A Duty to Disobey All Unlawful Orders

[Kelley]

try putting it in the actual context of what you wrote which was that the 
mil learned two lessons in nam: " First, colonial wars cannot be fought by 
a conscript army; only thoroughly indoctrinated and highly motivated 
professionals
(speaking relatively, of course) can be counted upon to consistently murder
people in remote lands far from home."

there is nothing especially objectionable about the claim that they learned 
this less. what is objectionable is what flows from your assumption that 
this situation seals off criticism and/or makes them uniquely obedient.

as for this inept response to steve's own belabored interpretation of what 
you wrote, i would suggest that there is nothing unique here. you can find 
the same traits in secretaries, programmers, fry cooks, middle managers, 
car salesmen, tool and dye makers, accountants, reporters, teachers, 
statisticians, nurses and so forth.

At 08:56 AM 3/18/03 -0800, Mark Bennett wrote:
>-----Original Message-----
>Steven McGraw [mailto:stmcgraw at vt.edu]
>
> >thoroughly indoctrinated and highly motivated professionals
> >
>
>
> >How many military enlisted do you actually know personally?
>
>Current enlisted personnel?  None.  Former enlisted personnel?  Many.  By
>"thoroughly indoctrinated and highly motivated" I am not referring to
>bloodthirsty warriors who spend their off hours reading Clausewitz and Ernst
>Junger.  I mean ideologically reliable volunteers who are so immersed in the
>standard American mythology that they can be counted upon to follow orders
>and not question the justice of our imperial adventures.  Among veterans of
>my acquaintance, only Vietnam draftees, and a couple of African-American
>vets who served more recently, do not fall within the category I described.
>Perhaps my experience is not representative, but I doubt it.