Strong, Wise, and Good

I feel you have outlined a wonderful track to which we can aspire. I do think that the worldwide arms and military-industrial complex fuels the foreign policy of the world and that until humanity finds a way to eliminate this complex industry it will be extremely difficult to accomplish the golas you have outlined.

The question is: How do we create enough human horsepower worldwide to say “enough”, “no more”, “stop it” or our collective consciousness and action will end it by not paying the freight any longer.

Harrison Greene

It comes to mind that if “charity begins at home” then leadership might also. And that is what your diagnosis seems to be calling for in the way of an Rx for world peace. A “foreign policy” is just another name for a leadership plan to my point of view. You cited examples of bad leadership–namely Hitler, Mao, etc. But that is what happens in the face of a vacuum.

Our present US administration is really of our own making. Eisenhower warned us about the “military industrial complex” and boy was he right on the money–pun intended. And I’d rather those boys (any girls in that mix???) were on our side than not. We need strength in the military and we’ve had some good generals come out of the military schools. So what about peace generals–who is going to train them?

I propose we have a national service that parallels the military in importance. Without the need for budgets that include ICBMs, cruise missles, nuclear subs, fleets of fighters, bombers, tanks, etc. we could implement it on a grand scale at a fraction of the cost of the military. This would not replace our needed military presence, just be utilized for non-military purposes. Begin with one to two years of (in USA) national service that are mandatory for all able bodied citizens, men and women. Age grouping to be determined. Then provide a ramp up into international service for those that pass muster in the civilian national service (”CNS”) and wish to have a career position. The civilian “generals” and obviously captains, colonels, majors, etc. would rise to the top and they would cap their careers with a 10-year maximum service allowance with university degree programs so that they could become lawyers, teachers, administrators in the regular civilian private sector. But we would have a pool of experienced leaders who could run for public office and bring about policy changes that would ultimately guide our foreign policy from a more humanitarian point of view.

And Katrina-like SNAFUs would be minimized since a huge portion of the population would have a vested interest in the workings of the CNS. The citizen citizens, as opposed to citizen soldiers, would be better prepared to deal with normal construction, repair and upgrading of infrastructure in the US and apply their knowledge, skills and focus to international projects. The citizen army would rely for certain logistical support and security on the US military, but would not carry arms or take part in military operations or support.

For a fraction of what we spend in IRAQ every week we could be training citizens to take part in rebuilding and maintaining our historic landmarks, cross country transporation (railroads, airports, bridges, seaports), national and state parks and wilderness areas, etc.

Does anyone dispute the fact that our youth, elderly, and “weekend citizens” could benefit from the exercise in developing leadership skills, and acquiring a sense of what they can do for America. That may result in Jerry Springer and Paris Hilton and Justin Timberlake having a much, much smaller fan base. But that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Peace, Ciao,
WD Ford

I do have some issues with some of your statements:

You say “We must win it because our ideas are more noble, more just, more meaningful.”

That is not true. In fact if you educate yourself about what America does and has been doing around the World for many many years, you will find that the American Government is the true terrorist organization.

The US killed over half a million people, mostly children in Iraq in the first Gulf War directly and as a result of the sanctions. Iraqis for the first time experienced diseases and famine which they never experienced. A situation which former Secretary of state Madlin Albright basically dismissed as a cost of war.

Thousands more each year are killed in the West Bank and the Gaza strip due to an occupation made possible by the $3-5 Billion in US aid to Israel. And a whole population of Palestinians are denied their basic human rights for over 60 years now.

This is not to mention the 20- 40 million native Americans that were slaughtered by the White Europeans who came to this land. That is of course forgotten and swept under the rug and covered by slogans like “Freedom and Democracy” and the “American way.”

America seems to be unable to live even for few years without fighting somebody and even inventing enemies.

The sad part is most Americans are too dumb to know any better and they buy into the media lies which are aimed to brain wash the masses and make money for the big corporations.

So yes America has lost its way long long time ago, it is just getting worse now.

I think Eisenhower’s warnings about the military-industiral complex has been ignored to our peril. Undlying the problems of America’s current foreign policy lies the fact that it is designed to further the military-industrial complex. This is humanitarianism is replaced by military-industrialism. THe aim and purpose of America’s foreign policy must be, as you point out, centered on the needs of it’s citizens rather than it’s megacorporations. A foreing policy that furthers the cortunes of McDonalds does not (and probably cannot) further th interests of Amercian citizens, much less that of the other citizens of the world. What benefits General Motors does NOT benefit America. The solutions are probably multi-faceted and complex, yet infinitely worth pursuing. To paraphrase an old saying: He who is not for himself, is for no one; he who is only for himself is short sighted. “Strong, wise, and good: self-defense, legal legitimacy, minimize violence, emphasize humanitarianism” begins to define a new radicalism sorely needed. ‘nough for now.

To really understand what’s happening globally and the important role that the US has played in creating our situation, everyone should read at least one of John Perkins’ books (New York Best Sellers) Confessions of an Economic Hitman, or The Secret History of the American Empire. Then you will understand how we got here.

Have you thought about running for public office? Seriously! We need smart people who believe in a well conceived and well executed foreign policy. Thanks.