The Thoughts and Words of Dead Men

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. ... Is there no other way the world may live?"-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, from his speech "The Chance for Peace"- 1953

It's been a few days since I've been able to muster enough energy to bring myself to post, the reason being not out of lack of material, but rather the too much material to sort it all out and put it together into one post.


The other day I came across the above quote on a website I can't recall and I really hit home with me. Here we are almost 50 years on and the words that Eisenhower spoke that April day have yet to be heeded by those who are in power both now and also for the past 50 years. Stealth fighters instead of schools, attack helicopters instead of hospitals, call it what you will, but every government around the world without exception is guilty of putting their war powers ahead of the welfare and health of their people. It sickens me to no end to think that in 50 years since this speech by a very influential American President was delivered, we have instead taken a course that directly contradicts what the great general was trying to tell us.

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."-- Eisenhower, in a letter written to his brother, Edgar in 1954

It's sad that not only has the small group of stupid people grown to a hallelujah chorus of mostly poor Americans (aren't most of us?), but the wealthy "Hunt" types have actually convinced some of the public that it's in their best interests. I'm guessing that most of the 39% of the 60% of Canadians who voted to give Harper a majority are in the same boat; cheering on policies that will inevitably come back to bite them in the ass.

I wonder now, the day after Jim Flaherty dropped the new health accord on the Provincial ministers, just how many percentage points could we boost the Federal transfers for the cost of one F-35? Or how many unemployed we could help get through the holidays if only we had kept the staff at Service Canada and did away with tax cuts for the rich, so they can sit on their money, not invest it in jobs and thumb their noses at the working class? Yet some of the working class seems to believe that if they just work a little harder, or put in some more time at the office, one day they'll be an H.L. Hunt, or a Paul Demerais. It's possible, but very unlikely. Am I saying people shouldn't dream? No, but I'm a realist.

The great George Carlin once said;

"The middle class does all of the work and pays all of the taxes, the upper class does none of the work and pays none of the taxes, and the poor... well the poor are there as a reminder to keep the middle class showing up at those jobs!"

I have seen the term "class war" thrown around a lot lately by talking heads on both sides of the border, but they aren't referring to the gutting of social programs, they're protecting their bosses and shareholders right to a fourth home in the Hampton's. The upper class declared war on us a long time ago, but they have the resources to fight it. It's an unfair fight that will take all of us not in the "club" being on the same page, not fighting each other or the invented boogie men our leaders set out for us. Iran is not a threat to Toronto, Hugo Chavez isn't looking to blitzkrieg the southern U.S., and communism died 20 years ago. But here we are arguing about who's team is right, and who's is wrong.

We need to look within our own borders (what will be left of them after Harper's border deals) to fix the ills of our own making. I fear that 4 years from now when we are on the cusp of possibly turfing these Reform Party rejects, it may be too late. We may be so far gone into this agenda of Harper's that it could take generations to fix the damage done by these fools. I hope I'm wrong, but with the neck break speed these cons are pushing their Republican agenda, who knows what Canada will look like 4 years from now.

But alas, for now, enjoy some Carlin at his finest talking class war and fascism. Laughter is the best medicine...

"Germany lost the second world war, but fascism won it my friend...When fascism comes to America it won't be with brown shirts and jackboots, it will be Nike sneakers and smiley face shirts."