To Be or Not to Be: The World Hangs in the Balance
To Be or Not to Be: The World Hangs in the Balance
I’m convinced an attack is in the final stages. For the last several weeks military aircraft had been buzzing the Tweed river valley in the Scottish Borders; startling sheep, cattle and pensioners in equal measure. This geological area has historically been used for this type of training. Recently though, the planes have been flying much closer to the ground and those exercises appear to be slowing down. I'm sure they'll soon cease altogether. A similar condition existed just prior to the recent invasion of Afghanistan by America and her allies.
The 1983 film Local Hero has a line spoken by the minister of the small
Scottish town where the film is set. Commenting on military planes disturbing
the countryside he said as long as they’re training in the hills they’re
not dropping bombs on innocent people.
I fear that’s what’s about to happen in Iraq. British planes will
undoubtedly join American aircraft already assembling for an invasion. With
the elections just completed in the States, and Republicans regaining both the
House and Senate, the political conditions are ripe for such a move.
Although the majority of UK citizens oppose the actions, the current US regime
is too powerful to challenge. Prime Minister Blair knows this. For the good
of the Empire he’s going along with the wishes of Bush, the younger in
his quest to avenge Bush senior’s unfinished business in a small, but vital
country in the Middle East. It’s no coincident that both father and son
owe the bulk of their wealth to a commodity found in the Middle East in abundance.
“Real” oil men don’t see the world in terms of humanity, but
in how to best exploit black gold. Drill it, move it, sell it. If people get
hurt in the process, the profit justifies the action.
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Peace rallies have been staged around the world in October and November to protest the impending war. Two hundred thousand marched in Washington. London attracted about 400,000. Almost one million attended a Florence protest. Even wee Scotland, with an entire population smaller than many American cities, staged an impressive showing during a demonstration in Glasgow drawing from five to fifteen thousand participants, depending upon who’s doing the counting. If so many people are opposed this act of aggression, why is it going ahead? I suspect it’s been determined long ago, and that worldwide tragedies are being staged, or at the very least exploited, to change public opinion for the need to drop bombs and send troops to yet another distant land. |
It’s a matter of trust. Do people trust those put into power by democratic elections? Do the elected officials, for that matter, even trust those who put them into office? Can the media be trusted? Would newspapers, television, radio and, even the new upstart, Internet lie? The average person may be hard pressed to know whom to believe.
And what of the so-called covert actions? Organizations like the CIA and British
Intelligence act outside normal channels to supply arms, money and power to
normally undesirable characters like the villain of the hour, Saddam Hussein
or last year’s model, Bin Laden. Being the only President who was the former
Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency, Old Man Bush is well aware of that particular game.
When it comes right down to it, there has to be some trust for society to carry
on. The United Nations was formed to act as a referee, if you will, to stop
unjust actions perpetrated by one nation over another and thus prevent future
wars. The debate is being held in that body over what to do about the current
crisis. Thankfully not all the members are walking lockstep with American and
British politicians at this point.
Winston Churchill’s name has been bandied around recently by those in power.
I think a closer examination of his ally, Franklin D. Roosevelt would be in
order. Speaking at the end of World War II in support of the newly formed United
Nations, he warned, “Peace can endure only so long as humanity really
insists upon it, and is willing to work for it and sacrifice for it. Twenty-five
years ago American fighting men looked to the statesmen of the world to finish
the work of peace for which they fought and suffered; we failed them, we failed
them then, we cannot fail them again and expect the world to survive again.”
It was FDR who coined the term “United Nations” in 1942. Will Bush
and Blair heed his timely warning, or will they turn their back if that body
fails to support their dangerous adventure? Only time will tell.
Hugh Peebles
Peebles, Scotland
November 2002
In October 2004 my new wife wrote a letter to my sister in California expressing her views on the Presidential election. Here's the letter, my sister's response and a comment from me.
