"I'm worth less than a laptop"
Happy Memorial Day.Before politicians were laying wreaths at cemeteries yesterday, Goldman Sachs was using the holiday month to welcome defense industry executives to a conference of bankers at their corporate headquarters in Manhattan. Eric DeMarco, the head of Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, addressed the gathering on the topic of the rising threat of war with Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea. He told investors that these conflicts could be great for their business and his, that Kratos was "very well-aligned" to handle a U.S. return to nation-state warfare.
While politicians bowed their heads in prayer and meditation before television and newspaper cameras, the Department of Justice moved to the next step of extradition and prosecution on the 17 indictments filed last week against Julian Assange. Among Assange’s alleged crimes is publishing classified information about the U.S. military killing of unarmed civilians and journalists.
While politicians were praising the ultimate sacrifice of men and women in uniform, members of the House and Senate soaked in the success of the major defense spending bill they approved last week that raises spending on that budget item for the second time in two years, now to $750 billion for 2019. Last year, the same two bodies pushed through a military budget that was at $716 billion, almost $80 billion more than the amount the Commander-in-Chief requested. The 750 billion dollars are the most seen for the military since 2009, when 180,000 troops were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate bill provides $10 billion specifically for 94 F-35 Fighters, 16 more than what the Pentagon requested.
While politicians issued media releases about the sanctity of the holiday, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, with a collection of B-52 fighter jets, remained in their position in the Persian Gulf in the waters off Iran. Pentagon sources announced threatening but unspecified threats from the Iranians, and reports have up to 120,000 American troops potentially being mobilized for a war crime assault against Iran that would be eerily reminiscent of the Gulf of Tonkin incident at North Vietnam 55 years ago this summer.
When the United States Army’s Twitter team asked the question online late last week: “How has serving impacted you?” they received some answers that were certainly unintended. Jeffrey Scott @Jscott916 tweeted back, “I am a Navy vet. I was a happy person before I served, now I am broke apart, cant even work a full 30 days due to anxiety and depression. I am in constant pain everyday. And I think about killing myself daily.” Karen @educatorsresist wrote, “I lost my virginity by being raped in front of my peers at 19. Got married to a nice guy who was part of my unit. He was in the invasion of Iraq. Came home a changed man who beat the shit out of me. He’s convinced y’all are stalking him and he’s homeless so great job there!” Schmoz @IvoryGazelle wrote, “Depression, anxiety, still can’t deal with loud noises. I was assaulted by one of my superiors. When I reported him, with witnesses to corroborate my story, nothing happened to him. Nothing. A year later, he stole a laptop and got demoted. I’m worth less than a laptop.” And KrissyK @krissyk262 wrote, “My sweet friend David can’t answer you. He committed suicide a few years ago after a couple tours in Afghanistan.”
Happy Memorial Day
posted by CM @ 8:29 PM
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