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81 & Still Dreaming

I’ve given up trying to break into the closed shops of publishers and agents. I thus request that you be the judge of my writing.

Richard R. Kennedy, retired teacher 

rrksr@att.net

Where art thou, Adlai?

    That the Jingoistic sword rattling of the administration goes by virtually unnoticed until the current foreign relations hearings strikes me as deplorable. Had Clinton or a Gore administration tried to sell the nation on this Un-American preemptive strike, all hell would break loose generated by conservatives. That the Democratic party is sitting on its hands is a national disgrace to the two party system.

     This is a personal matter between George W and Saddam. George wants to rectify his father’s mistake at all costs — to hell with the consequences. Otherwise he would be preemptively launching attacks on the other members of the “axis” as well. The sad irony here is that the good old USA initiated the proliferation of arms since Hiroshima — who are we to tell other nations that a massive arsenal for “defense” is unacceptable, especially in this case when in the 80s we armed Iraq to the teeth? More important, is that a super power should exercise restraint when not openly provoked; here, it is the opposite: we are provoking the enemy. 

    If the weak-kneed intelligence by some miracle should pin-point the smoking gun, then do what Israel did in 1980 and take out the munitions plants of “massive destruction.” But an invasion is bereft of justification — ludicrous, foolhardy and dangerous — and losing sight of the main goal in fighting terrorism. However, terroristic Hussein is to his own people, it would not compare to the nightmare of getting rid of a secular government for a fanatic Islamic rule and cousin to Iran.

     The administration policy is nothing but another Bay of Pigs on a massive scale. Whether they face the risk of being labeled cowards, idealistic, hand-wringing liberals, the Democratic Party should find its soul and stand up for a nation that is in dire need of recovering high ideals. What we need is some cranial muscle to get behind the UN in breaking down Iraq's resistance to arms inspection. [Oh, how I miss Adlai Stevenson!]

Hypocrisy of a Nation

In the McCarthyism inferno of the 50's there was as much outrage over the insertion of "under God" as there is now in the omission of the phrase in this era of religious righteousness. The irony in face of 9/11 is that religious zealots are just as militant in a political sense as Islam is in reality. For congress to lead the nation in a childish demonstration by pledging allegiance with emphasis “under God” is tantamount to Islamic adherents saying they are of a peaceful faith or the demoniac money-changers on Wall Street uttering “in God we trust.”

            Except for the equally zealous humanists and atheists who demonstrate blind and ironic faith in their disbelief , the nation should know that this is a non-issue ineluctably overturned by judicial wisdom because the issue is frivolous and unworthy of serious consideration. As Melville once said "the chips of creation have been carted away" and all its imperfections stand immutable.

            Nevertheless, the rage in the country is symbolic of the danger of a nation preoccupied with things that matter least. In the 50's the symbolism of God was in direct contradiction to communism under godlessness. The zealous adherents could have just as easily inserted “one nation, under the principles of democracy, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” But no, this nation ever melodramatically undivided as currently in things that mean little while the nation burns — literally in Colorado and Arizona and symbolically in the Catholic stronghold of Cleveland.[ see catholic ]

            Year after year we acquiesce to the terrorism of fires and floods as though unrelated to homeland security. We are most concerned over a rote phrase in school that our children say daily while the educational system stews in the nation’s neglect. Hello?

September 26, 2001

Because Cheney, Powell and the first Bush failed to topple Saddam the first time is no justification to capitalize on our national tragedy by getting rid of him now. If they do this, they can kiss coalition-building goodbye. Even a special force assault to assassinate him would be to take us back to the dark days of CIA covert action wherein the U.S. engaged in prying into foreign affairs, which belong to the jurisprudence of the State Department. If they clearly have the goods on him relative to September 11, then it is, as with Serbia, a case for the World Court. On the other hand, if, as is clearly the case with bin Laden in Afghanistan, surveillance indisputably leans toward terrorists cells training in Iraq, then surely special forces incursions and strategic air attacks on those camps must be made. It is immaterial whether or not they had a direct hand in the assault on Washington and New York.

Given that Powell is wearing different clothing now and wishes to build a coalition through diplomacy, much to the chagrin of the warriors of the Vice-presidency and Secretary of Defense, he is well aware that his old policy of “overwhelming force” will not be the case in this scenario. The much heralded declaration of war is in fact a one way street: terrorists declared war but in reality we can only reciprocate a declaration as a figure of speech — not unlike the war on drugs or other crimes — against a slim minority of fanatic thugs. In face of the horrific Oklahoma City bombing, we did not passionately “declare” war against self-styled militia — or even try to ferret out splinter “cells” that secretly applauded McVeigh. Nor for decades have we lifted a finger against the terrorism resulting in tens of thousands of missing persons, many of which are committed by “cells” and not simply by psychotic individuals. If we do not take seriously these utter effronteries at home, we cannot expect other countries — Islamic particularly — to come to our aid. However, through diplomacy we can play on Islam’s sense of guilt to root out actively the indigent distortion of their religion that for too long has gone awry; and to build upon the movement through education and better living conditions.

The state department must urge that other nations forge their own special forces to engage the enemy within, together with a more democratized approach to its own people. Had the middle east nations taken an active role in tempering its people’s perception of Israel by accepting the U.N. resolution of 1948, and in no uncertain terms condemned the unending violent restiveness among the Palestinians, perhaps substantial change for the good would have materialized. Had Britain launched commando raids on the ferocity of the IRA, in lieu of endless negotiations without teeth, they might have terminated the senseless violence. Had our own special forces, together with a beefed up coast guard and border patrol, been launched against drugs along with diplomacy to urge and assist Latin America in alternative agriculture, we might not have generations of helpless addicts.

Notwithstanding, the Taliban, not only for its support of bin Laden or conversely, should be a strategic target for its inhumanity toward its own people and its prolific drug trafficking. Russia should have the guts to assist actively, since they are most affected by the drugs and Muslim terrorism in Chechnya. As a result, the Northern Alliance in its coöperation will no doubt benefit, and must agree to destroy the poppy fields, to humanize its women and in return receive aid to develop democracy, however primitive at the outset.

Moreover, in searching out terrorists within this nation, officials and citizens alike must demonstrate that the “quality of mercy cannot be strained” with respect to Arab-Americans and immigrants unless found involved in this heinous crime.

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