.
It is amongst my all-time favorite quotes, and for many years I've felt that it succinctly and perfectly sums up America's stated foreign policy:
Tell them it's going to be a new place. It's going to be a nice place to live. I'm the new judge. There's going to be law, there's going to be order, progress, civilization, and peace. Above all, peace. And I don't care who I have to kill to get it.
~ Paul Newman
(from the movie "The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean")
Now what part of "peace" don't you understand?
Of course, in reality, American foreign policy has more to do with control than it does with peace. But "peace" is something we can all agree on. Or most of us anyway. For some reason the word "control" is harder to swallow.
The puzzling thing of it is: With people being almost unanimously agreed on the desire for peace, how come it's always in short supply?
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
D-FensDogg of the 'Loyal American Underground'
YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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Monday, October 11, 2010
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Peace? I thought they said "Peas."
ReplyDelete"Give peas a chance."
"Support whirled peas"
Sadly, when we're bombing third-world countries back to the stone age, no one considers it wrong.
It's not like they're civilized or anything.
But let them take action against us...and America is buying ribbon magnets and the White House is exercising executive powers.
and he said Peace Peace but there was no peace. The book of Revelation.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big lies, and you summarized it perfectly.
Br'er
Marc
With people being almost unanimously agreed on the desire for peace, how come it's always in short supply?
ReplyDeleteBecause everybody wants peace on their terms, and when folks don't agree sometimes it's hard to keep the peace.
Lee
Tossing It Out
DISCDUDE ~
ReplyDeleteYup. The only thing I'd add is that the countries we bomb are already in the stone age. I think we bomb them back to the "stoner" age. (And by that, I don't mean "The Summer Of Love".)
I gave peas a chance. They failed. Now all I am saying is give Piece O'Pizza a chance.
BR'ER MARC ~
Hokey-smoke, man! Are you implying that there will never be peace in the Middle East until that pierced and bearded Guy wearing a robe and sandals returns? You're such a pessimist! (And such a Biblically correct dude.)
r-LEE-b ~
Actually, I think the mass of people want peace so much that many would even agree to peace that wasn't fully on their own terms. The real problem is that the behind-the-scenes oligarchy - which doesn't really represent The People but makes decisions for The People nonetheless - that oligarchy doesn't want peace.
If it were left up to the vast majority of the people on this Earth, there WOULD be peace.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I think you can also point a finger Hollywood's way.
ReplyDeleteAfter thirty years of Rambo and Doom/Halo video games, war has been reduced to a sport.
Americans like nothing better than to pop some popcorn, puttheir feet up, and watch some carnage on CNN.
Stephen-
ReplyDeleteI know he's not yer favorite, but it is a good quote.
"If everyone demanded peace
instead of another television set,
then there'd be peace"
-John Lennon
LC
TODDFAN DISCMAN ~
ReplyDeleteWell, I think that most Americans can still differentiate between "fun" and games, and the horror of real war. I doubt too many teenagers who love playing their video war games for hours on end would cheer conscription and the prospect of being blown to bits in a real battle. And I know those teenagers' parents wouldn't embrace the idea.
But I will agree that I think Americans by and large are more tolerant of the idea of war because for so long we've been the big dog on the battlefield. When you can fly over and let loose tons of bombs, or even send remote-controlled drones to do your bombing for you and not even risk your life in the face of antiaircraft missiles, it makes war seem much less messy and personal and horrific - to you and yours anyway.
John Lennon, eh? Hmmm... Yeah, I think I've heard of him. Isn't he the bloke who sang, "All we are saying is give Communism a chance"?
There was such a disconnect between Lennon's words and Lennon's actions (and I'm not referring solely to "Imagine") that I pretty much say piss on everything he said, no matter how right it might have sounded on occasion. (Rock music's all-time biggest hypocrite!)
~ McStephen
We don't have peace because peace isn't profitable to those who pull the strings both in front of and behind the throne. Peace just isn't profitable. Not monetarily. Not politically. Not philosophically.
ReplyDeletePeace is anathema to coercive governments and always will be, because true and lasting peace makes governments and rulers unnecessary.
I hear ya on the "clean hands" war thought.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to be a tough guy when you pull a trigger from 100 yards or push a button.
If war was fought old school (swords, knives), I wonder how many jingoistic Americans would still be Rambo tough.
Easy to be a badass when you don't have to do any standing up.
-LC
C&G ~
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said it any better. I don't believe that many strings get pulled in front of the throne, and those that are have probably already received tacit approval from "the men behind the curtain". But you are entirely correct in that we have war not because We The People cry out for it, but because it is profitable for an influential few - those who have a large stake in the manufacturing of munitions; those who seek greater influence over the policies in foreign lands; and those who seek greater control over the liberties of the masses here at home. In other words, by and large, all the usual suspects.
DISCCONNECTED ~
>>...Easy to be a badass when you don't have to do any standing up.
Yup. And as we've agreed previously, drivers on the road are a prime example. Everyone seated on their seat, going faster than a man can run, and with the doors locked and the windows rolled up, seems to be a "badass".
Remove the automobile from the scenario, however, put 'em on their feet and out in the open and it's amazing how quickly they'll put that finger away. Ha!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'