Neo-Conservatives: Homegrown Terrorists Waiting for their Moment?

By Jim Purcell

The American Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine are not employed to offer their political observations upon the state of the American Republic.

Far from it, the American Serviceman or Servicewoman is employed to defend their country by obeying the orders of the President and the officers placed above them by the President. This is inherent in the oath they are administered at the outset of every enlistment they enter into as a member of the U.S. Military.

And there is folly and misunderstanding happening about that these days. I am an old soldier, who served between 1983-1999, several years on Active Duty, a few as a Reservist, and some as a member of the Inactive Reserve. Now, I say this -- there is a notion by some Active Duty Service members that they participate in democracy and do not just protect it. Meanwhile, this nation employs so-called "Contractors" who are little more than traitors to the American Cause, clothing themselves in the cloak of Conservativism.

At Valley Forge, during the Revolutionary War (1776-1783), American Soldiers were asked to stay and fight, not their opinion about the way Gen. Washington ran the Army. Gen. Washington served at the pleasure of the Continental Congress, his bosses. Likewise, MG Andrew Jackson was commissioned by the U.S. Congress and, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815), selected to serve in his post by President James Monroe; as the Congress commissioned LTG Phillip Sheridan and he was selected as Army Chief of Staff by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War (1861-1865); and commanders from then until now have been commissioned by Congress and selected to their posts by the serving President of the United States.

Yet, thanks to Social Media today, some Service Members feel free criticizing their President and Chain-of-Command openly in venues like Facebook. They are sure that their opinions should be counted in the way that civilian opinions should be because they believe they have a "right" to do so. They possess no such right. They have the unique privilege of serving this Republic in its Armed Forces. They are Patriots for this service, though that does not entitle them to openly defy or ridicule their President or Chain of Command.

There is much made of potential insurrection in this country by Conservative, Reactionary Political Forces (e.g. the so-called Tea Party). These so-called "Patriots" threaten overt use of force if the country leads in a direction where gun privileges are reduced by the Congress or other legislating bodies. How dare they!? Why are these so-called "Patriots" not considered what they are: home-grown potential terrorists? They promise insurrection -- and some of them are members of our Armed Forces who purposefully and publicly promise disobedience and worse to their oaths of enlistment. Meanwhile, others who are "Contractors" subscribe to this belief, which should be illegal in a public setting should such employees utter them to embark upon nefarious actions in hopes of creating a rebellious effect. These people, these Conservatives, are a mere minority of Americans -- nothing more. They are the least intelligent, educated or demonstrative of character.

This scourge should be stopped immediately. Laws on the books of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice should be enforced, and harshly, to ensure that the U.S. Military that has always served this nation with distinction does not become some haven for would-be terrorists.

As an acute critic of President George W. Bush, I protested him in all the ways open to Americans: I picketed, protested, wrote editorials and took part in constructive Online discussions. However, I never have or would threaten any President of the United States, be they in or out of office. Why? Because such a thing is insurrection to the American mentality. One cannot love this Republic and spurn its acceptable means of showing opinion.

So, I say Servicemen and Servicewomen should be ferreted out of the military for adopting overt political beliefs or ideologies that run counter to military or civil law (e.g. Reactionary Neo-Conservatives). Further, American civilians who state or demonstrate opposition to the accepted American standards of political disagreement should be investigated as potential U.S. terrorists in waiting.

To contractors, they should be investigated and, if found guilty, either banned from any government service or imprisoned.

This Republic is being threatened not by Leftists or Communists, as some believed in yesteryear, but by Pseudo-Fascists overtly planning to make war against the U.S. Government and the Governments organized beneath it. And, that cannot be tolerated for the American Experiment to endure for long.

As dangerous as Radical Islamists are, so too might American Neo-Conservatives become before too long. Their message has been a simple one: If the will of the Majority is not to our liking, we will dissolve our collective loyalties to the United States and embark on an actual war of arms against their native country. And, it is high time that ordinary Americans see this for what it is -- not a piece of gamesmanship for electoral purposes but outright sedition in its worst form: Treason.

No body will long last with cancer festering within it, and so too does this present extreme danger where it involves the clear and present danger of Reactionary, Ultra Right-Wing Forces forming in the bosom of our nation.

(Jim Purcell is an award-winning journalist, who has been recognized by the U.S. Congress, NAACP and NJ Library Association, among others. A graduate of the NY Theological Seminary, Mr. Purcell earned his Master's degree in Parish Ministry and is the Publisher Emeritus for The Courier, Middletown, NJ. He is a former officer of the Greater Long Branch NAACP and was recognized, academically, as a Lily Scholar.)