Between the upcoming elections and the continuing daily announcements of another failure with the Bush Administration, or his misquided policies, or another one of his corrupt cronies gone bad, I cannot seem to find out what 'our' collective vision is for the future. Is it simply to win elections? To press the judicial system for indictments? To end a misguided, esoteric war against vague and unknown parties to be determined when needed?
Somehow in the call to arms, I cannot see what happens after this 'madness' ends. Bush, even though a poor president who has ruined much, doesn't worry me as much as the future. There is so much to fix, rebuild, and set straight, but what is the plan? Where do we start?
We made this mistake before, during the time of Richard Nixon. So much effort went into stopping an immoral administration, too little thought was given to what would happen next. Left undefined, the same old players filled the void, with the same old policies, platforms and goals. We missed something critical; the opportunity to define the future. It seems now, something significant is happening; real changes may soon be possible.
And so it goes. A wise old man once told me that America moves perpetually on a 40-year cycle. First, the rich dominate everything to excess (1920,1960,2000) until "she" breaks (1929,1969,2009?). Then, the country goes through a period of misery (1930-39, 1970-79, 2010-19) where "she" relearns that abject poverty, pestilence, starvation and living on nothing are very bad things. Followed by a period where "she" begins to rediscover her power and sense of who "she" is (1940-49, 1980-89, 2020-29). Followed by a long period of contentment, basking in the sunshine of her achievements, and wanting it to remain that way forever, endlessly without change (1950-59,1990-99,2030-39). And then, just like that, and in the blink of an eye, "she" loses her confidence and gets rocked by something from outside and far beyond her control, and it starts all over again, seemingly with no memory that "she" has been through this all before. It's not just a 20th century "thing" either, as what followed the Panic of 1837, was one of the most horrendous episodes in US history (rivals the Great Depression for abject poverty and loss of wealth).
What never ceases to amaze, is how short-sighted and opportunistic most politicians are, and how little impact they have on events occurring in America. For instance, in spite of the bravado displayed by Reagan after his victory over Carter in 1980, it was the economy that brought down the President. High inflation and high unemployment were both direct results from the Vietnam War, and had little to do with Carter fiscal policies. Any president, having to face this economic climate, would have been blamed by the public for those negative economic results. It's this lack of understanding that is disturbing; it's as if sometimes the American span of attention is little more than the length of television commercial. Politicians are largely to blame for this facet of the American psyche, given their obtuse tactics and shameless taking of credit for things over which they have no actual control. America is bigger than all of them and will never be diverted from this perpetual cycle through time.
The Star Wars program, a boondoggle of epic proportion, and which had very little tangible affect on the breakup of the Soviet Union, could have had a terrible affect on the economy, but was debt financed, putting it off on another generation. However, most falsely believe Star Wars broke the old CCCP. It didn't. I interviewed the head of the Soviet Gosbank shortly afterward, and the central bank had several trillion dollars in hard gold reserves on the day of the breakup. Inflation and unemployment, though high, are not what broke their backs. It was the call for autonomy by the individual nations within their union, ones fed up with the geopolitical alignment imposed on them as a result of the global duality emerging from World War II (Soviets v. Americans). Georgians wanted to be Georgians again, not Soviets. This was part of a larger global movement of indigenous people wanting to reconnect with their origins and national identities, a movement that went largely unnoticed here, and had nothing to do with "Star Wars".
By deceiving ourselves this way, we missed the more essential events happening around the world, ones soon to affect America in the 1990's. For instance, if we continue giving up our manufacturing capacity, who will build our war machines in the future? Will we have to buy them from others. If a world war starts, is that a rational national policy? The `markets' know very little about managing a country, either from strategic or fiscal perspectives. Government is NOT a business, nor should it be run like one. Reagan was wrong. Disastrously wrong. And we will learn just how wrong as time unfolds.
In each of our preceding wars, and irrespective of their morality, one lingering by-product has always been high inflation and high unemployment. It gets worse the longer the war goes, as the more organically ingrained these factors become in economic expectations. "Somebody once told me if it takes a year to dig yourself into a hole, it probably takes you a year to dig out." The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu was the first to document this in the yuppie-celebrated treatise, "The Art of War", an excellent reference on war, having little to do, however, with trading stocks, bonds, or widgets. "Prices always rise when war comes to town", synopsis from "The Art of War", blended with the phrasing techniques of U2/B.B. King (ala "When Love Comes to Town"). In this manner, the Vietnam War was truly the `gift' that kept on giving, virtually through the mid-1980's. If you doubt this, examine what has happened to all prices in Iraq, both before and after we invaded. They are astronomically higher now. Prices are rising here, too. Look closer at those Big Oil profits. Wars artifically stretch price elasticity. It's already happening.
