Mr. Wellman notes that the politicizing of the military has been a long process. I recall a story from a friend who was a retired Army Ranger who had just come back from a Ranger reunion very disturbed. He told me that there were members present who refused to toast the then president Bill Clinton.
Mr. Wellman notes that the politicizing of the military has been a long process. I recall a story from a friend who was a retired Army Ranger who had just come back from a Ranger reunion very disturbed. He told me that there were members present who refused to toast the then president Bill Clinton.
Andrew Bacevich has written about the growing distance between citizens and the military as a result of the military's becoming professionalized. Bacevich worries that this professionalization is creating a caste of arrogant super patriots among members of the military -- active duty and retired military looking down on citizens who do not serve, seeing them as persons too weak or frightened to serve their country and, hence, unworthy of citizenship.
The growth of political extremism, I suspect, has some of its origin in this sense of superior patriotism. A military of arrogant super patriots strikes me as the perfect sort of military eager to take its orders from an authoritarian leader.
It is very unsettling, and I am happy to learn that the current military leaders are taking the threat seriously. At the same time, there is a great deal of work to do to inform non-military citizens about their responsibilities as citizens in our democracy, making them vulnerable as well to the siren call of authoritarian minds.
Mr. Wellman notes that the politicizing of the military has been a long process. I recall a story from a friend who was a retired Army Ranger who had just come back from a Ranger reunion very disturbed. He told me that there were members present who refused to toast the then president Bill Clinton.
Andrew Bacevich has written about the growing distance between citizens and the military as a result of the military's becoming professionalized. Bacevich worries that this professionalization is creating a caste of arrogant super patriots among members of the military -- active duty and retired military looking down on citizens who do not serve, seeing them as persons too weak or frightened to serve their country and, hence, unworthy of citizenship.
The growth of political extremism, I suspect, has some of its origin in this sense of superior patriotism. A military of arrogant super patriots strikes me as the perfect sort of military eager to take its orders from an authoritarian leader.
It is very unsettling, and I am happy to learn that the current military leaders are taking the threat seriously. At the same time, there is a great deal of work to do to inform non-military citizens about their responsibilities as citizens in our democracy, making them vulnerable as well to the siren call of authoritarian minds.
I appreciate your reference to Andrew Bacevich. He is such an important voice. I have been hoping we would hear more from him soon.
Andrew Bacevich has written some nice pieces for TomDispatch. I'm sure they are in the archives.