The worth and validity of our democracy
can be measured by the worthiness of actions by our leaders
elected to carry out the will of “we the people.”

Many people forsake the idealism of individual nonviolence in a world with much interpersonal violence and international militarism. So it does remain a common individual and social tragedy when leaders of nations and movements are still, somehow permitted by a majority of their followers to issue ultimate threats of wars even when each new battle has taken an increasing toll.

The majority of our gullible and misguided U.S. citizens only parrot that our global military strength, expansionism, weapons productions and weapons sales will make us safer when instead the opposite is surely true. The expanding and escalating cycle of continuing interpersonal violence and world militarism thus feeds itself and prospers, like a self-perpetuating social and moral virus allowed to further drain our global health and wealth. And the majority of our malleable world citizens, led by leaders of nations and movements, have failed to evolve enough to realize that this social and moral virus of interpersonal and international violence and militarism is reversible, is curable and is not yet terminal.

***

If some humans manage to survive and further evolve for another 5,000 or so years, I fear these descendents of us will find our bones buried beneath the rubble of fallen buildings. I fear they will find our present civilization scattered amongst the ruins of war.

Our more evolved descendents will examine the legacy of our 21st century beliefs, crimes, wars and accomplishments. They will measure the size and slope of our foreheads, then probably define us as still relatively primitive predators. They will realize we still tried to solve disagreements and gain influence and territories by violence. The evidence of this will be abundant.

Our more evolved descendents will realize that we humans of the 21^st century do not yet completely understand and control our past, primal, hereditary influences of anger, hate, violence, territorialism and predation.

Through the many past thousands of generations finally leading to us, our ancestors did use anger and deadly violence in battles for food, influence and territories. For millions of years finally leading to us, our ancestors did survive by being vigilant predators. Our eyes finally give us away. For the eyes of predators evolved to face forward in order to better identify their prey. The eyes of the hunted usually face more to the sides to better be on guard.

For millions of years, the most strong and most aggressive leaders who survived vicious battles for food, females, influence and territories were chosen to procreate while the traits of more passive people diminished in comparison.

Our ancestors eventually established homes and hunting territories that were often ambitiously expanded over those who were more passive. Territories were protected and defended against imagined, anticipated or actual intruders using a threatened viciousness and an armed, united strength.

Our more evolved descendents will know that we humans of our 21st century are presently entering an especially dangerous period in our evolution. Our gradually growing intellect has allowed us to develop the technology needed for our desired comfort and prosperity. Yet, they will also know that our First World War, “the war to end all wars” resulted in OVER 37 MILLION MILITARY AND CIVILIAN CASUALTIES and that our Second World War resulted in OVER 60 MILLION MILITARY AND CIVILIAN DEATHS.

Our more evolved descendents, looking back at us with sadness and scorn, will know that our chosen leaders of nations and movements also use the imposing technology to produce, sell and buy invisible bombers, smart missiles, quiet subs, fast tanks and many, many more weapons of our mass, self-destruction. History will show how our world leaders competed for expanding political influences and territories and economic power by using, or threatening to use against even civilians, their modernizing military aggression and nuclear weapons.

Our more evolved descendents will realize that even though our heads appear large to us, we still possess the eyes of predators.

***

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. At that time, the United States Revolutionary War had already been going on for about a year.

On every 4th of July since 1776, U.S. citizens have continued to celebrate our Declaration of Independence even though this declaration continued the Revolutionary War and dashed any hopes for a peaceful diplomacy. A failed diplomacy began our Revolutionary War and a failed diplomacy continued our carnage for about another 8 years, tragically resulting in about 50,000 U.S. and British deaths.

After the United States Revolutionary War ended in 1783, brave and patriotic citizens continued to serve in the military and bravely sacrificed their lives in 19 more wars. 19 more wars, all of which occurred in foreign countries with the exception of the War of 1812, and the Civil War and American Indian Wars when we turned our guns upon our own people.

And our U.S. leaders have always pledged that our finest sons and daughters bravely sacrificed their lives in foreign nations for something…“for our further freedom and democracy at home.”

And our U. S. citizens were always told by government, church, family and friends that “there are no diplomatic alternatives left” and “there is no choice,” so our finest sons and daughters must again go to war.

On every 4th of July since 1776, U.S. citizens have continued to celebrate our Declaration of Independence as we sit with our eyes blankly staring and with our mouths agape and say, “ooh and aah” as we again celebrate our “bombs bursting in air.”

Almost since birth we are taught to sing our National Anthem written, of course, about and during a war, the War of 1812.

Almost since birth, we sing most loudly, always in unison and cheer as fighter jets perform low flybys.

We sing about “the home of the brave” and “In God is our trust” and “the perilous fight” and “rocket’s red glare.”

In the U.S., our majority of citizens require or pressure even our youngest children to promise to obey our government which is after all, the same when we “Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.”

***

The U.S. is the supreme military and economic power behind a worldwide military-industrial complex. In the U.S., military-related industry profits rise with fears of war and hopes for peace cause losses and layoffs. But the U.S. has, of course, stacked the deck in favor of increased industry profits, allocating $572 billion for “defense” spending on wars for 2014. This results in an average federal tax of $2576 per citizen for “defense” spending on wars for 2014. This also results in a total federal tax of $103,040 per citizen for “defense” spending on wars during a 40 year lifetime of employment.

So our misguided, malleable masses self-justify and endorse our U.S. leaders’ competition for expanding political influences and territories and economic power by using, or threatening to use against even civilians, our modernizing military power and newest, stealth weapons.

It should be no surprise that our struggling U.S. and world economies are temporarily supported by the research and development and production of new weapons and by the eventual sales of these latest weapons to foreign countries.

