From the Radical Middle…

by Robert Falcione

     I am reminded of a partial quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes stating the unfortunate circumstances of the human condition:

     I support the president at this time; a time not to support him may come. We’ll see.

     I support the troops; that will never change.

     However, I have a problem with some of the protesters, although I support their freedom of expression.

     I find it ironic that the protesters are acting in concert to uphold a group which prohibits the very rights they exercise.

     It’s like protesting against the smallpox vaccine.

     I have heard some of their arguments.

     “Why do you want to kill Iraqi children?”

     I don’t. Please believe me.

     “Why do you favor the bombing of innocent Iraqi civilians?”

     Okay, who gave away my war plan? Gee, can’t trust anyone these days.

     “Why do you support the wholesale bombing of cities where innocent people die?”

     My rebuttal: S-O-P-H-I-S-T-I-C-A-T-E-D W-E-A-P-O-N-S !

     “Who do you think you are by trying to force the rest of the world to be like America?”

     Too easy. Since 9-11 there are some things I find unacceptable in the belief systems of groups of humans.

     One of them is death to infidels. Another is death to Americans, Christians, Jews or Muslims. Those ideas hold no favor with me, and I believe the people who practice them, no matter how ignorant, barbaric, brainwashed and ill-taught they may be, have to be dealt with immediately, so that our grandchildren will not have to.

     I favor protecting America from an otherwise inevitable onslaught of extremists who believe that the murder of Americans gets them a seat next to a golden throne in Lala Land. It doesn’t. It gets them a spot in a really hot place, where they will see some familiar faces like Mohammed Atta, be forced to eat airline food for eternity and listen to the same Barry Manilow song over and over and over, while skewered on a rotating spit one foot above the earth’s molten core.

     I do not favor groups of humans teaching their young to aspire to become bombs. That is not the purpose of a family or social group, but a despicable and unnatural perversion of those roles. A society that extols that in their midst is in need of a major modernization—and a visit by the U.S. Marines.

    I am in favor of exporting American ideals to a part of the world which has not progressed for centuries and is still sowing in their children the seeds of hate over events which occurred during the Dark Ages of world history, while at the same time trying to build nuclear bombs. Even the Hatfields and McCoys have come to some peace, haven’t they?

    Some of those against America are simply against modernity itself. They take graceful flying machines full of human beings and crash them into other towering achievements. They would poison our waters and destroy our bridges if given the chance. They would silence our beautiful music and burn our greatest literature and destroy our fantastic motion pictures. They are like the Amish—but on steroids and genocidal.

     “America has brought this upon herself by her policies in the Middle East,” is something else I hear repeated by people with signs.

     Why get involved in chicken versus the egg arguments. The Middle East situation needs to be addressed without reverting to events surrounding the birth of Israel and then connecting that to every other political expediency. The problem needs to be addressed within the framework of current realities and future goals.

     There is little reason to redress what happened thousands, hundreds or even scores of years ago. If Americans did that on a large scale, and without hypocrisy, then most of us would be returning our country to a very small group of people and rowing against the waves to the lands of our ancestors.

      As for post cold war policy, I can only say that the president and his people seem to understand the changing politics better than anyone.

     Some of America’s most consistent allies, Britain, Spain, Australia, Japan, and Italy are contributing in ways that would be expected. Some of the other countries in the coalition shouldn’t be a surprise after considering the political equation.

      Doesn’t it make sense that Poland, Albania, Romania, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic—new democracies—would yearn to be in the shadow of the United States, along with dozens of other countries? To be on the side of a country which has worked toward their freedom for the latter part of the Twentieth Century?

      On the other hand, Canada, France, Turkey, Russia and Germany have severely limited what America would expect of them, reflecting today’s political realities. Even so, I see no reason to turn against old friends in the family of nations who may not share exactly the same ideas.

      For instance, I refuse to boycott French products—if I can find any. And I will continue to rendezvous for soup du jour.

      In addition, I will use Arabic numerals and not revert to using Roman numerals or counting on my fingers.

      I will use Syrian bread especially when the sandwich involves sprouts, black olives, and other loose veggies.

      I’ll never buy another Mercedes, a German vehicle which finally becomes a smooth ride at 125 mph— but that has nothing to do with the war. And I will continue my life-long boycott of Russian caviar; or caviar from anywhere for that matter. However, I will still enjoy Canada Mints whenever I can find those rare and refreshing confections.

      I will also enjoy one or two helpings of Turkey on the appropriate occasions, when there is a sofa readily available, in accordance with long standing family practices.

      But seriously, I celebrate the peace protesters exercising their rights, and have stopped to tell them so on a couple of occasions. Their actions are further proof that our cause is worthy, and all the more reason to support the brave men and women fighting in our place.

       “We are the majority,” I’ve heard the protesters shout.

       Easy answer: Study your fractions.

       “We are the nation’s conscience,” is another pretentious statement.

       No, you are not, Jimmy Carter and Jiminy Cricket are.

      “Bush is like Hitler,” I have heard a sign carrier say. Whoever said that should have stayed in school until ninth grade, when World History is taught. Anne Frank really lived and she really died. The bell she wrote about hearing until someone betrayed her can still be heard today from the same attic she hid in. Bush is like Hitler?

      President Bush broke down sobbing while he gave his speech at the Central Command confessing how proud he was to be their Commander in Chief. That one moment held infinitely more humanity than Hitler’s entire lifetime.

      “Give peace a chance,” is another mantra I hear from the protesters, borrowing from John Lennon, a practice which I am not above. Give peace a chance?

        "I hope we can some day, and then the world can live as one."

        Imagine.

*This piece by Robert Falcione was originally published in the Hopkinton Independent on April 10, 2003, about 31 days following the invasion of Iraq and inspired by the subsequent small anti-war protests in America, and specifically in Hopkinton.

- Photo of USS JFK and Twin Towers from the collection of Robert Hole.