WDK wrote: >For what it's worth, my >opinion is you're all off base about broad underlying motives (such as >racism, sexism, militarism, etc.) of Klebold and Harris. I don't argue that the above are underlying 'motives,' but I think it is important to think of, for instance, the likely effects that the maintenance of a gigantic standing army has had on American culture, male socialization, etc. "Eric's father, Wayne, is a decorated Air Force pilot who retired as a major in 1993 after 20 years of service..." (4/23/1999, New York Times, A17). And remember Timothy McVeigh's military background? I also hear that on the violent fringe of the anti-abortion movement there have been many who have passed through the military. "This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it, as I must master my life. Without me my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: My rifle and myself are defenders of my country." (from Stanley Kubrick's _Full Metal Jacket_) I think that socialists, as a matter of principles, should object to a gigantic and professional standing army, especially the US military with its foreign bases all over the world, firstly because of the uses to which it has been put, secondly because it misshapes many who are employed in it (both when its ideological control succeeds and when it fails). Yoshie
