Violence Is the Essence of the State

When gangs of jack-booted soldiers gun down unarmed suspected drug users or American soldiers hovering in helicopters shoot Iraqi children, the media fall all over themselves praising our brave men and women fighting for our freedom/security/way of life/whatever. Let a civilian attack one of our most holy, and the whole nation erupts in an orgy of candlelight vigils, prayers, and, oh, yes, calls for more violence. America the beautiful. You bet.