McNamara, McVeigh and LBJ
by
Matt Giwer (c) 1995 <4/28>
We have an interesting rogues' gallery. Robert S. McNamara, the self confessed following orders Secretary of Defense who uselessly killed 58,000+ Americans. McVeigh who has probably killed less than 200 people. LBJ who is the mastermind of 58,000+ American deaths.
Here we have three criminals, one begging forgiveness before he dies, one giving his name, rank and serial number, and the other escaped from public retribution by death. It is easy to understand why LBJ is not being lynched, he is dead. McVeigh avoids the lynch mob by being in a federal prison in the middle of an Army camp. McNamara tours the country promoting his book without a bodyguard.
Is there something wrong with this picture? Are we not giving out justice by the stature of the person rather than the crime? Are we not making determination of judgement based upon the person rather than the crime?
He was a government official and therefore what? He is immune from the approbrium anyone else doing the same thing would deserve? He was only doing his job? That is a very strange job. He was only following orders? I think I have heard that one before.
As far as deaths are concerned I do not see any material difference between McNamara following the orders of LBJ and McVeigh claiming to follow the orders of voices, save that in our system of justice McVeigh would be less culpable than McNamara.
Is McNamara like OJ Simpson to be excused from the death penalty by right of public prominence? Had Robert Redfern shot Lincoln would that have mattered? Yes. Redfern would be less guilty because he is Redfern.
Is McNarama less guilty because he is McNamara? Yes.
Is McVeigh less guilty because he is McVeigh. Hell no. He is even more guilty because he is a nobody with no redeeming ethnic, racial or sexual differences to inspire a spirited if facetious defense.
And LBJ, we now know without question he was ordering people to fight a war he knew could not be won and that he was only sending people to die. And yet the LBJ library still standing without a torch in sight. Will McVeigh's grave survive desecration?
What is the difference? McNamara/LBJ = 58,000+ Americans only. McVeigh less than 200. Hanging where hanging is due.
It is also remarkable timing that the ADMITTED, read that again, ADMITTED, murderer of 58,000 can publish and be debated, read that again, DEBATED, in the media while the accused murderer of less than 200 is convicted in the same media.
Of course there are those who worship "high public office" as though it were something that imbues the troubles and wisdom of Hamlet. Guess what? Hamlet and the hero myth is about people thrust into such matters by things beyond their control. Anyone running for public office, anyone accepting public office does so because they want it. They are not forced into it despite attempts by sympathetic biographers to cast them in that mold.
LBJ was not thrust into the presidency, he accepted the Vice Presidential nomination. Certainly JFK was assassinated but he ran for office, by personal choice, in 1964. He was forced into nothing. He wanted to be in the position of president where in fact he could start wars if he so choose.
He also wanted to be in a position where he could have self serving lackey order-takers like McNamara jump as high as he ordered and kill on command. And McNamara wanted to be in a position to carry out orders without guilt. We can imagine a Goebbels in later life writing McNamara's book searching for public forgiveness for following the orders of his LBJ.
But then what are we do to with McVeigh? What he did, if he did it, is trivial in comparison to any rational person. Could McVeigh be forgiven if he had high public office much as Reno has been forgiven for Waco?
So where is it written that people who CHOOSE to make major decisions for the country from political connections and for personal reasons are in any way different from people acting on their own? What is it anyone can imagine about these people who work their backsides off to get to such positions of power that makes us think they are suddenly thrust into situations they did not expect -- in fact did not want?
McNamara, McVeigh, LBJ. There is no discernible difference among them in what they knowingly and wilfully did. We can't try LBJ. Who is in favor of simultaneous trials for McNamara and McVeigh?