Conformity & Compliance vs. Conscience & Consistency

As a followup to my interview on Antiwar Radio, I was contacted by the host of another podcast, Brett Veinotte. Brett expressed a desire to interview me specifically about the military's culture of obedience. Initially, I learned about Brett when he did an education series on the Complete Liberty Podcast, and then, about a month ago, Brett started his own show, School Sucks. In just this short time, his show has quickly become one of the most popular education podcasts available on the web, with downloads from around the world.

Outside of authoritarian family dynamics, the governmental indoctrination system commonly referred to as "Public School" is undoubtedly the single greatest propaganda tool for manipulating the minds of young people toward a willingness to murder and/or die in the military. Were it not for the nearly constant messages that it's the highest virtue to be killed while trying to kill others (in uniform of course) and that without waging war we'd all be saying "Heil Hitler" or speaking Japanese, there would undoubtedly be few people so willing to risk their lives on command. Today the message has changed to the threats of wearing turbans and reading the Koran, but the principles of fear and a tribal mentality remain the same. As a result, Brett's work in highlighting the harmful effect of so-called public education is an invaluable part of progressing from a society that condones war to one that condemns it.

What follows is some background information about Brett as seen on his website edu-lu-tion.com:

In my 10+ years of teaching, "school sucks" is perhaps the most common phrase I've heard students use to describe their feelings about public education. But this seemingly bitter and reductive slogan is actually quite clever. When taken literally, "school sucks" is perhaps the most accurate and astute synopsis of the system I've ever heard. Here's why...

The twelve-year process of an American public education has a dramatic effect on the mind of a child. When we first enter school at age six, many of our best personal attributes are already in place. We are curious, innovative, unique, creative and hopeful in ways that we will rarely be able to replicate throughout the rest of our lives. But over time, school sucks those essential attributes out of too many of us...and replaces them with predictability, obedience and apathy.

Brett includes a "Critical Thinking Question" as part of each episode, and for this show the question is, "How could disobedience to authority save millions of lives?" Whether you already know the answer or not, I'm confident that you'll find the content of the show to be thought-provoking and insightful.

The show is available for listening/download via podOmatic by clicking here,

or

You can use the following link to find School Sucks in the iTunes Store.

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Additional Resources:

Daniel Lakemacher on Antiwar Radio

http://antiwar.com/radio/2009/09/16/daniel-lakemacher/

The Perils of Obedience by Stanley Milgram

http://home.swbell.net/revscat/perilsOfObedience.html

An Exploration of Self-Responsibility and Its Effects on Obedience by Wes Bertrand

http://www.logicallearning.net/obedience.html

Radio Interview

On Tuesday I had the privilege of being interviewed by Scott Horton on KAOS 95.9 FM in Austin, Texas. Scott is the host of Antiwar Radio, and in addition to his live show, he publishes his interviews as podcasts. The bulk of Scott's questions were related to my time in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but I also had the opportunity to provide an overview of how to be discharged as a conscientious objector. I'm excited about the increased publicity this has brought to my own site, especially since many in the anti-war movement are unaware of the powerful impact that can be made by encouraging an active duty member to file as a conscientious objector.

Included below are links to the interview, as well as some information from the "About" page of antiwar.com. Antiwar.com is a unique source for detailed information that is hard to find through any of the major media outlets. Particularly in light of the recent U.S. military attack in Somalia, I encourage you to utilize this site as a means to discover critical information and alternate perspectives on the immoral actions perpetrated under the guise of United States foreign policy.

MP3 Download (25:03)

iTunes Store Interview Link

This site is devoted to the cause of non-interventionism and is read by libertarians, pacifists, leftists, "greens," and independents alike, as well as many on the Right who agree with our opposition to imperialism. Our initial project was to fight against intervention in the Balkans under the Clinton presidency. We applied the same principles to Clinton's campaigns in Haiti and Kosovo and bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Our politics are libertarian: our opposition to war is rooted in Randolph Bourne's concept that "War is the health of the State." With every war, America has made a "great leap" into statism, and as Bourne emphasized, "it is during war that one best understands the nature of that institution [the State]." At its core, that nature includes an ever increasing threat to individual liberty and the centralization of political power.

. . .

Our dedication to libertarian principles, inspired in large part by the works and example of the late Murray N. Rothbard, is reflected on this site. While openly acknowledging that we have an agenda, the editors take seriously our purely journalistic mission, which is to get past the media filters and reveal the truth about America's foreign policy. Citing a wide variety of sources without fear or favor, and presenting our own views in the regular columns of various contributors, we clearly differentiate between fact and opinion, and let our readers know which is which.

Keep reading . . .

