I smell a Coup, part 2....The Military

[ltfranklin]

In my earlier post, I spoke of my feelings that many of the things we see happening in these last few years are, coincidentlly or not, ideal precursors of a Coup D'Etat. Indications of a movement in the Military towards an increasing allegiance to certain religious beliefs over allegiance to the Republic and the Constitution. That, whether through a dedicated effort or by a confluence of varied, mostly unrelated, efforts by multiple players, The military's infrastructure is being slowly pushed towards this change of allegiance. I'd like to concentrate on the Military in this post, and continue in future posts on other aspects of this slow movement towards a change of government.

I've read about the Air Force Academy, and the increasing influence of "Christian" commanders, instructors and cadre in fostering a very non-christian attitude of "us versus them" in the students. I've also read about Commanders in the field, in the upper echelon and in retirement making statements in public and in private venues that are, to some of us, rather disturbing in their pushing of a religious agenda that should never be a part of a military that is, above all, the final defense of our Republic. And I note that the civilian infrastructure that is administering and "commanding" the military seems to apparently have other agendas in mind other than defending the Republic...or perhaps have a somewhat different view of the Republic than what the founders might have intended.

So, the question is, what can be done about this? I have some small ideas, but I'd like to see a general discussion of this: First, perhaps I'm wrong in all this...if I am, I'd like to hear alternate viewpoints. If you think I'm right, then what actions can we take to move things in the reverse direction, back to where our military was the defense of the Republic, not the Faith.

I'd like to see the discussion continue on the major points in the original thread, here, but your thoughts on this aspect would be most welcome here.

[MADem]

1. Problem Number One: The All Volunteer Force

When you demand high quality, and get high quality, you also get a force that thinks. They need to first get rid of all of the intelligent servicemembers and replace them with order-taking, unquestioning morons for that to work.

[ltfranklin]

2. Golly, didn't they just...

...lower the level of education it took to join up? Oh, and I'm sure that a quick little war in the Middle East would quite quickly drain the force left in the US of it's more intelligent members when the need arises.

[Zynx]

3. Can't do much about the officers, though

The routes to being a military officer are very limited, and very, very selective.

The service academies are hard as hell to get into.

[ltfranklin]

5. I noted, in a google search...

...the large number of private "Christian" military academys.

Note, that lately I've taken to putting "Christian" in quotes when I use the word. I've been taken to task, and probably rightly, that it's not fair to use the word in the context I'm using it in now. I agree. I'm using it now to denote groups that are willing to discard service to the Republic and the Constitution for allegiance to the particular tenets of their form of Christianity, and are also wish to place their tenets as law above the historic principles of the Republic.

[MADem]

20. Actually , there are many ways to a commission

OCS, fleet accession, the Academies, LDO, Warrant...keep in mind, the academies don't make the most officers, it is just the longest and most expensive route for us taxpayers who foot the bill. Personally, I think they should think about getting rid of them. In my experience, an OCS officer is every bit as good in terms of technical knowledge as an officer fresh out of the academies, and actually more mature because they did college in an adult environment, maybe worked briefly in a civilian job, and got all that crap out of their system. The academy kids are 18 year olds in a 22 year old body--I've had more academy kids get in hot water over drinking and carousing than OCS kids of the same experience level.

[MADem]

4. Sure, they've lowered all standards save physical readiness

But the truth of the matter is that the midgrade and senior leaders were by and large grown during the Clinton era.

They are keeping their heads down and their mouths shut, like good military personnel do when politics are involved, but they aren't gonna go like sheep. Remember, for those with commissions, their first loyalty is to the Constitution of the United States--they do not swear to obey the President, that is only a feature of the enlisted oath.

[ltfranklin]

7. This is something that can be "handled".

A foreign war is wonderful for moving personnel where you wish them. And leaving others at home where you wish them.

[MADem]

10. Not entirely true

It could happen over time, but the facts remain that the number of active duty forces in Iraq doesn't compare to the number of Guard, who do the heavy lifting. You can't just strip all the bases in the US, Europe, and the far east of troops and stuff them in Iraq. We've hundreds of ships at sea and in ports stuffed to the gills with Sailors and Marines as well.

It would take ten years or more to clear out all of the old smart people, and replace them with dunces. And you'd have to keep some smarties around, it is a high tech military these days.

