Today, no teenager in America can remember a time when our country was at peace. Congress has not officially declared war, but our fighting forces in the 21st century are still active in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Libya, and have more military bases on the planet than any other country.
The truth of war is hidden by political spin, distorted ideology supported by corporate media, all substituting a way of life that accepts violence over a mature, spiritual religious faith. This under the umbrella of the so called “free market” claimed necessary, not for the common good, but for ever-increasing wealth as marketed by conservative and liberal elites. Part of this way of life, the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, funded by American taxpayers, is accepted in high schools here and across our country.
It is encouraging that the Land of the Sky United Church of Christ in Asheville invited the local Veterans for Peace during the Christmas season to bring the issue of peace to children. Creating a healthy society requires us all to educate and create healthy young adults, and inspire a public spirit that leads to peace, love, compassion and a readiness to be involved in helping others.
I recommend that we have equal funding matching JROTC to encourage non-military programs that include loyalty, selfless service, personal courage and obedience in the service of peace and justice. These include professions such as teaching, nursing and social work to educate children, energize families and build communities of hope that hunger for justice, honesty and peace. Some form of a democratic spiritual healing process is needed to unite our country and the world.
Our churches, schools and media, as well as parents, have a profound responsibility to teach and inspire values that will create healthy young adults. No one escapes this responsibility. Educating our children is too important to leave to “political leaders” and wealthy elites. We need to take on militarism, racism and the extreme materialism of our consumer society.
Local Veterans for Peace members and other local groups are calling attention to the militarization of our country and our children. It is not a liberal or conservative issue, a Democratic or Republican ideology, but a moral issue for humanity. The United States is the only nation [apart from Somalia] that has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which forbids military recruitment of children.
Our materialistic modern society snuffs out the best of a healthy childhood. We all bear some degree of responsibility to inspire and ignite the imagination, instilling a love of learning and service to others that leads to active participation in our democracy. Imagine a more just world infused with the responsibility for others. Imagine children inspired by awe and wonder, an innate joy and curiosity for learning. Our youth and young adults are the future.
For info on local peace and justice activities, contact esacco189@gmail.com and/or local veterans: [avl.mx/5of].
— Ed Sacco
Asheville
To top it off we haven’t actually WON a war since WW-II (with the possible exception of Reagan’s Grenada war which was memorialized in Clint Eastwood’s “Heartbreak Ridge” movie. ) I’m a former US Army officer from the Vietnam era and the failure to fight to win appalls me too. If the “war protesters” back then had focused on the futility of the politically driven strategy instead of calling us baby killers we might have saved a lot of lives on both sides.
Why? Those protesters hated America and their modern day minions are even doubling down on it. If leftists thought America was good, they wouldn’t use every conceivable lie to bring it down. And if you assume that America can continue as one nation while it’s being consumed by hatred of one another and its founding principles, you are incorrect. The government now is nothing more than a criminal enterprise. Colleges and schools would make Stalin proud. And the media is a propaganda arm of the left. Stats are distorted to promote an narrative. And partisans manipulate facts to control thought.
This letter just says they want more money to promote lies. If they want healthy children, the scumbags in government need to be kicked out of their lives. Because the sociopaths there are the ones who raising the kids of today. And the results are as expected.
LUIZ,
I NEVER KNEW A PROTESTER WHO HATED AMERICA. THE LOCAL PROTESTERS I KNOW IN THIS AREA LOVE
AMERICA.
YOU MUST HAVE READ THE ARTICLE QUICKLY AS YOUR CONCLUSIONS ARE MISLEADING. ACTIVISTS IN THIS AREA ARE WELL INFORMED, AND
ARE AGAINST THE PROPAGANDA ARE OF OUR GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA. PERSONALLY, I AM CONSERVATIVE IN MY VIEWPOINTS THAT CALL
FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE AND RESPECT AND NOT USE WORDS LIKE “SKUMBAGS”
LOL they are scumbags. They are thieves, cons, liars, fakes phonies, and sociopaths. You can’t defend them unless of course you think someone like a Wanda Green is normal. Remember, these cons promoted a sales tax for AB Tech only to turn around and keep it for themselves lulz. They are lowlife scumbags. Typical for the government class. This is this is the result of a bunch of people who make the followers of Jim Jones look sane. Things only improve when these hacks are all exposed and jailed.
“And if you assume that America can continue as one nation while it’s being consumed by hatred of one another and its founding principles, you are incorrect. ”
No I do not assume that. I think it inevitable that the formerly United States of America will dissolve as did the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I hope we have sense enough to do it more or less peaceably as they did. To show no ill will, I”ll be happy to let NY, CA, CN, NJ, OR, WA, MD, and whoever wants to join them call themselves the USA. I can live with the name CSA.
Well the problem with that is those states are losing people due to their insanity. After all when you kick out 25,000 jobs and the moron who pushed them out thinks they have 3 billion to spend because of it, their ain’t no help for these fools who elected her. And they’re moving down south.
That’s why we need to “BUILD THE WALL” as soon as we exit the former USA. Unlike the Berlin wall and like the Trump wall, anyone wishing to LEAVE the new CSA will be free and encouraged to do so. Anyone wishing to enter will be thoroughly vetted.
YES, I AGREE THAT THE “DISUNITED STATES OF AMERICA” MAY BREAK UP EVENTUALLY…EMPIRES ALWAYS HAVE.
We have killed 61 MILLION children since the early 70’s under the guise of “reproductive health.” Our American Military currently struggles to recruit enough able bodied recruits to fill the vacancies created through normal attrition. Do the math.
Consider that those enemies of the US that seek to destroy our way of life are patient people at times. So, now while we keep killing our children at the rate 1 million or more each year, add those born meant to be killed, now we hear we want to kill them too. Now, let’s confuse everyone with “gender foolishness”, critique the successes of ROTC programs, support abdicating our laws regards to children to the United Nations, and you begin to see a trend of a slow ride to mediocrity or no country at all. Reagan taught us that peace is only achievable through strength.
Ed, I admire your tenacity on this issue. Children are our future as Americans. Let’s focus on getting them born in to a loving environment, raising them to respect their biological gender, teach them to be independent thinkers, promote a richness in faith, and train them up to be strong, responsible, and capable people. We will always need some of them to stand guard on our freedom and liberty.
Yes, we can and should debate the wisdom of foreign entanglements. FYI, many nations ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Children excepted themselves on several points in their ratifying language. For example, Saudi Arabia excepted themselves in the event of their religion (Islam) and Islamic Law taking president over the Convention language. Iran did so in a similar fashion. Former President Obama pledged to submit the Convention to the Senate, but did not do so in his eight year presidency. It is not unusual for US conservatives to object on principal to relinquishing our rights to a “global order or administration of law.”
Yet, we have bigger fish to fry in getting American children born, respecting their right to life as a primary first step.