America is at war, yet nothing is asked of most of its citizens but to shop and have fun. Go on with life as normal.
Like President Bush before him, President Obama has called for no sacrifices in support of the troops who are fighting and dying overseas. Just shop till you drop. And don't worry about the ugliness of war, it won't be shown to you.
You won't see heart broken families burying their dead or veterans with their limbs blown off or children orphaned nor will you see homeless, drug addicted veterans. Courtesy of the U.S. government, it's censored so as not to disturb you.
These actions must come as quite a shock to the soldiers who fought in all of the prior wars and for their families who were asked to sacrifice. And they willing did sacrifice. Americans rallied to support their nation in World War ll and many years later rallied to end the Vietnam War. In each case, they cared and got involved.
But today, you don't have to get involved. So just enjoy posting on Facebook and Twittering, and casting your ballots for the next rock star or great dance team on popular television shows. Cheer on your favorite sports teams and shed a tear if your favorite singer doesn't win a Grammy. If you play video games or go to the movies, this will be as close as you will get to the horrors of war.
For these things are meant to distract you from far more important issues, and to keep you pacified.
Our government is saying, "Keep trusting us and we'll take care of everything. You don't have to be involved." And through our silence and indifference, we give them that trust.
But this government brought us the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and through its lack of corporate oversight and its own runaway spending, has thrust us to the brink of financial collapse.
If you value your democracy, you had better get involved to protect it. Or it will sink in the quicksand of endless wars and reckless spending into bankruptcy.
These are perilous times and freedom is not free. It requires sacrifice if we want to retain what our forefathers passed down to us and what we hope to pass down to future generations. This is a major responsibility, not a birth right and it calls upon each of us to get involved now.
Dick
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
America Just Wants Peace
America is escalating the Afghanistan-Pakistan War because it deeply desires peace and its enemies won't allow it to have that peace.
America wants peace so much, that to have it, it launched preemptive wars not only in Afghanistan but in Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Panama, Grenada and in Iraq [twice]. It is also fighting drug wars in Mexico, Columbia and Brazil, and through its CIA, has conducted secret military actions from Iran to Nicaragua to Somalia.
To further ensure peace, the U.S. has 747 military bases on foreign lands all over the world, compared to few if any for every other nation. Nearly 65 years after World War ll ended, it has 60,000 troops in Germany and 50,000 in Japan. And 56 years after the Korean War ended, it has 37,000 troops there.
And when having two million soldiers in uniform was not enough, for the first time in its history, the U.S. hired a mercenary Army at premium prices, one it doesn't count in disclosing its number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition, the U.S. has thousands of nuclear warheads, far more than anyone else and some of those warheads are ready for attack on a moment's notice. And attack it can for the U.S. has the most powerful delivery systems in the world.
Meanwhile, through the CIA and its military counterparts, the U.S. seizes foreign nationals it suspects to be terrorists and will torture them, while holding them indefinitely, often in secret prisons.
While in combat, the U.S. kills those it calls terrorists, insurgents, extremists or militants. Regretfully, the U.S. sometimes kills non-combatants, including children, but that can't be helped in the pursuit of peace.
As if all these steps weren't enough to ensure peace, the U.S. is spending far more money than it can afford to build a mind numbing number of new weapons.
But as an American, if you and don't believe these actions bring peace, please raise your voice now! Your conscience will thank you and humanity will breathe a massive sigh of relief knowing America might really change its ways and pursue peace through peaceful means.
Dick
America wants peace so much, that to have it, it launched preemptive wars not only in Afghanistan but in Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Panama, Grenada and in Iraq [twice]. It is also fighting drug wars in Mexico, Columbia and Brazil, and through its CIA, has conducted secret military actions from Iran to Nicaragua to Somalia.
To further ensure peace, the U.S. has 747 military bases on foreign lands all over the world, compared to few if any for every other nation. Nearly 65 years after World War ll ended, it has 60,000 troops in Germany and 50,000 in Japan. And 56 years after the Korean War ended, it has 37,000 troops there.
And when having two million soldiers in uniform was not enough, for the first time in its history, the U.S. hired a mercenary Army at premium prices, one it doesn't count in disclosing its number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition, the U.S. has thousands of nuclear warheads, far more than anyone else and some of those warheads are ready for attack on a moment's notice. And attack it can for the U.S. has the most powerful delivery systems in the world.
Meanwhile, through the CIA and its military counterparts, the U.S. seizes foreign nationals it suspects to be terrorists and will torture them, while holding them indefinitely, often in secret prisons.
While in combat, the U.S. kills those it calls terrorists, insurgents, extremists or militants. Regretfully, the U.S. sometimes kills non-combatants, including children, but that can't be helped in the pursuit of peace.
As if all these steps weren't enough to ensure peace, the U.S. is spending far more money than it can afford to build a mind numbing number of new weapons.
But as an American, if you and don't believe these actions bring peace, please raise your voice now! Your conscience will thank you and humanity will breathe a massive sigh of relief knowing America might really change its ways and pursue peace through peaceful means.
Dick
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