The only way you could get the military to go along with a coup scenario is to create an emergency and declare martial law. Absent that sort of thing, they won't go along with the program.

[ltfranklin]

11. Exactly correct.

Can you name a Coup in the last say 50 years that hasn't started with an "emergency" that required troops on the ground at home? If you don't have a real emergency, well, you can always arrange one.

The success of that coup is largely dependent on how much preparation has been made before the "emergency".

[cruadin]

12. The first loyalty in the oath for enlisted members is also to the...

Constitution:

"I, (state your name), do solemly 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."

[ltfranklin]

18. It's a wonderful oath....

"I, (state your name), do solemly 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."

I think it good, but it's a shame it's done only at the beginning of one's service. I think it would be good if the oath were take repeatedly, at every change in rank and every change in post.

In fact, I'd like to see the oath extended. Although there is no surity that the oath will be taken seriously, especially by someone who thinks that their beliefs trumps any oath they may take, I think more is required:

"I, (state your name), do solemly 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. I further swear that, if future allegiences someday make my adherence to this oath impossible, I will withdraw from any position I may hold that may allow action that contravenes this oath. And in support of this oath, and in accord with every principal and belief I hold dear, I pledge to all that have take this oath in the past, and all who will take this oath in the future, my life, my fortune and my sacred honor. So help me God."

I beleive that it should be stated that if your values or allegiances change during your life in a way that would make it impossible to follow the demands of the oath, the oath should REQUIRE you to make it known, and to either retire or ask to be placed in a position where you cannot break the oath.

[MADem]

23. It IS done repeatedly

You take it, if enlisted, every time you re-up. Officers take their oath every time they are promoted.

Officer oath: "I, (state your full name) having been appointed an officer in the (insert branch of Service), in the grade of (insert rank) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; (this bit is optional: So help me God)."

It's quite close to the oath the chimp took when he stole the duncery.

[MADem]

22. True, but officers do NOT swear allegiance to the Prez

...that was my point, see.

[jean]

6. Flippant - but could you add a "Do You?" before the Part 2?

No need to reply - I'm just being obnoxious.

[ltfranklin]

9. No, I hope it's implied...

This isn't a place for Manifestos, it's a place for discussion. That's why the forum is called "General Discussion: Politics". But thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind if I continue the series.

[Trillo]

8. "certain religious beliefs over allegiance to ... the Constitution"

I find the honor code that's given to cadets and to any student at most any military academy, even HS level ones, quite hypocritical, especially in light of the recent Air Force Academy reports of the influence of the evangelical cadets.

How can such an institution claim they're following the laws, essentially drawing in aspiring cadets of other theist persuasions, only to browbeat attending cadets with the practical matter that the school really doesn't tolerate anything other than Christianity?

What ivory tower do the administrators live in? One of false truth?

Better memorize that damn Honor Code, it's as valuable as....

[MADem]

13. The Air Force Academy is the one in the limelight

And funny enough, it seems like it's the Fundies that are taking over, at least in that environment. That won't sit well with the Mormons in charge, I imagine. The USAF has the highest percentage of Mormon senior officers of any service, it is WAAAY off the charts in comparison to other branches. The USMC and USN are loaded with Catholics in the senior ranks. Army is a bit more of a mixed bag.

[Trillo]

16. Does the Air Force Academy not have an Honor Code to be

memorized? Anyway, all of those you mention are subsets of Christianity. I think my "baiting" remark is appropriate unless they don't have any honor code.

Edit:
"We Will Not Lie, Steal Or Cheat, Nor Tolerate Among Us Anyone Who Does"
http://atlas.usafa.af.mil/pa/factsheets/honor.htm

An example of this might be: how could an honorable AF airman through the highest commissioned officer tolerate 'corporate corruption,' even fight for it's existence? Wouldn't they have a duty to "not tolerate" the corporate state?

The hypocrisies are in ever-widening gyre.

[lthuedk]

14. The most important step in thwarting the theofascists is-

as I've said before-winning over the military. Without a military, fascism is dead.

From my viewpoint, a most critical focus should be differentiating the levels of religionism. That there is a relationship between insecurity and degree of faith; a parallel between fear management and faith; that there is a betrayal of trust in self that leads directly to submission and away from self-reliance and self-control.

