What if there was a war and everyone forgot it?
Yesterday, I wrote about the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. because I was thinking of the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. I am a little surprised to find almost no coverage of that attack in today’s mainstream news. But of course, most wars have been forgotten. There has been greatly diminished coverage of the war in Ukraine. Little criticism of the genocide occurring in Gaza with the support of the US. And little coverage here of the many countries opposing Israel and the US operations in the Middle East.
Militarism has played a significant role in my life and in the lives of everyone in this country. I came of age (1969) during the draft to conscript men for the Vietnam War. It helped set the course of my life to be aware of the example of several Quaker families that refused to participate in the draft or war (some of those stories can be found below). To know relatives who left this country (1950) because of its increasing militarism. My cousin Jeffery wears a “No Army” shirt in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
In this country, for decades, millions of men, women, and children have gone and continue to go without food, shelter, or services because the money goes to the military, police, and arms manufacturers instead.
And, increasingly, military operations are being called out for being the single largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions. Which is really ironic because we will increasingly see wars being fought over resources and arable land.
A startling investigation by Amnesty International has exposed the use of US-made munitions in two devastating Israeli air strikes in Gaza, sparking international calls for a war crimes investigation. This new revelation puts a spotlight on the consequences of US arms sales and their deployment in conflict zones.
The investigation centered around two specific air strikes on civilian homes in Gaza. The first, on October 10, targeted the al-Najjar family home in Deir al-Balah, claiming 24 lives. The second, on October 22, hit the Abu Mu’eileq family home, resulting in 19 deaths.
In the ruins of these homes, distinctive fragments of US-manufactured Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) were discovered. According to Amnesty International, these air strikes, devoid of prior warnings to civilians, were either direct attacks on civilians or indiscriminate, violating international humanitarian laws.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, highlighted the troubling use of US weapons in these fatal strikes. “The US-made weapons facilitated the mass killings of extended families,” she stated, urging the Biden administration to reconsider its arms transfer policies to Israel.
Amnesty International’s findings have led to calls for these air strikes to be investigated as potential war crimes. The absence of military objectives at the strike sites raises severe legal and ethical questions about the nature of these attacks.
US munitions in deadly Gaza strikes: Amnesty International calls for war crimes investigation. Amnesty International’s investigation reveals US-made weapons in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, killing civilians and igniting calls for a war crimes probe By Alexis Sterling, Nation of Change, December 6, 2023
“War” is a counterculture-era soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label in 1969. Whitfield first produced the song – a self-evident anti-Vietnam War statement – with The Temptations as the original vocalists. After Motown began receiving repeated requests to release “War” as a single, Whitfield re-recorded the song with Edwin Starr as the vocalist, with the label deciding to withhold the Temptations’ version from single release so as not to alienate that group’s more conservative fans. Starr’s version of “War” was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and is not only the most successful and well-known record of his career, but it is also one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. It was one of 161 songs on the no-play list issued by Clear Channel following the events of September 11, 2001.[2]
Backus, Rob (1976). Fire Music: A Political History of Jazz (2nd ed.). Vanguard Books. ISBN 091770200X.
“It’s the End of the World as Clear Channel Knows It”. Slate.com. 2001-09-17. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
War (The Temptations song), Wikipedia
“War”
Oh no-there’s got to be a better way
Say it again
There’s got to be a better way-yeah
What is it good for?
War has caused unrest
Among the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die?
War-huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War-huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Yeah
War-I despise
‘Cause it means destruction
Of innocent lives
War means tears
To thousands of mothers how
When their sons go off to fight
And lose their lives
I said
War-huh
It’s an enemy of all mankind
No point of war
‘Cause you’re a man
War has caused unrest
Among the younger generation
Induction then destruction
Who wants to die?
Give it to me one time-now
Give it to me one time-now
War has shattered
Many young men’s dreams
We’ve got no place for it today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord, there’s just got to be a better way
It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War
War
War-good God, now
Now
Give it to me one time now
Now now
What is it good for?War (Temptations) https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/temptations/war.html
“War”
Until the philosophy which hold one race
Superior and another inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned
Everywhere is war
Me say warThat until there are no longer
First-class and second-class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man’s skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
Me say warThat until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all
Without regard to race
Dis a warThat until that day
The dream of lasting peace
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued
But never attained
Now everywhere is war
WarAnd until the ignoble and unhappy regime
That hold our brothers in Angola
In Mozambique
South Africa
Sub-human bondage
Have been toppled
Utterly destroyed
Well, everywhere is war
Me say warWar in the east
War in the west
War up north
War down southWar, war
Rumors of war
And until that day
The African continent
Will not know peace
We Africans will fight, we find it necessary
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory
Of good over evilGood over evil, yeah!
Good over evil
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil
Good over evil, yeah!War, Bob Marley, https://www.azlyrics.com/b/bobmarley.html
Stories of young Quaker men facing war and conscription collected by Don Laughlin
https://polycrisiscenter.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/young-quaker-men-face-war-and-conscription.pdf