mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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What Terrifies You?
September 3, 2014
— 6 Comments
Terror is the new leisure. We have become so accustomed to the word being used all over the world to describe atrocities, political take overs, and now the rising stars of the terror world, ISIS. The meaning has become scattered and diluted, so now that real sociopathic mobs roam the desert with intent to do massive destruction we have no new way to describe what they do. We have allowed fear and loathing to become part of everyday living. While I am personally glad I am not in a position to direct military or political policy I do see a reason for declaring exactly what we are doing (besides fear and loathing) with our military might. When war is actually declared there is incentive to negotiate peace and end the war. By free styling war with no declarations we have gathered new enemies and spread distrust all over the globe. I have objected and protested publicly against war since I was a teenager, but in all that time the government has never had the guts to declare one. We are just participating in one huge covert operation that changes frequently and irrationally as we become less popular.
John McCain and I have never agreed before and will not be likely to do so in the future. I usually think my Senator from Arizona is a paranoid militaristic dweeb with too many houses. If a bunch of violent punks can declare themselves to be a sovereign nation and run rampant over rule of law the United States needs to declare SOMETHING!!! Are we bullies? Are we cowardly? Are we completely out of touch with reality? I think yes to all of the above questions. I personally think this is more than a decisive moment in history. It is pivotal now to stop this armageddon warm up before momentum takes us to a new world order that we can’t imagine.
What terrifies me is the idea that our government is full of self serving and dishonest people who have no will to act. I am not naming any names because there is no individual responsible. It is a culture that tells us to “support our troops” without telling us what those troops are really doing and why. Going to war is serious business, but going straight to hell because we won’t declare war or peace terrifies me.
History and Conflict
July 30, 2014
— 4 Comments
I spend a lot of time studying history, usually by learning about my own ancestry. The knowledge of my own family in different time periods has really helped me to get a better understanding of significant events and political movements. I began with some curiosity about how my own parents developed their ideas and culture, and now I can’t stop. I guess I don’t think about my own place in history, but a visit to the University I attended when I was 17 has given me both flash backs and chills. The anti-war movement and what was known as the free speech movement were obvious choices for me as a teen. I disagreed with all forms of violence, and my parents not only practiced violence in their personal lives, but firmly believed that military might and hatred were American privileges. I see now that my own reaction to their way of thinking not only changed my life, but changed history.
Now we find ourselves in a highly militaristic and war torn world. Racism has not disappeared, but has gone underground. Poverty and lack of education and health care are in about the same situation as the 1950’s. The effects of the laws, the programs, and the ideals that lifted America to a better place have virtually vanished into thin air. We have more descent about politics then I have seen in my lifetime. Our people are addicted to debt and squandering resources mindlessly. Greed has replaced most other motives, and corporations can buy any government they want. I will not form any philosophy around this decay and lowering of standards for the greater good because it has been happening since the dawn of time. Our recurrent situation, fighting in wars in foreign lands for no logical purpose is no different from the Crusades, or the devastation of Native America. Power may not beget evil, but the cycles of tragedy follow the cycles of power. We can only analyze the past after time has passed and those cycles become clear. In my youth I thought that ending the Vietnam War would end all wars. I have to wonder if this feeling also has occurred in young people forever. The idea that when we finally have power we will change the world to make it better for everyone could not possibly have been originated by hippies. I am sure there have always been those who wanted to give peace a chance. Things have to hit bottom before they bounce, just like real estate. I can only hope that bottom is once again in sight, and that the end of my life will resemble the beginning, with an attitude of hope and conviction that we can do better.
Pax, Goddess of Peace
June 6, 2014
— 4 Comments
The Roman goddess Pax is in charge of peace. When I think of Romans the first words that come to my mind are army, Latin, and empire. We did not translate Latin peace poems in school. We studied the Gallic Wars. We think of Roman soldiers at the crucifixion of Jesus, and building aqueducts and roads to Rome. They were strategists and conquerers the likes of which the world had never seen, and some might argue we have not seen since. They were organized. They believed in slavery and blood sports. They are famous for gluttony and excess. The United States is often compared to the Roman empire for some pretty obvious reasons.
