Danny and Derek chat with Lyle Jeremy Rubin, veteran of the war in Afghanistan and author of the memoir Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body: A Marine’s Unbecoming. In this first part, they get into Lyle’s origins in Connecticut, how he became enamored with rightwing media, the galvinizing impact of 9/11, what exactly one learns at bootcamp in 2006, the culture among his peers and superiors, and more through the end of his training.
Sep 26, 2023Liked by Daniel Bessner, American Prestige
This resonated with me deeply. I’m also a former Marine and joined to feel I needed a journey to be a man and all this happened post 9/11. Thanks for the episode.
The remark about Milton Friedman and Pinochet reminded me of a real doozy of a Washington Post editorial "A Dictator's Double Standard" that ran in December 2006. Worth checking out in its entirety. One choice excerpt:
"Like it or not, Mr. Pinochet had something to do with this success. To the dismay of every economic minister in Latin America, he introduced the free-market policies that produced the Chilean economic miracle -- and that not even Allende's socialist successors have dared reverse. He also accepted a transition to democracy, stepping down peacefully in 1990 after losing a referendum.
By way of contrast, Fidel Castro -- Mr. Pinochet's nemesis and a hero to many in Latin America and beyond -- will leave behind an economically ruined and freedomless country with his approaching death. Mr. Castro also killed and exiled thousands. But even when it became obvious that his communist economic system had impoverished his country, he refused to abandon that system: He spent the last years of his rule reversing a partial liberalization."
The initial structure of the editorial deals with the crimes of Pinochet, but in a kind of grudging way, followed by a big "yeah, but", with a turn to "what about Castro", with a conclusion, that seems to argue that Pinochet's defenders are the real victims of history. Pretty much par for course for house editorials at that paper during the Bush years.
This resonated with me deeply. I’m also a former Marine and joined to feel I needed a journey to be a man and all this happened post 9/11. Thanks for the episode.
excellent- looking forward to part 2
Look forward to hearing part 2.
The remark about Milton Friedman and Pinochet reminded me of a real doozy of a Washington Post editorial "A Dictator's Double Standard" that ran in December 2006. Worth checking out in its entirety. One choice excerpt:
"Like it or not, Mr. Pinochet had something to do with this success. To the dismay of every economic minister in Latin America, he introduced the free-market policies that produced the Chilean economic miracle -- and that not even Allende's socialist successors have dared reverse. He also accepted a transition to democracy, stepping down peacefully in 1990 after losing a referendum.
By way of contrast, Fidel Castro -- Mr. Pinochet's nemesis and a hero to many in Latin America and beyond -- will leave behind an economically ruined and freedomless country with his approaching death. Mr. Castro also killed and exiled thousands. But even when it became obvious that his communist economic system had impoverished his country, he refused to abandon that system: He spent the last years of his rule reversing a partial liberalization."
The initial structure of the editorial deals with the crimes of Pinochet, but in a kind of grudging way, followed by a big "yeah, but", with a turn to "what about Castro", with a conclusion, that seems to argue that Pinochet's defenders are the real victims of history. Pretty much par for course for house editorials at that paper during the Bush years.