On Wednesday, we looked at the VA’s 2020 National Suicide Prevention Annual Report, which states in no uncertain terms, staring on Page 33, that nay veteran, whether they are on the VA’s radar or not, can and will be surveilled under the guise of preventing suicide. Following that we looked at how Operation Vigilante Eagle under President Obama se the state for entrapping veterans as unstable extremists with the goal of disarming them. Yesterday, we saw how the VA’s Circle of Health—Whole Health recommendations for self-care include method of meditation that could exacerbate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in up to approximately 8 percent of the veteran population. Today…buckle up, because you cannot win if you don’t know who your enemy is.
In Annie Jacobsen’s book, “Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government’s Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis” she discusses how government computers can be issued to aid veterans with PTSD. When they awake from a nightmare, they go to the computer, don the virtual reality headgear and retrain their brains to go to a so-called empowering happy place. The veteran creates the virtual world; it can be anywhere they want with whomever they want.
Although Jacobsen does not explore the moral implications of hooking veterans on virtual reality, this is the juncture of transhumanism. Each person needs to attain the moral high ground for him or herself. Do you wake up and confide in your spouse, facing the vulnerable awkwardness of that? Do you allow yourself to be loved by a real person even if they don’t have exactly the right words to soothe you? Or do you escape to your perfect world with your perfect mate under the guise of retraining your brain? Are there limits on how much time you spend in your perfect world? What if you prefer it to reality and it begins to consume greater and greater portions of your day? Are you thereby enslaved by it? Are we truly helping veterans or are we removing them from the battlefield of life?
Then Jacobsen mentioned something in passing that shocked me. Any guesses on who might be intimately involved in veteran outreach through transcendental meditation? And, let’s break that down. Transcendentalists believe that humans and nature are basically good and that it is the institutions of society that corrupt. It focuses on the inherent good of self-reliance and independence without a single nod to classic cultural, educational, or religious masters of the past. In other words, it corrupts the belief in America’s “rugged individualism,” because it refuses to acknowledge the patriots’ tip-of-the-hat to heritage, history, and, at a bare minimum, ethics, and, far more likely, an outright devotion to God. So, you see, at every turn our enemies twist the language and the culture against us. There is nothing wrong with self-reliance and independence whatsoever. It’s what this country was built on. It’s simply unsustainable in a republic that requires ethical self-discipline and a shared understanding of our nation’s founding principles.
Jacobsen said that movie director David Lynch was involved in the movement to help certain segments of society—notably veterans—use transcendental meditation to help heal PTSD. The first victims of the David Lynch Foundation, however, were children; he wants TM taught in every school. What better way to open the gate to transhuman enslavement? We’re talking about Lynch of “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Twin Peaks” fame. He uses what’s called magic realism approaches to storytelling, in which reality is liberally salted with incomprehensible fantasy elements from a dream-like subconscious. Linear timelines are eschewed for flashbacks, flash-forwards, and circular time-keeping. Some of Lynch’s favorite motifs in his filmmaking include incest, rape, head injuries, deformities—including amputations—and females with split personalities. Does anyone beside me find those interests, in combination with the veteran community, problematic? Walking out of a showing of “Blue Velvet” is a perfectly sane response. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re just “afraid” or “backward.” Art does not equal mind-assault. Art elevates society; it doesn’t debase it
Listen, there is zero wrong with calming the mind, but you know how it’s accomplished—through action. You know what books are read and re-read by veterans? “Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why” and “Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience,” both by Laurence Gonzales. What constitutes a survivor is incorporated in the 12 things that the majority of survivors do. Gonzales’ books are the ones that should be mandatory reading in schools everywhere. I highly recommend you read them both, but I’ll summarize his list of universal ground truths so you can immediately see that they are much more closely aligned with the warrior spirit than anything the VA is offering.
- Perceive and believe. Your mental model has exploded. Use your situational awareness to take stock. The death of the Republic? Communism? Suicide? Yup. Total suck. No denial. No panic. It’s up to you. What’s the next right thing you can do to save yourself and the country as founded?