And it should be no surprise that our struggling U.S. and world economies will continue to only flounder on by if our Machiavellian leaders, our “Masters of War,” can fuel even more wars…fuel even more foreign wars with our failed U.S. foreign policies and with our sold weapons of mass self-destruction.

***

The leaders of nations and movements know that they need media compliance to further indoctrinate the malleable masses.

And the media eagerly complies and parrots sensational indoctrination by the leaders to the malleable masses.

The media eagerly complies and parrots, knowing sensational indoctrination increases readership and profits and prestige and influence.

The media eagerly complies and parrots the leaders’ sensational indoctrination, but the reasons for increasing media collusion and complicity with the leaders are far more sinister than mere compliance.

This sinister complicity and collusion between the media and leaders of nations and movements have been orchestrated to further indoctrinate the malleable masses.

And the complicity and collusion have been orchestrated to provide fears so the malleable masses self-justify and endorse our world leaders’ continuing competition for expanding political influences and territories and economic power by using, or threatening to use against even civilians, our modernizing military forces and holocaustal weapons.

***

Many people forsake the idealism of individual nonviolence in a world with much interpersonal violence and international militarism so the majority of our world citizens continue to believe that sending our finest youths to fight and kill and die in wars is a necessary evil in our world already gone awry. It often appears our morality still changes to suit the needs and desires of the moment.

Our world citizens are once again told by government, church, family and friends that “there are no diplomatic alternatives left” and “there is no choice,” so our finest sons and daughters must once again go to war as bravely as our ancestors did and we did.

Our United States leaders once again pledge that our finest sons and daughters must once again bravely sacrifice their lives in foreign nations for something…“for our further freedom and democracy at home.”

Many millions of our civilians and soldiers have already bravely sacrificed their health and lives for the causes and conflicts created and continued by our world leaders. Yet still, our leaders are somehow permitted to coerce or order more of our finest youths to defend more of our leaders’ chosen causes and to attack more of our leaders’ chosen foes.

But even our most patriotic and brave soldiers will not be able to protect our innocent civilians from our foreign blunders. And even our most patriotic and brave soldiers will not be able to protect our compliant civilians from those who fear U.S. global military expansionism. Our soldiers will not be able to protect our complicit civilians from those who covet our sold weapons of mass destruction and from those who despise the arrogance of U.S. actions and our failed foreign policies.

***

Many people forsake the idealism of individual nonviolence in a world with much interpersonal violence and international militarism, so like many young servicemen and servicewomen from Wisconsin and from all states and from numerous countries, I also defended my leaders’ chosen causes. Just like many, I also volunteered to enter the military, in 1969, and volunteered in basic training to go to Vietnam. I was subsequently decorated with the Air Force Commendation Medal for my one year of service in Vietnam. I then served as an in-flight crew member on a C-141 personnel and cargo aircraft for another year and delivered military personnel and equipment to over 40 countries. During that year, I returned to Vietnam in order to take healthy personnel and weapons in, then to take the bodies of our boys and our injured back home.

I performed my duties to my country faithfully, but slowly became less faithful to my changing morality and myself. Eventually, I could no longer conscientiously contribute to causes condoned and to conflicts created and continued by my Commander-in-chief. I requested and received an Honorable Discharge as a Conscientious Objector.

Some of my fondest memories of my military service are my many meetings with “my minister” before and after I applied for an Honorable Discharge as a Conscientious Objector in 1971.

He was a “bird colonel” who commanded respect, but was also a very kind, soft-spoken, gentle man.

He helped me clarify my changing morality.

I am still very grateful for his guidance.

And I will always honor all veterans, but I guess most personally the ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR Wisconsin veterans and FIFTY EIGHT THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SIX United States veterans who sacrificed their lives during our Vietnam War.

But I will always regret how my service and my silence contributed to the suffering and deaths of millions of Vietnamese civilians and their civil warriors.

***

I realize I was most fortunate to be born and raised in the United States where we treasure our freedom to object. Yet, every day since my discharge, I have also wondered how many more of our malleable masses will self-justify and endorse our leaders’ competing and expanding political influences and territories and economic power by using, or threatening to use against even civilians, their modernizing military industry and even doomsday weapons.

How many more of our finest sons and daughters and then their children will somehow be coerced and convinced by government, church, family and friends that “there are no diplomatic alternatives left” and “there is no choice,” so a next generation must go to war in foreign nations as bravely as we did and our ancestors did “for our further freedom and democracy at home?”

How many more of our finest sons and daughters and then their children will somehow be coerced and convinced or ordered to become brave soldiers in order to pass one of the entrance rites to adulthood?

How many more of our world citizens who feel love, and who share love with others, will somehow be coerced and convinced or ordered to go to war to kill other equally misguided souls?

How many more of our next generations of finest youths will somehow be coerced and convinced or ordered by leaders of nations, movements and religions to sacrifice their precious lives in war?

Will it be many millions more or could it be none?

Do we possess the answers?

Indeed we do.

In deeds we do.

Our definition of democracy determines this to be true.

***

Our more evolved descendents, looking back at us with sadness and scorn, will realize that our world citizens and their leaders should have finally, wholly condemned, long before now, not only interpersonal violence, but also our international threats, violence and barbaric wars.

Our more evolved descendents will realize that our prejudices and hate and threats and violence and crimes and barbaric wars are what we must finally, wholly forsake and replace with interpersonal nonviolence, cooperation, kindness, empathy, respect, patient communication and effective diplomacy resulting in a pragmatic, workable, realistic and lasting global prosperity and peace.

 

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