(archaic: Philipine-American War)

[Beau]

This year's meeting of the Military Order of the Carabao, scheduled to take place on February 1, highlights continuities in the racist military traditions of the United States military from the Philippine-American War to the present. The Military Order of the Carabao was formed in 1900 by American military officers in the Philippines. In 1914, it was criticized by President Woodrow Wilson after its annual meeting in Washington included the singing of a racist song and the performance of skits that ridiculed members of the administration and its policies regarding Philippine independence. A complete report on the 1914 controversy, including the full lyrics for the song, was published in Manuel Quezon's magazine, The Filipino People in January 1914. Remarkably, the Military Order of the Carabao still sings that song at its annual gatherings.

Although the organization has avoided the press for most of its existence, it is still going strong and includes many of the country's top military officers among its members. Ian Urbina highlights the organization, its history and current membership and recent meetings in "The Empire Strikes Back: The Tribal Rites of America's Military Leaders" in this week's Village Voice (Jan. 29 - Feb. 4, 2003).

Lia Bulaong, who brought the Village Voice article to my attention, has published commentary about the organization in her blog (see January 29 entry).

When the highest ranking officers of the United States military celebrate by singing racist songs from a bloody imperial war in the Philippines, is it any wonder that the peoples of countries from Australia and Asia to Africa and Europe are critical of their intention to enforce their vision of "globalization" on the rest of the world?


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Jim Zwick