Stop me if you’ve heard this before. There is a Hilterian figure up to no good. Yes, it’s happening on the other side of the world. But seriously. It’s only a matter of time before the Germans start bombing Pearl Harbor.
The history doesn’t exactly have to line up for one simple reason. The narrative is terrifying. Even taking the example of Hitler, there were plenty of onlookers - including the New York Times, who seemed to praise Hitler’s dedication to democracy when elected chancellor in 1933 - who downplayed the threat of Nazism at the brink of World War II.
And if Saddam Hussein, the Taliban or Ho Chi Minh had been a second coming of Hitler, the existential terror would make sense.
The problem is that, in staggering contrast to the hype, none of these leaders posed any real threat to American civilians. And yet, between these three wars, 64,000 US soldiers have died. Even more alarmingly over 4 million civilians - precious brothers and sisters across the globe - have been killed at our hands. Of course the number would be a lot higher if we counted Yemen, Libya, Syria or any number of military escapades in Africa, Latin America or South America.
I’ve spent time a while back (when I had a bit more time to write) taking a look particularly at the white evangelical church’s wholehearted support of the Iraq war. Looking in hindsight it is almost comical to imagine some of the logic employed. And then - surprise - the Bush administration had been flat-out lying about weapons of mass destruction, Iraq’s linkage to 9/11 and a grab bag of other excuses to enrich arms manufacturers.
And guess who was a major supporter of President Bush’s preemptive, illegal and unprovoked war in Iraq? And the invasion of Afghanistan?
Current President Joseph R. Biden.
For the past ten months the violence in Ukraine has been covered more or less like a football game. Little effort needs to be given to examine various motives. After the Democratic party, CNN and MSNBC spent the past six years building hysterics around Vladimir Putin it can safely be assumed he represents the nexus of all evil. The current conflict, it would seem, arose from reasons ranging somewhere between a maniacal quest for world domination to a dog with rabies.
And because, we are to believe, Putin does not have rational thoughts, it would be dangerous to reason with him. Of course the logic does follow. If Putin is simply deranged in one way or another it would be pointless to try to understand his point of view.
When Putin claims that he is concerned with NATO’s expansion to essentially surround Russia, for instance, we are free to disregard. Or when he brings up Ukraine’s shelling of Russian speakers in the Donbas for the past seven years we are free to scoff at a mere 14,000 who have died. Or when Putin points out that the US and UK sabotaged peace talks at the beginning of this war, we are free to ignore the lunatic at the podium.
What if - and stay with me on this one - what if the US government and the press are lying to us once again? What if the $58 billion of aid (i.e. arms) given just since February to Ukraine was simply there to bleed Russia dry while sacrificing civilian lives?
What if, in keeping with the past 50 years of US foreign policy, this war had nothing to do with defending life? What if the only reason we cared about Ukraine was because weakening Russia was a stated bipartisan goal?
And what if “defending democracy” is code for “engaging in endless war?” What if we are, once again, taking a bad situation and making it worse?
Along with a growing number I am increasingly concerned about Washington’s bipartisan infatuation with arming Ukraine. Because the truth is this war is different from the others. Neither Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan had the nuclear capabilities to destroy life on planet earth. But Russia does. And so far the US is the only nation in history to use a nuclear weapon. You can pick a winner but we all seem like losers in this scenario.
Public figures who advocate war between Russia and the US are either naïve to the point of embarrassment or are flat-out willing to risk utter destruction to meet their own ends.
And yet the public voices for peace are few and far between. They risk censorship like legendary reporter Chris Hedges. They risk landing on a Ukrainian hitlist like Roger Waters. They risk being smeared as Kremlin apologists like Aaron Mate.
The 120th Psalm is a song pilgrims would sing on their way to Jerusalem in ancient times. There is a line that has stuck with me throughout this ongoing and increasingly dangerous saga. It goes like this:
Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.
Hold on while I get on my soapbox here but when I read the news, and I see otherwise razor sharp thinkers, theologians, politicians (ok not many politicians are razor sharp but stick with me) and comrades lining up to support yet another endless war I can’t believe my eyes.
Honestly, it doesn’t take much to look back at the disasters of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan with amazement and condemnation. Even the most dedicated warmongers pretend there must have been some tactical mistake in there somewhere, unable to come to terms with their remaining thirst for human sacrifice.
One day it will become very obvious to those who remain just how reckless our government’s part is in this. As I write new headlines have come out telling a story of a missile that has hit Poland. Subsequent headlines make the entire argument of this piece for me. They are full of joyous anticipation for the escalation of this war. Hey, look! Now all thirty members of NATO can go to war against a nuclear-armed power!
The idea, of course, that this would be the time to force negotiated peace - to stop the bloodshed; to draw back NATO’s forces if that means protecting innocent lives - never enters the equation. Like a child, force seems to be the only available option.
I’m afraid to say that the errors we make in interpreting history are much more consequential than Bluto Blutarsky’s beer and weed induced fog. Perhaps the dress rehearsals for endless war have reached their logical conclusion. Perhaps it is showtime.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
But first, enough of us have to be for peace. That means raising hell when politicians insist we spend more money on war. That means assembling in the streets to push for negotiations.
Too long have I lived with those who hate peace. I truly hope enough of us feel this way and raise hell before it’s too late.