In light of disallowed petition concerning Bradley Manning

[BanzaiBonnie]

Has the US military become too big to respond to the people (citizens) they are supposed to protect?

My response is that ANY entity that forgets that they serve in the public interest, loses their way and is doomed to failure and collapse.

[lob1]

1. They're doomed to failure and collapse only if we help them along.

[Riftaxe]

2. I can help clarify things for you...

You are not in the command chain, you have no right to give military personnel orders. Now hold with me, this is basic civics, you elect officials to deal with and give orders to the military. In this case here, the person representing you who can give orders to the military is President Obama (you are not President Obama)

[BanzaiBonnie]

3. I'm not sure if you're serious inengaging in discussion

or whether you are being flip in your response, but in the interest of clear communication, I'll offer this:

Of course I'm not in charge. I'm speaking generally, in light of the growth of the military industrial complex and the impression I have that they think they're in charge. The knee-jerk response is to protect the institution at what price? Torture? Ignoring the law one is charged with protecting?

And I'm in no way disparaging those who serve in the military. The INSTITUTION has gone way beyond serving to protect the people of the United States and has for too long protected "US interests" which has ended up too many times to mean something dangerously narrow. Read corporate interests.

And historically, it has ever has been this way with Empires. They rise, go beyond their reach and with the enormity of an oppressive size, they fall under their own weight and hubris.

Dammit, I really do dig the idea of our Constitution and these United States of America. But, being born in 1955 and graduating from high school and entering adulthood in 1973, it's been an economic downhill slide for me and my family since then, not to mention the deterioration of how the laws of the land are upheld.