This article is a response to another article, National Security Presidential Directive 51 – The Last Step Toward Dictatorship. Please take a moment to peruse it before proceeding with this article.
"I was born an American; I will live an American; I shall die an American! ~Daniel Webster, 1850
I, for one, am glad that our government has a plan for protecting us no matter what transpires. This is the one true purpose of goverment, to shield us from our common enemies.
However, as time goes along and more policies are implemented, our government can appear to have gone from democracy to fascism and to be proceeding down the path to totalitarianism. But certainly their exclusive motivation is to safeguard us in an uncertain and dangerous world.
Reading the news each day on Newsvine and around the web, it sometimes seems that the entire world is arming for a great conflict. The US is pulling their forces back from our overextended positions, while at the same time, Russia, Japan, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia and others are being armed with all the weapons they can afford. I'm all for letting them help us defend the world, but I don't believe that having more weapons in the world makes it a safer place, rather a more frightening one.
"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you." ~Dick Cheney
At the same time, people of many countries are anxiously watching the Presidential elections in the US. They know that their futures, their economies, and their security rely in a large part to how this election turns out. I read a report today where the former ambassador to Germany was saying that World Opinion Sways US Voters , and I intuit that this is correct. We care about what other countries think of us, and the people of the world are depending on the United States to help protect their futures and their lives. And these are people who don't live in the US, or even on the American continent. Many live halfway around the world, but still they believe in the US, in the dream we have given them of democracy, justice, human rights and hope. I believe we can act in an appropriate and measured manner, and keep these people's dreams alive.
"The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border?" ~Pablo Casals
The United Nations is also trying to pull itself together with a tactful, expedient and wise effectualness on the world situation. Secretary Ban Ki-Moon has been flying all over the world, working tirelessly to alleviate suffering and help vulnerable people wherever he can. But he presides over an organization which has been rather inept in the past at doing anything quickly. This inefficiency and lack of will have always hamstrung the UN's efforts at acheiving their ideals. I know Ban is presently trying to overcome the burden of history and build a new organization which is capable of meeting the challenges ahead. I firmly believe in Ban and his mission, as I stated in my seed: A Hero of Planet Earth: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. The other main predicament Ban and The UN face is funding: Each time they want to do anything, they must solicit the governments of the world for a voluntary donation. This is not effective, or sustainable in the long run. If we sincerely want the UN to function competently, we must establish solid, reliable and adequate funding, I suppose it will have to be paid by the people of the entire Earth, whether in the form of a direct tax, or a reliable and consistent continuation of the pledge based voluntary tax we now pay.
Another situation we all face is the continuing crisis in commodity prices. Whether due to inflation, speculation, or greed, this situation is the most destructive force we face. The people of the developed nations have voluntarily helped poor people around the globe for the last century; or perhaps I mean throughout the history of the Earth. But if we can't afford to give them the basics with which to pull their lives together, they are foredoomed. I have seen a few good proposals for developing Africa into the breadbasket of the world, and that will help the world and help Africa at the same time if it can be accomplished, but food is just one component of this problem.
"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time." ~Steven Wright
Energy is, as you know, another problem which is hurting all of us. When we try to convert to ethanol, food prices rise. If we all switch to electric cars, I really don't think the power companies will be able to make enough hydroelectric or nuclear electricity to power them. Solar, wind and wave power appear promising, but they will take time to develop. This drag on the world economy is a cancer, and we must urgently find a cure.
Other basic commodities, notably metals, are also a problem, but to a lesser degree.
In the US, we have faced crises before. In the late 1800's, railroads were being constructed all across the country at a furious pace. The main problem with the railroads was that the wooden railroad crossties would wear out and had to be replaced every 5 to 10 years. By the 1880's, the prediction was that if they continued building railroads at the same pace, they would have to cut down every tree in the US to make crossties. But then the automobile was invented and averted the crisis.
In the early 1900's, telephones were becoming popular. All of the calls were hand switched by female operators, sitting at switching consoles all day. Telephones became so popular that if the trend had continued, every female in the US would have had to work for the phone company to switch calls. But luckily, about this time, electronic switching equipment was invented and the crisis was averted.
So we have faced crisis before, and mankind has always had the intelligence and determination to find a way to avoid catastrophe. We'll do it again. As with any quandry, the most perplexing element of the solution is defining the issue. Now that we know the problems, I am confident we can find ways to surmount them.
But coming back to my main point, I can't really accept your primary thesis: that the United States government led by George W Bush is conniving to instigate an act of terrorism or natural catastrophe as a justification for declaring martial law, canceling the elections, and activating the ECG ( Enduring Constitutional Government), thereby keeping themselves in power indefinitely. The people who are promoting this type of thinking are using a logic similar to the 9/11 truthers. That category of cognition is just as frightening as the conjecture itself. To wit, that we need to denigrate the motives of our own government or advocate the destruction of the US government in order to arrest the loss of our freedom, which it conferred on us in 1776. That the chief executive of our own country and the government he heads is trying to turn us into thralls, their real motive being to subjucate us to their wishes. That is a convoluted, counter productive, and unpatriotic logic. If these conspiracy theorists would put their energies towards doing something constructive to help someone, or promote the causes which need promoting, or running for political office to modify government the correct way, we would be a little more secure, a little less desperate, a little more prosperous, a little better positioned for the future. We need help resolving these obstacles we face, not a stone tied around our neck.
"Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide." ~Napoleon Bonaparte
You can choose to make a difference in the world. You can make a positive contribution to society and to your country. Believe me, The US government has an abundance of job vacancies. The UN has a profusion of job openings. If you are a citizen, you can run for political office. Charities and non profit organizations around the globe need donations, assistance, and volunteers to accomplish mankind's goals. Please, turn off your computer, go outside, and look around. There is a lot that needs to be done in this world, and if you're not helping, then you are hurting all of us, and in the process dragging us down with you. At the very least, please don't try to undermine the people who are out there everday, diligently engaged with solutions and attempting to make a substantive impact on the world, not just a concussion in the cyber macrocosm. The dificulties ahead are substantial and real, not virtual. The solutions will be tangible, not virtual. But the negativism you embrace disorients the uninformed and vulnerable people around you who are both gullible and vincible.
Now it is your turn. Tell me what you will do to alleviate our predicament. I may not be able to respond to your post, but I will read them. I don't have all the answers, but I'm hoping someone out there does.
"If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag." ~Author Unknown
Copyright 2008 by blinkin. This material may not be reproduced, rebroadcast, or distributed. Photos are copyright of their authors, see pic for credit.