Saturday, April 02, 2011

Perpetual war

By Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society

Violence surrounds us. It is ingrained into and embraced by U.S. society.

More than 60 years ago, George Orwell wrote of “perpetual war,” a situation in which war operates as a means of controlling the population by constantly rallying them against a common enemy.

More than 50 years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower warned of the growth of the military-industrial complex. He cautioned us about the need to 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,” he said.

The United States is at war again: this time with Libya. It matters not whether a Republican or a Democrat is in the White House; wars go on and on and on, perpetually it seems.

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