“The United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Why is the U.S. government so reliant on the use of threats, coercion, and military force around the globe, and why can’t our “policymakers” admit it is not working? The latest death and destruction in Afghanistan, with the blasts at the airport and then tough guy Joe Biden initiating some drone strikes, represents a counterproductive and morally repugnant course over the last 20 years, not just during the Biden presidency.
Ever since World War II, America has found a way to creep around the globe by staging “operations” without officially declaring war. Korea, Vietnam, Somalia, and the Muddle East all come to my mind, and each foray had no real purpose except to feed the drug of violence to policymakers and the Pentagon that only made matters far worse. They won’t be ready to discuss solutions until they admit they have a problem.
America needs to break its addiction to weapons and war.
The foreword to Rachel Maddow’s book, Drift, includes a passage from a letter by a Founding Father, James Madison. In 1795, Madison wrote, “Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germs of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and aremies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.”
