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Family.org Hot Topics: A closer look at gambling, ... Listening to all the yammering abou the war, somet... AlterNet: Metaphor and War, Again This essay by G... George Lakoff: on Evil as Metaphor Brilliant! Go... Watching the "Ultimatum Speech" last night I found... You say War, I say Invasion BBC NEWS | Middle Eas... Real Support for Iraq Invasion: 10% of American Pu... United Nations too Democractic for the U.S., Not D... I was trying to come up with a good analogy that w... The Logical Fallacies: Index Tuned into some righ... Justin Oldham - Politics and Patriotism
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3.21.2003
War in the Context of Class StruggleIn my attempt at staying with the theme I have given to myself, which I have done miserable in following, and which now I will again attempt to commence, in the same style as Faulkner, who managed to make three thoughts into one sentence, to comment on the class issues involved in today's society which is dominated with war. David Neiwert over at Ornicus, one of my favorite blogs, mentions in his commentary that Howard Dean is attempting to reach out to the marginalized segment of white society, the pickup crowd if you will, which he refers to as the "confederate flag decal" crowd. The idea that Dean is trying to get out is that "Bush's policies are bad for the working class, so why would you support him?". Which is true. Bush's policies are undermining the abilities of the average working class folk to make their living and pursue life, liberty and happiness. But Bush is just continuing the legacy that began with the birth of this nation, which I feel was envisioned as a money making opportunity for the aristrocrats of Europe. The constitution was conceived not entirely for the American people but for the "American Elite" people. The assumption was that the landowners of this nation needed a set of rules to play by so they could go about their merry business without to much infighting. Only through the course of numerous movements and the shaping of that document to pertain to a broader segment of society have we reached the relatively enlightened level that we have. This is an easy conclusion to draw if you take a class view of history. Of course reading Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States of America will help as well. We reach this point in history and the basic idea of America has not changed much. The vast owners of American real estate and capital feel they have a right to determine the character and actions of this country. And to a certain extent they have done a thorough job of convincing the rest of us that we should let them. It is only through certain legal protections and tradition that restrains them if at all. Bush is just more blatent in his exploitation of power for class gains. He represents the clearest manifestation of American aristocracy, a son of a wealthy family who uses his position in society to gain wealth and power. Every so-called "patriotic" American should find his presidency distasteful to the ideas of hard work, personal responsibility and integrity. But unfortunately he's just the best specimen he is not the only one. The majority of powerbrokers in Washington are followers of the "new" golden rule: He who has the gold makes the rule. And in their ruling decision they look more to Wall Street than they do to Main Street. All This Talk About Patriotism Many people that oppose this war are being called Un-Patriotic. We do not have that unconditional love for the Father, the state. Patriotism can be defined simply as 'love and loyal support of one's country' I think its plain to see how our leaders stack up to these definitions. Being called unpatriotic is alot like being called just about anything else, its all in the intent. I personally don't feel so bad when its yelled at me from a passing pickup truck as I stand on a street corner defeding the idea of peace amongst humans. If my government does not stand with peace, justice, and liberty for all people of all places then I do not stand with my government. I do however stand for the ideas of America that everyone says they believe in but are not willing to stand up for; ideas such as equality and fairness. I respect the government of the state only if it represents the will of the people. There is a high standard for me to show allegiance to a government. My primary allegiance is to the community of humanity. Many times the artificial barriars that we call nations seperate people for the sole purpose of pitting humans against humans for the sake of power struggles. As it turns out, the Russians of the Former Soviet Union are not the baby eating killers we thought they were during the Cold War era. The Germans of the Nazi era were not some bad generation and now they're better. It turns out the Japanese would rather invent "cute" toys and games instead of flying suicide missions. Its plain to see that people naturally have peace in their hearts but are driven to war by their governments. It is for this reason that we see one of the primary causes of war is the willingness of a people to do their governments bidding when they would rather not. It is for this reason that I don't mind being called unpatriotic. My allegiance is conditional. There is no "love it or leave it" for me. also read: DECEPTIONS IN MILITARY RECRUITING: an ex-Insider Speaks Out | |
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