- Stay calm and use your anger. Fear cannot rule, but it can evolve into anger and anger is highly motivating. People who tell you that all anger is bad, never fought for their lives or their country. Live a life that incorporates some uncomfortableness: exercise, cold showers, fasting, anything that familiarizes your mind and body with discomfort.
- Think, analyze, and plan. Establish routines of “next right things” that help you survive so you can contribute to rebuilding the Republic. If such a thing is possible, great; if it’s not, your option is to do nothing, which sounds an awful lot like surrender. Become your own inner drill sergeant—post induction, when they’re nicer and try to help you.
- Take correct, decisive action. Be bold but careful. Break down the enormity of the task into smaller minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day tasks. And here is where the lessons of “Surviving Survival” come into play. It’s through doing something with your hands that the healing of your mind is achieved. Take a class, start a business, forge a knife, knit a sweater. The brain made space, accommodations, for the ritual of your kit. You literally replace the time and attention you used for maintaining your weapons and gear with something you likewise do with your hands: rebuilding a car, woodworking, playing guitar. Rifles are one of most frequently listed things soldiers say they miss when they leave the military. They became extensions of their bodies and the brain adapted accordingly and suffers proportionately with the separation.
- Celebrate your success. Stop. Congratulate yourself. Look at how far you’ve come from the utter shock and despondency of Election Day. If things are worse, repeat 1. through 4.
- Be a rescuer, not a victim. If you are your only reason for living, you won’t make it. Those of you who have been through the Q Course know that then-Lieutenant James N. Rowe survived five years in rotating Vietcong prison camps in the jungles of the U Minh Forest for one reason: his parents, especially his beloved mother. Personify America, help another veteran, find someone or something you can support by your physical or emotional presence.
- Enjoy the journey. This is a heck of a lot easier with liked-minded people around you. Focus on the little things, a run, the sun, a warm shower, clean clothes, the ritual of tasking up your everyday carries.
- See the beauty. I’m reminded of a We Are The Mighty video of towed jumper U.S. Army Ranger Brian Hanson who said something to the effect of, So this is what it’s like to be a pilot fish to a whale.
- Believe that you will succeed. At some point the fear of dying, of having lost your country, of being overtaken by communists and machines, gives way to living and executing your plan.
- We all die, but maybe not today. Put rescue, or victory, out of your mind. Both or either will come by God’s grace and as an interruption to the routine of survival and resistance.
- Do whatever is necessary. If your only reason for living is to restore the freest country on earth, then so be it. Bet everything on yourself, and do whatever you have to do to be successful. Nothing is a foregone conclusion. Everyone has the character and passion to make life-altering decisions that change the course of human events.
- Never give up. If you’re alive, there’s one more thing you can do. If you fail, rework your plan, and try again. Don’t bemoan wasted time, energy, or enemy attacks. Get pissed and come up with another plan.
Veterans love to bitch about the VA. “The VA: Giving veterans a second chance to die for their country.” “The four Ds of the VA: Deny, delay, and drug until death.” It’s like being a Red Sox fan of old. There’s a heartbreaking betrayal to it all, steeped in black humor, that veterans of all eras can appreciate. It’s a perverse irony that when the VA begins to right itself—or the Red Sox win a World Series—that the coalescence of misery wanes. We were miserable, but we were untied. Now we’ve gotten satisfaction, but we’re alone and adrift. Well, hold on, because the VA hasn’t improved that much. It’s just gotten better at hiding its intent. Check out the symbolism of its Circle of Health—Whole Health logo: A human body consisting of a downward-pointing arrow, topped by a circle head, encircled by what the VA probably markets as a blue swirl of positive energy, but what is reminiscent of Satan entrapped in ice from the waist down at the bottom of hell in Dante’s “Inferno.” Rest assured, the agency still seeks to escort you to an early grave, but you can navigate its minefield and escape by developing the characteristics explored in Laurence Gonzales books on survival.
P.S. Don’t sign up for a veteran-identified state ID or driver’s license. It’s just another way to target you, which shows how ignorant or complicit Military.com is. If you want discounts, get a Navy Federal Credit Union or USAA checking or savings account, or sign up with the American Legion or Disabled American Veterans. In fact, joining a local veterans group is a great way to increase ties within your AO. In fact, you may run into an elder veteran who would appreciate you taking the time to talk.