Friday, April 02, 2004

The fear of the neocon

I have often wondered why so few neocons have actually served in the armed forces. Neocons are so anxious for war - so utterly bellicose - that one would swear that many of them must have served themselves.

But that isn't the case. The neocons actually seem to have gone out of their way to AVOID serving in the armed forces.

And I think I've realized why:

Their entire defense philosophy is based on personal fear.

There is really nothing more to it than that: they're afraid. They don't want to be killed, and they are afraid that they might be. And fear doesn't respond to sense, but to emotion: killing lots of other people makes them FEEL safer. It may not actually MAKE them safer, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is quelling their fear.

Their whole philosophy of defense is not even slightly altruistic. It's entirely self-centered.

So of COURSE they haven't served in combat. That would require self-sacrifice.

Their entire philosophy is based on saving their own ass.

So, of COURSE they aren't going to risk that ass for God, country, the American way or the future of democracy. It requires actual ideals to do that. And neocons have no ideals. All they have is personal fear.

So they want to attack. But they don't want to be the ones to actually do it. They quell thier fear by sending OTHERS to do the fighting for them, while they sit home. Safe.

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