And now we seek war again, instead of diplomacy. So, why is it we so cherish and celebrate our kids when we send them off to these wars, only to forget them once they come back broken? Answer that. Honor them then, if we truly want to be a patriotic person. Otherwise, we're just one more abuser, begging the public for co-dependence, and unconsciously moving toward another massive disruption in our economy, one far beyond our own control or understanding.
And on and on America cycles. Generation after generation. Ancient Chinese philosophy holds these 10-year periods reflect the four seasons and this is simply part of organic life. Nothing to get upset or disturbed about, but something worthy of proper planning and aggressive controls, employed to best manage these times in the most judicious manner, so the wheel isn't turning wildly, with insane, and reckless abandon (herein, we'll find the rationale that underlies FDR's New Deal, if one examines the federal regulations put in place then to control wild swings in the economy). Most people, if they live a long life, get to see America go fully around twice. First, as a young person, and then later, as a wise person. The past holds as many answers as the future; but are we still capable as a nation of looking both ways?
If one closely reads 19th century American literature (Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Hawthorne, Poe, et al), one sees through the eyes of our poets, that this has been her true heritage from virtually the beginning of the manifest known as America. Whereas Whitman proclaims her beauty, her love and tolerance for the people who live within her borders, Poe equally warns of the evil and dark intent of some of her denizens to exploit her wealth, to shrink her realm, and in essence, to possess her soul, by living a self-centered life of massive excess. Hear Whitman rail against the `Men of Iron' who would destroy her for their own material gain; who would profit from a war amongst her own people with no regard for the fallen, patriotically giving their lives to make the `Men of Iron' rich (American Civil War). Indeed, America is bigger than all of the evil ambitions, of all of the evil men, who proceed these who currently seek her destruction. "Time keeps on changing, changing...into the future".
America is manifest and larger than any one man; the rich one who wants to own her, the violent one who wants to destroy her, the corrupt one who wants to steal her, the perverse one who wants to twist her, the broken one who wants to blame her, the stupid one who wants to sell her, the benevolent one who wants to live with her, and the lost one who wants to find her. In the end, She will prevail. She always does, this is certain. However, the times are a changing again, as a new winter approaches America, come to cleanse her lands, heal her wounds, and provide a fresh start for those who remain. Inevitably, there will be those who will only go `kicking and screaming', to borrow an old 20th century expression, into the 21st century, spewing their violence as a paranoid reaction to their lack of foresight and understanding. Theirs is a rapidly diminishing majority and Time is against them now.
And so, as we look out over the torn remnants of another fallen age, with the many fighting over the remaining crumbs left from a glorious past, what are we to think? Shall we waste away our chances on a squabble between visionless parties, who solely thirst for control, or do we look for those who understand the times, and the need for the re-unification of the American people. America is not lost, but her people are suffering again. Stop sometime and look around. You, in power, have tarnished her name, her image, her promise, and the goodwill she once bestowed upon the rest of the world. You have scared her people and stripped them of mobility, of freedom, of the confidence they need to raise their families. So I say to you, "Go on, fill your pockets and grab what you can, for soon a hammer falls". Time moves on, with you, or without you.
In closing, I want to tell you an American story about a quiet, lonely woman, in her golden years and living amongst a magnificent English garden, filled with thousands of rich, colorful flowers. She worked hard her entire life as a factory laborer, raising her daughters to adulthood, burying her husband, and retiring to a quiet life knowing that her years of labor meant she could have these final days to quietly enjoy her life. She had survived the wars, the depression, the heart attacks, and indeed, deserved this time to reflect on the things in her life. She was my friend.
Her world ended this past February, during the cold, blustery days of a winter that couldn't commit to being winter. One day it was warm, the next bone chilling cold. A strange winter for certain. When she received her utilities bills for the month, she laid her opened gas bill by the kitchen sink, walked down the hall, turned off the heat, undressed, and went to sleep without covers. She never woke up. As I write this, her spring flowers are just now breaking through the soil, in what is to be their first year without their greatest admirer and loving caretaker. I miss her; she was a really decent lady.
