Spangled Banner
Posted on 21 November 2009
The diamonds on your buckle,
like the stars on old glory,
demand attention, rising
above your passing parade
in which the light heartedness
of children running to keep up
belies the seriousness
of those desperate wars
now being celebrated.
I salute it all (a hand over my heart)
for nothing is ever as simple as it seems
when battle scars drift into dreams.
6 responses to Spangled Banner
Of course one can argue that all wars are evil. Which is as interesting to say that all kinds of violence are evil. And armaments are bad as well.
The USA has twice rescued the world from two evil forces by going into war with other nations. WWI and WWII.
The stupidness of generals in the First World War caused totally unnecessary losses of lives in the trenches of Flanders. But the second worst thing was not the war but the peace that led to extreme poverty among the middle classes and thus paved the way for the Nazis.
Unlike in the WWI the USA didn’t enter WWII by choice. It was attacked. First in Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, then by a declaration of War by the most evil, Hitler.
Without the military help of the USA, Europe would have been under the Nazi dictatorship for generations. Because then Hitler could have directed more troups towards Soviet.
Humans can only exist with the help of other humans. Humanity is the cornerstone of civilisation. If you don’t oppose those who threaten Humanity, mankind will not survive.
“In Flanders’ fields, the poppies grow…”
The process of stabilizing Afghanistan and reducing the Taliban to an impotent fringe element with “no legs” will take years. So will working with the Pakistanis to reduce the influence of extremists elements there as well.
We’re dealing with corrupt, violent forces. He won’t withdraw. He’ll reconfigure the forces and redeploy them, perhaps with more clearly focussed goals.Bet their #1 is to find Bin Laden. Preferably dead. Hopefully, Mullah Omar, too. Double suicide! LOL! Then they can burn all the poppy fields and destroy the heroin, and come home.
All Western, a.k.a.”Christian”, forces have for more than 150 years tried to stabilize Afghanistan. Without any success. The main reason is economical. Only poppies give a good livelyhood in these barren regions. Guns and bribes have always been the stronger forces, religion has given them alibi. Bin Laden and Mulla Omar are only two heads of a hydra with thousand heads.
You cannot install democracy with bribes or bombs. Democracy must come from the people, from underneath. When you try it any other way, you will only get a thin coat of democratic varnish, that could disappear when attacked from other forces within the society.
I am afraid the USA is in too stormy waters between Scylla and Carybdis. Whatever it does or does not is wrong. It took 30 years to stabilize Northern Ireland in the U.K. because the differences were religious combined with economical. And this in spite of there were Christians on both sides. Only a greater understanding of what Islam is in all its variety could give ideas on what to do.
That is what I believe, but I am not satisfied.
Herman
I didn’t say we should install democracy in Afghanistan. The notion of “stabilizing” probably has very little to do with democracy. And you’re right it is a hydra. But I find these discussions where people say we should withdraw, somewhat frustrating. An abrupt withdrawal isn’t a solution. Afghanistan and Pakistan pose a legitimate national security threat to that region and to the United States and it’s allies. Of course, we need a different kind of foreign policy. So what do we do to keep people safe?
An abrupt withdrawal is of course unlikely. But you can’t mention Afghanistan and Pakistan without mentioning India. Now Russia and India is developing together a fifth generation fighter. See http://www.domain-b.com/aero/mil_avi/mil_aircraft/20090121_russia-india.html
Recently president Obama declared the whole Pacific region as his main interest. This happend during his tour to Japan and China. This is of course because the capitalist-communist new world leader is holding the US under its arms by buying US bonds.
This has made India very nervous, according to news items today, because Obama has not mentioned India which is not in the Pacific region and India has a border conflict with China. So the first big State visit to the USA during the new presidency with all trimmings will be by the Indian president.
And Pakistan’s former and still potential enemy is India.
By staying too long in Afghanistan USA without any positive effects for the man and woman on the street, is not part of the solution but a part of the problem in the region.
This is the point of Vietnam. We left (pretty much in utter chaos) — a massive uproar at the time — it turned out the Vietnamese knew far better how to take care of themselves than us and it didn’t hurt that we weren’t bombing them, etc. Or let’s take Iran — one of the axis of evil. Much talk about bombing them, even invading them. They have been the nation that was to take over the Middle East after the Radical Muslim Revolution there. What has happened? Sure they have cracked down there, but the majority of the people (let’s not forget the people of a Nation) are now demanding real rights, are fighting and dying for those rights (and that’s not going to stop).
It is always the people that make the difference – to really imagine that we can somehow control people (especially with weapons, troops, violence, etc) is to fall into the same delusion that so many leaders come to believe — that they know best for the people and will use their power to bring it about.
Go back to our Forefathers — of the people, by the people, for the people — then show me one country where our armies have brought about a democratic government.
Democracy only comes from the people. The health of a Nation only comes from the people — it is (as with each human being) a difficult task. But look at Vietnam. Look at Iran (no nation is perfect/no person is perfect)…but I submit to you that both Nations are better off without us — so too Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan…