We ignore or distort the lessons of the past at our peril. Had we learned from the debacle of Vietnam, for example, and of the anti communist hysteria that provided a "justification" for war, we would have realized that the exaggerated doomsday rhetoric that characterized the buildup to the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and that we are hearing again with regard to Iran, is intended to incite a frenzy for war and to perpetuate a culture of fear and paranoia by exploiting and exacerbating the anxiety and vulnerability of our citizens regarding threats from enemies foreign and domestic. In the new year, let us reflect and learn the lessons of the present and the past . . . Let us resolve to reject a distortion of "patriotism" that requires blind allegiance and unquestioned support for, or participation in, unjust and immoral war -- aggression and murder |
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At www.svaphilosopher.com
Camillo "Mac" Bica, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, a long-time activist for peace and justice, a member of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and the coordinator of the Long Island Chapter of Veterans for Peace. His books include "Beyond PTSD: The Moral (more...)