A modest proposal

It's clear that General Stanley McChrystal, head of the US war effort in Afghanistan, committed serious insubordination to President Obama, his boss, as reported in Rolling Stone Magazine. As of this writing, General McChrystal is heading home at Obama's request, and a meeting between the two is scheduled for tomorrow.

Now I'm not actually in the business of telling the U.S. War Machine who should be pressing its buttons. It's clear that McChrystal represents the worst of American military culture, and not only because of the repulsive counterinsurgency strategy being executed in Afghanistan or because of the casual anti-gayness revealed in the RS article. McChrystal is the embodiment of the arrogant delusion that the U.S. has the need and right to police the world, and of the big lie that turning young Americans into psychotic killing machines makes the population here at home safer.

So by all means, President Obama, you should probably fire Stanley McChrystal. But why stop there. General Petraeus? He needs to go also. Defense Secretary Gates? Him too. And before these three can plot a coup and while we're waiting for them to be brought up on war crimes charges, you should probably put them all in prison. I'd even agree that Guantanamo might be the perfect place for them...especially if you return Guantanamo to its rightful owners, the people of Cuba. Let's move on to the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff. Yeah, fire them all. The U.S. military delegation to NATO? Time for them to go. General Odierno or whoever is in charge of the US troops left in Iraq? Have them organize the immediate withdrawal of the remaining forces and then accept their resignation. Anyone who has made a decision in the military to target Iraqi, Afghan or Pakistani civilians? Fire them. Any officer who enabled the US invasion of Iraq in the first place? Get the hook. And that military budget? I think you can find some better uses for that.

There's plenty for all those soldiers to do fighting the oil spill in the gulf, and in organizing a defensive militia and guard to protect the American people from evildoers. All those soldiers over there need to come home.

There, problem solved. Just a modest proposal.