MIM on censorship in the military

started October 16 2004

The U.S. Government Census Bureau determined that there were 26.4 million living veterans in the united $tates as of 2000. That is 13% of the population and includes approximately one in four men over age 18. (See, http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02ff18.html )

A large portion of society becomes acclimated to repression in the military as youth. A militarized country is not a free country, and on this MIM does not say anything particularly new. The "founding fathers" while guilty of genocide and slavery knew from European experience why they opposed having too many veterans and a standing army that is large and permanent. It's cause-and-effect that militarization leads to despotism, and this is now such a problem that MIM itself does not believe it is possible to leap straight into a peaceful and state-less world.

"The continual necessity for their services enhances the importance of the soldier, and proportionably degrades the condition of the citizen. The military state becomes elevated above the civil. The inhabitants of territories, often the theatre of war, are unavoidably subjected to frequent infringements on their rights, which serve to weaken their sense of those rights; and by degrees the people are brought to consider the soldiery not only as their protectors, but as their superiors. The transition from this disposition to that of considering them masters, is neither remote nor difficult; but it is very difficult to prevail upon a people under such impressions, to make a bold or effectual resistance to usurpations supported by the military power."

("Federalist Papers," #8, November 20 1786, by "founding father of the United States" Alexander Hamilton)

It is imperative to fight the degradation of the whole society by militarist brainwashing and censorship, but we have to admit that with the number of veterans, police and prison guards in the united $tates, the situation has gone beyond anything Alexander Hamilton imagined happening. The perpetual war of the united $tates on the Third World has led to a situation where 1) the united $tates attacks other countries in the name of "freedom"; 2) yet, soldiers learn to do without freedom in practical life in the military and 3) the united $tates can land a hundred thousand troops anywhere, but it can't run its own elections.

Sergeant Lorentz faces threats for writing about Iraq War, posted October 16, 2004

As of October 16 2004, with a handful of exceptions, the U.S. government has refused to release the Abu Ghraib prison torture and murder photos