Spreading democracy and empire building

I saw former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield on a TV program called the View. Eventually the conservation turned to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq-particularly the Iraq war.  Mr. Rumsfield continues to defend the US decision to initiate the war in Iraq. Although the reason given for invading Iraq was based on what the Bush Administration calls flawed intelligence, Mr. Rumsfield thinks the war was worth it, because Saddam Hussein was removed from office and gotten rid of permanently.  The war also allowed the US to do what it calls, spreading democracy-make people be more like us.

The more Mr. Rumsfield talked and tried to rationalize the U.S. decision, the more he reminded me of a essay, widely read literary genius and famous humorist Mark Twain wrote lambasting U.S. imperialism in the Philippines and other parts of the world.  This essay was published in the North American Review in 1901.

He titled the essay; To the person sitting in the dark. Twain began the essay with two simple but powerful words: Shall we?  Twain continues: Shall we go on conferring our civilization upon people that sit in darkness, or shall we give the poor things a rest? Shall we bang right ahead in our old-time, loud, pious, way and commit the new century to the game, or shall we sober up, sit down, and think it over first?  Would it not be prudent to get our civilization tools together, and see how much stock is left on hand in the way of glass beads and Theology, and Maxim Guns and Hymn Books, and Trade Gin and Torches of Progress and Enlightening (patent and adjustable ones, good to fire villages on occasions) and balance the books and arrive at the profit and loss, so that we may intelligently decide whether to continue the business or sell out the property and start a new civilization Scheme on the proceeds?  Powerful words indeed!  In the above paragraph, replace the word civilization with the word democracy and it becomes clear what we are about in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let us revisit the supposedly rational for invading Iraq.  Saddam hoarding Weapons of Mass Destruction was the reason we had to remove him from office and destroy said weapons. According to General Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield, Vice President, Chaney and of course President George Bush, there was undeniable evidence that Saddam had these weapons. Nothing Saddam said or did convinced Bush folks that the weapons did not exist.  Some questioned whether the Bush Administration altered the intelligence to support their allegations of WMD’S.

Mark Twain essay further illustrates and magnifies the U.S method of empire building.  Somewhat tongue in cheek, Twain penned the following; having laid the historical facts before the person sitting in darkness, we should bring him to again, and explain to him. We should say to him:“ They look doubtful but in reality they are not. There have been lies; yes, but they were told in good cause.  We have been treacherous; but that was only in order that real good might come out of apparent evil. True, we have crushed a deceived and confiding people; we have turned against the weak and friendless who trusted us; we have stamped out a just, intelligent, and well-ordered republic; we have stabbed an ally in the back and slapped the face of a guest.  We have bought a shadow from an enemy that hadn’t it to sell; we have robbed a trusting friend of his land and liberty. We have invited our clean young men to shoulder a discredited musket and do bandit’s work under a flag which bandits have been accustomed to fear, not to follow; we have debauched American’s honor and blacken her face before the world…”

Does some of the above paragraph remind you of the Iraq fiasco? Weren’t American people and its allies lied to? Prime Minister Blair’s and Colen Powell’s political careers were seriously damage because they bought into the Bush Administration propaganda about WMD’S.  Smack dab in the middle of spreading lies about Iraq’s WMD’S were Conservative Talk Radio (CTR) and Fox News Network (FNN.) Their 24 hour discourse about Saddam’s WMD’S helped convinced many undecided people that Saddam did in fact have WMD’S.  Both news and or propaganda outlets got a free pass as far as sharing the blame for deceiving Americans and other nations.  Today America and a few of its allies find themselves mired in a Viet Nam like situation- a war that cannot be won in a literal sense. History tells us that it is futile to go to war with Afghanistan and most who have, came away with bloody noses and hurt feelings. 

It is time our imperialistic ways came to an abrupt halt.  It is time we left other people and nations alone and start minding our own business.

