May 19 2007
War Without End & Now … The Permanent Soldier
The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals.
The most typical neurologic term for functions carried out by the pre-frontal cortex area is Executive Function. Executive Function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social “control” (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable outcomes).
Many authors have indicated an integral link between a person’s personality and the functions of the prefrontal cortex. (Wikipedia)
By Rowan Wolf
George Bush told us that the “War on Terrorism” would be a “generational” war. It seems clear that means “war without end” which brings to mind George Orwell’s . (Of course, there are a lot of things about the Bush cabal that brings that makes Orwell’s book look down right prophetic.) To fight the war without end would normally take a very large fighting force, but long before Rumsfeld’s lean, mean, high tech vision, the Pentagon has been deeply involved in creating future “warfighters.”
Remember the Kurt Russell movie Soldier? In “Soldier” Russell plays a genetically selected interplanetary soldier (war fighter) who get wiped out by a new generation genetically engineered model. Or maybe you remember Claude van Damme in Universal Soldier. The theme here is that soldiers who have been killed are “reanimated” and “enhanced” to become a super fighting force. Well, for quite some time the Pentagon has been working on creating the future “warfighter.”
A trip through the public portions of DARPA’s (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), is enlightening. I know that every time I visit, I can’t help but think “If this is what is public, then what are the classified programs?” DARPA has a wide ranging research program on “improving” soldiers. However, DARPA (and indeed DoD “vision” documents) rarely use the term “soldier.” They prefer the term “warfighter.” The goal of many of DARPA’s programs regarding warfighters is to improve them through a variety of means:
overcome muscle fatigue and lack of sleep;
directly convert “cellulose” into nutrients (grass and cardboard comes to mind);
interfacing human and machine as with the HAND program;
implanting nano-technology for a number of purposes.
Sharon Weinberger over at Wired wrote a fairly extensive article on a project that has gone out to bid colloquially referred to as “Luke’s Binoculars” (though officially known
as Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System (CT2WS)). This project involves merging a binocular function with extreme range and “threat detection” into the prefrontal lobe of warfighters’ brains (graphic from Wired above).
“Luke’s Binoculars” are not some long term, far future, research project. No, the bids have gone out with the goal of having them in use by Special Forces in three (3) years.
Now these projects - including the “binoculars” - seem fairly permanent to me. Once you have modified a warfighter, can they ever not be a warfighter? Do they then become a piece of military equipment? These projects certainly give the name “GI” (Government Issue) a whole new level of significance.
Are we really willing to commit people for life (not retirement) to be extended military equipment? Certainly the government seems willing to do so. Do we need permanent warfighters to fight a never ending war? Might such “enhanced” humans be useful in other areas besides war? Or might the technologies have uses beyond the military? I can think of a number of them actually. For example,workers that don’t need to rest and can eat the recycling to keep going. Of course, much like the warfighter, the worker must become property as well - another resource of service until removed from service - sort of a high tech version of by Max Barry.
The implications of the direction being forged are into a future that I, personally, find terrifying. I can’t believe that we must be on this path. I must believe that we can, and will see the travesty we are becoming and turn aside
[…] […]
I also recall an episode of Star Trek: TNG where a planet which had “enhanced” some of its citizen-soldiers found they were not re-integrating into society. Rather than find a way to remove these changes and make them normal humans again, they shipped them off to a prison moon and kept them isolated from society - not only for “their own protecton”, but in case they were needed again. Useful commodities, those fellas. Why does the future keep looking like dystopian Sci-Fi?
Will George W. Bush try to find a way to remain in office to keep those ‘generational’ wars going? Think it can’t happen since there’s a two term limit? Check this out: http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807.
The military-industrial complex is at least 50 years ahead of civilian technology. I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that human genetic cloning has already taken place. In other words, human/machine soldiers have already been ‘manufactured’. Hollywood always portrays future society through its’ sci-fi movies. A good example is Arnold’s movies. Mind control is decades old. Are you ready for YOUR brain chip? That’s where we’re headed - all that is needed is to convince the unwashed masses that it’s the ‘in’ thing to do. Frightening. Pay attention and say ‘no!’ to a chip of any sort.
As a Future Studies alumnus I know that no one projects the future accurately into a generation. So much happens. What Bush assumes is an wavering support for his approach of perpetual war into the future. That does not happen in a republic, one insuring a free exchange of ideas. It does not even happen in a dictatorship historically, since such absolutism collapses after a time. What is this exceptionalism, and why does anyone assume after Bush is done with his terms of office, that some priesthood will continue such a disastrous vision? Where are the premises, where are the conclusions, where is the logic?
In a future studies context, what are the unforeseen cross impacts of such a policy? Are alternative futures now forbidden? Worse case scenarios are only useful when their knowledge indicates a transformation into smaller but useful preventative scenarios. A perpetual war is absurd because it precludes future applied research, locks it into some Straussian mode forever, while creating death, destruction, and a reverse incentive of profits for a narrow pyramided elite.
