peaceinspace.org articles:
A GLOBAL TURN TOWARD PEACE ON EARTH -- AND IN SPACE
by John McConnell, founder Earth Day
www.earthsite.org
More and more people now recognize the future depends on our coming together in the vital matters in which we agree. Successful efforts for conciliation and cooperation around the world have been based on this premise.
Also, I think most people will agree that our society is negatively affected by mass media. Our actions are largely a result of what we see and hear. Instead of headlining items that heal, build and unite, TV, radio, press and the web, feature items of hate, fear, greed and lust. Attitudes and actions, good or bad, begin in the mind. In today's world the altruism taught by leaders in religion and studies in ethics, is a minor factor in the minds of most people.
To avoid global disaster, we need to look in depth at what we can agree is the cause of civilization's failure. Throughout history, scholars, scientists, and religious leaders have disagreed about the fundamental question: What's life all about? - Why are we here? Where are we going? Is there life after death? Can we now obtain the measure of understanding and cooperation needed to avoid catastrophe and continue the human adventure?
In this critical moment of danger and opportunity, let's put aside our differences and warmly support what all can agree on. As we turn a global page and enter a new millennium, here is an idea that all can accept and act upon. We can then end history's long, sad, evil record and realize the age-long hope for the new day "where the lion will lie down with the lamb and the nations will learn war no more."
The following is a simple, practical, formula that will appeal to most people and do the most good for people and planet:
EARTH TRUSTEE FORMULA:
"Let all individuals and institutions now think and act as Trustees of Earth, seeking in ecology, economics and ethics to foster a sustainable future and eliminate poverty, pollution and violence."
Let every person who receives this message follow this with Earth Trustee commitment and action -- personally and in any group you belong to. Let's circle the world now with positive Earth Trustee visions that can save and rejuvenate our planet.
Forward this to people you believe could make a difference. Begin with a few friends. You who have access to leaders in government, finance, religion or mass media, email and phone them.
To succeed, spiritual help is needed. There is documented evidence that great changes for the better have resulted from spiritual awakenings when people prayed. Pray that New Year 2005 will see a global change of heart. In this critical moment of danger and opportunity, let's put aside our differences and warmly support what all can agree on. As we turn a global page and enter a new millennium, here is an idea that all can accept and act upon. We can then end history's long, sad, evil record and realize the age-long hope for the new day "where the lion will lie down with the lamb and the nations will learn war no more."
1. WHERE I'M COMING FROM
One of the people who influenced my thinking was Dr. Hayakawa, who wrote "Tyranny of Words." The theme of the United Nations is, "Peace through understanding." For real communication we must constantly ask ourselves, "What does the speaker mean." Our experiences have led to word usage and meaning that often differs from that of other people - especially if they are of a different race, religion or culture.
In addition, modern life has caused short attention span and many listeners allow other things on their mind to distract them from what is said.
I would like to interject here, our character and attitudes are shaped by what we think. Actions good or bad begin in the mind. It is a good idea to occasionally stop and think of what is going on in your subconscious mind. There can be two or more tracts of thought going on at the same time. Young people especially, know how erotic and other unspoken thoughts - good or bad - influence our lives. "As a man thinks, so is he." Awareness and discipline in your unconscious mind is a key to character. Daily prayer or meditation and quiet times for reflection are food for the soul.
I was fortunate in the experiences of my early life. My father was an evangelist and I was the eldest of six children. A bible scripture that especially influenced me was "Seek first the kingdom of God." Since God is love, we should seek the rule of His love and wisdom on our planet. Beginning at age 6 or 7 I have learned more and more through the years about what this could mean.
My ever inquiring mind continued its search through the ups and downs of my life adventure. I made mistakes and committed sins - for which I had to ask God's forgiveness. But I kept coming back to my desire to understand and further a kingdom of love and peace on our planet.
My search led me to explore science, religion and philosophy. My father's ideas influenced me. At one point he wrote a tract, "What's Life All About? Why are we here? Where are we going? About that time (around 1939) I was a partner with Albert Nobell, a chemist, in The Nobell Research Laboratory in Los Angeles, California. While my formal education was limited (one year in High School and one semester at Pepperdine University) our work brought me in personal contact with leading scientists and their books.
