Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

"Death from Above"

I find it virtually impossible to avoid analysis of the omnipresent “support the troops” concept. The latest opportunity presented itself as I walked through a parking lot in suburban Texas. On the rear window of a pick up, I saw a decal that read: “Death from Above.” Translation: The truck owner (or someone the truck owner knows) is affiliated with some sort of airborne military unit. To them, “Death from Above” is a source of martial pride and patriotic passion.

In reality, “Death from Above” means nothing less than mass murder from 15,000 feet. It means daisy cutters, bunker busters, cruise missiles, napalm, and white phosphorous. It means depleted uranium and cluster bombs littering the landscape for decades. It means rubble, destruction, the ruination of lives by the hundreds, by the thousands and more. It means Dresden, Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. It means “shock and awe.” It means 9/11. It means more than space allows me to explain, yet it’s perfectly normal for an American to slap a “Death by Above” decal on his/her vehicle…right next to “support the troops” sticker.

Read airborne article here