The media is ablaze with commentary about President Trump’s desire to have a military parade in Washington D.C. Unsurprisingly, lawmakers and pundits alike are aghast at the idea of tanks and other imperial weaponry strolling down the streets of the nation’s capital.
But in the era of Donald Trump and the much longer epoch of American militarism and exceptionalism, the proposed parade should be one of the least surprising developments of the president’s reign.
Since World War II, the United States has perpetually ramped up its military power and escapades. America has between 800 and 1,000 military bases around the world and has been actively bombing seven countries since the Obama administration effectively made war cool again.
Now Trump is setting record numbers regarding the number of bombs the military is dropping, as well as the number of civilians dying in the carnage. All of this is being done without any official declaration of war. The constitution be damned, and besides, most lawmakers keep voting to fund the military, anyway. The Pentagon expects to spend $45 billion just on the Afghanistan war this year.
This pervasive war-making is not new — the Gulf War, Kosovo, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Korea. The U.S. has long demonstrated its affinity for militarism rife based on lies and rife with war crimes, but now that this jingoism may actually show its face on U.S. streets — at the whim of a president that half the country loathes, all with widespread media attention — now it matters?
“I don’t believe we should have tanks or nuclear weapons going down Pennsylvania Avenue,” said Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican from New York who has repeatedly voted to fund the military.
“Dear Donald Trump: You know what would be more useful than asking the Pentagon to waste money on a big military parade? Basically anything,” said Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California, who recently voted in favor of continuing to fund the massive budget allocated to the military — the same military that loses track of overpriced weapons and hundreds of millions of dollars at a time.
Suddenly these lawmakers care, even as Congress moves to boost defense spending yet again.
But Americans, who have been funding this war-mongering all along, are also questioning the military parade. While this is a good thing, it apparently represents a much bigger threat to them than the widespread militarism that has been plaguing their streets for literally decades.
When black Americans took to the streets to protest systemic injustice, police brutality, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the National Guard was there to forcibly stop them. When college students protested the Vietnam War — a perfect example of America’s military grandiosity and hubris — the National Guard was there, and they opened fire on the crowd, killing four students and wounding nine more. The National Guard is still called in to quell rowdy protests, from Ferguson to Baltimore.
On that note, the infamous police response to demonstrations in Ferguson raised questions about another major example of America’s military empire coming home to roost: the militarization of American police forces. The 1033 program, which allows police departments to obtain military-grade weapons from the Pentagon, has seen grenade launchers, bayonets, assault rifles, and armored vehicles end up in the hands of local police forces, effectively normalizing militarism in the streets of America.
The program, which Obama partially ended late in his presidency following outrage over the police response in Ferguson, was reenacted last year with an executive order from President Trump. It purports to be an effort to combat terrorism but was originally launched to bolster the U.S. government’s war on drugs, yet another source of mounting militarism in America.
SWAT raids, which are pervasive throughout the United States, are often used to enforce drug laws, further desensitizing Americans to the severity and authoritarianism of military tactics being used in their backyards. Unsurprisingly, SWAT was developed largely in response to African-American protests in Los Angeles over police relations with the community.
Militarism has long been woven into the fabric of American society.
Though lawmakers and concerned citizens alike can justifiably balk at the prospect of Trump becoming ‘Napoleonic‘ or wasting money on the pomp and circumstance of military worship, the far more damning truth is that this is only a natural progression of a decades-long fetish for American militarism, which, from the looks of the current climate in the United States, does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
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World super power, Merica!
Merica is right!
But America includes the entire continent.
Great op-ed @careywedler :)
The links are spectacular
Keep fighting Carey.
It seems that Trump just wants to show off that American has more and sophisticated weapon that can used anytime. It also shows that how Big is the fear of Trump on the braveness of Korea to show its threat on the nuclear project. Its my opinion
exactly right.
it's called deterrence.
I don't think I have read more than 2 Trump tweets since he took office...
