and
that I will obey the orders of the President of the
United States and the orders of the officers appointed
over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code
of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US
Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first
adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October
1962)."

I bring to your attention the part that goes:
"and that I will obey the orders of the President of
the United States and the orders of the officers
appointed over me . . ."

Notice it does not say, ". . . unless the President
lies or is an asshole." It is an oath sworn to the
office of the President and not any particular person
holding that office. Thus one is honor bound to obey
even a jackass like Bush so long as he IS the
President.
Is this clear enough?


The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson


		
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