You turn on any recent professional sport competition and you see the obscene propaganda. Before the game starts they call out the honor guard ( many times dressed in camouflage) carrying the flag, as they have the singer belt out our anthem. Where is this ‘ War’ that we apparently are in? To this writer the last war our country was in was WW2. Sadly, ALL the other so called ‘ Wars’ were fabricated acts of US aggression in countless countries. Yet, the public continues to digest this pabulum spoon fed to them by our empire. Korea, Vietnam, Granada, Panama, Iraq 1, Afghanistan, Iraq 2 were futile attempts by our ‘ Masters of Empire’ to control yellow and brown peoples. Some were Proxy engagements, like our aggressions in Korea and Vietnam to go after the Chinese and Russians during the Cold War. For one thing, if Henry Wallace would have succeeded FDR ( The Democratic Party machine stopped him) and become president, perhaps there may have never have been a Cold War. His efforts and ideas were sabotaged by Truman and his handlers, like Senator James Byrnes. The two A bombs were unnecessarily exploded and the ‘Black Rain’ stained our moral compass… seemingly forever!
What should be done this Memorial Day is to mourn all our military personnel that were killed overseas… sometimes for no God damn reason but empire! We don’t need to hear those PR laden phrases like ‘ Brave Warriors’ attached to our honoring of them. We should honor them because, for whatever underhanded reasons, these men and women served in uniform as a sign of duty to their country. In the grand chessboard of empire these folks were ( and are) pawns to sacrifice for the King. It is as cut and dry as that! I love it when all the many right wing Chickenhawks have the audacity to show up to ‘ Support our troops’. Bush Jr. the war criminal, got his chicken stripes by having daddy get him into the safety of the Texas Air National Guard. In those days, all National Guard personnel would be the LAST military personnel to EVER be shipped overseas. Dick Cheney, war criminal, got his stripes with I believe four or five deferments- while he openly supported the war in Vietnam. Donald Trump too spoke out at the time in favor of ‘ Fighting Communism’ in Vietnam, but had his medical deferment. Fast forward to Iraq War 1 and see how many right wing zealots in government cheered the destruction of Iraq, but refused to join the ‘ Good fight’. Ditto for 12 years later regarding Iraq War 2. Once again, men ( and some women) of military age would not sign on and go to the fighting, but celebrated the utter destruction of another sovereign nation. Disgusting hypocrites!
Then we have phonies like Barack Obama who was at least consistent in being against the pre-emptive attack and occupation of Iraq. So what does he do once in office? He increases the terrible use of drone missile attacks by 10X over what the Bush Cabal was doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lied and never closed Guantanamo, knowing how torture was preeminent there, along with imprisoning forever with no legal recourse. Many troops loved him, mostly because he shared their skin color, not because of anything else. Then Trump comes in, doing as little as possible to help the unfortunate military who are wounded for life. All he did was drop the evil ‘ Mother of All Bombs’ in Afghanistan, to which phony CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria ( so called ‘ Liberal’ ) commented was ‘ Truly Presidential’. Yes Virginia, there are NO ‘ Presidential ‘ presidents.
The Bar-B- Ques will go on this holiday weekend. If only the dead could talk!
PA Farruggio
Memorial Weekend 2022
Nuff Said Phil.
GUN PREVENTION 2022 by David Rothauser
I have been advocating for gun control for years, ever since the school attack at Columbine in 2009.
Today it is clearer than ever, that our government will continue taking little or no action to seriously deal with gun violence in America. It was clearly stated in the NY Times, May 25, 2022, that Democrats in Congress, rather than taking a hard line on gun protection, have settled for a compromise with their Republican counter parts.
Gun violence has long ago reached pandemic status here, but the FBI, lawmakers and the Executive Office refuse to see it as an emergency. When we take into account that a President was assassinated, another was gunned down, a senator and a civil rights leader were assassinated and a congresswoman was gunned down, with virtually no change in the status-quo, it becomes clear that lawmakers and Congressional leaders refuse to acknowledge the seriousness of school and public attacks…BUT, when the government is attacked directly by a foreign power (Pearl Harbor and 9/11), the response is instantaneous.
Gun protection laws have, virtually no meaning today. According to Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe, July 6, 2019, expanded background checks will not prevent mass shootings.
The American public, including peace activists, human rights groups and most media outlets, turn a blind eye to the daily slaughter taking place in every nook and cranny of our nation.
Americans, citizens of the greatest democracy in the world, we are in a National EMERGENCY!
Who will act? Who will step forward to enact creative gun violence measures that have a chance of curtailing the continuous rise of mass murder. The following steps are a possible beginning.
Ways to prevent gun violence in America:
#1: Require parents to attend school with their children for one week. Parents keep mouths shut. See what happens. If parents are gunned down, all hell will break loose for gun prevention
#2: Publish police photos immediately following a mass shooting of names and mutilated faces on all media, or is that “inappropriate” for network tv?
#3: Repeal immediately The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that protects gun makers and dealers from Liability when crimes are committed using their products. They are, after all, the SOURCE of gun proliferation. Break the manufacture and distribution at its source and we will see a dramatic drop in gun violence. None of this is pie in the sky yearly. At least 50 other nations can attest to the fact that cutting the source means thousands of live saved
For more stringent emergency measures, may we consider emergency executive orders to:
1: Censure the Republican Party until sensible gun control measures are enacted.
2. Abolish the NRA.
3. Repeal the 2nd Amendment
Sincerely,
David Rothauser
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
great insights David. here’s the skinny on the Texas shooting that NO ONE in media , law enforcement ( though they should) and right wing gov’t will mention: The 17 or so officers who stood silent for close to an hour inside the school were obviously SCARED of being shot with an assault weapon if they breached the room. If they knew the shooter had a handgun or simple rifle they may have got the courage to do something. They should be the loudest voices shouting for NO assault weapon sales!!
I agree with David Rothauser’s insights and echo Mr.Farruggio’s sentiments…..just wondering aloud now: I wonder ,given the historic and systemic “intolerance “of people of color in the U.S.,that law enforcement and police might have acted more quickly if the children were not Hispanic… angered whites to my musings ,please spare me your pablum…there has always been a structural and historical basis for whites in power to de-legitimize the humanity of others.YOU CAN LOOK IT UP IF YOU BOTHER TO READ/STUDY U.S HISTORY…..it doesn’t mean that you as an individual might harbor these beliefs…it means this mindset preceded you…..to the honest police officers and law enforcement personnel in this country,your work and efforts should be rewarded with a higher salary……to everybody:IF ALL LIVES MATTER,THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR A BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT.
wow! right on Miles! are you a teacher or historian? very insightful.
Flattered by your reaction,Mr.Farruggio…I am a sociologist, but I owe you many thanks for giving me more of an historical grounding.Over the years I have learned much from your journalistic pieces on many current events and historical events..They have greatly deepened my knowledge base…many thanks…Continue doing what you do..I only hope more of the public gets to read you.