Affliction in the Black community

 I remember my Grandmother Maggie Thornton speaking of someone being flicted. She was simply shortening the word afflicted. If I may take liberty with my grandmother’s word- many people in black communities are flicted-plain and simple. Take a moment and look up the word afflict. Webster defines it as; trouble, bother, causes problems, worry, upset, make miserable or distress. It is extremely troubling to see black men and boys wandering through neighborhoods looking like something straight out of vaudeville and/or Ringling Brothers Circus. They are the new clowns without realizing it. Their dress and overall behavior is something to behold. It is especially troubling because most of them do not have a clue how the public views them, and the overall negative affects it has on their lives, relationships and job opportunities. The few who realize their behavior and dress negatively affects them have taken a do not care, so what attitude. Their behavior, especially dress, bothers most people who observe it. However, there are enough people in black families and communities who turn a blind eye and pretend they do not see what is right before their eyes. People wearing obscene dress and exhibiting rude behavior and not being admonished, legitimize their actions. Inappropriate dress and other forms of behavior contrary to societal norms cause problems in communities. Some people feel obligated to say something to people they feel overall behavior is causing problems in the community. Approaching these folks can and do lead to confrontations that if one is not careful can lead to unintended consequences. Many blacks worry about what they see in black communities. They see school age black boys wandering the streets, during school hours, with their pants hanging off their butts, talking on cell phones. They see older mature black men wandering the streets dressed the same way, with a cell phone, beer in a sack and a cheap cigar. Entirely too many black men walk by job sites and see people of another nationality performing work formerly done by blacks and never bat an eye. It is extremely upsetting to see the apathy displayed by a large segment of black men. There seem to be little concern about their stead in life and where it will be when they grow old. Because they are so inclined to be indifferent about their stead in life, many times it falls on their parents and other kinfolks to provide for them. Others take the criminal road to get what they need to survive. This road usually leads to the criminal justice system. Many predominately black communities have many things within that cause them to be distressed-Single parent homes, drugs, high unemployment, high school dropout, robberies, killings, home invasions and other appalling actions, to name a few. Why have our men decided to add additional stress on communities by becoming total buffoons? Why have they chosen their current lifestyles? I guess they know not what they do and black communities will continue to suffer this affliction for God knows how long.

Collective bargaining at risk

There is a clamor from the Republican Party, Conservative Talk Radio (CTR) Fox News Network (FNN) and other opponents of organized Labor Unions to weaken and or destroy the collective bargaining apparatus in the United States. What is so alarming is the fact that many people who enjoy benefits gotten by organized labor are on the side of those trying to destroy labor unions. The only way to fully appreciate the positive impact organized labor has had on working conditions, is to roll back working conditions to where they were before unions came on the scene. Surely those who enjoy shorter workdays, a safer work environment, decent pay and other negotiated benefits in the work place can see the gains many American workers enjoy. Most people in all walks of life that oppose organized labor refuse to admit that they enjoy workplace benefits garnered by the sweat, blood and tears of union workers. Workdays were shorten by organized labor actions. The eight-hour workday is undeniably the results of organized labor. Safer workplaces are certainly attributable to union activities and demands. Livable wages in many occupations are the direct results of collective bargaining. It is easy for those opposed to labor unions to see them as nothing but a drain on big business and governments at all levels. If one takes the position that labor need business more than business needs labor, then it is easy to see why some want organized labor to got the way of horses and buggies. One must understand and appreciate the need for some kind of balance between workers and big business. Samuel Gopher (1850-1924) one of the founders of the American Federation of Labor (A. F. of L) spoke of the need for collective bargaining. Gopher put it this way: Collective bargaining means that the organized employees of a trade or industry, through representatives of their own choosing, shall deal with the employer or employers in the making of wage scales and working conditions. Collective bargaining is the only practical proposal for adjusting relations between management and the workers in a business way, assuring a fair deal on both sides. CTR and FNN talking heads constantly beat the drums to a tune called democracy, while advocating autocracy, especially in the workplace. Now, politicians of the Conservative persuasion feel comfortable singing the same tune. They want a work environment where management dictates every aspect of the workplace. CTR, FNN and those of the Conservative persuasion constantly paint a dismal picture of unionized workers. This constant drumbeat has attracted the attention of workers not represented by organized labor and created a certain amount of jealously and reluctant admiration for the wages and benefits negotiated by labor unions. All employees in any workplace want are decent wages, benefits and a safe work environment. Having been a union member for several years and a supervisor and manager of union members for several years, I will tell you there must be give and take on both sides. I was involved in negotiating labor agreements representing management and never felt management was forced into positions that were detrimental to the authority and ability of management to manage the workplace and contain labor costs. Union members are well aware that they are taxpayers; property owners and an integral part of the community in which they live and are not about to deliberately take a position detrimental to the well being of said community. Although, at times it appears organized labor positions are hard and fast, most are willing to sit down and negotiate decent and fair contracts that benefits labor and management. The current atmosphere and dire straits many communities, including states and local governments find themselves in, financially, lead some community leaders to assume the time is right to arbitrarily take back many things negotiated and agreed to in labor contracts. Actually there has never been a better time for both sides to sit down and negotiate a contract that benefits both parties. There needs to be a general agreement as to what the problems are and the best way to solve them in a manner both sides can agree to. Workers, in recent years, in several industries made huge concessions to management to help keep businesses afloat. The same thing should and can happen with teachers, firemen, policemen and other public employees. However, arbitrarily changing conditions of employment negotiated in good faith is not the best way to get sorely needed changes and concessions in labor contracts.

