Make Vermont National Guard a Civilian Force

The recent call to cut military forces, though specious as our war plans expand, raises the question of whether we should have dual-use forces. Vermonters may be better served by separating the civilian duties of the guard from its current military image and assignments. A civilian corps is necessary for state disasters like Irene, but having our state Guard in camouflage sends a dangerous mixed message.

Journalist  Chris Hedges has pointed out that during military training “Individuality is physically and then psychologically crushed. Aggressiveness is rewarded. Compassion is demeaned. Violence is the favorite form of communication. These qualities are an asset in war; they are a disaster in civil society.”

Are these the values we want to serve – and even revere — in Vermont’s service members?

Our nation is ruled by what the late Thomas Naylor of Charlotte called People of the Lie. We are routinely lied to by the administration, by Wall Street, by the Pentagon, and the mass media, and we are expected —  in military fashion — to accept all violations of common sense. We are told we are winning our wars, that we need a military 12 times as big as the next, that Wall Street has committed no punishible crimes, that our country does  not torture people, or kill innocents with drones. Somehow we have allowed pathological liars,  murderers, and thieves to become the role models we obey and applaud.

Role models and heroes should not be killers, but rather people who help others sustain their lives. We need a civilian force and it’s important to separate this force from the dehumanizing,  automaton-making culture of the U.S. military.

If trained killers and their weapons of mass destruction are to be supported at all, let them manage in states with a military base. Vermont should develop a peace economy which does not exult in camo.

Peter Garritano works at Shearer Chevrolet and spends his spare time raising chickens and cows, and trying to offer those around him a different perspective on events that affect their lives. His dream is a world were violence is not accepted as a method to solve problems both personal and political.