More of Joe Mayer on Iraq

War Ponderings – Part Two

by Joe Mayer

• Since early known history, war has been used to exploit other peoples and their resources. Corporate globalism hastens this exploitation in the modern world. When will Americans begin to realize that our wars of aggression are on behalf of corporate profit? When will we come to realize that the "ugly American" and anti-American attitudes are the fruits of our pro-corporate economic policies and imperialism? Do we care?


• Historically the United States has consistently been a leader in establishing international law and the founding of institutions like the League of Nations and the United Nations in hopes of ensuring world peace. War is also war on international law and peace. Aggressors rationalize their defiance of international law with exemption and exception; unchallenged power claims its righteousness in subverting law to its own ends. When will power recognize that it is its own worst enemy? Its aversion to peace? Its arrogance?


• War is war on our Constitution. The president claims Commander-in-Chief status, not only over the military but also over Congress and the Courts, which eliminates our system of checks and balances so prudently encased in our Constitution. The Bill of Rights is shredded at the will of the president; protest becomes unpatriotic, disloyal and even seditious. A terrorist becomes anyone the president designates. Is there a difference between our current situation and other dictatorships, between our intelligence agencies and the KGB, between our press and a state controlled press? Do we care?


• War is usually also war on human rights. Exceptions are made on human values, of justice's demands, on God's will. Ethnicity is devalued, racism is elevated, hatred dominates, hierarchy reigns, thought police prevail, rationalization justifies illicit and illegal power. Should human rights ever be surrendered to power's claims? Are human rights subject to a nation's ambitions? Are all humans considered human? Is this how Christians become God's agents in bringing about the kingdom on earth?


• War has the effect of supplanting the office of the Secretary of State with the office of the Secretary of Defense. Recently, Secretary of State Colin Powell lost all effectiveness as Donald Rumsfeld and the National Security Advisor took over our foreign policy role and militarized our foreign policy with threatening language and actions. This past weekend, Secretary Rumsfeld criticized Russia and China, expressed concern about the Muslims in SE Asia and denounced Iraq War critics. There are now more American uniformed military officials than civilian diplomats and aides in foreign countries representing the United States. This fact is easily recognizable to these occupied countries. American citizens are unaware. Do we care? Is the peace we preach an occupation peace?


• War is violent coercion. In order to satisfy the greed, ambitions, and ideology of a few, millions of lives are disrupted, ways of life are changed and sometimes even forbidden, and military occupation spreads and sustains constant fear. Raw violence instills hatred that lasts for generations. Has violence from the outside ever succeeded is establishing freedom and democracy? Is democracy a goal or a subterfuge for control?


• War uses and abuses our fighting men and women. War hawks glorify the soldiers, train them into strict obedience to commands, propagandize these combat forces to believe that killing saves their country and ideals. Then, when the fighting is over the hawks discard the recruits just as they do the used equipment. Do we realize how war hawks have idealized violence and hatred so that it has become part of our modern American psyche? When will we be able to canonize our own peace candidate, exemplify him or her in history?


• War magnifies the double standard regarding accountability between those who give orders and those charged with carrying out those orders. The world believes that our president, vice president and secretary of defense are guilty of war crimes for actions of torture, rendition, and illegal detention. The U.S. military courts charge the lowest military personnel and deliver punishment to them for the crimes of their leaders. "Shock and awe" is the indiscriminate killing of civilians; when lowly military personnel kill civilians indiscriminately, they are sentenced. Will war ever be censored as legitimate foreign policy if our leaders are never charged for their crimes? Are war crimes just considered "politics as usual"?