ARM-CHAIR #PATRIOTISM
[It has become dangerous to question the establishment line, faithfully echoed by the populist media. You are immediately branded “Anti-national”. This fits more naturally, and instantly, if hurled at Muslim sounding names. Yet, here I go.]
This year has been amongst the worst, in respect of peace-time casualties, for our #soldiers. Twice as many of our soldiers perished these last few months as compared with this time last year.
So? Go, kill some of ‘theirs’. That ‘they’ will also kill some of ours doesn’t bother these arm-chair patriots.
Watch the words of the war-mongers: “Go, kill”. They don’t say, “We will come with you”. Much less, “You rest, we will fight. Anywhichway.”
This variety of patriotism comes easy. And costs little. Good sound bytes with heavy political returns merely on word-investment
To true patriots, however, what should matter is how fewer of ours were killed this year, than last year – and not how many more of “theirs” we killed.
Which brings me to our foreign and defense policies.
Immediate, short term measures notwithstanding, in the long term the bedrock of our policy should be “how to save our human lives”. Which will, clearly, also involve saving human life in general.
We should explore alternate means such as high quality surveillance, intelligence gathering, better liaising with civilians on the border etc.
We also need to nip corruption in the forces, punish our guardsmen who let the terrorists enter our protected camps.
But we must explore peace, at least detente, for effective enforcement of ceasefire, and perhaps encourage people to people, business to business, contacts with “the enemy”.
This alone will ensure saving our soldiers. If you love them, truly, that is.
Tags: Patriotism