I became interested in space exploration. Much later I was Co-publisher of The Toe Valley View in Bakersville, North Carolina. When the first Sputnik satellite was launched on October 4, 1957, I wrote an editorial, "Make Our Satellite a Star of Hope." It urged a bright, visible satellite be launched as a symbol of hope for humanity.
This editorial was picked up by the wire services and got front page attention around the world. I was on several TV network programs and received hundreds of letters of support. Among them were letters from Eleanor Roosevelt and a telegram of support from Billy Graham.
In 1963 I was Co-publisher of "The Mountain View." This was a weekly paper back in the San Francisco area where I grew up. When president Kennedy was assassinated I urged that on December 22 we end the period of mourning for the President with a global "Minute for Peace." This too brought world-wide attention.
Then the idea of a daily Minute for Peace on radio and TV was backed by the Mayor and City of San Francisco, who in 1965 sponsored my trip to New York where the New York World's Fair featured our Minute for Peace. Later, UN Secretary General U Thant issued a Minute for Peace message heard round the world.
Working with Minute for Peace at the United Nations led to my idea for a global day for planet Earth. This Earth Day would be celebrated each year on the March Equinox. From Earth Day came the Earth Trustee idea and agenda. There is much more about this on our web site.
2. TWO LEVELS OF REALITY
To obtain the measure of agreement and cooperation needed for the rejuvenation of our planet, we need to recognize two levels of reality - the physical and the metaphysical: the area of mental and religious phenomena.
Here we have questions pertaining to God and life after death. While these questions are important to most people, we do not have an accepted scientific basis for certifying they are true. I don't have a documentary video of what they are doing in heaven. However, faith in life after death has a powerful value. I once heard a group of prisoners in a jail all join when one of them started singing, "What are they doing in heaven today, where sin and sorrow are all done away." It brought me to tears. And of course no one can prove heaven doesn't exist.
Great benefits have come when religious belief resulted in greater compassion, humility and cooperation for common goals. On the other hand, religious bigotry and intolerance has been a major cause of violence and war. Now we are beginning to learn how to cooperate for common goals and mutual benefit - and at the same time leave room for differences about religious creeds.
There is no doubt in my mind that there is another dimension of reality. Experiences around the world with mystics and researchers provide evidence of phenomena - good and bad - that cannot be explained by science. The difficulty is that so many explanations contradict other accepted explanations. We are left with unproved hypotheses about their meaning.
3. WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON AND WHERE WE AGREE
Fortunately, when it comes to the physical world, the here and now, we do have science on our side and a potential for honest agreement and action. Most people, including scientists, will agree that an Earth Trustee agenda can rejuvenate our planet and provide a peaceful, prosperous future here on Earth.
To achieve this requires that we determine what we have in common and look for every point where we can honestly agree. This policy will solve problems and provide new solutions.
4. SPACE AGE VISION. WHO OWNS PLANET EARTH? RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
"We set out to explore Space and discovered Earth." The view from Space set me on my Earth Day/Earth Trustee mission. Remarkable coincidences are part of the mystery of life. I have experienced many "coincidences" that some would consider a divine miracle. Whatever the explanation, I know that back in 1969 I prayed about an idea I had. I then felt led to pick up my father's bible, open it at random and put my finger on any part of the page. I don't make a practice of such things, but on this occasion the scripture I got was Psalms 115:16 ".The Earth hath he given to the children of men."
This was right after I had written a brief article, "Planetary Inheritance," contending that the natural earth was the property of the whole human family and everyone had equal claim to its natural bounty. The scripture I got in the Psalms was the one scripture in the Bible that best confirmed this. In the 1970 Earth Day we used buttons that showed the Earth as seen from Space and said, "Our Inheritance, Our Responsibility."
Since God is no respector of persons and provides equal justice, every individual on our planet has a claim to an equal benefit from his Earth-right inheritance. To provide this, governments should asses the value of all real estate - less improvements, plus the value of any oil, gold or other minerals produced each year. 2% of this sum should be distributed each year to every family on Earth. The money would come from a 2% tax paid by those who have title to these assets - which in a sense, belong to the whole human family. This would provide a fair, honest solution to the problem of poverty. People would still benefit most from their labor. But the child in a wealthy family would not be the only one to inherit unearned wealth. Everyone would have a minimum inheritance from our planet's natural bounty. This would be accompanied by voluntary efforts to be responsible Trustees of Earth and help protect and nurture Earth's amazing web of life.
