by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Problem is that the War to End all Wars did not end all war and that ever since we seem to have more wars and "conflicts" than at any time in history though, aside from World War Two, none have come close to home.
Still many on all sides lost their lives. War is, as Harry Patch, the last Tommy who dies not so long ago, said "organized murder" and most of the time it is fought not for freedom but so that the capitalists can lay their hands on some resource or other.
It is now 95 years ago that the guns fell - well on November 11 at 11 a.m. to be exact - that the guns fell silent in World War One but nothing, bar the way war is conducted, seems to have changed. The poor are still used as cannon fodder so that the rich can get richer.
This is something that must remembered also when we remember... but it is being kept quiet as we keep having one lovely war after the other.
Wars and conflicts will continue until the people refuse to participate in them and no longer buy into the lies that they are fought to preserve our freedoms. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth is that they are, in 99 our of a 100 cases, fought so that corporations and governments can enrich themselves at the costs of the lives of, predominately, the poor, the working class, who is pressed into the service of the country.
We have attacked Iraq under the guise of “war on terror” and non-existent weapons of mass destruction and the powers-that-be knew very well that there were no WMDs and then we went into Afghanistan again to combat terrorism while bringing some nice terrorism to the people there.
Both Iraq and Afghanistan are now worse off than they were before and it had nothing to do with fighting terrorism or WMDs but everything with oil and minerals.
Young men and women have given their lives supposedly defending freedom and democracy and for bringing democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan but it was a lie on all counts.
Our politicians stand at the Cenotaph in Whitehall (and other monuments) shedding crocodile tears for the fallen while, at the same time, veterans returning from the conflict zones are left without care and homes.
Now the USA and the UK are eying a possible intervention – and let no one believe that they don't if they don't get their way – in Syria and why? It is quite simple; once again black gold, aka oil and the pipeline that is being planned from Kirkuk to the Mediterranean and through Syria is simply the shortest and therefore cheapest route.
If they really would be concerned about the human rights of people they would have, long ago, hit Mugabe in Zimbabwe over the head but there is no oil to speak off there that can be stolen. Thus no intervention.
Politicians and corporations are the only ones who benefit from those wars and the multi-national corporations especially. We must not forget that Krupp guns and other German hardware were in use on both sides of the war in the East during World War Two. It is the warmongers, the arms industry, and others, who make the profits on the backs of the young (and not so young) men and women they sacrifice happily (it's not their sons and daughters) and they happily supply both sides.
The people, if they are not whipped up into nationalistic frenzy, would happily shake hands with those on the other side as they do not have any quarrels with them. German socialists and communists and even social-democrats fought side by side with Soviet soldiers against a common enemy, and that was a true enemy, Hitlerite fascism. And this was also seen when ordinary Tommies and Germans celebrated Christmas together in no man's land.
Wars are, predominately, created by greed for land or resources and have very little to do with freedom and the protection of liberties. War is nothing but organized murder perpetrated by the ruling class forcing the lower classes to do the dirty work.
If someone is not infringing on my liberties then he is not my enemy. Anyone, however, who is trying to oppress me, and my brothers, is my enemy.
Let's resist wars and the call to arms, unless it is really for our freedoms, and create a world at peace. We owe it to ourselves and the Planet.
© 2013
