by Don Hynes
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| Vantage Point | Culture and Politics by Don Hynes |
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"No man is prejudiced in favor of a thing, knowing it to be wrong.
He is attached to it on the belief of its being right; and when he sees it is not so,
the prejudice will be gone." - Tom Paine
May 25, 2003 Memorial Day Thirteen years ago, with a group of Vietnam veterans, I entered a sweat lodge on an Indian reservation on the northeast shore of Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound. One of the group was involved in tribal affairs as an activist and offered the sweat lodge as a form of ritual healing. Two natives handled the ceremonial tasks, I was the sole non-military member of the circle, an activist in the anti-war war of the 60’s, with the rest average white guys who had served in Vietnam. The two native elders served hard time in prison after Vietnam, had been through years of substance abuse and detox, and made the lodge as extreme as possible for the white men who requested a taste of Indian medicine. About midway through the third round, after two of our group had been driven out of the lodge by the heat, and I was certain my blood was boiling, one of the vets asked the door keeper to let in a little air. The door keeper replied “it’s just your sins burning, welcome the heat.” The vet said in return through grimaced teeth, "it’s not my sins on fire, it’s the shrapnel coming through my skin.” Humbled, the door keeper opened the flap. That’s the legacy of war in a nutshell, the wounds, the toxic chemicals, the shattered lives of warriors and civilians on both sides, buried in the soft tissues of the earth and the people, but rising to the surface under heat. Chris Appy has written a poignant journal of the Vietnam legacy that offers an antidote to the American penchant for “moving on.” President Bush didn’t neglect to mention Vietnam in his recent carrier speech by accident, any more than he forgot to include Afghanistan in his new budget. Might makes right and Biblical certitude do not allow for grief or failure nor address what it takes to heal. The VA reported over 100,000 homeless Vietnam veterans in the early 90’s with an equal number dead of substance abuse and/or suicide since the war. The percentage of Gulf War 1 disabled veterans is 35% and rising. The VA is finally coming to terms with this issue without more stalling and nonsensical “testing” because the veterans are dying. Here in Portland Oregon we have a beautiful VA hospital that on my last tour had two new state of the art surgical theaters in place but shut down due to lack of operating funds. Congress was happy to fund brick and mortar but not the personnel to make them work. The flag waving and “we support our troops” chants are hollow and irreverent of the men and women who gave their lives in the Iraq war, on both sides, unless there is a follow through in the years to come. There’s no concern in the American press for a body count of Iraqis, but worse still, if history’s precedent prevails, there will be no concern for American veterans when the patriotic self congratulation wears off. The only way to care about veterans is to do all in our power to prevent war, particularly the corporate inspired variety, and when the war is over, if ever it is, not to forget, not by parades and speeches, but through care for those who bear the burden, and by participating in the democratic process. Speaking Out Senator Robert Byrd continues to be an eloquent voice in these remarks from The Truth Will Emerge: “What makes me cringe even more is the continued claim that we are "liberators." The facts don't seem to support the label we have so euphemistically attached to ourselves. True, we have unseated a brutal, despicable despot, but "liberation" implies the follow up of freedom, self-determination and a better life for the common people. In fact, if the situation in Iraq is the result of "liberation," we may have set the cause of freedom back 200 years.” The Senate is taking up Senator Byrd’s challenge on both sides of the aisle with demands for greater accountability in the reconstruction of Iraq. The UN approved the U.S. request to lift sanctions which will hopefully assist in reconstruction but as Iraq Democracy Watch reports the road ahead throughout the mid-east and west Asia is beset on all sides with military, political and cultural obstacles. Lewis Lapham, the curmudgeonly editor for Harpers, an active critic against cultural decay and delusions of empire, gave this challenging speech to the graduates of St. John’s College. “Democratic government is a purpose held in common, and if it can be understood as a set of temporary coalitions among people of different interests, skills and generations, then everybody has need of everybody else. To the extent that a democratic society gives its citizens the chance to chase its own dreams, it gives itself the chance not only of discovering its multiple glories and triumphs, but also of surviving its multiple follies and crimes.” Chris Hedges found an unwelcome audience for his valedictory to Rockford College that may have been misplaced in context but spot on in terms of insight. Nicholas Kristof continues his series on famine in the horn of Africa educating us all toward compassion. Environmental activist and successful entrepreneur Paul Hawken put his beliefs on the line confronting corporate green wash versus genuine environmental concern. And here Ira Chernus of Common Dreams tells the story of Major Charmaine Means' act of courage who “certainly mattered to her superiors in the U.S. Army - a good officer, promoted to major and assigned the tricky task of public relations in the sensitive city of Mosul, in northern Iraq. When she was given an order that she could not in conscience obey... she chose to follow in Gandhi's footsteps. She refused to obey.” Issue of the Day The Center for Public Integrity has been watch dogging the monopolization of media through industry proposed changes to FCC standards. Conservative columnist William Safire added his opinion to this argument that is neither left nor right in character but an issue of democratic freedom. Clear Channel’s advocacy for war during the invasion of Iraq through their nationwide radio conglomerate and the lack of concern in most of the corporate controlled media to challenge the Administration and military’s direction were sure indicators of how the electorate has been and will continue to be led within a controlled spectrum of information. Ways to Help Vietnam Veterans of America is "dedicated to global security and reducing the worldwide threat posed by war and conflict through programs that promote justice and freedom." Mercy Corps leads the not-for-profit field in percentage of fundraising that gets beyond bureaucracy to those in need. True Majority provides easily accessible and effective ways to contact decision makers in opposing FCC regulation changes Old Warriors Each man is a hero, a blue bright spirit whose inner light is faintly seen yet whose fire blazes in the eyes of a brother wet with tears, blessing our common ground poisoned with denial, honoring one another in lives shaped anew with the passionate steel of a warrior. Peace. *** |
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