TROOPS DIE WHILE THE BRASS LIES

By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor

Our professional military, cut from the same cloth that killed off a generation in Vietnam, is pushing for a decade of war in Afghanistan, a decade of promotions, massive budgets, big "after retirement" defense contracting jobs and the adrenalin rush of sending others out to die.  Stuck in a land locked country with an enemy impossible to fight, and no cause of any kind to speak of, keeping a war going takes imagination and tons of lies and backstabbing.  What group could be better at it than the Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon?

DEFINITION:  PERFUMED PRINCE: a man who is seen as bureaucratic or careerist; a man who is said to be effete, feminine, ineffectual, vacillating, or cowardly; (hence) a member of the U.S. military leadership (at the Pentagon); top brass. (by Col. David Hackworth)

The military loved Vietnam.  It was an endless round of single malt scotches at the club and teenage girls delivered by jeep or, if you had enough rank, helicopter by night.  During the day there were photo opportunities with the troops between the 3 star meals and poolside chatter.  American brass in Vietnam lived a lifestyle few could ever dream of, ease, comfort, rare occasions of heart pounding danger but no discomfort, no missed meals and every need, no matter how immoral, sick or disgusting, only a snap of the fingers away.

The real rewards for this sacrifice have been years of strutting around with a chest full of medals and endless stories of imaginary combat, always backed up by a bevy of bean counters, paper pushers and arm chair commandos. 

When you hear about generals quick to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, places they couldn't have found on a map a week before, understanding the disaster facing us today doesn't take much imagination.  How hard is it to figure out that he toughest decision most of our leaders make is what to have for lunch?

Ever wonder how so many "warriors" got so chummy with a government full of draft dodgers?  Think of how much fun it is sending others out to fight unplanned and even utterly purposeless wars when you live in world dripping with nothing but the best life can give and still be called, not only a warrior but hero to boot without any more risk than getting caught forcing some junior officers wife to have sex with you to save her husbands "career." 

So many of your friends lost those fat pensions that way and had to take jobs with defense contractors.  The fear of that must be devastating but, thank goodness for that little blue pill, it doesn't leave you "down."

So, general "whatshishame" wants 40,000 new soldiers for "whatchacallistan?"  Why?  To fight who?  How?  Where?  With what supplies, brought in how?  What if the enemy moves back and waits for us to leave?  What if they simply move in with the civilian population, who trusts them and hates us?  What if Glenn Beck stops taking my calls?

Does any of this remind you of Vietnam.  We are told our fearless leader in Afghanistan rigged an election and his brother is running most of the world's heroin business.  Actually, Karzai is a far better leader than Diem, our choice in Vietnam.  At least Karzai is Muslim.  Diem was a Catholic who started a civil war by outlawing Buddhism, the religion of 97% of the country.  So, in Vietnam, we not only had to fight communists, in fact, we may have never fought any communists at all.  How can you tell?

Go ask a farmer somewhere in Southeast Asia if he is a Communist, a Socialist, a Maoist, a Trotskyite, a Marxist-Leninist or an  agrarian reformer with Sindicalist tendencies. 

Now go to Afghanistan where 2 in a hundred can read.  Ask a farmer if he is part of an Arab plot to plant sleeper cells across Europe and the US to kill millions of civilians so America will send thousands of troops to his poor and isolated country and blow up his hut?  You are, of course, talking to someone who has never traveled more than 10 miles in his life. 

Now go to Washington DC.  Head out to a golf course or expensive restaurant, and select a general or admiral, we don't care which service they are in.  The person next to them will be wearing a suit that will cost more than most Americans make in a month.  His shoes will cost even more.  Ask this pair of geniuses who they are fighting and how they plan to win?   

When you hear the jabbering about Iran, nuclear weapons and how badly we need thousands of F22 aircraft, capable of destroying enemy planes that won't exist for another hundred years but we can't have a vehicle for our troops to ride around in that a small child who picks up an RPG off the ground can blow to smithereens.

You could suggest that if they need a 3rd or 4th for golf, you could send them to Walter Reed Hospital and find some volunteers.  Watch out for the rats.

Ask them what they would do if the war on terror ended?  What if Osama bin Laden was as dead as he has seemed for the last 7 years?  What if nobody would be fighting us in Afghanistan if we simply went home today?

Ask them how many thousands of acres of opium poppies their troops have destroyed this week.  If the opium crop is arming our enemy and killing off our own children here at home, why are we protecting it?  Pat Tillman asked that question and was accidentally shot 3 times at close range.  Oh, you didn't know that the Tillman coverup was about him reporting our part in the drug business in Afghanistan?  It must have been an oversight, I am sure the Army meant to tell us the truth.

So, what happens if the war ends.  What now, since we learned Iran was never making nuclear weapons after all?  Does that mean we won't have to use our new bunkerbuster bombs to destroy facilities we couldn't see because they weren't there after all?  Does this sound like Iraq?  It should.  Same lies, same people, same motive.

How do we create the next generation of Pentagon phonies with no war to visit, no troops to lead in hopeless attacks on invisible enemies?  How do we give out all those medals that look so good at cocktail parties unless we can find poor kids forced by unemployment, unemployment caused by a country gone broke buying weapons, poor kids to do the real fighting for golf course and cocktail party heroes?

Ever wonder why generals never talk about how to win anything, just how to prolong war?  Don't end anything, just keep it going with just enough dead so people won't care, just enough dead so the money train and the medals and promotions that go with the death and destruction can continue.

Maybe we could find the general who has the plan to save lives, save money and end the war and put him in charge.  What was his name again?  Anyone?  Name, just one name?  Anyone?