Now, I don't think that NORAD is any more inept or clueless than any other large military-bureaucratic organization. In fact, they probably blunder around less than most large human institutions. But the myth of NORAD, and similar modern military organizations, is that they are well oiled machines that are able to respond to every contingency with accuracy. In fact they are no more a well-oiled machine than, France's army during World War II, just to pick one pre-computer example.
NORAD's function has always been two-fold economic and propaganda transmission. NORAD was a vital part of the military-industrial complex and served the purpose of justification for more and more high-tech economic transmission from tax payers to industry. Also during the cold war NORAD played two very important propaganda purposes: The secondary propaganda purpose was aimed at the population at large, providing the public with a representative organization for the myth that a nuclear war can be won. But the primary propaganda purpose of NORAD was focused on the military itself, (especially its, Air Force officers) and related national security organizations, providing ideological justification for the whole idea of continental security, what is now called "homeland" security. The whole intellectual game theoretic and nuclear war survivalist culture of these national security organizations revolved around NORAD and its representation as the perfect tool. In reality all the actual wars were being fought in other people's homes and surviving a nuclear war is a bad joke.
The current NORAD tapes are only another illustration of why our military was never constructed to provide for "homeland security" (a fascist sounding phrase, in my ears), but rather to serve an economic purpose and the propaganda cover, for our imperial military.
Jerry
On 8/20/06, Michael Pugliese <michael.098762001 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> http://www.vanityfair.com/
> http://www.vanityfair.com/features/general/060801fege01
> 9/11 Live: The NORAD Tapes
> How did the U.S. Air Force respond on 9/11? Could it have shot down
> United 93, as conspiracy theorists claim? Obtaining 30 hours of
> never-before-released tapes from the control room of NORAD's Northeast
> headquarters, the author reconstructs the chaotic military history of
> that day—and the Pentagon's apparent attempt to cover it up. VF.com
> exclusive: Hear excerpts from the September 11 NORAD tapes.
> --
> Michael Pugliese
>
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>
-- Jerry Monaco's Philosophy, Politics, Culture Weblog is Shandean Postscripts to Politics, Philosophy, and Culture http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/
His fiction, poetry, weblog is Hopeful Monsters: Fiction, Poetry, Memories http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/
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