While leafing through a women's fitness (Body, Mind, and Spirit) magazine, I came across an Army recruitment ad that had the headline "Are you Army Strong?" Above the headline is a picture of young females in a line doing push-ups with a male standing over them, watching, I suppose.
After recovering from my disgust that a magazine which refuses cigarette and alcohol ads would help the military prey on its young female readers on two valuable pages of advertisements, I noticed that the ad contained the "Seven Core Army Values." It struck me deeply that the Commander in Chief of the Army, and indeed all the US armed forces, would not be able to pass the "Army Strong Test." Even though the military keeps upping the age for its recruits, at 61 George is too old. With the pathological way that he exercises, he may be able to pass the physical test, but, unfortunately for George, even though the military has been giving out a record number of "morality waivers," there is no way that he would be able to adhere or conform to the Army Values (always glorified by capitals).
The first Army Value is "Loyalty:" Bear true faith to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and other soldiers. Putting on my thinking cap, I could think of very few of our elected representatives, from President to Congressperson, that can say that they "Bear true faith to the Constitution." BushCo has defiled the Constitution in its continual quest to undermine our freedoms and democracy here in the US while they wage their constitutionally and internationally illegal occupation of Iraq. Congress has confirmed and legitimized George's crimes against the Constitution by ratifying and always paying for the occupation, passing the Patriot Act and Military Commissions Act and by not impeaching Dick and George for their high crimes and misdemeanors. Since George was a deserter from the Alabama Air National Guard during Vietnam (He was "fighting" them here, so he wouldn't have to fight them over there), he had already failed the loyalty test to his unit long ago.
The second Army Value is "Duty:" Fulfill your obligations. George Bush had the obligation to protect our nation. His administration failed miserably on 9-11 and during Hurricane Katrina. His Global War OF Terror has misused our resources and has been a phenomenal recruitment tool for al-Qaeda. The only people that he has fulfilled his obligations to are the pigs of war that pull his strings and have profited from George's profound dereliction of his duty.
The third Army Value is "Respect:" Treat people as they should be treated. Should innocent people be treated with bombings, murderous checkpoints, chemical weapons, rape, starvation, disease, and all of the other horrendous "spoils" of war? Even if Saddam had something to do with 9-11, why have over one million innocent Iraqis (called "collateral damage" by the war pigs) been killed and over four million forced to flee their homes? The third Army Value is a condensation of the Golden Rule, which says: "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." An insurgency in a tiny country that was decimated from years of deadly sanctions has held off the world's military "Superpower" but I shudder to think of the day of reckoning when we are again treated the same way we treat other people.
The fourth Army Value is "Selfless Service:" Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own. George has treated his office like a treat dispenser for his ravenous oil buddies and his greedy family who have also profited from his administration. The Bush family does not see pain in tragedy: they see dollar signs. Bush's grand-pappy, Prescott profited from World War Two (when it was unpatriotic to do so), and George's little brother Neil has profited from Katrina and the No (Every) Child Left Behind Act. The Bushes do not selflessly serve this nation: they selfishly rape it.
"Honor" is the fifth Army Value: Live up to all the Army Values. Well?
The sixth Army Value is the one that I believe George gets the lowest grade in: "Integrity." Do what's right legally, and morally. Not withstanding its illegal and immoral mistakes in the Middle East, BushCo has exhibited an extreme lack of integrity. His office participated in outing CIA Agent Valerie Plame to punish her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, for committing a great sin (Thou shall never be honest) in the eyes of BushCo: telling the truth. George's 2nd Attorney General, Gonzo, wrote the book on torture. The entire administration, those who have departed, and those who have remained, exploited the tragedy of 9-11 and fed the fears of many people who just wanted their families to be safe at whatever cost to their souls.
The final Army Value is "Personal Courage:" Face fear, danger, or adversity (physically or morally). Since George has failed the first six, there is no possible way that he can pass this test. George is notable for escaping from physical danger (on 9-11, during Vietnam, and grieving parents who disagree with his policies) and is a moral coward. It does not take any "personal courage" to send the sons and daughters of other mothers and fathers off to die to grease the wheels of the war machine with their flesh and blood. It takes no personal courage to order the bombings of civilians. George Bush has exhibited nothing but personal cowardice in his administration. Even though he seeks to conflate his image as a "war president" who can adorn himself with flight jumpsuits, ridiculous codpieces, and helmets, I am convinced that he will go down in history as the worst president, ever. Move over Tricky Dick--you get to go up one notch.
When we received the contents of Casey's wallet a few weeks after he was killed by the insane policies of his sniveling Commander in Chief, there was a card in it with these same Army Values. Unfortunately, Casey followed the Values all the way to the dark alley in Sadr City, Baghdad, where his short life was ended by a sniper's bullet. Casey could do no less, while his Commander in Chief defecates all over those same values.
Many Army recruiters do not even follow these values but they misuse and exploit vulnerable young Americans who oftentimes see no alternative than join a military that the Commander in Chief expended a lot of energy to avoid when he was their age. The only difference is that George was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and his family has been busy for generations assuring that the rest of us only get the shaft.
A tragically values-impaired Commander in Chief is quickly leading our nation down a path to disaster and it is a mystery to me why anyone is still following or why he is still firmly ensconced in that position.
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