Friday, November 21, 2003
(8:01 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
Down with Wesley Clark!
This week on Chicaco Public Radio's Worldview, I heard a speech by Oscar Arias Sanchez, a Nobel Peace Laureate and former president of Costa Rica about how much better life was in his country after they abolished their armed forces. I recommend that you listen to it as well. This set me to thinking about our military, which absorbs such a huge portion of our national resources and energy and which is one of the most trusted institutions in America -- what exactly has it ever defended us against lately? It's pretty obvious that the 9/11 attacks were not and could not have been prevented by the application of military force, and the idea of the American mainland being attacked, by anyone, is pretty well inconceivable. In fact, it seems like the main thing that our military is good for is pissing people off, making us less secure.
Thus I ask myself, even if he "can beat Bush," would I really feel good voting for someone whose first name is "general"? Perhaps he's the best candidate to avoid dangerous romanticization of our military, but that feels like a halfway solution. Is there anyone who can reverse the destructive trends of militarism?
Oh, yeah: Dennis Kucinich.