5. THE ILLEGITIMATE POWER OF MONEY - And What To Do About It
In efforts for the rejuvenation of our planet we not only need to change our personal attitudes and conduct, we need to change the institutions that harm our lives. Chief among these are not only institutions and policies involved with global assets of Earth's raw materials - land, oil, gold, etc., but also the unfair banking system that rewards the powerful and punishes the poor. An honest medium of exchange is needed that would be available without interest where suitable assets are put up as security. There are solutions being demonstrated in different parts of the planet. In addition, the evils of income tax and unfair property taxes should be addressed. The Henry George Schools advocate honest, fair taxation and are proving its value in many communities where their land tax program has been adopted. Earth Trustee Message Boards on Internet should be provided that will tell of such efforts and report progress and success.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Can the future be a prosperous future where the Earth Trustee agenda will enable people to realize their human potentials? What you do will help decide. We're all in this together. Action now will halt history's long sad record and provide a continuation of the human adventure with more answers to our questions about the mystery of life. Do what you can with faith and vigor - and you will make a difference.
John McConnell
www.earthsite.org
INDEX:
"Canada and the Rule of Law"
By Winifred Grace Barton
"THE MISSILE DEFENCE DEADLINE"
by Dr. John Clearwater
"SPEECH ON BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE"
By Catherine Whelan Costen
Please submit suggested artices by email.
ARTICLES:
In Honour of Canadian Thanksgiving: Monday, October 11, 2004:
Canada and the Rule of Law
By Winifred Grace Barton
The Rule of Law provides the psychological and philosophical foundation on which to build a holistic national psyche. The professed foundation stone of our Canadian Constitution is the recognition of the supremacy of God and the Rule of Law. Departure from our constitution is to act out the lie.
Cultural integrity is the rock that prevents the internal collapse of any society. Without the rule of law, under which we each take personal responsibility for our conduct a Nation will crumble back to dust. Law represents the personal, cultural, professional and political integrity of the nation; our functional reality. It is our Statue of Liberty manifest.
It is well within our means to coax Canada into a period of dazzling vitality by giving the people direct access to a single control tower which will guard the sovereignty of the people while running the country with the silent efficiently of a giant mechanical clock. The Rule of Law is the smooth running ball bearings that keep our national machinery humming.
The heart of the machine is a "Canada Computer" which can balance the protagonists, right and might, with meticulous precision, once it is given a neutral (unbiased) Motherboard based in the Rule of Law. No more subtle tradeoffs to maintain each other’s status. No garbage in - no garbage out. The ultimate Thanksgiving gift. An overnight change of national attitude and altitude as WE THE PEOPLE speak Our
Will to peace and prosperity.
Programmed to serve All The People without any personal preferences, Ms. CANADA can be seen as a great harvesting machine gathering in the best of Our Canadian Mindstuff, the "cream of the wheat" of Her People over the whole life of our country, since the day it began. That which is now solidified into our National Identity. Ms. Canada provides a means by which we can express our moral indignation of the chaos that grips society and tries to dominate by fear. Each political move has short term and long-term consequences that affect future generations. People are encouraged to think about the short-term benefits believing that the long-term effects will take care of themselves. A National Computer will be able to project the outcome of every move we make for its long term beneficial or negative effects in terms, we understand, all up front, readily accessible, in ways that every one, rich or poor can understand.
The Canadian Constitution is one to be proud of. Our analytical computer could be mind-wrapped in emotional appreciation of the wonder of living in Canada: Her lakes, rivers, prairies and woodlands. Our wealth of Ethnic pockets now rises in full splendour, beyond the divisive forms of narrow ethnocentricity. Our Constitution provides cultural rights of expression, and emphasises our National Right to Peace and Security.
JUSTICE is regarded a feminine principle. The balanced scales She carries are called
YIN YANG in philosophy. She bears the judicial jackpot for the thirsty souls of common men. CBC "Futureworld” ran a preview about computers and the way things will be. We become a Virtual Community - people talking to people straight on in the sprit not in the flesh. No racial or divisive creed involved in "one room schoolhouse." We can close the gap between the written word and its daily application. The gap between word and deed is a "black hole" in the fabric our Canadian Society. It is time to balance unbalanced images: Let go of a decadent system.
