By Brad Wolf
Mihail
Kogălniceanu, Romania — “The U.S. Army’s
101st Airborne Division has been deployed to
Europe for the first time in almost 80 years
amid soaring tension between Russia and the
American-led NATO military alliance. The
light infantry unit, nicknamed the
“Screaming Eagles,” is trained to deploy on
any battlefield in the world within hours,
ready to fight.” – CBS
News, October 21, 2022.
October 31, 2022:
Information Clearing House
-- "Counterpunch
" -
We live in a time
when Opinion Pieces write themselves, when
mainstream news—without realizing it—captures
all the irony, duplicity, and insanity of the
U.S. War Industry in its self-glorified march
toward World War. Writers don’t need to warn of
the worst because the worst is already
happening.
The U.S. “Screaming
Eagles” have been deployed three miles from
Ukraine and are ready to fight the Russians.
World War III beckons. God help us.
It all could have
been different.
When the Soviet
Union fell and the Cold War ended, NATO could
have disbanded, and a new security arrangement
created which included Russia. But like the
Leviathan it is, NATO went in search of a new
mission. It grew to a size larger than it had
ever been at the height of the Cold War. All
without an enemy. It found small enemies in
Serbia and Afghanistan, but NATO needed a real
enemy. And eventually it found one. Russia.
It is evident now
that the Eastern European countries who sought
NATO membership would have been better protected
under a security arrangement with Russia as a
member. But that would leave the War Industry
without an enemy and, accordingly, without
profits.
And so, for the
sake of profit, the “Screaming Eagles” have
landed, hovering three miles from the Ukraine
border waiting for the order to go in. And we,
the people, the human beings spanning this
planet, wait to learn if we will live or die in
a game of brinksmanship.
We should have a
say in this matter, this business of the fate of
our world. It’s obvious we can’t leave it up to
our “leaders.” Look where they’ve led us:
Another land war in Europe. Haven’t they taken
us here twice before? This is strike three for
them, and quite possibly for us.
If we all live
through this proxy war the U.S. is fighting with
Russia, we must fully realize our power as
members of the masses and be relentless in
pursuit of global systemic change.
In the U.S., the
Authorization of Military Force passed in 2001
(AUMF) must be repealed; the powers of war must
return to a Congress answerable to the people
and not weapons manufacturers; NATO must be
disbanded; and a new global security system must
be created which dismantles armaments as it
increases peace and security through education,
nonviolent resistance, and unarmed civilian
protection.
As for weapons
manufacturers, those Masters of War, those
Merchants of Death, they must return their
gluttonous profits and pay for the carnage they
created. Profit must be taken out of war once
and for all. Let them “sacrifice” for their
country, let them give instead of take. And let
them never again be placed in positions of such
influence.
Do the planet’s six
billion inhabitants have more power than a
handful of corporations and the politicians in
their pockets to accomplish all this? I’m
betting we do, and I hope to find out.
If more incentive
is needed, here’s another line from the same CBS
story cited above:
“The ‘Screaming
Eagles’ commanders told CBS News repeatedly that
they are always ‘ready to fight tonight,’ and
while they’re there to defend NATO territory, if
the fighting escalates or there’s any attack on
NATO, they’re fully prepared to cross the border
into Ukraine.”
I didn’t agree to
this, none of it, and I’m guessing nether did
you.
If it’s war with
Russia and nuclear weapons are used, we all will
perish. If Russia is somehow “defeated” or
turned away from Ukraine, the War Industry will
increase its stranglehold on the world’s
political and economic systems such that even
the air we breathe will be packaged and priced
beyond our power to purchase.
Can we, the
people living in this world of plenty who
simply desire to live free from war and
want, be fully prepared to “cross the
border” laid down by leviathans and
profiteers? Can we reclaim the power over
our own fate that is rightfully ours?
The answer to
“Can we?” is an unequivocal “Yes.” We have
the combined power, intelligence, and
resources to do it. But will we?
Will we assert our power?
We have seen
nonviolent movements succeed when people
unite. We know how they are organized and
deployed. We too can be “ready to fight
tonight” in our nonviolent way, resisting
all authority dragging us into war and
repression. It is truly within our hands. We
have the power to make peace. But will we?
The War Industry is betting we won’t. Let’s
cross the border and prove them wrong.
Brad Wolf
is a former prosecutor, professor, and
college dean. He is the Executive Director
of Peace Action Network of Lancaster and
writes for numerous publications.
Views expressed in this article are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
in this article are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
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