Body Bags Filled with GI Joe and Jane, No Homecoming Trumpets for the fallen?
Posted April 11, 2004 thepeoplesvoice.org

By: Vincent L Guarisco

"Americans have been taught that their nation is civilized and humane. But, too often, U.S. actions have been uncivilized and inhumane." - Howard Zinn, historian and author

Did Uncle Sam always have such a cold, black heart? Or did Sammy's heartstrings lose their chromatic charm and warmth when the Bush cartel dipped it into an oozing barrel of Texas Tea imported from the Middle East? I know many of you are still wrapped in the flag, but can you at least pull it down past your eyes and ears for minute? The mouth area on down can remain star-spangled and entwined. I appreciate your cooperation. I need your quiet, patriotic attention.

Notice anything missing in the news media since all this war business started? Where is all the media attention for the more than 300 fallen military servicemen who have been killed in Iraq and shipped back home? I ask again - has anyone heard the trumpets blaring or seen cameras clicking in patriotic fever as the body bags arrive and unload from military cargo planes?

While I'm on the subject - has anyone seen any televised funerals or heard any interviews with relatives of the deceased who are not happy campers? Hardly anything? Hmm, go figure.

I apologize for asking such disturbing questions, but duty calls in the wake of duplicity, and simply waving the flag is not enough, in fact it's not even close. If we want to call ourselves true American patriots, it's our duty to "ask questions," and lots of them. When considering all the brave souls who have given their lives for country and cartel, perhaps asking questions and demanding honest answers will be the true battle cry of our times.

Listen up: For the record, it's not my intention or desire to disrespect or dishonor our soldiers by calling the Bush administration a "cartel." Let me make one thing perfectly clear: our soldiers are our nation's bravest treasure - unlike the cheap flyboy who stole his way to power and the expensive administrative white-collar "suits" who needlessly send our brothers and sisters into harm's way over an oil-well of cultivated lies.

Our society is purposely shielded from such upsetting details of homebound fatalities because the Makers of War want us to have a more pleasant, picturesque impression of war without the imagery of loss and death. It's a full-blown media blackout which acts as a nerve-block for the masses. Like they say -- out of sight, out of mind.

There are several layers of skin to this war business - more than most Americans will ever imagine: The Project for a New American Century (PNAC) did not blink an eye when fabricating terrorist scarecrows for our peaceful garden for the sole purpose of germinating a conflict, another Pearl Harbor event was complementary to their goal and of public record. Most of us who dissent already understand the matrix. For those of you who are now beginning to awaken - welcome to the PNAC Era of Bloody Oz. We welcome you with open arms for your involvement in helping us restore order to our traumatized nation.

The Bush regime proved it can successfully market high-tech wars to those watching on the sidelines - TV clips of successful flight missions with bombers lighting off missiles on the horizon... Old Glory flying on tanks and Bradley vehicles rolling over distant sand dunes. Sprinkle a little homegrown-footage showing clear-channel pro-war attendees chanting and performing body waves and - voila! - it goes down the gullet like mother's milk. For those of you who attended these rallies, we hold no grudge. We are happy to have you on our side of the aisle marching now for peace instead of war.

The following will help our mission for peace: Televising dead or mutilated sons, daughters, uncles, aunts, friends and those not mentioned arriving home in gift-wrapped body bags has a reverse effect - it quickly diminishes the flavor of the anticipated selling points of war and hostile occupation.

Don't be fooled by the terminology - war, hostile occupation, covert action, nation-building or whatever name you choose to give it is a deadly commodity manufactured, packaged and sold to the American consumer by elites who stand to gain immensely.

Make no mistake, such slaughter is engineered and carried into play from a safe distance (at no risk) to those who desire acquiring all the worlds natural resources on the planet. Unlike the rest of us poor souls who are forced to engage in battle, it's cut and dried; we're all considered expendable. I'm sure those who died would not mind being exploited for peace - after all, it was a falsely propagated war that killed them in the first place.

It takes a shrewd, sickened mind coupled with a hardened soul to plan such bloody pilferage, but this is the reality we all must face. These 21st century power brokers have no remorse and will sacrifice innocent lives for their selfish gain. Our loss is very real, and so it seems--becoming a casualty of war is not the last sacrifice. A final paragraph is written for the fallen in disappearing ink, a final insult before closing the last cryptic page - a dead handshake, a zipper bag and a silent homecoming so as not to scare away future recruiting efforts and replacements. If there is a God, I'm sure He has a special place for those who do these horrible things.

The Bush cartel leaves no stone unturned, aside from the dead they have the living to manipulate. They fully understand that virtually every soldier who serves in Iraq is being exposed to high amounts of radiation from the massive amounts of depleted-uranium munitions that were exploded and handled during the war including many other deadly toxins and carcinogens (this includes munitions dropped in 1991).

I suspect, not long ago a baby vulture must have landed on Bush's shoulder and whispered into his ear that the VA Risk Management boys projected several hundred thousand medical illnesses will quickly arise, thus creating several hundred thousand medical claims to come flying through the VA system in the aftermath of all this. I'm sure that evil birdie also informed him of the astronomical genetic birth effects that will surely affect their children for generations to come. Yep, the good `ol boys really know how to prioritize risk management.

Being a man of action Bush rose for the occasion and immediately slashed VA benefits and healthcare. Be advised - he made these cuts while soldiers were engaged in combat. Back home we have a name for that - a street whore calls it getting screwed without payment or getting all dressed up and having no one to blow, but in our nation's capital they call it "Damage Control." I apologize for the cheap comparison, but it does have its sobering similarity.

Bottom line-America deserves better! This is the overpowering inspirational cry that transmits commentary such as this onto your computer screen, a beckoning desire for a kinder, caring establishment that reflects our best interest and good will. Like a majority of Americans, I did not vote for the idiot son of a defense contractor who's making a killing at our expense.

We don't have to be governed by fear and deception! A wise leader is a musical sharpshooter who orchestrates a poetic song for our peaceful prosperity, a gentle administrator who establishes a rhythmic expression that harmonizes a dance for everyone's joyful theatrical score. A true leader is a visionary who will aim softly, pull graciously, and deliver compassionately our target of transitory dreams. A leadership so marveled that it births an envious fellowship that is mimicked by the neighboring spectators around us.

For that dream and for the memory of those who fell to keep the American dream alive I demand we make them all accountable for their actions.

I admit I hold very little respect for today's politicians, even for the ones within my own Democratic Party, for most have forgotten whom they serve. But if I could ask for one small concession - one little request - it would be that every official who voted in favor of going to war be required to unzip each body bag that returns home and view the contents inside. After doing so, they must attend each funeral within their home states, and then look into the eyes of each family member whose life was destroyed and confess if they made the right decision in authorizing such wanton
destruction.

I would also ask that each American who takes a pro-war position also take a pilgrimage to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia - and, while they're at it - visit the Vietnam Memorial in DC.

If anyone can do all that and still wrap himself in the American flag while shouting for war, then perhaps we really do have a valid enemy who threatens our safety. But as it stands right now, our own worst enemy is within.

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© copyright 4/11/04. Vincent L Guarisco is freelance writer from Bullhead City, Arizona, a contributing writer for a variety of web sites, and a lifetime member of the Alliance of Atomic Veterans. Reprint permission is given as long as article content is not altered or changed and credit is given to the author.