Individualism

Let us start this article by defining individualism. In its simplest term, it means uniqueness, selfishness, eccentricity, egoism, independence or individuality. If you listen to Conservative Talk Radio (CTR) and Fox News Network (FNN), you often hear the word individualism tossed around like a hot potato. Talk hosts on these outlets will swear on a stack of Bibles that the United States of America were founded on pure and unadulterated individualism. Hubert Hoover, President of the United States often spoke of individuality, and his writings suggest he truly believed in this principle. However, he was careful not to take it to the extreme, often expressed by talking heads on CTR and FNN. Some would argue that it was unfettered individuality that brought this nation to its knees during the Great Depression. Listen as those who preach a pure individualism theory support their position on one simple fact; individuals are suppose to be self-supporting and anything that suggests people doing anything together for the good of all is tantamount to socialism/communism. There is one possible exception to their position on individualism. They see nothing wrong with our young men bonding together as military units, going off to foreign countries, and fighting senseless and useless wars. They see nothing wrong with these same units using their military might to impose the will of American businesses on foreign countries. Some how, some way the individualism philosophy gets lost when it comes to sacrificing our young people, supposedly for the good of this nation, when in actuality, only a few share in the fruits of our young soldiers’ labors. As this nation struggles to right its economic ship, there are those who are unwilling to accept any changes to the economic and political principles on which this nation is purportedly founded. This unwillingness is causing immeasurable and irreparable damage to several segments of American society. For decades, several economists, politicians, spiritual leaders and the like have repeatedly admonished those who lead this nation about the dangers of a few having so much and so many having so little. Those who subscribe to raw and unadulterated individualism see absolutely nothing wrong with the continued spiral of wealth to the top, with little left for those in the middle and practically nothing left for those on the bottom rung of American society. Despite criticism for the hardships brought on by the Great Depression, President Hubert Hoover had it right when he made the following profound observation relating to individualism:  ”No doubt, individualism run riot, with no tempering principle, would provide a long category of inequalities, of tyrannies, dominations, and injustices. America, however, has tempered the whole conception of individualism by the injection of a definite principle, and from this principle, it follows that attempts at domination, whether in government or in the processes of industry and commerce, are under an insistent curb. If we would have the values of individualism, their stimulation to initiative, to the development of hand and intellect, to the high development of thought and spirituality, they must be tempered with that firm and fixed ideal American individualism-an equality of opportunity. If we would have these values, we must soften it hardness and stimulate progress through the sense of service that lies in our people.” President Hoover further stated the following: “While we build our society upon the attainment of the individual, we shall safeguard to every individual an opportunity to take that position in the community to which his intelligence, character, ability and ambition entitle him; that we keep the solution free from social strata of classes; that we shall stimulate effort of each individual to achievement; that through an enlarging sense of responsibility and understanding we shall assist him in his attainment; while he in turn must stand up to the emery wheel of competition.” Look around people, it is not difficult to see what President Hoover predicted would happen with unfettered individuality. Specifically, equality of opportunity in many areas ceases to exist.