Marge Van Cleef
A definition of war is “a state of open, armed conflict between different nations, states, parties or groups within a country.” We tend to think of recent centuries as marking the beginnings of major wars. But these centuries simply mark the continuation of wars, invasions, massacres, whether they be between or within particular nations (civil wars).
In the U.S. “wars” began when Columbus set foot in this hemisphere. We are familiar with that story, yet it's worth recounting some outcomes. From 1492 on Native Americans were being attacked and killed by European settlers. Some were taken as slaves and sent to Spain or held in deplorable conditions in “America.” Attacked with weapons, disease, land seizures, removal of the buffalo. A highly developed civilization was practically destroyed before some of it was reclaimed, thanks to the resistance and determination of Indian nations. This resistance usually meant a “battle” as in Little Big Horn/Custer's “Last Stand,” and the “Wounded Knee Massacre.” Other attacks were the forced “Long Walk in New Mexico,” and “Trail of Tears,” intended to brutally control and punish Native Americans. The “war” on Native Americans was supported and expanded as Spaniards from Mexico and Spain were sent here to bring religion and seize land, even using torpedo bombs to destroy settlements and pueblos.
Fast forward to the Civil War in the U.S. and what was being defended? The right to own slaves and keep slavery legitimate. Of course land and property ownership were the issues and that continuum has never ended, even though slavery itself is illegal here in the U.S. Consider the immigrant people who do much of the same work slaves did?
But with growing wealth and industrial development in the U.S., imperial expansion was deemed to be necessary. This country became involved in conflicts with or between other countries, i.e. WWI, which according to President Wilson was to be a war to end all wars. During WWII U.S. corporations were assisting Nazi Germans. Roosevelt responded to bombing of Pearl Harbor and thus our country entered the war, ultimately developing and using nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, changing human history forever.
From 1945-1948 the U.S. Military Government controlled S. Korea. The U.S. officially entered the Korean War in June 1950. Then came the U.S. war in Vietnam, the Cold War, invasions of Grenada (1983) and Panama (1989), support for the Contras in Nicaragua, and on and on.
With Congressional approval for these wars/invasions, the President had implicit permission to go into the Middle East starting with Iraq in 1991 and continuing to the present. Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan are wars that have changed the region forever. And the underlying issues remain - who will control the people, their resources, territory, systems of governing and economics.
The Sept 11, 2001 World Trade Center bombing was never supposed to happen over here on “turtle island.” It has been the justification for wars that have never ended. Militant tribes and religions are the “enemies”, terrorists to be defeated, the stated goals of the wars. Why have these groups become “terrorists” is never the question being asked.
George Bush's famous line about the “axis of evil – Iran, Iraq, and North Korea” was his formulation in the 2002 State of the Union address. And in the same year, 2002, he would state in an address at West Point, "America has, and intends to keep, military strengths beyond challenge, thereby making the destabilizing arms races of other eras pointless, and limiting rivalries to trade and other pursuits of peace." And Bush in 2006, when asked about the use of nuclear weapons, and Iran, said, “All options are on the table.”
In other words, jihadists aside, it was all over. From now on, there would be an arms race of one. The National Security Strategy of that year put the same thought this way: "Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States." Again, anywhere on the planet ever.
The U.S has the largest military in the world, with about 800 bases worldwide in over 130 countries. As for nuclear weapons, the newest strategic nuclear weapon, the W76-2, will be attached to a submarine-launched missile on Trident submarines. This bomb is smaller than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, but can escalate a nuclear confrontation/war simply by the number of bombs that could be launched between countries in a matter of minutes.
And we necessarily note that climate change will inevitably lead to more conflicts and wars as people struggle and even fight for safe homes, land to grow food, protection from flooding, safe air to breathe. By not recognizing the emergency, and acting accordingly, we can only conclude that our government has sold out to the corporations that continue to profit from fossil fuels, as they drill for oil in the fragile Artic. While the rich countries might find some ways to protect themselves, poor countries will not have the resources. However it's unlikely that any countries will avoid the effects of climate change. (see NYT 2/20/19)
In conclusion, we must bring to mind those friends, known and unknown, who have taken stands against this state of PERPETUAL WAR, serving years in prison for disarmament actions at military installations, draft resistance, civil disobedience. Presently the seven King's Bay Plowshares resisters are awaiting trial for trying to disarm a deadly Trident submarine based in Georgia. The Trident is the deadliest weapon in the U.S. arsenal.
“Perpetual war has become accepted as a given in our lives.” (Wm. Arkin, 1/4/19) We are led to believe it is necessary for “defense against enemies.” But what we have is a wasteful and destructive war economy in the
U.S. and a dangerous and polarized world.
March 2019
DRONE DEATH WALK/VIGIL
Please wear BLACK organizers will bring plain white masks, banners/ signs.
questions: contact Marge Van Cleef – Brandywine Peace Community website www.brandywinepeace.com
