|
Grandpa's Musings
|
| More Musings |
WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER Well, I’m an “old coot”, having been born in 1922, and having reached the “Age of Ancientinigy”, (my word for my age group) I find another world-shaking event has occurred during my lifetime. I was shocked and surprised by the manner in which it was carried out, but not that it happened. What a plan! Use our commercial aircraft as missiles against us! The tragedy of yesterday in the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings in New York has resulted in some of my family asking me, “What do you think about this tragedy”. Well, being me, I’m going to tell you. Believe me, I’m very sad and low in spirits. The effect on the survivors and victims’ families causes me to reflect on my personal tragedies and loss of comrades in arms.
The history of War from ancient eras through the ages to current times is easily read. Economic and political power, ethnic differences and religious creeds and dogmas have been the bases for most of these conflicts. With that easily said, what else? Not much. Our forefathers and we have created a country that is the most vulnerable in any of these exercises in misery because we have high ideals, unwarranted egotisim in international affairs and that we often are unable to determine what our posture and policies should be. One reason is that we have divisiveness in our thought because of the groups of Eagles (my name for those usually designated as Hawks) and Doves. For one thing we don’t have tolerance for a Dove who wishes to orate when these events occur. It is said to be unpatriotic because it is essential that we band together in the action and thought to agree with the Eagles. The Dove is forced to cower under the velveted talons of the Eagle. So? Well, how can one express a change in policies as the solution in these circumstances? It seems no one wants to hear this voice at this time unless he agrees with the positions being voiced by our leaders as to the actions to be taken. Also, when the political leaders, the educators and the clergy, who all understand the big differences in their thinking under normal circumstances, seem to only get together in disasters in spite of their stances. You can bet they will be back again to disagree with no thought of eliminating the weakness in not finding common ground on policy during ordinary times. It always amazes me how they merge into actions where they deem the best solution is retaliation, war and revenge. We have sided with Britain in its conflicts after a conflict with it to win our freedom. We have bailed out France, Belgium, Netherlands, and so many others against their enemies in their wars. Our intervention in international affairs, predicated on our economic interests or benefit, is now an announced policy. Further our concern with particular political positions of many countries, which are different than ours or our allies, has almost become a policy so we can intervene. We have policies based upon our differences with nations whose populaces have a different religious bias than ours. Our policies are heavily influenced by pressure of ethnic groups in the United States, so we show preference in our attitudes with home countries of these people. When the Dove says, “Whoa, what’s going on”? The response always seems to be that we are acting because of our economic interests in the region. Would you agree that enables us to pick and choose where and when we will intervene in places we should not? I note that we intervened in World War I to protect the interests of Britain and the European countries. Again we did it in World War II. I participated in the military actions in Europe based on the political “sales” job that I was saving the world for democracy and that Hitler had us next as a target. The Doves were shouted down as non-patriotic and we put the Japanese-American citizens in compounds. How soon will it be all Arabian American citizens? We invited the attack on Pearl Harbor by not being able to negotiate our positions to our satisfaction with Japan it has been written, and that President Franklin D. Roosevelt deliberately stalled agreement in order to bring the dissidents into agreement with his policy by getting us into the war for the benefit of Great Britain and its allies. Our present military and some majority leaders are calling for increased spending on military defenses one might deem futile defenses against the new types of war. They call for retaliation. Against whom? We are not sure who the enemy is. When we do find out, where do we take the evidence? Who will be the judge and the jury? To NATO? To an International Tribunal? To the country in which the culprits are found? To our Defense Department? To the people of the United States so they can vote the method or measures to be taken and against whom? Now what do I think? Where am I on this? I had the struggle within me and with some of my siblings when I was an Eagle in the Korean War fracas. I turned from luke-warm Eagle to potential Dove during the Viet Nam War. I don’t think I am confused today. I know I do not support our present policies of intervention in Middle East politics because of our major oil interests in the area. We must pay for oil as a commodity at whatever price, the same as any other nation. If we have outrage, it should be targeted against our oil companies if they are gouging the public. I believe they frequently do on the basis that as businesses they are entitled to any profit they can engender. Where do we draw the line? We draw the line when we are convinced that they act in concert as a monopoly and control the prices. We should not base our foreign policies on their interests. We need to negotiate and compete fairly, not use the military war clubs we possess to win our positions. We need to ignore the ethnic and religious pressures as to our policies in countries such as Ireland and Israel. Where these conditions exist, we should aid negotiations and donate to their health and welfare, but omit the military capacity of the United States as a negotiation tool. Lastly, we had better halt the governmental leaders’ emphasis in policy and preachments about our faith that our deity is a reason that we are to get our way. There seems to be no evidence that the deity of any person or group is effectively deciding our fate in these conflicts, individually or as a nation. If you believe that your deity is at war with the other’s deity and yours will win ultimately, then you and our nation could be in real trouble. In real life, day to day, I believe it does not work. I do believe that one should use his prayers, should he think this is helpful, for his own protection from evil and evil forces, just as he prays for good health and long life. There’s great therapeutic value in this for many people. In these times it is probably important to them they do. Pray, if you deem it worth it, that our leaders will understand the need to change the basis for our polices in war, business, international differences of religion, and from our economic interests in foreign areas to true negotiation based upon our desire for peace and mutual benefit. I’m sure, based upon what I hear from many persons that they desire revenge and retaliation because of the tragic events that happened yesterday. My guess is that what the majority wants, the nation gets. It’s the American way. My suggestion is that we halt the pursuit of our wants and needs in setting policy without the pressures and prejudices I’ve outlined. We must not continue to believe that because we are the most powerful, have the highest ideals and religious and moral virtues, that we can save humanity when we have not been picked by humanity to do so. Our President is not the president of the world. Our businesses are not the only needing to make profits in the world. Our deities are not the only deities in the world. Your god may not be my god, even if you think so. We may not be the chosen people of the world. Continue to think so and permit our leaders to continue their policies on these bases, and the Eagles will eat us all up. Pray that you are not an Eagle with a blindfold over your eyes and earplugs in your ears with your thoughts befuddled by such rhetoric. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Gordon A. Groebe September 12, 2001 |