CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT, RINGING OUT THE NEW YEAR: ON THE EVE OF CONSTRUCTION

Written by: Rick Staggenborg on 12/30/09

This essay is dedicated to Isaac Newton, who stated that “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” Only by studying the mistakes and successes of the recent and remote past can we Take Back America, heal the wounds of the Uncivil War and complete the Revolution that so many have died for.

It is the ignorance of our history and arrogance of our politicians that are causing our sons and daughter to pay the ultimate price in far-off lands where we not only have no place being, but where we are sowing the seeds of the destruction of the American experiment in democracy and promoting the goals of the self-deluded Masters of the Universe who would blindly destroy the world and society itself.

I am sure that most of us have figured out by now what a lot of us assumed from the beginning: This Congress would not give us real health care reform because of their dependence on the medical insurance, pharmaceutical and corporate medical care industries for maintaining their positions of misused power. The pundits are increasingly picking up on the themes of corporate dominance of Congress, the Senate in particular and are beginning to recognize the pernicious consequences that this is having on America and the world. The glimmerings of understanding of what needs to be done are becoming apparent to them and the hope for ultimate victory is in sight.

The bright side of this is that the stage is now set to continue our work in educating the people about what happened and the consequences if they do not become involved in the debate and the process of “Becoming the Change” that Obama clearly told us he could not be himself.

This entire book of essays has so far been an effort to do this while this historic process is occurring. We are taking a break over the holidays to recharge our batteries, so let’s use that energy to come back more unified, less naïve, more focused on working together and gathering strength to achieve not only our goal of single payer but a new political order in the US and the world. This is the mission of Soldiers For Peace.

As conservatives and ultra-liberals are beginning to come together to seek real solutions to the planet-threatening problems our Congress and the economic Lilliputians have not yet begun to grapple with, I am ever more confident that our brave heroes fighting to secure oil lines in the Mideast will be home for Christmas next year. Awareness of the magnitude of the task before us is beginning to seep into the general consciousness of the American people, many of whom have been deluded by the corporate media into accepting the myth of American exceptionalism and the nightmare of Empire by those in whom they have put their trust.

The ultimate victory of the Army of the Soldiers For Peace International will be realized only when these ideas become part of the general consciousness. It is only a matter of time. My work has convinced me that there is time enough to fight this battle to the finish and that my faith that good is stronger than evil is justified. So let us drink to the health of our nation and the world. We have earned it. We need to rest now so that we can gather the strength to continue this battle to its ultimate and inevitable conclusion. That is reason enough for me to celebrate.

In the words of Barry McGuire:


The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votiNG.
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’


But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.


Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
[Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy]


And you tell me;
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.


Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’


And you tell tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.


Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace


And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction
Mm, no no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.




Rick Staggenborg, MD


Founder, Soldiers For Peace International


Coos Bay, Oregon