Why do we fight? Why do we continue to expand our military presence around the globe? Why do we invade sovereign nations like Iraq and Afghanistan? Why do we have forces stationed in areas where there is no threat to America? Follow the money. If profits are to be made from war, rest assured America will be making them.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew about war, having served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II. He warned us as he was leaving office in 1961 of a threat to our way of life. The military industrial complex, as he called it, is the combination of a massive military establishment and the corporations who furnish the tools of war. Eisenhower said that such a combination was new to the American experience, and though required during the Cold War era, left unchecked it would endanger our liberties and the democratic process.
A costly and over-extended military was one reason for the fall of the Roman Empire. It looks as though the same may be happening to us. According to Chalmers Johnson, we were operating 737 military bases in other countries in 2005. We spend more than 3 times the amount that China and Russia combined spend on their militaries. For fiscal year 2010 the United States will spend 58 percent of its discretionary budget on the military. As a comparison, primary and secondary education budgets will receive 4 percent in 2010.
Defense spending remains unchecked, and sadly, we no longer care. Almost half of us do not even vote, having turned out less than 57% in the 2008 presidential election. Of course we need a strong defense, but this is not about that. This is about money.
We went to war in Iraq based on President Bush’s claim that Saddam was somehow involved with 9/11, and the blatant lie that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Bush, Cheney, and Rice tricked us, and the US Congress failed us by authorizing the war based on falsified intelligence claims and pressure from the White House. The reason seems obvious now that the move was to control Iraq’s oil, and allow the individuals who supply the tools of war to profit immensely.
The escalation of operations in Afghanistan is another example of how out of touch we are as a nation. The Taliban rebels are estimated to number no more than 25,000. CIA director Leon Panetta reports that there are only 50 to 100 Al Qaeda operatives left in the country. Allied troops already outnumber the Taliban 12 to 1. Yet, we need to send more soldiers?
The Afghanistan war is not about the spread of democracy or protection from terrorists. It is, instead, about gaining control of the estimated $1 trillion worth of its natural resources, and of course, for pumping billions of dollars into the coffers of US defense contractors. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan tells us that conditions for women and children are actually worse since we invaded Afghanistan more than nine years ago. The rhetoric of spreading democracy is proving to not be true.
Why should we be concerned? We are sacrificing the lives of our loved ones to line the pockets of the profiteers. My heart goes out to the families who lost family and friends in these wars. I recently lost family in Afghanistan, too. These brave citizens volunteered to serve their country and have served it honorably. But something here has gone terribly wrong. We have become that which we denounce.
The US attitude toward human rights and killing is becoming cavalier, just like it did to the Romans. The evidence is clear, as in the recently leaked footage where in 2007 US troops killed 12 civilians and maimed two children in Iraq, all the while laughing and seemingly making a sport out of the entire slaughter. We claim to be above than this type of sadistic behavior, but the same lack of reverence for life reared its ugly head at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, too.
The propaganda is thick when it comes to why we fight. The makers of war have convinced us that a permanent state of war is the new peace. Regretfully, Eisenhower was right. The war machine is jeopardizing the stability of our republic. The Roman’s made the journey, and unless we take back the reins of our government, the United States will follow the same path to ruin.
© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian
30 October 2010
15 October 2010
Zero Tolerence = Zero Common Sense
In an effort to solve some of the problems in our public schools or at least make them a bit safer to attend, we now have Zero Tolerance policies in Georgia and around the country. Parents and students alike find many of the rules ridiculous. The following instances made me laugh, but they also help to reinforce the belief that our government is still treating the symptoms of violence and not the causes. Here are just a few examples of our system gone awry.
A 12-year-old in El Paso, Texas stuck his tongue out at a girl who rejected his invitation to be his girlfriend. The school administrators called it “sexual harassment” and suspended the boy for three days.
A first grader in Youngstown, Ohio was suspended for ten days for bringing a plastic knife home from the cafeteria. He wanted to show his mother that he had learned how to spread peanut butter on a slice of bread.