Every country has a song to play: The longing of lifetimes - the culmination of heart search for peace and justice in a Land of Liberty. We who chose to leave the structure to revitalize the essence have SEEN how life in NEW CANADA can be.
Coming events cast their shadow before them. Already the Archetypal Images stream forth from history TV like the culmination of the freedom fighters of the ages. To promise incredible economic, health, wealth, and educational efficiency, which will, put Canada, our Great Nation in the forefront of service to Abundant Life.
"Think smarter not harder” is the Planetary Challenge. The old system isn’t working any more. It all tied up in the proverbial "Gordian Knot." Ms. Canada allows us to observe the Gordian knot from every possible angle and see the speed at which its political-economic tentacles are growing. This perception is 50% of the solution.
Legend relates that as the Gordian knot is untied it will be the end of humanities "curse." It is said that this challenge fills the human race with ambition and imagination, and that the true purpose of the knot is never lost. Lets do it Canada!
Unbiased knowledge consolidated into a smooth running in-out data stream system is well within the means of our technological aptitude. It would be like a wide-open book accessible to all seekers 24 hours a day. Canadians could talk to it and get intelligent guidance: add good ideas for CBC debate if advisable. It would be a great unifying factor - proclaiming our wisdom and neutrality "From Sea to shining Sea." .
Conversely, failure to evolve and change our position at this point in space-time holds potentially disastrous consequences. We need to stand strong on the World Stage, our head held high, as a Leader of those who seek peace and prosperity. Canada will be a model of ultimate efficiency, geared to set the Standard of the New Earth Industry: Provide firm platform: Advocate the benefits of getting the sludge of personal ambition, out of the system, which then swings to a self protective cover-up which consistently undermines the peoples faith in good government. This is like performing Acts of Treason on honest, good-natured, willing and co-operative kinfolk.
Global statistics identify the rise and fall of Nations. POWER is the greatest of all enemies. Every step of the way deals with overcoming enemies, real or imaginary. Ecological restoration and proper food and housing for the under privileged is the way to end strife: Support of the United Nations as we have shown from its inception. Evidence abounds to prove that of all enemies, POWER-hunger is the strongest. No human being knows how to handle it. Look what happened when Hitler set up the 3rd. Reich in WWII. As a WWII veteran I have experienced these things.
Since that time the power struggle has intensified. Man must learn that "Power” that it is never ours; rather that it holds the human specie in a vice-like death grip. Ms. Canada serves the Commonality by spreading the power lines evenly among the population - as taught in the USA Constitution - "God created all men equal." Better/worse than thou is no longer a factor in the global equation.
To this end, the power dispensation console of Ms. Canada can set up an equitable system whereby, instead of having one concentration of the electoral elite, ideas can be gathered and distributed among all those who wish to access solutions for the mutual benefit of ALL - including those in their specific region. VOL NET CANADA is set up for this. Like a volunteer restoration army.
In this way, any Volunteers, either singly or in a group, who so choose, can bite off as big or small a chunk of the solution as he/she pleases as an equal and independent operator? A member of the invisible - virtual VolNet "Order of Canada." Serenity and confidence will be the underlying pulse of the general population in this scenario; regardless of what theatre they happen to be active in. Personal satisfaction will replace money as a primary consideration when job hunting.
In bringing our internal structure up to perfect specs, like a well run Star Ship, we will encourage budding young "Cosmic Cadets" into rethinking a lifestyle - expressing high ambitions - respecting international law in a world rich with history - using their talents in art - architecture - anthropological - etymological discoveries. This will put us ahead in the global transmutation process.
Modern Global Youth seeks fundamental justice and wants to tell its story to a compassionate audience. We have the both the reputation and the means to build the crossroad from the world of the illusion to the world of reality.
We can invest in Progressive Technology - run a correction tape through error and misrepresentation. Elevate the integrity barometer - keep balancing the input data and distributing the balancing statistics while dispersing the dark clouds of regurgitated garbage from the rumour mills of nameless fear, which is the effluvia of gross stupidity, while at the same time enhancing all that is good.
In all Her history, Canada has never had such an awesome opportunity.
"Nothing is as powerful as the idea whose moment has arrived."