Make no mistake, it is a democracy of extreme concentrated wealth here, but no Republic. The rest of us see the heist.
Skip, you bring up an excellent point. However, Bush is merely a symbol of a much larger phenom-neoconservativism. These folks now are the direct decendants of the Nazi’s and other fascists that started both WW’s. The central banking scam goes all the back to the Knights Templer, around 1694 was the beginning of central banking. What is happening now is nothing more than the continuation of a centuries old conflict in the psyche of man, a tordid tale of greed, gluttony, murder and control. This is all a big test-good vs. evil. This is the ultimate character test, a crucible of strength or weakness, passivity or action, it is our choice. It is the same inbred, socially connected, corrupt people, century after century who start wars, profit from wars, etc. Bush will be replaced with another puppet of this same system, it will make little difference. It might get a little better, but it has the potential to get much worse, and this is what bothers me. If Rudy is “elected” like George was, we are in very deep excrement.
First they came for military, then for the criminals, then the weak, and the old, and the young,, then they came for the rest of us
We are become the …….. BORG..
One further point I’d like to make, and Skip would probably agree, we do have the ability to create change! Make no mistake, our action is what matters and what will make the difference. I am starting a organic farm, and all of us need to do something real, produce something of value and quit being hungry, dependent middle men that are being fingered by the man and turned into sociopathic sharks. Step by step, we must slowly slip away from the firm grip of central bankers, we must become self suficient. Start a farm, or whatever is right for you, but do something. And we must also band together and let us compete WITH each other, not against each other. Learn survival skills and how to grow food, create shelter and other essential skills. “Black Dawn, Bright Day” by Sun Bear is an excellent book to read to prepare yourself mentally for the coming changes.
“If you run, run, if you can walk, then walk, if you can crawl, crawl; but for God’s sake, do something.” MLK, Jr.
a cyborg warrior?, why not, after h5n1, aids, t.b., bubonic plague, wars, starvation, diseases, (and whatever else is out there) and all the hanky-panky concerning our monies, stock market, mortgage markets national debt, and national and international banking system, it only makes sense they want to have a half-man/half-machine warfighter, (to better protect “THEM” from “US”) hell, there won’t be anyone else left alive who’ll care about any of that crap anyway,….we’ll all be too busy scratching potatos out of the ground to feed ourselves, (since who can trust the FDA protect our food supply) and digging holes to gather fresh water seepage…(sewage?)
so, like the above gentleman said, learn how to DO something! for any skills you acquire from here on out will be a must….for survival.
Replying to Skip. Scot has made the point that I would have done, but I’d like to repeat it. Bush is just the tip of the iceberg. He is a result of a facsist elitist organisation which has already survived and thrived for generations. Today we are seeing the end game of something these people have been putting in place for some time.
Indeed societies are fluid, and nothing stays the same. However there is every reason to believe that once in place the current abomination of a controlled NWO will last for many generations. It has taken a half dozen at least and possibly many more depending on how far you want to trace the abominable people. There is no reason to assume it will last a mere couple of Presidential terms once it is in place.
I can’t wait to get chipped and turned into a super soldier and become one of those fascist moneyed elite.
I’ll rule the world and stomp you all under my feet and
do all the hot babes I desire, eat & drink what I want,
where I want and the next day, do it all over again.
Stupid liberals are suckers. You’re just poor saps
who don’t know dick about the way the real world operates. When you die you can’t take it with
so I’m gonna get mine NOW and if you’re in my way you’re gonna get stomped on by me. I say lead follow or get the %^&* out of my way!
I like what Arnold said in Conan the Barbarian:
“What is best in life: Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!”
I’m gonna rule the world and crush you all
and damn well am gonna enjoy it!
Hey Nero Caligula, you got it wrong. You should have written:
“I can’t wait to get chipped and turned into a super soldier and become one of those fascist moneyed elite’s tools.
I’ll help them rule the world and stomp you all under my feet for them and
masturbate to all the porn I desire, eat & drink grass, cardboard and other sources of waste cellulose,
in my assigned place and the next day, do it all over again.”
What is good? To crush your enemies and see them driven before you and hear the laminations of their women! The only Permanent Soldiers are in a VA hospital! I love our soldiers and hate our War! Shalom.
I love the Soldiers and hate the War! Shalom!
a govt that can draft folk into the army can use/abuse them mercilessly as cannon fodder. It happened before it’ll happen again, so what’s the big deal, just bend over and smile
govts that can draft folk into the army and use/abuse them mercilessly as cannon fodder be going on fer centuries, this ain’t nuthin’ new yawl, when itsd yer turn and yer draft number comes up, well, just bend over and smile.