Saturday, 17 November, 2007
Crippling the Killing Machine
Millions of words have undoubtedly been written about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in thousands of articles around the globe. Some have been pro-war, others excusatory. The bulk of commentary however would seem to question the moral and legal validity of the conflicts.

Comparisons with earlier wars, such as World War II, are false. Neither Afghanistan nor Iraq were bent on invading  western countries. Sure, under Saddam Hussein’s rule Iraq attempted to annex Kuwait through military invasion but the attempt was crushed by a military alliance that had stakes in the resources and strategic importance of Kuwait. No such military alliance uprising has taken place with regard to Israel’s successive invasions of foreign territories, unsurprising given Israel's military weight and possession of a nuclear arsenal.

Given the realities of both wars, the only sure way to cripple the killing machine is for those who are ordered to bear arms to refuse to do so. But that will not happen as long as the killing machine has a ready supply of brainwashed individuals who are fodder to the generals and governments.

A conversation with a 22-year-old US soldier who was traveling for a leave period in Ireland following a 16-month stint of duty in Iraq brought such brainwashing into focus. The young man spoke proudly of the ‘successes’ of the US in Iraq with an attitude that clearly stemmed from an inbred belief in America’s righteousness in policing the world. There was little room for constructive dialogue, especially after he spoke of how he had willingly enlisted in the military to join the struggle in Iraq.

As long as such fodder is prepared to bear arms and fight in wars, politicians will continue to stoke the killing machine. The only true way to cripple the machine is for those who fight as part of it to refuse to participate, whatever the cost.

If you are willing to bear arms on the orders of others, then you support the call to war.

 

 

The UFO answer

Back in the 80s I worked for a time on a project investigating UFOs and the paranormal. It proved an interesting experience although it also resulted in many fanciful and bogus reports. That was not the case with US Lt Col Charles Holt's report of an unidentified flying object, which landed and was detected by early warning and air traffic control radar in a remote section of East Anglia in Britain.

The incident has become famous, not least due to a best seller written about the incident, which also revealed how the commander of the US air base, who investigated the radar sighting, was later transferred by the Pentagon to a remote post in the Philippines after filing an official report of the investigation carried out at the site of the 'landing' by trained airbase personnel.

There is a curious correlation between the UFO factor and the paranormal. Not in the events themselves, but in our perception of them.

Both are, at least at this point in time, somewhat difficult to prove. The events described by my good friend Dumas Marchant in the Ring of Tooting are all true, but the account does not include its also true follow through.

Some years after the events described in the tale and still puzzled by them and their significance, Dumas carefully prepared a documented account of the events and submitted the document to the London HQ of the Royal Society for Psychical Research, along with a cover letter. He said he submitted the account on the belief that the BRSPR was created to investigate such matters of the paranormal and would therefore be interested. Not so.

"I received a letter from some guy with a double-barrelled surname that conjured up an image of a fat geezer with walrus moustache, blotchy face and red conk and an IQ of minus 30. The letter simply thanked me for writing and sending the account and suggested I 'see my psychiatrist'. All he convinced me of was that he was an absolute toss-pot," Dumas told me.

It is not the first time—and it won't be the last—that ridicule and scorn has been poured upon certain events by the uninitiated and the ignorant. I know this item is short. It is not to inform, rather to spark interest and feedback. It has been my fortune, or misfortune depending on how things are translated, to have had a good many personal encounters with paranormal incidents and events, similar to that written of by Dumas Marchant and also that described in the Book of Ptoth, also on this web site.

Many people encounter paranormal circumstances without even realising it. Some also dismiss them and convince themselves they never took place to such an extent that they forget about them. Are you one of those people?

I am genuinely interested in hearing any accounts of inexplicable paranormal events. You can contact me through the e-mail link at the top of this page but please, don't waste my time or your own by sending rubbish.

I promise to look carefully at any accounts received and to treat all with an open and fair mind. None will be published without your express consent. Likewise, no contact details will be published without prior consent. And so over to you.

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