CAMO CONVENTION

I felt emotionally drained after reading the biography, “Unbroken” written by Laura Hillenbrand. Louis Zamperini and thousands of POWs (Prisoners of War) have endured horrific acts in the hands of the enemy. So much suffering, so much death, and the physical and mental aftereffects of war. Torturing another human being is unconscionable. Sometimes it is worse than demise.

I cried when the book described the flight engineer sacrificing his life to deploy the rafts just before the plane hit the water. That is how my uncle died. I never even got the chance to meet him. I grew up with a depressed mother, upset aunts, sad grandfather, and an angry grandmother as a result. One time grandma said to me, “You should have died, not your uncle.” I ran from the room and refused to speak with her for a year, I was 12.

My family can trace its military involvement back to at least the Civil War. My great-great-grandpa was a Union Captain. My dad was in the Air Force, uncles and cousins are veterans of every branch of the military, including the Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard. My niece and her hubby were recently in the Navy. My nephew and nephew-in-law are in the Air Force. I have two cousins who are active duty Army, one of whom just returned from yet another tour in Afghanistan.

I am passionate about the military and have written about the topic many times before. I almost joined but I become sassy when orders aren’t logical. Plus, my mother made it very clear that she didn’t want any of her children in the military. Of course, my sister married a guy in the Army so all her kids joined up or married a member of the armed forces.

I fully support the members of the military as long as they adhere to the Geneva Convention and Protocols. They need to follow orders and I sincerely hope that the commands are rational and seek the least amount of harm. Officers and the entire Chain of Command go all the way up to the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States. The command personnel are responsible for the action of the troops and must ensure that civilians and POWs are protected.

Geneva et al must be upheld at all times, if not exceeded by all components of the United States Military and auspices of the Department of Defense (which includes contractors). Any company that receives money from US Government coffers must comply fully with International Humanitarian Law. Period. End of discussion. If not, it creates a direct threat to members of the US military as well as American civilians. My family! We must eradicate all the “enhanced interrogation” which is torture. We must close all “insurgent retention camps” regardless of location because they are POW torture prisons, not just Guantanimo. They must be banned forever.

The United States is supposed to be a role model of democracy for the entire world. We become evil incarnate when we violate the Geneva Convention. It is reprehensible and will cause harm for generations. The people who violated the rules need to be punished at The Hague. They are responsible for war crimes. It doesn’t matter what their title was or is, they must be held liable and it must go up the chain of command. Yes, I mean G.W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and their minions.

All soldiers must be held accountable for their misdeeds. Their punishment must be at least as severe as civilian court. I am disgusted when a soldier rapes or murders a non-military person and doesn’t do any jail time. A military court cannot be lenient. I don’t believe in the death sentence; just let people rot in a humane jail. The commanders must take some responsibility when they deploy a soldier/sailor who is clearly showing signs of stress. They should be severely reprimanded, too.

Gender equity will reduce some of the command problems in the military. Women need to be fully equal in the armed forces. Young women need to register for the draft at the age of 18 just the same as young men. Either the draft registration must be eliminated or applied to both genders. Females must be eligible and promoted into every job description in the military. They must be safe from verbal/physical harassment, and sexual assault by co-workers, commanders, and civilian employees. We need to have female Four Star Generals, Joint Chiefs of Staff, key Pentagon personnel, and leading the Department of Defense. Women will still make mistakes but it has to be better than the “boys club” atmosphere.

No More Camouflage Ceiling!
© 2012 Ima B. Musing

DEMOCRATIC THOUGHTS

Not the political party, but the democratic governmental process. Democracy has been around since ancient times. It evolves as societies become more sophisticated. Equality of access is the main principle. All citizens, regardless of gender, religion, social/financial status or any other factor, must participate in the political process. That ranges from being elected, appointed, assisting persons in political office, donating money, and volunteering time for campaigns or specific issues. The most important aspect is one person one vote without interference from anyone (being told how to cast a vote), also known as a free and fair election. Corruption cannot be tolerated at any level. Also, corporations should not be permitted to donate to campaigns.

Women must be a part of the process. They are generally about half the population and should hold half the elected and appointed positions. Unfortunately, few governments have attained parity. Women are not perfect, they will make mistakes but at least gender balance will help all the citizens of the country. It is imperative to have a representation of the population, based on the demographics. When one group of people consider themselves to be superior for any reason it will result in harm. The civil unrest in the Middle East is a current example. America had the Civil War because some people thought that they had the right to own other humans. No one is superior. Humans are flawed, every single person. Period. End of discussion.

I prefer the Parliamentary style of democracy. Coalition building is preferable to a two-party system. Plus, if confidence is lost in the Prime Minister/President a new election will be held within a few months. However, the House of Lords/Senate should be elected not appointed or inherited by heredity. Ability to lead is not a genetic trait. I am surprised that monarchies still exist in the 21st century.

Tolerance of all people is essential. Democracies must not be based on religion. The political process must be secular. Even if every single citizen practices the same faith, there are different interpretations and no one should be forced to follow what they don’t believe. America is moving towards pluralism, though the struggle has been unpleasent. It would have been beter if we started with pluralism.

Equality of access regardless of one’s religion (or non-religion) is essential. If you think that one religion is better than another, you are making the foolish mistake of superiority. Remember, no religious doctrine/practice is superior. Every religion has a right to exist, but not crowd out alternatives. Religion must not be used as an excuse for causing harm to others. Period. End of discussion.

Democracy isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot better than many other types of governance or anarchy. Every citizen must participate to make it work. I wish for true democracy in the countries undergoing transition right now … Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc … best wishes to them all!
© 2011