Agorism rules this century my statist friend.
Excellent as always! Still waiting for you to disappoint me. I've got a feeling it might be a long wait... :-)
Disclaimer: I am just a bot trying to be helpful.
Several of your articles over the years have really stood out to me, @careywedler. This one has got to be in the top 3. Great work, and please keep speaking truth! You have my support!
FIRST CLASS
Stunning reporting, you have a new fan.
Resteemed
I'm new member in steemit. Please @surfyogi check my profile
The American military machine is out of control and it seems politicians are scared to criticise it. Military action creates more problems. Spread peace, not war
trump is very funny man....
i like him so so .
Los desfiles militares en esencia, es una forma de mostrar los músculos, cosa que EEUU no le hace falta. Podríamos discernir que levantar la moral sea otro hecho; sin embargo, hay que hacernos preguntas precisas, basados en realidades históricas. Los caprichos de un presidente siempre los habrá pero cuando se trata de la gestión de percepción sobre las masas, CUIDADO nada es improvisado. Asi tildar de caprichoso al presidente que no mide sus deseos, es pecar por inocente.
Great article and links - thanks for sharing @careywedler I'm following your posts now.
I remember Obama speech where he said that China has stolen enough IP and especially military tech and makes it the largest theft of intellectual property and billions of dollars and thirty years worth of research and development!
Russia & China have had largest most impressive military parades in past year or so and I think Trump wants to send messages to them & to the 'Deep State' that he has his own Military also! Lots of posturing and signalling going on - sounds like things be getting serious!
Great article and links - thanks for sharing @careywedler I'm following your posts now.
I remember Obama speech where he said that China has stolen enough IP and especially military tech and makes it the largest theft of intellectual property and billions of dollars and thirty years worth of research and development!
Russia & China have had largest most impressive military parades in past year or so and I think Trump wants to send messages to them & to the 'Deep State' that he has his own Military also! Lots of posturing and signalling going on - sounds like things be getting serious!
This guy is a lunatic. He has divided this Nation on so many levels.
This parade is all ego for Trump. Basically I tell what this is all about. Ready .... Trump has small hands and even a a smaller wee- wee ( I have NO doubt) and to make up for his low self esteem he has to show off his military.
Real man who are strong and confident don't have to do stupid sh@t like this!!
Thanks Carey @careywedler for your ongoing contribution of adding stimulating Content here at Steemit :)
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Good post.
@careywedler
I would like to ask for suggestions and suggestions how to keep my steemit account as advanced as you.
and here I thought you were an american patriot.
guess not.
unfollow
This is interesting because you commented on my previous post about anarchism saying you agreed. The military is one of the most characterisitc examples of government, which is the antithesis of anarchy. Sorry to see you go, but farewell and take care!
I'm an anarchist..but i'm also a realist.
and there's not one thing wrong with a pep rally.
I'm also a vet.
I take EXTREME exception to someone bashing my country.
yes, nothing wrong with wasting millions of dollars in tax payer dollars so the American military can collectively show of their bravado. bunch of wankers
I agree, wank it on TV and feel good about BS...
Notice there are no military convoy anymore on our hiways?
WHY NOT?
Underground MAGLEV tunnels and railways make such things no longer a necessity.
@everittdmickey sorry, the parade is ridiculous as hell. Waste of money when it could be used so much better for Vets. And you may be for it but I have many Vets in my Family who are totally against it.
It wreaks of Nationalism. It wreaks of an idiotic commander in Chief who does not give one sh@t about the Military. It's all about his ego.
The guy was a freaking 5 time Draft dodger.
The fact is people with the Biggest guns don't have to show it off. They know they have a big gun, and everyone else around them knows it too.
it's not that I love war
(been there done that..did NOT like it.)
it's that when you are prepared to fight.
...and the other guy KNOWS it..
then likely as not a fight will never happen.
An armed society is a polite one.
that's a general principle.....international.