War. What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing.

Who remembers that song?

I think many of us know the song, perhaps not the artist named Edwin Starr.  It was released in 1970 when the American involvement in the. Vietnam War was opposed. I remember back at that time when the 6:30pm Nightly network news posted the numbers every evening of the young lives dead.    I  was in high school, and not focused on what was happening on the other side of the world.  But, I do remember  the draft numbers of the local boys, and I remember those numbers put up on the TV screen each day.

Here are some of the words of the song:

Cos it means destruction

of innocent lives,

War means tears

to thousands of mothers how

when their sons go off to fight

and lose their lives

I said…     war, huh

It’s an enemy of all mankind.

No point of war.

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing.

 

War.   Here we go again.   The tensions between America and Iran and Iraq have escalated and now we are at the brink of it.    At what cost?   For what purpose?

I have had many discussions and debates on all kinds of issues the past three years since Trump became president.  We have had disagreements about how taxes should be spent, on how to deal with immigrants coming to our country, about gun rights, and social needs & medical costs paid for by taxes.  We have not been able to see eye to eye on lots of things. We have different views about whether our president is an effective leader or not.      But, I hope that Dems and Reps can agree that war should be a last choice.  War is bad. War is hell.

So, why are we where we are right now?

I believe we have a leader who is not good at negotiating.  (Yes, I know he wrote books about ‘the art of the deal’ and how to win in business. Anybody can write a book, especially if you have money to make it happen).  I believe we have a president who does not think through of all the ramifications of war. He likes to make a statement.  He likes to be a bully.  He was that way when he was in the business world.   He likes to show his power and often he can’t stop himself : he is the king of tit for tat.  He likes to “win” and he doesn’t consider the pain of the losers, or those who are innocent and stuck in the middle.    The other day he threatened to  bomb 52 possible sites, some are cultural & historical – they are spots of honor.  He doesn’t play by the rules – even when it comes to war.

Did we see this coming?   I have to say that yes I did.  Our president has shown his true colors for a long time.   I am not surprised.    Could it even be possible that he thought war could be a distraction to his domestic problems?   Or, could it be a way To avoid the continuation of the impeachment process??    I shutter thinking it might be true.

So, here’s the thing.  We love our military and we are forever thankful to them to volunteer and put themselves and their families on the line.   They deserve every possibility available to be considered before going to war.

When it comes to what will happen next, and how we want to present ourselves  to the rest of the world, we need a careful thinker in charge. We need someone willing to listen to military experts. We need a president who will look for peaceful resolutions, and who will look to those who know the past, the current situation, and the concerns for the future.

In the words of another prolific songwriter….    all we are saying, is give peace a chance.