LEST WE REMEMBER

[Oscar]

Lest We Remember

http://rabble.ca/news/2012/11/lest-we-remember-0

By Grant Neufeld | November 11, 2012

Lest we remember the veterans left disabled, impoverished, and denied supports.
Lest we remember the internalized violence of the military, the brutality, the “friendly-fire”.
Lest we remember the countless women soldiers sexually violated and shunned by the military.
Lest we remember the military families turning to food banks and charities for support.
Lest we remember the facts about past wars, rather than opportunistic jingoism.
Lest we remember that our “government” would rather spend millions advertising lies about past wars than spend a dollar to avoid having a soldier, or their family, fall into poverty.
Lest we remember the politicians who care so little about what happens to people in the military and veterans that they doze off in meetings with them.


Lest we remember that they spend our money to send our children, our siblings, our parents, our friends, our neighbours, to kill and be killed, to maim and be maimed, to destroy and be destroyed.
Lest we remember the military’s contributions to the long history of genocide and injustice against indigenous people of this land.
Lest we remember the contributions of anyone not white enough, or male enough, or “straight” enough, or Christian enough, in our reworking of history.

Lest we remember that Eisenhower’s warnings about the rise of the military-industrial complex came true.
Lest we remember that ever more and more of our resources, energy and wealth, are being siphoned away into the military and the corporations that profit from it, while poverty, disparity and injustice grow.

Lest we remember that, for all the posturing about protecting rights and freedom around the world, our military has ignored many who truly needed it, while attacking those who didn’t.
Lest we remember that our military turned a blind eye, and a deaf ear, to the people of Rwanda.

Lest we remember that war destroys not just human lives, but all other creatures and plants, and the very Earth.
Lest we remember that there is nothing good, or patriotic, or just, about killing and destruction.
Lest we remember that war is not glorious, or honourable, or just.
Lest we remember that war is vicious, destructive and the death of our “humanity”.

Lest we remember that no one has “freedom” while we continue to spread the injustice of war.

Lest we remember, we forget.


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The Psychopath War – Part 3 – Psychopaths in Government:

http://monotreme1000.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/
the-psychopath-war-part-3-psychopaths-in-government/


The Psychology of Killing and the Origins of War:

http://smellslikescience.com/
the-psychology-of-killing-and-the-origins-of-war/


Watch . . Listen: Buffy Sainte-Marie - The Universal Soldier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGWsGyNsw00

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Why I wear a White Poppy

http://caledonianmercury.com/2012/11/08/
why-i-wear-a-white-poppy/0035894

by Patrick Harvie MSP
This article was originally posted on Patrick Harvie’s blog

Patrick Harvie is a Green MSP in the Scottish Parliament
http://www.patrickharviemsp.com/about-patrick/

QUOTE: "Firstly it is a reminder that there are victims of war on all sides, and in civilian as well as military life, and that remembrance is for all of them. It is also a reminder that the idea of a war to end all wars was a dangerous delusion; that people cannot be beaten into peace. To me, the white poppy does not seek to detract from the remembrance of the war dead, but rather to add a note of hope; hope that one day our world might be a peaceful one.

Finally it’s important that remembrance, or the commemoration of Armistice Day, is not an unthinking and automatic routine. If it’s to be a meaningful act it must have room for debate and critical thinking. If wearing a white poppy leads to just one conversation about these issues, and about the role of violence in today’s world, then I think it’s worth doing."

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"I know some people are uncomfortable with my choice. I know some people find it provocative. But as the UK Government prepares to spend vast sums of money on another generation of nuclear weapons which threaten murder on an unprecedented scale, it’s important that the white poppy is still seen as a symbol of peace in a violent world."