Thoughts Before The Alarm Sounds

Dwight Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during WWII. After the war he became the 34 th President of the United States (1953 – 1961). His words are especially relevant in today’s political climate: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or our democratic process. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.” Apparently the citizenry has been neither alert nor knowledgeable. The Pentagon has called “unnecessary and unaffordable” the following five projects in Ohio alo...

In defiance of a warning from President Obama not to use poison gas against its own citizens, the Syrian government has reputedly done so. Now the President must take some action or else the worldwide faith in the U.S. Government’s word will be severely eroded. He is seeking approval from Congress to initiate a “limited” military strike, and this presents a serious dilemma for Congresspersons. The Republicans operate under a “go to war first, ask questions later” principle a la George Bush and the Iraq war. But they are also beholden to the tea party, hence the “If Obama is for it, we’re against it” rule. The Democrats want to support their President, but they also remember that he was the anti-war activist who called the U.S. Government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world,” which turned out to be a winning campaign strategy. In addition, some of the rebels are sympathetic to al Qaida, which raises the question whether the replacement government would be any bett...