What's Wrong With Talking?

Today there are headlines about Iran testing missiles. There are comments from the Iranian government that it will defend itself against attacks from Israel and comments from Israel that they will defend themselves against Iran. Of course, the U.S. is responding with words like Secretary of State Rice’s comments about “our obligation to help our allies defend themselves.”

Doesn’t it all sound very familiar? Each side pounding their chests saying “Don’t mess with me!” Each side putting on the tough front. Each side trying to mask fear with the hard line. The worst part is that events like these often escalate to full scale war, and thousands end up loosing their lives. Yet we repeat the same old patterns… patterns that don’t work.

On a visit to the John F. Kennedy Museum in Boston, I had the privilege of viewing the actual correspondences between President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis. (Of course, the English translations of Khrushchev’s correspondences were presented.) Keep in mind the both of these men were known for tough rhetoric. Kennedy had made many anti-communist speeches, and Khrushchev was famous for telling America “We will bury you!” However, the two leaders communicated directly with each other. They talked. Neither showed weakness in these letters, and they had a lot to sort out. But they communicated.

Many have said that the Cuban missile crisis brought us very close to a nuclear war. I can imagine if today’s leadership was in place during that time. Tougher and tougher language would get used more to appease the public than to address the crisis. Leaders would refuse to communicate directly with each other out of fear of being perceived as weak. There’s no way of knowing what would have happened, but a very reasonable guess is that thousands—if not millions—would have died.

It’s sad that that mentality is so prevalent in America. The Republicans are constantly attacking Obama’s plans to talk directly with leaders in countries perceived as our enemies. Why? What you’re doing now isn’t working. Never has. Never will. We’re not gorillas. We are homo sapiens which means “wise man.” Let’s act like it.

I don’t’ think Obama is any kind of savior. He has his blind spots and imperfections like the rest of us, and should he become president I’ll be the first to criticize anything I disagree with. But I’m voting for him because I think he is just plain smarter than McCain and other so-called conservative thinkers. We need intelligent leadership, not some silly tough guy image. Our safety and security is a really important issue in this election.

Oh yeah, one more caveat. The Bush administration is using this as justification for their “missile shield.” Again, the contractors are the only winners.

Fox News is a propadanda machine. That is not an exageration, and it is not partisan bickering. It is a fact. The management at Fox news deliberately manipulate uninformed and uneducated people to vote for Republicans. Please try to understand that there are hundreds of billions of dollars at stake in this election. The petroleum power structure, the war contractors, and those who profit from creating greenhouse gases all want to preserve the status quo.

Throughout history, there have been ruthless individuals who will do whatever it takes for wealth and power. They have no regard for any death or human suffering they may cause or contribute to. They have no reservations about using deceit or deception. Those individuals tend to rise to positions of power. That also happens in America. Our government is under their sway.

In a constitutional democracy where the people have the means to protect themselves from all of this, those who would wield power must manipulate the thinking of those who vote. In an information age, they must insert sufficient misinformation to confuse. Hence we have Fox News, talk radio, and various propaganda web sites and blogs. It is all to manipulate our thinking for someone else's profits.

Turn off your TV. Turn off your car radio. Put down the booze. Open an encyclopedia. Take a night class. Educate yourself. Exercise your intellect. Don't be a mind-controlled fool.

http://www.outfoxed.org