Posts Tagged ‘army’

Worst of Human Nature Takes Hold in Egypt

Monday, December 19th, 2011

It can be very hard to watch this week’s footage showing Egyptian security forces beating and killing civilians. If there’s anything to be learned from these vile and disgusting acts, it’s that the authority to hurt other humans should be considered amongst the most sacred of all privileges.

Egypt’s soldiers – the men who are now guilty of murder – started out as regular people. They took a job in the military, making their living doing what they’re told. On top of this, they face indoctrination leading them to believe they are fighting for a just cause.

Then, when the order comes and free license is given to beat unarmed citizens with metal rods, some of these troops will excel in their roles as thugs. Just like the young men caught enthusiastically jump-stomping their own brothers and sisters.

The problem, however, is not with the soldiers, but rather with the generals. The leaders who gave permission for violence to happen are ultimately responsible, and when justice prevails they will be held fully liable for the carnage they set into motion.

Violence should only be used as a last resort, and only as a deterrent against greater violence. When decision-makers lend the right to hurt others with such ease, atrocities like those we see across the Middle East will continue to happen.

Of course, it’s all fine and dandy to point out what seems obvious: if we want peace we need to severely restrict the use of violence. But how does this knowledge help anyone staring down hundreds of armed goons? Well, it doesn’t.

But it does give the rest of us something to aim for – which is a world where the general population has the means to hold authorities accountable for their actions.

Fortunately, thanks to the ever expanding reach of citizen journalism, combined with a free Internet through which to exchange stories, institutionalized corruption and injustice will continue to be exposed. Leaders who abuse the powers they’ve been entrusted with will brought to bear for the suffering they cause.

Holding the use of violence in the highest esteem something we’ve either forgotten or never learned. But it is a truth we will awaken to as we usher in a new era of peace for our planet.

Corporate Armies

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

The Military Industrial Complex(MIC) , aka the war-machine, is an entity made up of the “defense” industry, the government, the media, and the armed forces to ensure that institutionalized warfare is perpetuated as much as possible around the world.

Fueled by our fears and our lust for violence… allowed to persist because of the propaganda too many people swallow – freedom, liberty, democracy, honor… driven forward by the trillions in profit to be made… the MIC can be considered a primary force responsible for most of the war we have in our world, because it enables it.  Without this entity to profit off violence and death, wars would not exist to the degree we see in our world.

There has been a trend becoming more evident in the past decade… privatized armies.  Mercenaries -Soldiers of Fortune like those of the notorious BlackWater – are being called on to take on more and more significant roles in armed conflicts.

For centuries, governments have been an important pillar in the MIC, but they are becoming less and less important.  Corporations have been skipping whole ‘Uncle Sam Needs You’ spiel, instead just recruiting their own armies.

For example, The Shell company relies on a hired army to protect their oil interests in Africa.  This army has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations… settling a recent case for over $15 million.

This trend will continue as corporations grow in power.  Eventually corporations will have their own armies, large enough to rival those of entire countries.  If and when this happens, these armies will simply follow orders, not bound by any rules or laws other than what the corporation sets forth.  Combine this notion with the forthcoming advent of robotic soldiers, and we can see a stark wake-up call…

IT IS TIME TO END WAR BEFORE WAR ENDS US!

Luckily, we are fast approaching the day when institutionalized war will end on earth.  Humankind is becoming empowered – individuals all around the world are becoming empowered – thanks to new technology and other developments.  We are uniting on a scale never before seen, and this will allow us to make our world what we want it to be.

The power of solidarity we are gaining will allow us to dismantle the Military Industrial Complex, striking a huge blow to the forces perpetuating war in our world.  Peace will become the dominant force in our world.

Be sure to visit us often to find out more reasons why peace is coming.