Day 131 - The End of My Military Enslavement

To confirm the absolutely arbitrary and tyrannical nature of my former involuntary servitude to the Navy, I was "discharged" this morning at 9:57 AM simply by signing a sheet of paper and having someone else sign it as well. Prior to these ink marks having been made on that paper, others would have deemed themselves justified in throwing me in a cage if I didn't work for them. However, with this magic document the individuals calling themselves the "Navy" suddenly lost the so-called "right" to completely control my productive capacity. The reality is that these people never had, nor could they ever have, the right to own me or anyone else.

The fact that I'm no longer threatened with imprisonment if I don't work for them does nothing to justify the previous 1,516 days during which that was an ever-present reality. The truth is that despite having only filed my written request to be classified as a conscientious objector 131 days ago, I could not have freely left any day prior to today.

While I'm thrilled that the injustice of my forced labor for the Navy has ended, this is not a victory of right over wrong, nor is it proof that, however slowly, "the system does work."

Before praising the Navy for having done the right thing, think of it this way: if a slave-owner suddenly decided to release one of his slaves would you speak well of him even if he never publicly admitted that he was horribly wrong for having enslaved someone in the first place? What if the slave owner did nothing to try and make restitution to the individual he had enslaved? Finally, and perhaps worst of all, would you have kind words for the "Master" if after releasing one slave he continued to threaten hundreds of thousands of other slaves if they quit working?

Sadly, this is not merely an analogy, but it is the reality of what has happened with myself and the Navy. In ending their threat of imprisonment today, those comprising the Navy have never admitted the immorality of having forced me to labor for them for the previous 1,516 days that I did. Additionally, they have not in any way sought to make restitution for this grave injustice. Finally, and one of the major reasons this blog will continue, they continue to threaten hundreds of thousands of other people with imprisonment should they leave their jobs without the "papers" I was given today.

Ultimately, war is immoral, and part of this immorality is the manner in which people are forced to risk their lives, limbs, and property to either fight in it or fund it. Were it not for the perceived legitimacy of military enslavement (generally read "enlistments"), the likelihood and destructive power of war would be greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Therefore, I will continue to apply my talent and effort toward promoting the truth of military slavery and the overall immorality of war. I do this not as a man embittered by his personal experience, but rather as an individual who is inspired by the possibility of creating a voluntary society.

Days 124-129 - I've Seen It in Writing

I've now seen the "orders" authorizing my discharge, and I've been told that Friday will be the day when I'm finally released.

This blog and my corresponding website http://warisimmoral.com will continue, as I hope that it will serve as an inspiration and catalyst for others working for the military ("uniformed" or civilian) to abandon their support of the immoral institution known as the United States Department of Defense. What follows is an introduction and link to an article exposing the false reasoning used to rationalize why "coalition forces" are justified in occupying Afghanistan.

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The Myth of Afghan Terrorism

In his speech about Afghanistan, given at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London on 4 September 2009, British prime minister Gordon Brown argued that this is a war to protect people across the West from terrorism.

It is ‘not just a mission to protect the British people from the threat of terrorism but an international mission involving over 40 countries’, he said, ‘because we all face the same threat. We’ve all seen the reality of this threat: in Bali, Madrid, Mumbai, and of course on the streets of London four years ago.’ (1)

Raising the spectre of recent terrorist attacks to justify the war in Afghanistan is highly disingenuous - because Afghan terrorism is a myth. No Afghan citizens have been involved in any of the terror attacks mentioned by Brown. And even where non-Afghans have allegedly received funding or training from inside Afghanistan in order to carry out terrorist attacks, their drive and motivation has come from elsewhere.

A brief overview of recent attacks suggests that, contrary to what Brown says, the problem of contemporary terrorism will not be resolved by occupying Afghanistan.

Continue reading as Patrick Hayes details the lack of Afghan involvement in each of the referenced terrorist incidents @ http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7350/

123 Days Later . . . A Verbal Answer Is Given

This afternoon a man identifying himself as my "SEA" (Senior Enlisted Advisor) informed me that I will be discharged from the military within about one week. This individual was not forthcoming with details, but apparently on an as yet unknown day next week, I will no longer be subject to imprisonment should I stop working for the organization known as the United States Navy. I'm unsure what exactly will transpire during my remaining days of involuntary servitude, but I have been told that I will undergo a final physical examination in addition to being asked to sign a lot of paperwork.

For any military members reading this, I hope you're encouraged to file your own request to be discharged as a conscientious objector. The truth is that war is immoral, and it's abhorrent that you're threatened with imprisonment if you stop working in support of it on anything but the military's terms.

Again, here's a link to the organization that has been my biggest asset in seeking discharge:

Center on Conscience & War: http://centeronconscience.org/home.shtml

*They assist military members with many issues beyond conscientious objection, and their toll-free confidential phone number is 1-800-379-2679.