A third grader in Mobile, Alabama was suspended for five days after being turned-in for taking a purple pill. No, it wasn’t Ecstasy, LSD, or an opiate. It was a multivitamin he takes with his lunch every day. Now, after all of this drama he will probably need Xanax.
Kindergartners are not immune from the keen eye of school administrators either. In Sayreville, New Jersey four of the little tykes were suspended for playing a game of cops and robbers during recess. Apparently, making believe one’s finger is a gun is tantamount to actually possessing one.
In Haverstraw, New York a 14-year-old student government member, former altar boy, and proud Catholic was suspended for wearing rosary beads. The principal claimed that the beads could be used to show gang affiliation. I’m not sure what kind of gang the principal was thinking about, maybe a bunch of thugs attending a praise and worship service?
A few weeks ago and a lot closer to home, Ashley Smith, an 11-year-old middle school student in Cobb County was suspended for ten days after it was discovered that she was in possession of a weapon. This was no ordinary weapon either. Little Ashley was brandishing a chain. The dangerous 2” chain was the same one that attached her Tweety Bird key ring to her Tweety Bird wallet. The ACLU is now representing the poor little deviant, but hopefully the Cobb County school system will prevail in keeping these sorts of heinous weapons out of its hallowed halls of academia.
Actually, it is not funny, ridiculous for sure, but definitely not funny. Ashley Smith may very well need psychological counseling because of the abuse inflicted on her by the Cobb County school system. She might also be saddled with a record of the so-called offense that will scar her for life. I hope not. I hope her case brings the school board to its senses.
What is ironic about Smith’s case is that Governor Purdue signed Senate Bill 299 on May 25 of this year. The “Zero Out Zero Tolerance” bill was intended to help mitigate abuses caused by the enforcement of overly stringent discipline policies in Georgia’s schools. The measure gives local school systems and local judges more discretion in dealing with Zero Tolerance cases.
The Tweety Bird caper actually occurred after the state measure was signed into law. However, Cobb County has its own Zero Tolerance policy, and therein lays the problem. Is Cobb County particularly frightened of its middle school students, especially ones with cartoon characters pictured on their fashion accessories? Why else would it expel a little girl for a 2” toy keychain when the laws mandating such a ridiculous punishment had been legally changed to reflect a more contextual framework, that being one of intent?
I would venture a guess that Cobb County is behaving like this because its middle to upper-middle class residents are pressuring school administrators to get tough in the schools. We know this type of rhetoric really translates into getting tough on poor kids, but it backfired. It has instead subjected all of Cobb’s children to cruel and oppressive regulations.
There are deeply rooted social and political issues at work in these miscarriages of justice. But maybe if we stop running our schools like prisons and treating our kids like criminals, we might see our public schools flourish again. If not, I am sure we will continue to see unfair, reactionary policies from school administrators who obviously have no common sense.
© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian
A 12-year-old in El Paso, Texas stuck his tongue out at a girl who rejected his invitation to be his girlfriend. The school administrators called it “sexual harassment” and suspended the boy for three days.
A first grader in Youngstown, Ohio was suspended for ten days for bringing a plastic knife home from the cafeteria. He wanted to show his mother that he had learned how to spread peanut butter on a slice of bread.
A third grader in Mobile, Alabama was suspended for five days after being turned-in for taking a purple pill. No, it wasn’t Ecstasy, LSD, or an opiate. It was a multivitamin he takes with his lunch every day. Now, after all of this drama he will probably need Xanax.
Kindergartners are not immune from the keen eye of school administrators either. In Sayreville, New Jersey four of the little tykes were suspended for playing a game of cops and robbers during recess. Apparently, making believe one’s finger is a gun is tantamount to actually possessing one.
In Haverstraw, New York a 14-year-old student government member, former altar boy, and proud Catholic was suspended for wearing rosary beads. The principal claimed that the beads could be used to show gang affiliation. I’m not sure what kind of gang the principal was thinking about, maybe a bunch of thugs attending a praise and worship service?
