American Sniper

Playing hide and seek with reality

The U.S. military credits Chris Kyle with killing over 160 human beings. Sometimes more. “The number is not important to me. I only wish I had killed more…” Good students always want extra credit.

This coming Thursday (January 12, 2012), the Barnes & Noble bookstore located in the Mira Mesa community of San Diego has scheduled a book signing with Chris Kyle. As author, and state-sanctioned hitman, Kyle plans to visit a supposed “friendly town” to promote his heartfelt tale of bloodletting called American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History.

The event page describes this man as the “most accomplished SEAL sniper in US History.” Accomplished, evidently, in the framework of legal murder. Instead of being tried for crimes against humanity, he will be sitting amongst local families bragging about how many Arabs he has picked off while dreaming about his next Coors Light.

Does it really take a brave man to kill from a distance? Does his rifle have a censor that detects “terrorist DNA” through the scope? One can only hope that this brave warrior doesn’t go on a shooting spree if no one shows up for his scheduled ego-fest.

Who in their right mind would want to attend this event? Perhaps there are those looking forward to this man boast (and perhaps exaggerate) about the size of his gun. The power of his shot. And all the blood that he has spilt. Who doesn’t love an orgy? We must teach the youth how a “real man” behaves, correct? It’s not rape if you’re doing it out of love. Is that the message of these penetrating bullets for peace?

In a recent interview with Bill O’Reilly, Chris Kyle was brutally honest. How was he able to kill with no conscious?

“…you have to not think of them as a human being.”

Honest and chilling. The history of the world in eleven words.

Blame should not be completely thrust upon Kyle. The mind control is so strong in the military that Kyle actually thinks he didn’t drop his heat enough. The entire system of war-for-profit and their public relations cavalry cowers in guilt as well.

Barnes and Noble should cancel the event. But, please, keep the book in print. It serves as a valuable artifact for the psychosis of this militarized culture we live in. As a person from the future, I can appreciate Chris Kyle’s candor as we study this disease of cannibalism. Whether we’re talking about science, medicine, religion, or sports: we live in a culture of force.

“Fight cancer!”
“Kill the terrorists!
“Fight hunger!”
“Go, fight, win!”
“…and neuter your kids. Er, dogs.”

The new world will be about community, creativity, and co-existing with the universe. Please join us. The lie of fear-based competition has been told for so long now that you believe there must be conflict for you to achieve happiness. The instant gratification of an explosion, a cum shot, Starbucks, gambling (poker, fantasy baseball, lotto, and stock trading), or drugs exist as a one-way path away from your purpose.

The propaganda: if you kill in the name the machine — then you’re a hero. But if you shoot back at the giant tanks and metal planes dropping death from above, then you’re a terrorist. Americans love to cheer for the underdog. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we be waving pom-poms for the people that have minimal technology, no budget, no Air Force, and no tanks? If America is, in fact, the overwhelming favorite (the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers combined) — then who is the other side? And why are they winning? We are one people. Earth people. In fact, we don’t seek victory or control. We seek only unity.

  • See related article: “An Act of Cowardice that Must Surely be Unrivalled in History: Challenging the Assumption of Valor.”
  • Kap Fulton is really sick of the military culture around him. He can be reached at: kapfulton@gmail.com. Read other articles by Kap.