Thurston’s Thoughts
Days of Old Again
A Civil War Story
There have been many wars that have shaped the fabric of American history. The question of whether they were necessary or not is a different question. However, a glimpse into the past should provide a projection into the present. The American Civil War was not about the abolition of slavery or the liberation of slaves as much as the method of labor. These were incidental attachments to an economic scuffle for equilibrium of economics, not equilibrium of humanity. Long after the method changed, the sentiment remained.
The humanity part lingers with the residue of racism’s heritage still openly displayed. Jim Crow became the moral compass for the next hundred years. Now it is tacit denial, selective amnesia, or charge it to the game. The Industrial Revolution may have freed the slaves as a replacement more than any moral consciousness. Whatever the case may have been, the resolution left plenty to be desired or accomplished regarding racial dynamics in America. This cannot be disputed despite the revisionist lens of denial.
Likewise, the current global landscape of conflicts in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East are based on the imposition of economic policies, unhinged fidelities, and religious justifications. They are all wars of destruction. They are the old ways of doing business to settle a dispute or occupy territory. The economics of war has been to destroy only to rebuild later.
The destroyed cannot rebuild, so the destroyer pays for the rebuilding. This is paying twice for the same destruction. The seemingly deranged commitment to war and allies of war whether in agreement or not is illogically apathetic to self-interest. Consider if a sovereignty wanted to engage in war, I am sure they could start their own especially if others pay for it. Far too often, most wars are rooted solely in religious ideological justifications of subjective morality.
To lambast the reasons would be juvenile, but let us consider the consequences of what is lost since what is gained has always been anti-climactic to what was shattered. Sure bragging rights, intimidation, conquest, or religious and political governance may have been accomplished. But sometimes not really or only on a surface level. The undercurrent of resentment, opposition created, and ethnic or nationalistic contempt simmering in waiting is greater. Beyond war being hedonistic and narcissistic displays of frustration or power, it is the chess game of elites for power or dominance.
As such, ever wonder who the pawns have been? Pawns are sacrificed to advance a strategy in the protection of the King. Pawns only become valued when all has been decimated and they have the chance to be “crowned” and converted into an elevated hierarchy of power or usefulness. The King has less power than the pawns although they are still subservient to his protection by pedigree. Pawns are the lowly slaves of the chess board to be cavalierly forfeited.
In a war who are the forfeited pawns or slaves? For example, in WW2 when the shoes got tight, what pawn of sacrifice and degradation was “crowned” to fully participate in securing an “allied” victory? The answer is the same pawn that was once again condescendingly discarded and contributions minimized after they were no longer needed for war.
The Buffalo Soldiers, Red Tails, and many other Black soldiers and civilians contributed to a war effort whose domestic agenda did not include them. Ironically, chess pieces are black and white but the white always moves first for advantage. However, this article is not about that or the many sacrificial white pawns. There have been many recent wars since then from Korea, Vietnam, and most recently Iraq and Afghanistan.
If we only focus on the war against weapons of mass destruction, the accusations were false but the casualties, devastation, and expenses were real. One can argue the hidden agenda, but not the patriotism, nationalism, and commitment to American Democracy displayed by those who later were essentially expendable pawns. The greatest accomplishment of this war was generational expenses.
As far as terrorist accusations, many of America’s terrorist threats were once American trained or supported in the furtherance of their terrorism against someone else. Then they were freedom fighters but they are now terrorist. Furthermore, they are often religiously motivated or as resentment for some act of America committed. The two headed coin depends on which side you called, heads or tails.
The two sides of war are similarly positioned but the arrogance of unaccountability or at least the stipulation to err should not be arbitrary to patriotism but instead justice. The current arrogance of the colonist and religious states are under siege for this reason, repercussions. The indiscriminate unaccountability to humanity or for geo-politics run amok has led to a hazardous road ahead instigating WW3.
Notwithstanding the architects of 911 devastation on America and the vicarious global ramifications since, the impact has also been an economic calamity for America. Consider how one man has reshaped so many facets of American life and beyond strictly by the economic and governmental policy of a country he was never a part of. Other international powers have learned where America and its colonist brethren has refused.
The new method of war is civil in both senses of the word. One sense is domestic cannibalism while the other is polite in the form of vicious economics. I am afraid this will not be settled in the usual brute manner of who to bomb or slap around. Yet, the world persist. But, who do you strike out at when the enemy is you by your proclivities? What America has been a slave to has become its master of destruction by implosion. More widely, why do the global pawns continue to be ruled by ignorance or cowardice refusing to reject an elitist game of destruction and redistribution of wealth and forced ideology.
Nationalism is the older sibling of patriotism and thus subjective to selective geography and the perspectives of that terrain. Yet still, nationalism is a servant to religious bullying and the centuries old conflict caused by coercing beliefs upon those who do not share them. But, I ask two questions. What religion in the world accounts for dinosaurs in the 6,000 years old history of the world? Furthermore, is it more likely the earth’s archeology is lying or the narratives of religion are? But, heaven forbid we challenge inconsistent narratives.
There is a detachment from logic overwhelmed by faith in narratives that only stand on itself but not by independent assessment. Like religion, I guess governments are not to be questioned either. Nevertheless, how can governments of the world not be accountable to their people? Why do the people sheepishly submit to governance of bling obedience? Their smug rules are not our rules and our sacrifice is not theirs but their decisions are ours.
So, the people’s money often participate even if the people don’t. Yet the same money cannot be used to better the people’s condition. It probably is not a mere coincidence if you follow the money and not the distraction. We are programmed units serving a superior whose wellbeing exceeds our ignorance. But, is it ignorance if we know better but refuse to act outside of our mass hypnosis? This global calibration controlled by social and religious hallucinations become less defensible as time passes it by.
But it still exist because we play a childish game of tag or follow the indoctrination. I wonder what America’s next civil war will be sugarcoated as for easier consumption and digestion or does it matter? The principles of a pseudo Democracy with a pseudo religious compass governed by pseudo legislation under a fascist capitalism of exploitation last bastion of deception is patriotism. So, the next civil war at America’s behest will be religious nationalism, the greatest plague of historical European collapses.
From beyond the borders of America, the attack will be fiscally and that war has already begun following the 911 blueprint. Devalue the currency and squeeze the pockets by escalating expenses that create no value, only a false security, divisive accusations, and revolving victimization. It is a social experiment of scarcity creating desperation when dominance is not assured for a rigged outcome.
Therefore, America’s next civil war will indeed be about freeing slaves to ideologies, patriotic submissions, and misguided aggressions caused again by economics, cultural bigotry, or religious immorality. It is a civil war story we can avoid. Globally, humanity should check ourself before we wreck ourself. We must be careful not to let the past haunt us any longer. However, the present most assuredly will condemn as the past has. So, sadly the next global war will be to free the slaves of antiquated justifications and ideologies. But only if we can survive it.
P.S. Perhaps immigration policy would be more successful if it addressed the frontend where they are fleeing from instead of the backend at our border. Remember the Monroe Doctrine and the many intrusions when they wanted to keep foreigners out before the geo-political scramble of colonialism forced its way in. The money spent to keep them out could be used to improve their condition which would improve our border’s condition.
If that is not America’s problem, neither is any of these global skirmishes we engage in while civil war bangs on our door. By unnatural selection, immigration policy resembles the bias regulation of repopulation administered in the old school of segregation. We freely visit or appropriate yours but you are definitely not welcome in ours. But somehow, it is as fair as it has always been and just as destructive humanitarianly and politically.
Thurston K Atlas
Creating a Buzz