A few weeks ago and a lot closer to home, Ashley Smith, an 11-year-old middle school student in Cobb County was suspended for ten days after it was discovered that she was in possession of a weapon. This was no ordinary weapon either. Little Ashley was brandishing a chain. The dangerous 2” chain was the same one that attached her Tweety Bird key ring to her Tweety Bird wallet. The ACLU is now representing the poor little deviant, but hopefully the Cobb County school system will prevail in keeping these sorts of heinous weapons out of its hallowed halls of academia.
Actually, it is not funny, ridiculous for sure, but definitely not funny. Ashley Smith may very well need psychological counseling because of the abuse inflicted on her by the Cobb County school system. She might also be saddled with a record of the so-called offense that will scar her for life. I hope not. I hope her case brings the school board to its senses.
What is ironic about Smith’s case is that Governor Purdue signed Senate Bill 299 on May 25 of this year. The “Zero Out Zero Tolerance” bill was intended to help mitigate abuses caused by the enforcement of overly stringent discipline policies in Georgia’s schools. The measure gives local school systems and local judges more discretion in dealing with Zero Tolerance cases.
The Tweety Bird caper actually occurred after the state measure was signed into law. However, Cobb County has its own Zero Tolerance policy, and therein lays the problem. Is Cobb County particularly frightened of its middle school students, especially ones with cartoon characters pictured on their fashion accessories? Why else would it expel a little girl for a 2” toy keychain when the laws mandating such a ridiculous punishment had been legally changed to reflect a more contextual framework, that being one of intent?
I would venture a guess that Cobb County is behaving like this because its middle to upper-middle class residents are pressuring school administrators to get tough in the schools. We know this type of rhetoric really translates into getting tough on poor kids, but it backfired. It has instead subjected all of Cobb’s children to cruel and oppressive regulations.
There are deeply rooted social and political issues at work in these miscarriages of justice. But maybe if we stop running our schools like prisons and treating our kids like criminals, we might see our public schools flourish again. If not, I am sure we will continue to see unfair, reactionary policies from school administrators who obviously have no common sense.
© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian
08 October 2010
The Butterfly Effect
A beautiful yellow and black butterfly flaps its wings in a freshly thinned Georgia pine forest. The tiny change in the atmosphere produced by the flapping multiplies exponentially until it creates enough disturbances to alter the trajectory of a F5 tornado in rural southwest Oklahoma. The tornado violently rips through a small farming town killing 19 people, and it did because a butterfly flapped its wings.
The scenario is one based on a central tenet of chaos theory. The Butterfly Effect is when seemingly insignificant changes in conditions at the onset of an event produce dramatic differences in the resulting outcome.
What about us? Do our own trivial and harmless actions create lasting and dramatic effects? Case in point: A student who is socially awkward wants to enjoy his college experience, but the other students in his dorm ridicule and reject him. The young man turns to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of being ostracized. Later in life he walks into an elementary school cafeteria with a gun, and we all know what happens next. Another case: An international student from a predominantly Muslim country is relentlessly mocked, all because she wants to honor her family’s religious tradition by wearing a hijab. Her intent was to return to her country after completing medical school and provide more than palliative care for her impoverished people. Instead, she becomes jaded by the cruelty. She returns home without ever realizing her dream, and her people continue to suffer.
Dr. King said he dreamt that one day his children would “Live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Do we share his dream? Did we ever believe it was really obtainable? Do we see others through eyes of compassion or through a lens of prejudice? Were we are forced to stand and defend our beliefs, would they hold together because they are bonded with truth and justice, or instead unravel because they are laced with intolerance and bigotry? Do we even care enough to consider our answers?
No long ago, I had the opportunity to come face to face with someone affected by my actions. A few years earlier, I was introduced to a man who wanted to take his GED exam. The friend who introduced us asked if I would help him reach his goal. We worked through the study manual. I cannot even begin to explain how difficult it was to help bring someone from an essentially primary level math and reading competency to a level of reasoning that can garner a GED. It was tough. But a few months ago I saw the man. He now works as a supervisor in a manufacturing plant. Between his salary and his wife’s, they earn enough to support their family quite nicely. Without his GED he might never have been hired. When I was asked to help, what if I had said no?