"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the
sun." Ecc. 3 1-2.
By taking full advantage of living in cyberspace will make Canada a big one-room schoolhouse, Canadians growing up - participating in THE GREAT DEBATE. A place for everything and everything in its place.
"If a way to be better thou be it lies in taking a full look at the worst." Thomas Hardy -1840-1928.
We have had our "eye full." It is time to deal with the unrecognised crimes and the invisible criminals who never get caught: Time to confront "Spiritual wickedness in high places...” Yesterday’s facts of life have to be changed. We will flush out the lair of the massive chicanery and back room deals, which weigh heavy on the human psyche and contribute to the growing malaise in our global society. No more time for double system between the haves and have-nots.
This is the crossroad from the world of the illusion to the world of reality.
CBC’s "Futureworld” projected how, with computers, the way things will be. A Virtual Community; people talking to people straight on.
As much in the spirit as in the flesh - no race or creed involved in our one room schoolhouse.
A transfer of deference from status symbols to the REAL THING: The sincerely "Pure in heart” which is now proclaiming ...
"O CANADA WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE!"
Please submit suggested artices by email.
"THE MISSILE DEFENCE DEADLINE"
by Dr. John Clearwater
OTTAWA - In October of this year the United States will begin operating the first of several interceptors for the planned national missile defence system.
Washington now says that the clock is ticking, and that Paul Martin has to join the U.S. missile defence scheme now.
Worse still, pro-'Star Wars' Canadians are lining up to say the sky is falling if Canada does not jump on the missile defence bandwagon. Think-tanks, arms dealers, retired officers, and various commentators
and newspapers are sounding an alarmed siren call for Canadian participation.
What these people have produced is nothing but a load of soft thinking by so-called analysts too lazy or dull to think about the real world, and who seem to know almost nothing about Canadian politics and history. There only goal is to please Uncle Sam with obedience.
When the United States first proposed the deployment of an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system in the 1960s, Canada said no. We said no so clearly and loudly that the no was incorporated in to the
1968 renewal of the NORAD agreement. Canada added a clause to the NORAD treaty which stipulated that Canada would not become involved in the missile defence plans or operations then being promulgated in Washington. The clause was deleted by trudeau in 1981.
While Canada was no longer constrained by the anti-ABM clause, it did not directly participate in Reagan's ‘Star Wars' missile defence scheme either. In 1985 Prime Minister Mulroney announced its decision to decline the U.S. invitation to participate in the research stage of the Strategic Defense Initiative.
The irony here is that scare-mongers are delighting in telling Canadians that if we do not join the current missile defence scheme, we as a country will be abandoning the west, destroying deterrence, giving up
our military, helping terrorists win, and turning our backs on NORAD.
The last if of course the strangest and least supportable argument. When we turned our backs on the ABM system in 1968, it was through the NORAD treaty, and NORAD still exists 36 years later. Canadian and U.S. troops continue to work side-by-side in NORAD.
There are several other examples of Canada saying no to questionable U.S. defence plans. In the late 1980s Mulroney and his Conservative cabinet repeatedly said no to U.S. requests to test the advanced cruise missile in Canada. This went on for years until eventually only two ACMs were flown. In 1993 and 1994 the Chretien Liberals asked the U.S. to refrain from making any more cruise missile test requests, and the testing ended. When the U.S. asked to test Pershing II ballistic missile in Alberta, the government flat-out said no. The plain fact is that Canada can say no to Washington, and still be part of NORAD and NATO.
The argument that Canada will have to be part of missile defence in order for NORAD to survive at all is pure drivel. Years ago the Untied States began the process of separating the missile defence functions of
NORAD into Space Command and ultimately into the new Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. There is no logical or operational reason why NORAD would have to close if Canada did not participate in missile defence, just as there was none in 1968.
But there are even stranger statements coming from the Government itself. Chretien and Martin have both said that weaponization of space is a deal-breaker, and that Canada would not participate in any scheme which placed weapons in Space. However, to make the project move along, Ottawa has repeatedly denied that there is any space weapons component at all. This comes as a great surprise to the Pentagon which has been budgeting for space weapons since George W. Bush entered office, and
which actually has funding for the deployment of the first generation of space weapons.