Challenging someone's beliefs is treading on dangerous waters. However, if the method doesn't accost broadly but is selective, it may plant the seed of rational introspection over mindless reactionism.

The very fact that degrees of religionism exist tends to offer open doors of communication. That commercial (tax break-bribed) media fail to explore and report on the more extreme phenomena is a red flag-not of their ignorance or complacency, but of possible complicity in a larger, more deleterious moral subservience.

Establishing doubt that certain beliefs can guarantee passage to religious nirvana might work with reasonable individuals and hopefully, some full blown converts.





The fact that criminals are the ideal purveyors of ends-justify-the-means behavior can be, I think, useful to point making. Killing or believing in killing, or committing fraud as a precept for that killing, can easily be shown to go counter to rational Christian thinking. And the military trained mind would be in a position to realize this best.

Stephen Pitt

[ladjf]

15. I don't believe that a military coup is likely. In the first place,

there would have to be almost total cooperation among the branches of the military. Secondly, unlike the current political coup, where they can make it appear to be following legitimate Democratic processes, thereby pacifying the population, a military coup would be totally in the open and illegal. They would be faced with years of insurrection by disgruntled Americans. The U.S. is large geographically and by population. It would take more resources that the military has just to keep the citizens under control.

[ltfranklin]

17. A military coup is not likely, yes.

A Coup D'Etat by the NeoCons and radical right-wing "christian" groups is much more likely. The military, though, does come in handy in making sure the Coup is successful, and maintaining power after the fact. And you don't need total control of the military. Just people in the right places, a manufactured (or convenient real) crisis that calls for martial law, and a quick purge of stumbling stones. If you have advance notice, you can also move potential problems by "allocating" them overseas to foreign wars.

[MADem]

19. That's actually funny, what you said--

--there would have to be almost total cooperation among the branches of the military....!!!!!!! You are quite right, I cannot see that happening!

They fight like cats and dogs every year during mark up for the military appropriations bills. All of this interservice cooperation and training aside, it is still a race to be best and brightest with them. They actively try to screw each other over, steal programs and program dollars from each other, it's actually pretty funny if you can just step back and watch all the seething going on. USAF didn't want drones, way back when, because they were unmanly (read: pilotless) and Navy got stuck with them. Then, they got hot, so USAF now wants them all and wants Navy out of the picture totally...and, they don't want three letter civilian agencies to have their own, which are better than the military versions...more carping and whining than you'll never experience in semi-normal society!

And that is just one program! When you see how they fight over MILCON money, there's blood on the floor when all is said and done!

[NAO]

21. The Dominionists in the Military have been harrassing Jews

Even corporate news carried the stories about how Evangelical Christians have extensively infiltrated the US Military and are openly harassing Jews there.

Published Friday, April 22, 2005
Study finds evangelism at Air Force
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=29383

excerpt

"A report conducted by students and faculty from the Yale Divinity School found that military chaplains at the U.S. Air Force Academy have created an environment strongly influenced by Protestant evangelism during basic training..."

Air Force cadets allege religious harassment
Slurs and jokes: The academy is scrambling to address complaints of discrimination against non-Christians
By Robert Weller
The Associated Press
http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_2680610

excerpt

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Less than two years after it was plunged into a rape scandal, the Air Force Academy is scrambling to address complaints that evangelical Christians wield so much influence at the school that anti-Semitism and other forms of religious harassment have become pervasive.
There have been 55 complaints of religious discrimination at the academy in the past four years, including cases in which a Jewish cadet was told the Holocaust was revenge for the death of Jesus and another was called a Christ-killer by a fellow cadet.


*****

The Swift Advance of a Planned Coup: Conquering by Stealth and Deception - How the Dominionists Are Succeeding in Their Quest for National Control and World Power
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheSwiftAdvanceOfaPlannedCoup.htm

The Despoiling of America: How George W. Bush became the head of the new American Dominionist Church/State
http://www.yuricareport.com/Dominionism/TheDespoilingOfAmerica.htm

Video on the Christian Reconstructionist Dominionist Theocratic Agenda
http://www.theocracywatch.org/av/video_dominion.ram

The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party
a public information project from TheocracyWatch.org
http://www.theocracywatch.org