Gandhi said “Be the change in the world you want to see.” I’m sure many of my readers give back to the community. There are many opportunities right here in Carrollton, as well. Last week we published an article about the opportunities at Carrollton’s branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. The Carroll County schools need mentors and its after-school programs are looking for assistants, too. Even the medical center has volunteer opportunities. One’s place of worship is a great place to also get involved.
We only need to be pro-active, to use a catchphrase from back in the day in order to find a way to help others. We might be surprised of the rewarding opportunities that are available if we simply take the initiative to be a agent of change.
It is impossible to judge how every action we take will affect those around us. We may never know if our actions have helped or hurt someone. But one thing is certain. If we do not at least try to better understand one another and be willing to lend a compassionate hand, we will suffer the inevitable repercussions. Because in the end, no matter how small or insignificant I believe my actions may be, what I do today has lasting and irreversible consequences tomorrow. I hope we all remember that every time we see a butterfly flapping its wings.
© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian
The scenario is one based on a central tenet of chaos theory. The Butterfly Effect is when seemingly insignificant changes in conditions at the onset of an event produce dramatic differences in the resulting outcome.
What about us? Do our own trivial and harmless actions create lasting and dramatic effects? Case in point: A student who is socially awkward wants to enjoy his college experience, but the other students in his dorm ridicule and reject him. The young man turns to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of being ostracized. Later in life he walks into an elementary school cafeteria with a gun, and we all know what happens next. Another case: An international student from a predominantly Muslim country is relentlessly mocked, all because she wants to honor her family’s religious tradition by wearing a hijab. Her intent was to return to her country after completing medical school and provide more than palliative care for her impoverished people. Instead, she becomes jaded by the cruelty. She returns home without ever realizing her dream, and her people continue to suffer.
Dr. King said he dreamt that one day his children would “Live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Do we share his dream? Did we ever believe it was really obtainable? Do we see others through eyes of compassion or through a lens of prejudice? Were we are forced to stand and defend our beliefs, would they hold together because they are bonded with truth and justice, or instead unravel because they are laced with intolerance and bigotry? Do we even care enough to consider our answers?
No long ago, I had the opportunity to come face to face with someone affected by my actions. A few years earlier, I was introduced to a man who wanted to take his GED exam. The friend who introduced us asked if I would help him reach his goal. We worked through the study manual. I cannot even begin to explain how difficult it was to help bring someone from an essentially primary level math and reading competency to a level of reasoning that can garner a GED. It was tough. But a few months ago I saw the man. He now works as a supervisor in a manufacturing plant. Between his salary and his wife’s, they earn enough to support their family quite nicely. Without his GED he might never have been hired. When I was asked to help, what if I had said no?
Gandhi said “Be the change in the world you want to see.” I’m sure many of my readers give back to the community. There are many opportunities right here in Carrollton, as well. Last week we published an article about the opportunities at Carrollton’s branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. The Carroll County schools need mentors and its after-school programs are looking for assistants, too. Even the medical center has volunteer opportunities. One’s place of worship is a great place to also get involved.
We only need to be pro-active, to use a catchphrase from back in the day in order to find a way to help others. We might be surprised of the rewarding opportunities that are available if we simply take the initiative to be a agent of change.
It is impossible to judge how every action we take will affect those around us. We may never know if our actions have helped or hurt someone. But one thing is certain. If we do not at least try to better understand one another and be willing to lend a compassionate hand, we will suffer the inevitable repercussions. Because in the end, no matter how small or insignificant I believe my actions may be, what I do today has lasting and irreversible consequences tomorrow. I hope we all remember that every time we see a butterfly flapping its wings.
© 2010 Don Lovell
© 2010 The West Georgian
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