Director's blog

RFC supporters sometimes include notes along with their contributions.  Today I received one that I thought others might find interesting.  So this week, rather than write my own blog, I am posting it instead.

“Last week in the course of a TV interview, a Middle East author was interviewed and in passing remarked that the American War in Afghanistan is now over 10 years; our longest war!  And strangely, people like Rachel Maddow and even Amy Goodman said it.  WRONG!  The American war in Viet Nam was longer and the American war in Iraq is now starting its 23rd year!  And of course, the war against Native Americans has been going on about 500 years!  But the war on workers by owners, a world wide war, is the longest having started when masters owned slaves, when nobility had serfs and indentured servants and now when workers are wage slaves to employers.  It’s called ‘class war.’

At a Honeywell Project session in the early 1970’s Marv Davidov made a point that ‘vocabulary’ is important.  His advice is why I use the term ‘American war in Viet Nam’ instead of the Vietnamese war.  Likewise I try never to use Defense Department without stating ‘misnamed Defense Department’ or ‘so called Defense Department….’  

Except for World War II which was perhaps unavoidable, the War of 1812 was defensive, all the rest, offensive.  The Mexican American War which should be the American War on Mexico, the Spanish American War (American War on Spanish territories), the invasions of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua in the early 1900’s, the invasion of Grenada and Panama, were these wars defensive?”

I can’t promise to post other comments I receive, but I welcome all your letters and will do my best to share others on occasion.

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