4) Political Belligerence
War vs. Defense Department
U.S. Defense Department evolution should have more transitional policies in order to better facilitate moral and ethical standards. Changing from a “War Department” to a “Defense Department” is one step at least in name. We have not made enough changes during this the first part of the 21st Century, and we must lead by example.
The U.S. War Department was headed by the Secretary of War, who was also a member of the President's Cabinet. The Department of War was responsible for the operation and maintenance of military forces from 1789 until 1947, when it became part of the National Military Establishment (N.M.E.). Also in 1947 the Army Air Forces became the U.S. Air Force. In 1949 the N.M.E. was renamed the Department of Defense.
Prior to World War II, many countries had a Ministry of War which was responsible for national defense. However, in the aftermath of the carnage of WW II, governments came to the conclusion that the use of the word “war” added, if not assumed, a bellicose attitude towards military preparedness. Thus, the late 1940s and 1950s witnessed the renaming from “War” to “Defense” in most countries around the globe.
The mission of the Department of Defense (DoD) is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country. The department's headquarters is at the Pentagon. The attacks of 9/11 are entirely blamed on terrorists. There has been no accountability for the gaping holes that were allowed to exist in our defense. Given the counter-terrorist measures that we have documented were in place before 9/11, there is a great amount of evidence to show that the DoD had prepared for emergencies like 9/11 and were capable of secret strategic implementation of military objectives. Unfortunately there are far too many holes in the official 9/11 story to go into here. Congressman Kucinich, Wexler, and Senator Byrd have already made official public objections.
Too often our leaders resort to the old school of politics, which is threaten enemies and always look for a new war to get into by seeking to strike first before they do. This is the old mark of a blood thirsty hawk, outdated now in the 21st Century. It’s true there are many vile people in the world that are unredeemable, but that is why we must keep ahead with technology for non-lethal armaments and improve our judicial and prison system.
Education should be our primary goal rather than War indoctrination. Especially in the education of our children, we should be wary not to throw our children to the wolves by praising War. The glory of War is often confined to the movies, where it should stay. War reality is beyond propaganda or politics, it is by all accounts ‘Hell on Earth’*.
* see Religious Commandments section for influential ethical & moral references