OK, the military-industrial complex. Blah, blah, blah. We see its influence everywhere and still it remains a mysterious nether-world, conspiracy-nut, freako concept to most of us. It's there; Make no mistake. But its incarnations are as elusive as those of the Evil One himself!

So here's a new one.

Why would the U.S. go to war with Iraq? To overthrow an evil dictator? Please. To seek revenge against those who would seek to do America harm? Whatever. To find "Weapons of Mass Destruction"? HaHaHa...whoo! *wipes tear from eye* Yeah. So what the fuck?

Here's the deal. I've got it. Finally. I've got one word for ya: Prosthetics!

In the year 2000 - man that sounds like a lifetime ago (and for many in my family it is) - the Bush Administration and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confronted a Pentagon atrophied by eight years of drastic budget cuts as a result of the end of the Cold War. Rumsfeld immediately tapped the long forlorn high-tech DOD gurus to re-shape the U.S. military into a 21st century fighting force.

Of course, at that particular time they weren’t exactly focused on the realities of asymmetrical warfare - or maybe they were. At any rate, the boys - from day one - began a rapid redefinition of U.S. force projection on a global scale. This redefinition included the re-establishment of long-forgotten projects such as SDI and the withdrawal of the U.S. from several international treaties whose chief purpose was to prevent the weaponization of space.

Before September 11th, 2001 most military analysts - myself included - knew something was up. But we were wrong. Ya see, we all thought Rumsfeld and the boys had a grand vision of some sort of uber-U.S. Space Force. Hence Myers (with his space-based pedigree) being named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Little did we know.

Only now is the full plan coming into light. The future of warfare in the 21st century is not in space. It's right here on Earth. It's just going to be one hell of a lot more violent than anything we've ever seen outside of Anime or videogames. I am - of course - talking about the advent of the use of bionics and exo-skeletal mechs in warfare.

Human soldiers are not equipped to handle modern combat. Robots and drones don’t fit the bill either. Nanotechnology and cybernetics are too nascent, but prosthetics and mechs...now they’re technologies with legs, if you'll forgive the pun.

While prosthetic and mech technologies are far more advanced than any of their nearest competitors in the realms of military technologies, they are still quite a few years away from use in the field. Quite a few years, or one good war and a shit-ton of funding that is. What better way to spend a bunch of tax-payer cash than to test the development of new prosthetic technologies on an instant market of government supplied amputees?

As unpalatable a thought as it is, is there any more logical explanation for sending young Americans to be disfigured and maimed in Iraq? There must be a point, right. We know it's not to free anyone, not to exact revenge, and not to find non-existent weapons. So there must be another reason.

Maybe it is the oil, but maybe it's something else.

Great technological advances are often the result of warfare; Whether it is justified or not. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are such conflicts. There will be great strides made in weaponry and the technologies of destruction from the data gleaned from the Global War on Terror.

Is it so unusual to think that the ultimate results of this "generational war" will be the development of stronger, faster, deadlier soldiers through the use of bionics and exo-skeletal mechs? Quite frankly, it's no more unusual - nor any more asinine - than any of the pitiful excuses offered by the Bush Administration for this war. So why the hell not?

From Atrios via The Agonist:

All,

As many of you know, I am currently in the apolitical position of Army public affairs specialist in Afghanistan. I only recently arrived, after waiting for 2.5 months at Ft. Riley, Kansas, but that's another issue. I'm writing you all today because I'm going to take many of you up on your offers and rudely ask a favor of those who made no offer.

When I first mentioned on my blog, Nitpicker, that I was going to be deployed, a large number of you asked how you could help me, what I would need for Afghanistan. The truth is, there's not much. However, I just went on my first mission with a civil affairs group and found a way you might be able to help me out.

It seems that the children of Afghanistan want nothing more than they want a pen.

It was explained to me that the villages through which I traveled (near Kandahar, where I'm based) are so poor that a pen is like a scholarship to these children. They desperately want to learn but, without a pen, they simply won't. It's a long story. I won't bore you with it. Trust me, though, when I say that it would be a big deal if even a few of you could put up the call for pens for me. Anyone interested in helping out could either send some directly to me or go to these sites and send them, where you can find them for as cheap as $.89 a dozen.

You can send them to me at this address:

Terry L. Welch
105th MPAD
Kandahar Public Affairs Office
APO AE 09355

Great stuff. Maybe it's me, but I get it. I have a favorite pen, and writing with another is just not a pleasant experience. So instead of sending Mr. Welch a dozen disposable, I wrote to the A.T. Cross Company to ask for their help.

Hopefully they will.

This from the bat-shit crazy department (Hey I've got the black background going on, I might as well embrace it):

Rumsfeld has no eyes!

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has no eyes. The secretary made the startling revelation to the world today as he testified before Congress regarding the abuses and torture Iraqi prisoners have been subjected to under the U.S. led occupation.

"See here," said Rumsfeld affecting his most arrogant drawl, "I would have put an immediate end to these shenanigans had I seen any evidence of wrongdoing by U.S. service members." Rumsfeld then peered out over the rims of his glasses revealing the dark, empty eye sockets of a souless minion of evil. "But I don't have eyes!" the secretary cackled as members of Congress recoiled in shock.

For the public record, various media outlets captured the disturbing sight on film:
CNN


MSNBC


Fox News


The New York Times


The Washington Post


I knew the guy was evil, but this is ridiculous.

Labels: Donald Rumsfeld