DisasterPhilosophy

Have we all forgotten? Collectively, we go about our business and our
lives ignoring the hoots and hollers from the grave of the young American
men(and now women) who died in the Philippines, in Panama, in Nicaragua,
in Korea, in Viet Nam, in Laos, in Cambodia, in Lebanon, in Grenada in Somalia and now Iraq and Afghanistan. We have not even learned from being on the other
side of the insurgency, as suppliers for the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan
against the Soviet Union. We now are seeing the celebration of the 30th
anniversary of the end of the Viet Nam War. Can't we still see that we
lost? The greatest military in the world, vastly superior technology, and
we lost.
Let's put it in terms that Real Americans can understand:

Viet Nam 1 United States 0 Afghanistan 1 Soviet Union 0
Osama 1 United States still have not scored.
More scores coming........

We have physically and psychologically wasted whole generations of our
youth for what? "We need to protect our little brown friends" Remember
the Maine! Remember the Lusitania! The Huns are eating Belgian babies!
Remember Pearl Harbor! They can't nationalize (their own) land. We
can't let the Communists take over the world! Fidel is a Communist! The
Domino theory. Protect yourself from a nuclear blast by getting under
your desk children. We need to help the French. We can't let Viet Nam
fall to the Communists. Allende is a Communist! Panama, Grenada,
Lebanon, Somalia.......
And now, Weapons of Mass Destruction, grave and imminent threat to the
United States, To spread Democracy, to promote free markets for people of
the Middle East. I did not hear anyone ask us to help them set up
Democracy?
The phrases have gotten more sophisticated, with more 5th Avenue and Military sales campaign. They still amount to the same thing, dead Americans. For what? Have we gotten a better world? Have we got Democracies around the
World? Have we even supported the Democracies that do exist around the
World? Have we gotten more Oil? More Gold? Are we safer? A better economy. What is it for? There are no good reasons to go to War.
The people with the most to gain politically and economically today will
dismiss ideas like this with "hindsight is 20-20" or we don't have a
choice, or there are reasons that we cant reveal to protect national
security. There have been no good reasons for the use of force
emanating from the White House since President Carter sent a group of
brave heroes into the deserts of Iran to rescue our embassy hostages.
Why don't we commemorate that selfless courage? They were helping fellow Americans and gave their lives to do so, not fighting for someone else to have elections, what about commemorating their sacrifice Mr. Disaster President
We are the same America that did not want to enter WWI. Through
the power of propaganda (READ British disinformation campaign before both
world wars)(Sorry historians but there were 5 inch guns on the Lusitania's decks, as well as the munitions it was carrying for the British War effort which made it go explode and go down in 18 minutes. This was completely against the maritime agreements between the UK and the US)we entered on the Right side, only because we won. It seems we have not stopped being fooled by British propaganda or intelligence reports, however you choose to characterize it. Which has led to our current adventure that collectively, our intelligence community, military
community, and many Washington Politicians, publicly are upbeat but
privately will tell you we can't win.
This brings me back to what Real Americans can understand, winning. We
have not won in Iraq. Iraq 1 United States 0.
We have not won in Afghanistan. Afghanistan 1 United States 0.
We have not won in Korea. Korea 1(Nuclear Power) United States 0.
When do we wake up and discover that our way is not the only way to do
things in the world. When will we realize that our foreign policy is not
working and has not worked for over a hundred years. When will we stop
empowering evil Regimes in the World for our own temporary shortsighted(mainly economic)need. Our form of Democracy was the culmination of a unique set of
circumstances that happened at the end of the Enlightenment for our
people, no one else. It will never be wholly translated to other
cultures. It will only be interpreted by them for their own needs. Let
us not waste the future of another generation of our youth on one more War
whatever the reason given. The people of the World would rather admire
our idealism from afar, than to have our naive, idealistic boots on their ground.
It is time we, the American People, pulled out all of our troops from around the world home to our Country. It is time we started abiding by an international set of rules that apply to all men, just like our Constitution states and was the model for. It is time that we stop electing Disasters to our highest public offices. It is time that our values were reflected in how we spend our wealth. It is time that we put on trial all leaders in the world, especially our own, that perpetuate War as a foreign policy. It is time that we become consistent with and live our Christian values. It is time we become once again a beacon to the World, and not the perpetrator of despair.
Phillip Wister
Sacramento, California