You Just Never Know.

It is easy to fall into the ideal that you are the only one who thinks or see things like you do. I know it is for me. So, it was surprising to me when in a e-newsletter from our local congregation our minister mention how he felt that the control of fiance and government rested with the elite few.

Those who GWB refereed to as "my people" (see Michael Moore "Fahrenheit 911" those who according to the republicans we need to give a tax break to so that they will be more inclined to create jobs and capital in their belief of "trickle down economy." As they get richer the money will trickle down to the less fortunate as they spend.

In 1969 one of the few times I came close to winning any kind of lottery in this case draft lottery for 1970 I found myself with a low number (70) and quickly received my induction notice in to report for induction on January 17, 1970 at 6:00 am at the induction center on Jackson St. Dallas, TX.

My Dad on New Years Day took me aside and talked to me about being inducted. What surprised me was his offer to pay for my bus ticket to Canada to avoid the draft.

I mean here was a man who was a Vet of 42 months in the  Pacific Campaign from the Aleutians to the Philippines had received 3 purple hearts, a bronze star and a silver star along with a battle field commission and served until 1948 when he married my mother and he was telling me I should run to Canada to avoid the draft. I could not believe this. Then he told me why.

He said wars or not fought over ideology or freedom but over money and property.  That the ideal we were defending people's freedom or rights was just the excuse given the truth was there was something of value that the powers to be decided we needed to protect

My response to him at the time was I had rather take my chance in two years in hell then never being able to come home again. I worked out ok for me though as I went in for induction was told right off with 6 other inductees we would be leaving by MAC flight from love field at 6 pm for Fort Lewis Washington.  But what the Sergeant had not counted on was the large number of other draftees who had volunteered so they could choose the service and duty they wanted. The 6 draftees and I were given after processing us through a six month deferment as they had their quoted for the day and  were told we would be called back when they needed us and to stay in touch. But right after that the military began emphasising the volunteer and de-emphasing drafting to fill their ranks. It was a  political thing.

Anyway I digress. Years later about the time that military recruiters were harassing my kids to join the Military the movie "The Thin Red Line" came out and the opening scene aboard a troop ship on it's way to relieve the Marines on Guadalcanal and finish the cleanup had Sean Penn character a 1st Sergeant telling a recruit to take the colonel's offer of a discharge from service.

This speech was almost verbatim the one my Dad had given me back on January 1st 1970. This scene was so intense and so right on as to why countries fight that I made my children sit down and listen to his speech and tell them the story. It truly is the reason I believe we go to war has to be about the economy.

Look who has benefited the most from our war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Black water, Halliburton, Bethel, and Kellogg Brown and Root our a few of the companies who literally had containers full of money provided by the US Government for use in looking after the welfare of our troops.  Yet our troops were often neglected provided unfit quarters and not to mention water and food.  Then they come home bloodied and beaten by a war in Iraq that never was and has yet to be proven needed. What do we do we ignore them for there is no money for their care or needs. 

This past week 4 Iraq War Veterans committed suicide on separate occasions at Fort Hood.in Texas. Their reasons I must admit I am not aware of individually but just a sign of the overall failure of our leadership and government to provide for our troops after they did their duty.

Don't mistake me for a flag burner. I am not in fact I think it is disgusting when we use the flag of The USA for anything but what it was meant to be for to be honored and respected for what it represents and  the men and women who died for what it represented.  This respect for the flag was taught to me by the same man who offered me a bus ticket to Canada in 1970.  I have nothing but the highest respect for our Military people. But, let us remember that the ultimate organization they belong ot is the Defense dept and not the Offense dept. Let us make sure that we do not waste the dedication and esprit de corp of these men and women for the bottom line of our corporations.

So What am I ranting about. Take nothing at face value our government or leadership has to say. Trust them no further than you can throw them and believe that their basic motivation is what or how can they profit from it.

Call me my sour puss and I very well might be but it is still they way it is.

After I had posted the above I decided to post some of my favoirte quotes here they are for your pursual

Quotes

"The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists." J. Edgar Hoover

We have restricted credit, we have restricted opportunity, we have controlled development, and we have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated, governments in the civilized world--no longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and the duress of small groups of dominant men. Woodrow Wilson

The ruling class has the schools and press under its thumb. This enables it to sway the emotions of the masses. Albert Einstein

It was not accidental [the 1929 stock-market “crash”]. It was a carefully contrived occurrence. ... The international bankers sought to bring about a condition of despair here so that they might emerge as rulers of us all. Louis McFadden

The task is to covertly lower the standard of living, the whole social structure, of America so that we can be merged with all other nations. Rowan Gaither

“Whoever controls the volume of money in our country is absolute master of all industry and commerce…& when you realise that the entire system is very easily controlled…by a few powerful men at the top, you will not have to be told how periods of inflation and depression originate.” 2 weeks after making that statement, President James A. Garfield was killed

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the [public] is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.' Edward Bernays (Father of modern media and nephew of Sigmund Freud).

"The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the larger centers has owned the government since the days of Andrew Jackson." FDR