Summary: This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post More evidence that the military is slowly cutting itself off from civilian control about the public’s high esteem of the military — and the military’s low esteem of the civilian government. It does not imply tanks in the street. The opposite seems more likely. Force is used in the absence of real power, and the military has both hard and soft power. Such as their dominance of the news media and skill at information operations.
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To set the mood for today’s post, here’s “Silent Running” by Mike and the Mechanics (1985). And remember — my forecasts about the decline of the Republic have consistently proven wrong. Proven too optimistic (see #1 on the Smackdowns page)
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Many responses to yesterday’s post see a military take-over of the government — allied with our wealthy elites — as a tanks in the street scenario. While the US military has great power (we spend 10x more than Mexico as a % GDP, not even including domestic intel & security services), its greatest powers are its soft powers.
These are ineffective against an engaged citizenry, jealous of its liberty — such as the Americans described in the Federalist Papers, and the many Americans who read and discussed those letters (average Americans, merchants and farmers). But these soft powers can be decisive against a passive and foolish people, people just content to just get along.
What are those soft powers?
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“All political problems can be solved by the correct application of power. … It is the application of the power, not its amount, that matters.”
— Karellen, leader of the Overlords, in Arthur C. Clarke’s masterwork Childhood’s End (1953)
(1) The American public’s near reverence of the military, described yesterday. We have forgotten what our forefathers knew: to appreciate the service of the men and women who serve in the military does not mean reverence of the military as an institution.
(2) The military’s near-total dominance over the US news media. Glenn Greenwald, among many others, has amply proven this. Such as today’s article showing how “Where the Pentagon goes, CNN follows, like an impossibly loyal dog”. The veil hiding this was torn with the revelations — quickly covered up — in 2008 that the news media relied on consultants in effect controlled by DoD (details here).
Conducting information operations on us is one of our military’s core competencies — and perhaps their greatest power.
- News from the Front: America’s military has mastered 4GW!, 2 September 2009
- 4GW at work in a community near you , 19 October 2007 — Propaganda warming us up for war with Iran.
- Successful info ops, but who are the targets?, 1 May 2008
- Psywar, a core skill of the US Military (used most often on us), 26 November 2008
- Concrete evidence of government info ops against us, but it’s OK because we are sheep, 2 December 2008
- Iran’s getting the bomb, or so we’re told. Can they fool us twice?, 16 February 2009
- How the Soviet Menace was over-hyped – and what we can learn from this, 13 October 2009
- Another example of war advocates working their rice bowls, 24 December 2009
- Think-tanks bribe journalists to promote our wars, 24 December 2009
- Iran will have the bomb in 5 years (again), 20 January 2010
- Every day brings new advocacy for war. That’s our America., 1 November 2010
- The Iranian Assassination caper was a complete success!, 17 October 2011
- Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons, generating waves of fear in America for 20 years, 9 November 2011
- Using covert operations to discredit your enemies, 27 November 2011
“Silent Running” by Mike and the Mechanics (1985)
Take the children and yourself
And hide out in the cellar
By now the fighting will be close at hand
Don’t believe the church and state
And everything they tell you
Believe in me, I’m with the high commandCan you hear me, can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?
Can you hear me, can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?There’s a gun and ammunition
Just inside the doorway
Use it only in emergency
Better you should pray to God
The Father and the Spirit
Will guide you and protect from up hereCan you hear me, can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?
Can you hear me, can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?Swear allegiance to the flag
Whatever flag they offer
Never hint at what you really feel
Teach the children quietly
For some day sons and daughters
Will rise up and fight while we stood stillCan you hear me, can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?
Can you hear me, can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?Can you hear me running (can you hear me calling you?)
(Can you hear me) hear me calling you?
(Can you hear me running) hear me running babe?
(Can you hear me running) hear me running?
Calling you, calling you
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