The war liberals
If you asked me which lefty site is my favourite, it's no contest whatsoever. For the reasons that I explained in my post "Enjoyed by dozens", BartCop
has in a totally non-ironic fashion been my favourite lefty site for a
decade now, which is almost an eternity in Internet terms. Jesus, do I
ever feel old right now.
When the war on Iraq began and BartCop first started publishing the number of U.S. servicemen deaths in Iraq, and the number was at that time around a hundred or so, I remember thinking that Old Bart sure is going to get an egg on his face on that and will be eating crow, since Americans will easily win with their military and technological superiority and that will be the end of it, just like the previous time they were over there. I would have never believed that after over three years, this number would be almost 2,500 and counting, and this number is steadily increasing by three or four deaths on the average day. But then again, apparently I was not alone in this assumption. (War Nerd, on the other hand, was eeriely predicting the present events years ago.)
For some mysterious reason, the American conservative sites that I like have consistently been highly critical of Bush Administration and the War on Iraq. (This dissention in ideological ranks is probably not known around the world, so if I have helped to inform Europeans about this, I guess that I have done something useful.) So far I haven't really written anything about Iraq, since even though by now the whole war is obviously a screwup, I can't much criticize the Americans' reasons for going there at the time, and packing their things and leaving now doesn't sound like an appealing option. But since I can at least remember the past four years, I would agree with Vox Day's post "Prediction: it won't mean a thing" that for all the current triumphalism in the neocon and theocon circles about the airstrike that killed Zarqawi, three months from now, there won't be any sign that Zarqawi's death ever happened. A year from now, Zarqawi will probably make a pretty good trivia question.
By the way, here is a free hint to some leftist with Flash programming skills: make a snazzy site that allows the user to move through the Iraq war timeline and the casualty chart, and read through quotes culled from the war supporters' commentary for each day, starting from the infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner and proceeding through the other events that were all supposed to turn this war around and end the insurgency.
A few days ago in some blog that I came upon but god dammit can't find any more I saw an email that is apparently circulating. In this email, some American defense contract worker explained that America as a whole killed Zarqawi, listing the indirect roles of many Americans necessary in achieving this goal. It's interesting that this event brings out the inner collectivist in some people who should know better --- perhaps some leftist could write a similar explanation why Bill Gates or some other entrepreneur didn't really achieve the great things that he did on his own, but America as a whole did, and should thus get equal credit for these achievements. If somebody has a link to this particular email, pretty please put it in the comment page, assuming the Blogger will ever start working again, so that others can see it too. Somebody else already put a link to the hilarious Aziz the Combat Fighter video clip.
More generally, in the past I have occasionally wondered why the American conservatives have such an uncritical adoration for their military, since they would certainly abhor pretty much every totalitarian principle that the military is by necessity based on, if it ever raised its head anywhere else in society. This is actually funny when you think about it, the fact that something that is basically a totalitarian separate society inside larger society, something that is structurally not that different from North Korea, can be so wildly successful in its task. There must be a moral lesson to be learned here, although I am afraid to even think of what it could be. Could it be that... gasp... the totalitarianism really is the most efficient way of doing things?
If so, perhaps the rest of the society should operate and be organized like the way that military does. For example, instead of all this confusion about how to dress all people would simply be told what they can wear. More importantly, instead of getting to choose what they do for a living, their appointed superiors would assign these tasks based on the orders from the central planner and central command. Instead of the current inefficient court system, military tribunals could take care of dispensing justice much more efficiently. Certainly this would make the whole society much more efficient, since it already works so well in the military itself. Or am I really the only one who has read any Tom Clancy?
When the war on Iraq began and BartCop first started publishing the number of U.S. servicemen deaths in Iraq, and the number was at that time around a hundred or so, I remember thinking that Old Bart sure is going to get an egg on his face on that and will be eating crow, since Americans will easily win with their military and technological superiority and that will be the end of it, just like the previous time they were over there. I would have never believed that after over three years, this number would be almost 2,500 and counting, and this number is steadily increasing by three or four deaths on the average day. But then again, apparently I was not alone in this assumption. (War Nerd, on the other hand, was eeriely predicting the present events years ago.)
