Urinating on the Dead

The resurgence of tribalism.

Watching the kerfuffle over the four Marines urinating (High class for peeing or pissing.) on the dead has got me wondering. Why aren’t we asking? Why are the Marines killing these Taliban soldiers? Or vice versa? Nobody in the media seems to be concerned about the killing. But we are sure indignant about pissing on the dead. Oh yes I forgot this has to do with respecting the dead while we don’t give a damm about the living. I am wondering what lies underneath the peeing incident?

In the case of the four Marines in Afghanistan they are involved in a war that we originated by invading their country.Our soldiers are not members of the same tribal group. We are Christians and THEY are Islamist. Hence our soldiers feel they have no restraints when it comes to the enemy. Remember Abu Gairab. We saw same phenomena in Vietnam. Those people became Gooks. Once the soldier sees the enemy outside of his own tribal group, has a very different religion, hell then you can just forget him as a fellow human. That gives the license to go piss on him.

Of course there is more to it than that. To motivate the soldier to kill kill kill It is essential that the enemy be demonized. Made into this non human creature who wants to, “invade our homes, rape our wives, and as they innocently sleep in their beds kill our children.” Well now if that’s our enemy we’ll show em we’ll kill em and then piss on em.” In a lot of Blue Collar bars I can hear the guys at the bar hoisting a few cheering on their pissing buddies. Underneath, in the subnoxious as Jimmy Durante you to say there is the belief that we are superior and that gives us license to do things that the Islamic world will simply not understand. Anymore than we could if it was the other way around.

There are some other interesting variables between the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam. The latter had long been a colony of the French. They were fighting the Vietnamese war of independence that we took over as the French were giving up. That left a European stamp on cities like Saigon. American soldiers had a place they could feel at home in a familiar culture a tribal connection. So much so that it resulted in 8000 marriages between US soldiers and Vietnamese. Maybe that cultural,tribal distance between the Iraqis, Afghanistan people and our soldiers accounts for the very high level of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. During these wars I have often wondered what can our guys do for rest and recreation while they are on duty in a land with absolutely no tribal or cultural connection? Contrast with those beautiful Parisian looking women in the Saigon bars.

There was a time a few years back that I was looking forward to the Middle East oil production peaking and the wells going dry. I thought we could then begin to withdraw our need to protect our lifeline of oil.

Israel is another place where tribalism is on the rise. The Orthodox Jews want women to go sit at the back of the bus. They are the balance of power in the Netanyaho Government. It is the influence of the Orthodox that keeps Natanyaho building settlements in Palestinian West Bank. Orthodox Jews would kill every Palestinian if that were possible. They are pals with our own Evangelical Christian tribe who would like to kill every abortion doctor.

The Israeli are in mortal fear of the Iranians getting the bomb. This is the conflict that leads to the present game of CHICKEN over rights of passage through the Gulf of Hormuz. The International boycott is squeezing the Iranian economy. They need to show they can control their own destiny and show the, “invaders,” yes that’s us that they too can play, we’ll now piss on you. President of Iran, Ahmadinejad, “Try gettin your ships through our little straight.” God I hate to conclude this blog with the observation that the men who run the world have been in an endless series of “Pissing contests.” Maybe the women, now a majority in our workforce will do better. I hope.