The previous minister of national defence, John McCallum, told Canadians in May 2003 that Canada would enter talks with the U.S. on participation in missile defence. The now-defeated minister of national defence, David Pratt, signed a letter of intent with the Pentagon on 15 January 2004 confirming Liberal Government interest in discussions on cooperation in the area of ballistic missile defence of North America. Although he said that no decision had been taken on participation, it was a hollow
statement given that he was holding a signed letter of intent in his hands.
The letter of intent was not enough for the government. They worked to ensure participation would become almost mandatory through shear force of structure. To this end Pratt and Foreign Affairs Minister Graham directed that a new clause be added to the NORAD agreement which would give Canadian NORAD personnel access to critical BMD planning information until the system's deployment in October 2004.
So although there is no operational necessity for this, the Canadian Government is working to ensure we participate in missile defence in an organization not tasked with missile defence.
Of course all of this seems a bit odd. Washington is issuing dire warnings that the clock is ticking, and that Canada will be left out in the cold if we do not agree now.
U.S. ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci warned Ottawa the day after the election that "the government has to make decisions and move forward, and we expect that is what the government will do." This has nothing to do with the actual timetable of a system which has never been proven to operate in real world conditions and has never been tested as a whole; but instead with the election timetable of George W. Bush. Bush needs all the support he can muster for his schemes, increasingly seen as very risky by his own subjects. Canada getting on the Bush missile defence bandwagon would lend credibility to another silly and expensive scheme.
When Cellucci talks about missile defence, he is usually really talking about military spending. Cellucci's most common complaint in Canada is that we do not spend enough on the military, and that our relations with Washington will suffer dire consequences. The scare-mongers love this argument, and repeat ad nauseam that Canada is failing to pull its weight in a military world were it spends a dangerously low amount.
How low an amount does Canada spend? Well, it turns out that Canada already has the sixteenth highest military budget in the world, and the sixth highest in NATO after the USA, UK, France, Germany and Italy. In fact, at last years' $11.83 Billion, we now spend as much as we did during the last part of the Cold War when we had to defend ourselves against the USSR. That comes to $382 for each Canadian, or more than twice the world average.
What exactly is the rush? The first interceptors, not expected to actually function, are to be deployed by October of this year in Alaska. What is it that Canada will be missing?
Possibly the strangest and most out-to-lunch assertion from Ottawa is that a participation will give Canada "meaningful involvement in the system as it develops." What slow student concluded Canada would have any say at all in how the United States, already known to ignore allies and close partners, would be building, structuring, and operating a missile defence system?
Will we have the holy grail of Canadian-American relations, the 'seat at the table,' if we join the programme? What real influence would Ottawa have in the Bush White House or the Pentagon over missile defence decisions? Be realistic: none!
Is there something about the air in the Prime Minister's Office, National Defence, and Foreign Affairs, which makes for fuzzy thinking?
Dr. John Clearwater is a strategic analyst and author of books and articles on nuclear weapons. He lives in Ottawa. [email protected]
A peaceinspace.org selection. This article originally appeared in Winnipeg Free Press, 18 July 2004. Reprinted by suggestion of the author.
Please submit suggested artices by email.
SPEECH ON BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE
By Catherine Whelan Costen
Social Activist/Alberta New Democrat Candidate Highwood Riding
Delivered On Oct 2, 2004, as requested by members of the Council of Canadians, before concerned citizens in High River, Alberta, Canada. Their Petition on U.S. Missile Defence has been faxed to Prime Minister Paul Martin
Thank you to every one of you for making this event a priority. Before I get to the details, I would like to make one thing perfectly clear.
Catherine Whelan Costen:
BMD
Ballistic Missile Defence also known as Star Wars, is the most critical, paramount issue facing North American’s today, what I am talking about effects all North Americans not just Canadians. The people of North America and the entire world, all of us, are affected by this plan and the masses do not realize what it means; and yet it is the least discussed or debated issue in Canada. Why?
I believe whole heartedly that Canada needs to have a superb military, capable of defending our sovereignty. We need to supply it, to staff it and train it, we need to be able to defend our borders from North to South and East to West. We need to be capable of peace-keeping missions, of which we are the best in the world, …but we have not done and are not doing the best job in supporting these fine dedicated people. I believe we need to assist our allies when they are being attacked, we should be able to support United Nations deployments when necessary. What we do not want to be is part of an alliance of aggressors or world bullies! Nor should we participate in activities, which elevate the level of aggression in the world such as an arms race.
