Since my last post about the letter to Macron from French Generals warning of a possible civil war if the ruling elite in France didn’t get their act together, there’s been a second letter, this one from anonymous soldiers serving in the ranks, which backs the Generals’ letter. It’s not known how significant this second letter might be. Does it indicate widespread support in the army for the first letter? Or is it simply a handful of malcontents voicing their discontent? Given, however, that 58% of the French population supports the positions advanced in the first letter, I don’t think we’d be going out on a limb to suggest that at least 58% of the military shares the views and sentiments expressed in that letter as well.
On the heels of these letters from the French military warning of the dire condition of their country, a letter was published by retired American Generals and Admirals warning about the rise of the radical left in America and questioning Biden’s fitness for office. The American mainstream press, which consists largely of the Ruling Elite's chronic lickspittles, has claimed (among other dubious assertions) that the letter advances conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being “stolen.” This is not a strictly honest (what else is new?). The authors of the letter of course make no such allegations. You’ll find nothing in the missive about Dominion’s voting machines or the alleged large “dumps'' of pro-Biden ballots in the wee hours of the morning. Instead, the letter merely questions the integrity of the election process itself—which is not a conspiracy theory, but simply a call for preventive measures against corruption in the voting process (e.g., voting ID and promptly investigating irregularities, etc.). While there’s no evidence that the 2020 election was “stolen,” there is evidence (or at least allegations) of possible irregularities which were never properly investigated. While these irregularities, assuming they existed, would not have affected the ultimate outcome of the election, if they actually occurred (which is at least possible) they still constitute something of a scandal, and efforts should be made to prevent them from happening in the future. Election irregularities raise the spectre that our election is not entirely fair, which can seriously undermine the whole raison d’etre of Democracy. We have democratic elections not to determine the will of “the people” (there is no such singular “will of the people,” but multiple wills, many of which are in conflict), but to figure out how to come to collective decisions necessary for the preservation of the social order. Democracy is a game we play because the alternative (rule of the strongest) can lead to dangerous levels of tyranny and violence. But the democratic game must be played fairly, with all parties observing the agreed upon rules (i.e., following the Constitution). Winning is less important than following these rules because there are greater issues at stake than always getting one's way. If one side insists on gaining an advantage through cheating, at some point the other side is going to lose interest in playing; and that’s when a threat of a civil war or a coup or a breakdown in civil society becomes very real.
The apologists of the ruling class among the punditocracy and in the mainstream media are howling with indignation over this letter. Jim Golby, whom the media presents as “an expert in civil-military relations,” called the missive a "shameful effort to use their rank and the military's reputation for such a gross and blatant partisan attack." Why shameful? Don’t ex-military have a right to voice their political opinion, even if it ruffles the feathers of the elite? Where was Mr. Golby when nearly 500 former national security officials, including 22 four star generals, declared Donald Trump unfit to be commander-in-chief? Why wasn’t that considered a “shameful effort” to use rank and reputation to wallow in a “gross and blatant partisan attack”? People complain about the “polarization” in the political climate. How can our politics not be polarized if those who represent the Ruling Elite refuse to play fair? After all, they are the one’s in power. They get to decide the direction of the country and get first dibs on the country’s resources. That being the case, why can’t they at least be magnanimous to those whom they have defeated culturally and electorallly and whom they now rule over? Why not take the high road when dealing with those who occupy lower positions in the pecking order? Undoubtedly a thoughtful, reasonable case could be made against this letter from 200 General and Admirals attacking Biden and the Democratic Party. Why then resort to all this name calling and shrill mendacity? Why go out of your way to put the worst possible interpretation on the sentiments expressed in letter and then, to make matters even worse, insinuate, by your histrionic indignation, that former military personnel should not be allowed to voice their opinion unless it consists almost exclusively of unctuous flattery of the Ruling Elite?
The larger issue is whether the letter suggests a deeper divide that might, if current trends persist, bring about a “hot” civil war. If widespread violence breaks out, can the military be counted upon to restore order? And if so, what side will they support in the conflict? Does this letter represent mainstream opinion among the military, both active and retired? Or is it merely the statement of an eccentric minority which is raising its voice because it knows its doomed to extinction? Does the Ruling Elite, especially the leftist part of it (which seems the dominant part), have the military on its side? Or does the military still lean strongly to the right?
Of course, it’s always possible that the Ruling Elite, should it show itself incapable of governing (as this letter suggests could happen), that the “conservative” section of the country will be able to rally the rest of the nation to purge the leftists from the elite through constitutional means. But what if Constitutional means prove ineffective? What if the only way to rid the country of the radical left's power in government and culture is by a dose of the “right-wing medicine”: which is to say, put the left down through violence, as Pinochet did in Chile, or Franco in Spain, or Thiers in France? The “right-wing medicine” is a heady dose, full of terrible side effects. Would America really want to administer such a horrid medicine? Is such a medicine even possible in this country?
It’s hard to imagine a Pinochet type event occurring in the United States, with or without the U.S. military’s approval. But if our leftist elites, with their race hustling, their attack on law and order, their profligacy and corruption, cannot be stopped through Constitutional means, what else can the rest of the country, which just wants to be left alone, do? Sit back and let itself be looted, burned and destroyed? Is the desire to be left alone so as to enjoy the fruits of civilization equivalent to the worst kind of “white supremacy”? There was a woman on one of the news channels who declared last summer that the desire for protection by the police against dangerous criminals was little more than “white privilege.” Yes, these people on the left don’t like you—and they really do mean it.
Curiously enough, domestic migration in the country is toward so-called “red” areas. Why is this so? If the red areas represent “white supremacy” and are filled with cretinous hordes of qanon conspiracy theorists, why are so many people, good liberals included, moving to such horrid places? The answer is very simple: everyone wants to live somewhere that is safe and reasonably governed. And, surprise of all surprises, it is in the red areas that one find the most safety and freedom in this country, not the blue areas, which a rife with corruption and petty tyranny. Imagine a world where the left has little if any influence and you have imagined “red” America.
So while the letter from the 200 Generals and Admirals may not mean all that much right now—we’re still a ways off from societal dissolution and civil war—if the Biden Administration and the Ruling Class can’t get their act together (i.e., they can’t stop the radical left from deep-sixing the country), historians may look back and see this “shameful” letter as an indication of things to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment