US Intell planned to destroy Wikileaks

[Peter Lemkin]

The above is an important piece by one of the more prominent commentators in American politics today, and I think it makes some very important points.

What bothers me about what I see in terms of American citizen awareness, attitude, etc. about this and related recent stories is their degree of imperviousness to horror and wrong-doing; it is as if they have installed emotional armor, or that they are like their warriors are in a state of post-traumatic disorder. What bothers me about this and similar stories is the "boiling frog" nature of how jaded we have become in terms of these kinds of atrocities. The American people have been ritually asdsaulted so frequently and continuously that they are suffering from dissociation identity disorder and have forgotten that they are Americans.

What bothers me about all of it is the possibility that the American public will remain inured, unaware, and disinterested when it begins to happen here -- targeted against Americans who protest, dissent or take their various angers out for a walk en masse.

It's not that an American life is worth more than an Iraqi one. I would have hoped that some enlightenment in terms of our similar humanity might allowed an awakening. I fear that the American people will not wake up until some of their exceptional emotionally-distanced (or emotionally hollow) selves are gunned down as brutally as were those in this video. Perhaps that is what it will take for them to awaken. Even then it will probably be too late.

Your observation, fear and concern are well placed. It has taken the PTB much work since WW2 to instill this lack of care for others in the American population. I'll leave out the mechanisms, fairly well known to most on this Forum. On the BBC the military officer just kept repeating that 'was is ugly'; 'they followed the proper rules of engagement'; and 'it was either kill them or be killed by them in the minds of 19-23 year olds'. The 'wars' long-ago 'came home' and the public is mostly not very sensitive to physical or emotional harm to others - as the training and repetition of violence and abuse have so trained and desensitized them. Compassion has never been America's strong suit - on the governmental nor personal basis, generally. Yes, some are and are often labeled as 'bleeding-hearts' etc.