Getting back to Why?
Why don’t Canadians know what BMD means for us? Is it fear of the unknown that prevents people from asking the hard questions? Is it intimidation by the press or the politicians? Or is it apathy? I believe it is all three. We are a generation of people born into a world of apparent peace, our country has not endured the horrific first hand knowledge of living in a war zone. We do not really understand a life that means daily scavenging for food, seeing children with limbs destroyed by land mines, nor do we wait at home to see if our spouses will return at night from the horror of a days fighting. We live in freedom, we brag about our lifestyle of purchasing power, credit cards and mortgage payments. We complain about our potholed roads, our failing healthcare system, the price of gas and the hardships of farming. These are the issues of daily discussion and they are important topics. We talk about politicians, our various levels of government and their duties to the electorate. Some of us even vote, although many of us fail to become informed about the issues before we do so.
Some Canadians may remember seeing photos of victims of Nagasaki and Hiroshima or pictures of the horrific mushroom clouds the bombs created. Most of us cannot imagine this type of event ever happening again, it was a mistake of horrendous proportions and it could never happen again. That is part of the lull, the apathy in which the birth of BMD was born, in secret and without public consultation. We the public are considered too insignificant to stand in the way of progress. We do not understand the economic, political and military gains to be made but such incredible feats, as the program to conquer space. We do not live with the health effects of depleted uranium, like those in Afghanistan or Iraq, we do not walk by burned out buildings that used to house our mentally ill, or the schools our children used to attend. We don’t go to sleep at night wondering if a chemical attack is going to occur in the night. We live in peace!
Canada signed The International Treaty to Ban Land Mines on December 3,1997 and was ratified the same day. (I have a copy here for you to examine)
As of 13 Aug 2004, there were 152 signatories/accessions and 143 ratifications or accessions .While 9 have signed the treaty but not ratified.
One country is noticeably not signed or become bound through accession and that is the United States of America, does that tell you anything about the morals or ideals of this country that says they want to protect all of North America?
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade declares that a 1996 Red Cross study shows that Land Mines serve no real advantage in war. According to the United Nations, landmines are at least 10 times more likely to kill or injure a civilian after a conflict than a combatant during hostilities. Many of those victims are children!
So I ask you again, why does a country that purports to care about Canada’s people not sign an international treaty to ban these weapons and why should we believe that their motives to protect us through a BMD shield are as our government claims them to be?
What are Canadians Being Told ?
Canadians are being told by our politicians that BMD is NOT Star Wars and that Canada will not participate in such a program. We are told that we are only agreeing to certain aspects so that we can sit at the table and have a say, and especially so that we can prevent the ‘weaponization’ of Space.
Canada’s Government website, promotes our commitment to disarmament, and to working to discourage the proliferation of ballistic missiles. It goes on to point out all the great things Canada, has been and is involved in, to stop the spread of wmd. We have signed treaty after treaty to this end, aren’t we Great! They further declare that we are opposed to the weaponization of space!
If this is true, then why is Canada not promoting the disarmament of the U.S., since it is commonly known that they are the world’s leader in WMD and they have shown they are not afraid to use them? We must also wonder why other countries would disarm, when they see the U.S. is clearly arming itself to the teeth, while trying to develop protection for itself. This attitude creates an imbalance in power, don’t you think?
What the U.S. Says:
The United States, is not nearly as timid in their proclamation of what their intentions are, in a document called, ‘The United States Vision for 2020’, prepared in 1997, a copy which is here for your information; you can read and see that their mission IS to weaponize space, to control and command space for the sole purpose of controlling the world.
Here are a couple of statements from this paper:
First it says:‘Although unlikely to be challenged by a global peer competitor, the United States will continue to be challenged regionally. The globalization of the world economy will also continue, with a widening between ‘haves and have-nots’. Accelerating rates of technological development will be increasingly driven by the commercial sector – not the military.
Then further in the article: This is from their ‘Implications for US space Command’ ‘As space systems become lucrative military targets, there will be a critical need to control the space medium to ensure US dominance on future battlefields. Robust capabilities to ensure space superiority must be developed’ …(and then)….’included in that planning should be the prospects for space defense and even space warfare.’