Why? Her gas bill for the month had more than doubled. Her electric was way up. Water and sewer? UP. She was dependent on expensive medications and a monthly check in the mail. I believe she took a hard look at the situation, stared fate in the eye, and said enough. Other elderly ladies in the neighborhood found her, turned the heat back on, covered her body, and never mentioned a thing to her family or the authorities. In the local paper, it was just one more forgotten elderly person passing away of natural causes. Most only knew her by her nickname, and many didn't realize the obituary was hers. If there is no room left in this country for her, then there is no room for me, either. Or you.
The ones who found her, mostly lifelong Republicans all, within a week of her passing, have been speaking out against this Republican President, his corrupt Administration, and his do-nothing, co-dependent mouthpieces in Congress. There is open contempt and seething anger, lingering below the surface all along Main Street, in a way I have never seen before from the many who have believed a certain way for most of their lives. A real gauntlet has been thrown down. The only question is: Are YOU worthy of them?
What we need? We need 21st century answers to 21st century problems using 21st century minds, provided by an inclusive and enlightened leadership. Energy, healthcare, education, the economy, and how scarce resources will be distributed throughout the populace. This must begin by returning ethics to our professions and industries. In today's climate, `business ethics' have dominated and drowned out the professional ethics specific to each enterprise (In the long run, it is definitely NOT cheaper to bury maintenance needs, just to keep cost down). This is why Katrina unfolded so poorly (DHS/FEMA worrying about it's `brands', instead of it's functions). Many of the problems in healthcare are greatly perturbed by business decisions taking greater priority than the corresponding medical decisions in people's care. Or the mess that became the Iraqi War.
The list is long. Science, engineering, medicine, government, military, and business. Managing to the strict bottom-line is a death model. The cheapest way to live is to simply die. How long will we stay on our current path of not taking care of things, underpaying our people, and providing poor quality to our customers? This ends in death (merger, acquisition, or bankruptcy).
What we don't need, however, is the greatest resource diversion in history to hunt down all of our lingering ghosts from our past. Let them die and rest in peace. Just stop using this dirty little war as a false justification for the mass diversion of public resources and wealth. Old 20th century infrastructure and social institutions are breaking down around us, and all we can think is to bully the world; to create barriers to entry, so the eyes and minds of the world cannot fully realize what potential the coming century holds. In this regressive stance, we are doomed to bloody, dismal failure. Time waits for no one. The following is excerpted from "What's Going On" (Marvin, man, you were good):
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today - Ya
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
We, as a people, if we genuinely see the Middle East as a pending threat, should address this by using our greatest resource, our people, all of our people, to change the entire paradigm on how we view and use energy, both its production and consumption. We're not junkies; we are slaves. Waiting for the beneficiaries of the existing failed model to reach enlightenment is a waste of our time, and a further drain on our resources, and simply one more regressive tactic for living in the past. Let go the hanger-ons by shifting away from our dependence on them (ALL of them), and thereby, removing the shackles that bind us. And when we have solutions, once again, America will, rightfully and morally, lead the world into the next century. Not our own self-affected and myopic century, but the whole world's century. And this cannot be achieved down the barrel of a gun.
We must accept that the 20th century is finished. Embrace the future. Define it. Fix what is broken and wrong. Turn around and face it, it's in our grasp. If we wait, we will fail, and become somebody else's memory of a once great nation. The sun did set on the old British Empire. Are we going to let it set on us? There was a time, when we wouldn't even blink, and doubt ourselves, like shivering little schoolboys out on a first date, as American ingenuity will find a way. I do know, though, it has to begin with honesty. And war is NOT the answer.
Mr. President, we have found the evil-doers! And it is you. And you. And you. (and all those whom YOU do serve; and we now know, that is not us. America is NOT a democracy; it is a republic, blended with democratic principles, and is supposed to have a representative government, with you serving ALL of us, and not, the vile pandering to the select few, the elite; the incompetent, the greedy insane).
(A personal note to those who dislike or disdain this type of writing as an engaging form of discourse; I don't much care for you either, or your specific stance of politics as the gateway to personal wealth and power. Whoever said replacing medical ethics with business ethics was a visionary view, by the way? That was a monumental FUBAR moment. Our policy was always to prevent disease, not, incite it to its most profitable conclusion. So point at all the undeveloped embryos you can find as a distraction toward my unsettled mind, yours is the biggest policy of death of all. XXXooo, Rolling Thunder.