Celebrations were a big part of Roman culture, and Pax has three holidays a year dedicated to her. The olive branch, a symbol of protection, safety, and peace was used to crown citizens’ heads for this holiday. She is the daughter of Justice and Jupiter. She is often depicted with a cornucopia, a symbol of abundance. The Romans believed that prosperity and peace reside together and depend on each other. The days dedicated to honoring Pax included processions, music, poetry, and olive branches for everyone. Today when we march for peace we are actually expressing anti-war ideals. We stop short of truly giving honor to the power of peace. The Romans managed to conquer the known world and hold processions for peace at the same time. If we look deeply into our current ideas about peace we might notice that we mean peace on our own terms, or peace by conquest of our enemies. This is a core issue that could shatter our empire.
Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh is Going to Win
May 26, 2014
— 2 Comments
You did not have to be psychic to know that Ho Chi Mihn would win. The United States had invaded a country in southeast Asia with no previous relationship with the people of that area. They had instituted a draft to conscript the youth of America to fight in a war of political insanity. Many died, many more became embittered and seriously addicted to opiates while fighting in a way made up by old white men to conquer Asia. Lyndon Johnson stood in the spotlight of this ill-conceived battle to create American supremacy throughout the world. He was a complete tool of what America stood for in the world…which all the youth of America quickly named bullshit. I was 17 years old, knew friends who joined the Marines, and found the entire idea despicable. I could not support this kind of slaughter of youth for the ego of old men in power. I did not want to sacrifice my high school friends to a stupid, ill-timed, ill-executed war for no reason.
I attended the University of Texas, not far from Johnson City, in 1968. Some high school friends had willingly joined the military, but more had done what they could to avoid being sent to Asia to kill people. I had no sympathy for those who thought our job was to police the world and make everyone pretend they are aligned with capitalism. I had already seen that capitalism and communism at that time were virtually the same thing…state capitalism. I wore a patch on the ass of my jeans that said war is not healthy for children and other living things, and I meant what I said. My young ass was not alone in expressing this sentiment. I have been to the war memorial in Washington,DC…I have been on Rolling Thunder weekend, during which ‘Nam Vets and others ride their bikes around our nation’s capitol to make a statement about defending this stuff. We do not have to believe in the motives or the politics of those who sent our young people into war to risk for no reason in order to honor the sacrifice made. Some are just loyal, even if the leadership is unethical and delusional. They die in large numbers throughout history to defend the popular ideas of a small privileged class. It is time for the United States of America to give up the role of moral police and defender of status quo in the entire word. It is time to honor those who serve by not sending them into useless and egotistical battles that defend nothing in the end. It is time to defend our ethics, out morals and our compassion, and in so doing defend the lives of those we put in danger. I marched on Washington and ae a little teargas but when the soldiers came back from Viet Nam, it was obvious they had suffered so much more. The big drug fling, including opiates, LSD, hashish, and more made the ‘Nam Vets the instant commandos of the drug scene upon return. They knew much more than civilians could know about drugs. These people had gone on killing sprees on LSD. This stuff does not just stop after the battle. PTSD and all the guilty feelings of being at war in somebody else’s country started in Viet Nam. The decline of the world’s respect for the United States also initiated with the Viet Nam War. In Viet Nam that war is known as the American War.
Undeclared Wars
September 4, 2013
— 2 Comments
If war is declared responsible parties will do the utmost to declare a truce. Since Viet Nam the United Stares has felt the need to wage war without any declaration. Since I was a teen I have worked to influence my peers and the government to stop violent political action, no matter what it is called. I have traveled and watched the reputation of Americans enter a downward spiral that can make it uncomfortable for us to be in other countries. Most people from outside our borders do understand that the people here do not have the same democratic power that we did it he distant past. They may not know the details, but they have heard about the corporate lobbyist and commercial contributions to our lawmakers that have turned democracy into a joke.
I vote and pay taxes, lots of taxes. I have marched on Washington for peace, where I paid for the tear gas that was hurled at me. My position has not changed:
War is not healthy for children and other living things. I don’t know how healthy we might be if we had not engaged in all these undeclared wars, but I feel pretty sure we would be wealthier. We are not the most powerful country in the world if we resort to force and violence without the dignity to declare the reasons, and the goals of the use of armed violence. We are viewed as mortally bankrupt by many around the world. How can we manage to control our resources for the benefit of our citizens? How can we stop the military from invading or bombing other countries without a declared war? They have established a precident, but this is a very good time to take a U turn. If we sacrifice young lives and national security, we need to announce to the world and to the ones who are about to be killed in the conflict what our agenda is. I do not believe our agenda is coherent; and declaration of war would at least reveal what the terms are.
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