Anybody unclear as to what I have just read??
Hey if they’re going to pay for it and protect us, What’s So Bad About That?
I do not believe that, mankind was meant to live under the rule of a superpower; I believe humans were meant to be free, truly free, which is what democracy is all about. There are a few very certain enemies of democracy and one of them is to allow any country to rule all others. Even if they have completely altruistic morals and policies, which they don’t, this is not how we are meant to live. Presently we are living in an environment, which is based on one country, through its corporate agenda, controlling all others through monopolies on everything from agriculture, water, oil, and military might. Trade deals are created to favor the ruling monopolies, the United Nations is under the control of the superpower, as is the World Trade Organization, and they refuse to acknowledge or allow their own military to be judged by the World Court. In other words they have declared themselves the world’s policeman, moral authority, judge, jury and if necessary, executioner!
Why would we support an initiative that clearly plans to weaponize space? According to Mr. Hurtig, ‘numerous official U.S. documents reveal their plans to ‘dominate space’ and place deadly lasers and nuclear weapons in space and that today’s nuclear weapons are up to 350 times more powerful than the bombs which devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.’
Our Department of Foreign Affairs also states that Canada has made commitments at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and that we are promoting our interest in safeguarding international peace and human security.
So according to the Department of Foreign Affairs, we are committed to Sustainable Development and safeguarding international peace, while we are also committed to BMD? Does this not sound like a conflict of interest?
Does it Work and Are We Safer With It?
First, all documents I have read, (of which I have a list of sources for anyone interested) state that the BMD does not work, indeed they are working very hard and spending a great deal of money to get it to the point where it will work. There is a lot of money to be made promoting the arms race! A lot of money. But, this gives North America a false sense of security and creates fear in the ‘enemy’. Fear breeds hate as any basic psychology will tell you. Regardless of the oppressor, even a very nice oppressor, people do not wish to live under someone else’s rule. They will fight back. The world does not appreciate the threat of having the largest possessor of WMD, also having the ability to strike any other country at will, and they have declared their right to do so,… while they themselves are being perceived as invincible. There will be those who have nothing to lose that are willing to take a chance and strike first. This will also encourage others to find another way to fight against their oppressor. Is it not said, that necessity is the mother of invention? People who do not wish to be controlled by another will find a way to fight back. So the short answer is no we are not safer with BMD.
What if it does work? What if a missile from Canada can lock on to an incoming missile and cause it to explode before it lands? Has anyone considered where the debris will go? What if it intercepts and causes it to go off course? Destination U.S. becomes Canadian entry point.
Since the U.S. Administration, has stated that ‘you are either with us or against us’, some people think it is better for Canada to be with them. That is a sad reaction to a critical situation. Should we really join the world’s bully in order to protect ourselves? Would it not be better to stand up and say, ‘NO, we will not legitimize your plan, by allowing you to use our name to create such a horrific environment in the world’? Should our elected officials not attempt to make alliances with other countries and force the U.S. to stop seeking world domination.
We are not as strong as the U.S. today, that is true, but together with other peace-seeking nations, we could be the strongest. Do you believe that the people of the United States want to be the world’s enemy? I don’t think so, many of them are just as naïve as we are, but we can be leaders, as we have been in other peace initiatives.
Could we not use the money, which is supporting all these military corporations and suppressing freedom the world over, to create peace, to feed the world, to provide healthcare to the world’s suffering? We are talking about trillions of dollars! Could Canada not fund its own military and defend Canadian interests in the pursuit of peace better than funding an arms race?
In a CBC article, of Sept 23,2004 it was reported this way, ‘While Graham acknowledged he doesn’t know what the U.S. is planning to do over the next 50 years, he said the ballistic missile program, ‘has nothing to do with putting weapons in space,’. So he knows that he does not know!
Then he further explains, what I would call nothing more than being bullied, ‘our American colleagues are determined to pursue it and it will become part of the defence architecture of North America whether we participate or not,’
So there you have it people…
So now, what can we do? We must take Action :
I must say that when I remember, those individuals who have given their lives for this country, for democracy and our freedom, when I think about the poem,
‘ In Flanders Fields’ which we all hear on November 11, every year, and when those words echo through the years,