There’s been a bit of flap about yesterday’s story of how the government is engraving the names of military operations on tombstones at Arlington and other national cemeteries. Of course, I agree with most people that the addition of “Operation Iraqi Freedom” or “Enduring Freedom” is tantamount to politicizing a hallowed place, but the current administration doesn’t seem to have any problem bringing politics into any manner of hallowed places, from the judiciary to the church.
Anyway, I think the broader story here is that of the operation names themselves, which are carefully crafted to elicit a political response:
The Pentagon’s decision to call the 1989 invasion of Panama “Operation Just Cause” initiated a trend of selecting operation names with themes that would help generate public support for the conflicts.
Has there ever been a time in history when government has expended so much time and effort on marketing? From carefully selected words used by the president to military operations that sound like either a video game or a parody, our government has learned over the years that the way you use language is far more important than your actual deeds.
No higher taxes! Well, not taxes, but revenue enhancements are okay.
Kinda makes me want to take one of those ‘Peace Keeper’ missles and shove it up their ***
They have no shame, NONE!
And they have proven it time and time again.