For some mysterious reason, the American conservative sites that I like have consistently been highly critical of Bush Administration and the War on Iraq. (This dissention in ideological ranks is probably not known around the world, so if I have helped to inform Europeans about this, I guess that I have done something useful.) So far I haven't really written anything about Iraq, since even though by now the whole war is obviously a screwup, I can't much criticize the Americans' reasons for going there at the time, and packing their things and leaving now doesn't sound like an appealing option. But since I can at least remember the past four years, I would agree with Vox Day's post "Prediction: it won't mean a thing" that for all the current triumphalism in the neocon and theocon circles about the airstrike that killed Zarqawi, three months from now, there won't be any sign that Zarqawi's death ever happened. A year from now, Zarqawi will probably make a pretty good trivia question.
By the way, here is a free hint to some leftist with Flash programming skills: make a snazzy site that allows the user to move through the Iraq war timeline and the casualty chart, and read through quotes culled from the war supporters' commentary for each day, starting from the infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner and proceeding through the other events that were all supposed to turn this war around and end the insurgency.
A few days ago in some blog that I came upon but god dammit can't find any more I saw an email that is apparently circulating. In this email, some American defense contract worker explained that America as a whole killed Zarqawi, listing the indirect roles of many Americans necessary in achieving this goal. It's interesting that this event brings out the inner collectivist in some people who should know better --- perhaps some leftist could write a similar explanation why Bill Gates or some other entrepreneur didn't really achieve the great things that he did on his own, but America as a whole did, and should thus get equal credit for these achievements. If somebody has a link to this particular email, pretty please put it in the comment page, assuming the Blogger will ever start working again, so that others can see it too. Somebody else already put a link to the hilarious Aziz the Combat Fighter video clip.
More generally, in the past I have occasionally wondered why the American conservatives have such an uncritical adoration for their military, since they would certainly abhor pretty much every totalitarian principle that the military is by necessity based on, if it ever raised its head anywhere else in society. This is actually funny when you think about it, the fact that something that is basically a totalitarian separate society inside larger society, something that is structurally not that different from North Korea, can be so wildly successful in its task. There must be a moral lesson to be learned here, although I am afraid to even think of what it could be. Could it be that... gasp... the totalitarianism really is the most efficient way of doing things?
If so, perhaps the rest of the society should operate and be organized like the way that military does. For example, instead of all this confusion about how to dress all people would simply be told what they can wear. More importantly, instead of getting to choose what they do for a living, their appointed superiors would assign these tasks based on the orders from the central planner and central command. Instead of the current inefficient court system, military tribunals could take care of dispensing justice much more efficiently. Certainly this would make the whole society much more efficient, since it already works so well in the military itself. Or am I really the only one who has read any Tom Clancy?
Ilkka: You should check out Victor Davis Hanson's "Carnage and Culture". This book explains why when western powers fight wars with non-western powers, why the western powers almost always emerge victorious.
Posted by GMR | 2:17 PM
Are you sure US army is a particularly efficient organization? I mean, it obviously has more firepower than any other army, but is it particularly efficient in effect/money sense?
One reason why totalitarian organization within a normal state can get things done, whereas totalitarian states can't find their ass with two hands is that a totalitarian organization within a normal state is supported by the state and does not have to be financially self-reliant. A totalitarian state, on the other hand, tends to run into rather severe budget problems.
Another reason is that in the army the people are pretty much self-selected for functioning well within a totalitarian organization. Normal people who like wearing whatever they want and sleeping late in the morning tends to choose other careers.
Posted by Vera | 3:31 PM
The complete and successful totalitarian society will only come after we can grow children in vats and successfully rear them without families. And who wants to do that? Totalitarianism can't get people married, and it erodes all the things that make family life happy and desireable. The American military has traditionally understood that it is not a whole society, but exists to serve a whole society, one that is whole because it is free. Whether this understanding will survive the presence of women in the military is questionable.
Posted by Anonymous | 8:34 PM