Veterans Day
On this day, I’m reminded of a powerful statement that John F. Kennedy once made: “War will continue to exist until that distant day when the consientious objector enjoys the same reputation that the warrior does today.”
Also, check out today’s Writer’s Almanac for Garrison Keillor’s take on Veteran’s Day.
Today is Veterans Day, honoring Americans who have served in the armed forces.
November 11 was originally called Armistice Day because it was on this day in 1918 that the First World War came to an end. After four years of brutal trench fighting, 9 million soldiers had died and 21 million were wounded. It was called “The War to End All Wars,” because it was the bloodiest war in history up to that point, and it made many people so sick of war that they hoped no war would ever break out again.
Many intellectuals and artists were disillusioned by the war. The philosopher Bertrand Russell said, “All this madness, all this rage, all this flaming death of our civilization and our hopes, has been brought about because a set of official gentlemen, living luxurious lives, mostly stupid, and all without imagination or heart, have chosen that it should occur rather than that any one of them should suffer some infinitesimal rebuff to his country’s pride.”
Finally, Asheville filmmaker Rebecca MacNeice offers A Mother’s Prayer, a brief vignette about Elaine Johnson of Orangeburg, South Carolina, whose son was killed in action in Iraq on November 3, 2003.
May peace be with you.
Saturday, November 11th, 2006Join the intervention tomorrow to change the course of our nation
What do you do when someone you love is in denial about the repercussions of his substance abuse and seems intent on a path of self destruction? Whether the drug is alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamines, prescription drugs or other mind-altering substances, if you really care about this person, you have a moral responsibility to confront him. One way to do so is through an intervention, a gathering of friends and family members to expose the recklessness of his actions, to clearly state how his imprudence is affecting others and to support him to seek treatment. Ideally, such a confrontation will awaken the individual from complacency and lead to action to address the mess he’s created.
Today the Bush administration and Congress—intoxicated by the drugs of power, arrogance, hubris and greed—are in denial regarding their addictions and continue to proceed in a perilous direction. Tomorrow, for our sake and for the sake of our nation, we must intervene. Our intervention will look a bit different, however. Our intervention will take place in voting booths across the nation. And if we stand together, we can rouse our leadership from its self-serving somnolence and call them into accountability. We can make our priorities clear: an end to the war in Iraq, rigorous measures to deal with global warming, first-rate healthcare for all, a living wage for every worker, a justice system that’s just and schools that work for all our kids.
There is, of course, no guarantee that our intervention will have the desired effect. Even if we vote for change in huge numbers, the vote could be tampered with and our will subverted. Even if we elect enough Democrats to take control of the House and the Senate, they too could pay us no heed. Nonetheless, tomorrow we have the responsibility to let our intentions be known loud and clear. With our constitutionally-guaranteed power of the vote, we take an initial step toward reclaiming our democracy, attracting inspired leadership and putting forth a new vision of America in the 21st century.
Monday, November 6th, 2006
