So, the wife and I moved to Tucson. Yeah, I know, but the desert is in my blood. I plead genetic memory and, besides all of that, there’s better food that goes beyond the Four Flavors of Northern Arizona: Bland, Salty, Sweet, and Greasy. The first day here, I heard this ear-piercing sound split the sky! We’re under attack! Iran must have purloined an aircraft carrier! I threw open the door and bolted outside. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! No, it’s a plane! It’s trillions in wasted tax dollars!

Behold, it’s fighter aircraft! It’s also the controversial A-10 ground attack aircraft! I had forgotten that Tucson is home to the (in)famous Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Yes, this is also the famous “Boneyard” where the United States Air Force mothballs and stashes all its obsolete aircraft for these decades since the Tax-Wasting Flyboys came into existence. I like that phrase—Tax-Wasting Flyboys. Sounds like a Texas Swing band. If only. Swords Into Plowshares... Paul, Ron Best Price: $4.00 Buy New $15.99 (as of 11:36 UTC - Details)

In fact, you can get some guided tours of the Boneyard so you can see your tax dollars hard at decay. I wonder if they pass out barf bags, because such an immoral display of wasted money would wrench the stoutest stomachs. Even those who have had truck stop coffee in Holbrook, Arizona. I think the Boneyard is not properly named or recognized. We should make it a national monument, except that would cost even more money. But what it would be called is: “The National Monument To Obscene Waste In The Name Of State Violence.” Indeed, there are acres and acres of derelict aircraft out there. The air force even brags about it, like a hoarder with no sense of shame or embarrassment. This is “The Land Of Unloved War Toys”, in some sick version of a Christmas made-for-TV Claymation kids show. Here, in the home of the Heat Miser, no less.

Now, Tucson is predominantly liberal, mostly Democrat. Yet, the city engages in endless booty-smooching to appease Davis-Monthan AFB. And also a major defense contractor here who makes missiles that, I am told, have some rather impressive kill ratios. I wonder if they have a money-back guarantee: “Kills 100 people or your money back!” I doubt it. Anyway, how can you say you want peace when you beg the dogs of war to remain sequestered in your backyard? Basically, if Davis-Molech AFB told the City of Tucson to paint every building in Tucson pink, this would be “The Pink Pueblo” not “The Old Pueblo”. However, this is not unique to Tucson. Every city with a military base does this because why? Because those are “good jobs”! This is why we can’t have peace. Because war provides “good jobs” working on military bases and defense contractors. We’re begging the military to find reasons to exist—and expand operations—in our cities. Again, because those are “good jobs”! Yes, I want peace unless it costs me that new hybrid electric car. If it costs 10,000 Arab lives for me to buy some solar panels, then so be it. Against the State: An ... Rockwell Jr., Llewelly... Best Price: $5.02 Buy New $5.52 (as of 11:35 UTC - Details)

Therefore, find reasons to exist—and expand operations—they do. It has come to pass that certain facts have come to light. In the beginning of the Endless War (aka the War of Terror), a list of terrorists was passed around to U.S. covert ops forces. That would be, dare I mention them, JSOC. Well, a funny thing happened on the way to re-creating Rome. As people on the list were killed, the list did not diminish. It grew! The more that got killed, the more that got added to the list. How does this happen? Very simply. Not everyone on that list was killed. Many were captured. We know that. Those people were tortured and gave up names. Those names were added to the list. This is not a new dynamic. In fact, it’s rather a Golden Oldie.

You see, back in Ye Olde Days, Europe went through an event called The Witch Trials. Basically, you had this paramilitary covert ops group (sound familiar?) called Witch-Finders. They were empowered by Church and State to find the “witches” responsible for certain catastrophes such as the Black Death and crop failures and so on. In other words, the “terrorists” of that time period. They, therefore, went around to villages and demanded witches be handed over—or else. They couldn’t call in air strikes, you see. People, in fear, would hand over an innocent old woman no one liked to appease these guys. They’d torture the woman and she’d hand over a whole list of names—all innocent people, too. Those people would be picked up and tortured and, they’d hand over even more names. Because people will say anything to make the torture stop. Before anyone knew what was happening, the list of witches grew the more people that were picked up. Instead of decreasing as more people were picked up in sweep-and-clears, the list grew. The Witch-Finders loved it because, you see, the Church and State confiscated the property of “witches” and so they were rolling in cash and properties. The Witch-Finders were getting funded beyond their wildest dreams. Kindle Paperwhite, 6&r... Best Price: $40.90 (as of 05:45 UTC - Details)

So it is that the U.S. military garners more funding the more people they add to the list of “terrorists” that they have. The more they pick up in sweep-and-clears and snatch-and-grabs, the more names they are going to get. On and on it will go as the Congress cuts them more and more checks. It’s about money. If you’re General Spooky in charge of “Shhh! We Don’t Exist!”, and you can keep showing lists of names, you can keep pulling in checks. And cash, because General Spooky will say their “people” on the ground need cash for informants and thus and so. You don’t really think that $12 billion dollars that went missing in Iraq just went into Bremer’s pocket, do you? Checks for the up-front and known budget. Cash for the “off the books” budget, the “Black ops” Black Hole where billions per year literally disappear. General Spooky and his friends can retire very wealthy men.

Here we are, falling for the scam again. Iran, ISIS, al-Qaida Reloaded, and Yemen, and al-Shabab, and al-Everyone Else on Ye Olde List of Ye Witches, er, terrorists. America’s Greatest Hits. Cities lick the boots of the local military base to stay, then drive across town to give a speech at a peace rally. People will say, “But we need defense!” From whom?! The enemies this government creates themselves? The enemies they add to this list without end through sweep-and-clears and “enhanced interrogation”? The assumption is made that it’s the “other guy” that doesn’t want peace. Excuse me, but those people can’t afford military budgets like ours. They have to go to international yard sales and pawn shops to acquire the hand-me-down weapons of decades ago. We just stash them at the Boneyard and buy more. We crave those “good jobs” and the list of “terrorists” on the Death Charts Top Hundred Hits just keeps growing.

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