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Point Of View! with Barb Sumner Burstyn
Friends and Acquaintances and Borders Defined - March
2003
After taking time out to finish her first novel, Bathing Naked,
Barbara Sumner Burstyn couldn't resist returning to print to reply
to this letter from an LA based American acquaintance.
Quote to consider: "Naturally the common
people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country
who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag
people along whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship,
or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice,
the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
This is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being
attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
Hermann Goering, Hitler's Reich-Marshall at the Nuremberg Trials
after WWII.
E-mail To Barb: Hi Barbara,
With regard to the Goering quote you emailed me (see above)
while I'm with you in spirit, I'm for blowing Sadam off the face
of the earth. I hate the motherfucker. All you had to see were those
babies gassed in the streets. Enjoy sitting on the fence or reliving
the Age of Aquarius, whatever. But you too will have to pick a side
sooner or later. Me, I'm with the Jews, the Americans, and the Brits.
The Brits! Me with the Brits? Yikes! TW.
Barb Responds: Dear TW, I think it's the vast amounts of
fluoride you guys consume; in your water, in your processed food,
even in your 'fresh' vegetables - it's numbed your brains, saturating
the collective cognitive abilities of otherwise intelligent Americans
in a Prozac-like haze - where your free-will is no more, where you
believe in the religion of gross generalizations, where questioning
is considered unpatriotic (and god forbid criticizing) where you
can say you 'hate' someone - an entire race without looking at yourself,
at your own countries crimes against humanity, where being a 'stupid
white man' is applauded.
And where the twisting of language is never questioned. This
is the key issue really - the use of manipulated language to manipulate.
It started small with things like Starbucks calling a small coffee
a 'grande' and it taken you all the way to a weapon of mass destruction
called a Patriot - which sounds all very patriotic until you look
at as Bertrand Russel did when he said 'patriotism is the willingness
to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.' - and on to such things
as an almost impermeable border control labeled 'Operation Liberty
Shield.'
'Liberty' - I'm sure the word resonates with you as it does
with most Americans. It's a big part of the American psyche but
indulge me for a moment and try thinking of liberty as Benjamin
Franklin did when he said: 'They that can give up essential liberty
to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety.'
Just look into the eyes of your leader, the eyes of the worlds
biggest word twister - ever notice how dead they are. And remind
me - just how did that plane over Pennsylvania fall out of the
sky? And why didn't they tell you the truth about that and I'm
picking the chemical weapons that are sure to come - will be released
sooner than later - while all the world is watching (live from
the glitzy showbiz set in Qatar created by Hollywood set designer
George Allison) and the front guard are all suited up (hey no
causalities) but where, in fact, will the chemical weapons be
coming from - perhaps from the same people who lit ALL the oil
well fires last time round i.e. not the owners of those wells.
'Oh the lies, the lies,' as Mr Smith in Lost in Space used to
say.
And T, you think you're with the Jews - think again - this war
will inflame that ancient conflict beyond anything we've ever
seen. You think the Jews are so cozy with the 'non-Semite' - just
turn your back for a while and they'll have that finely media-tuned
hatred of yours focused our way - betcha!
What kind of intellectual fox hole are you hiding in T? Do you
really believe (in your heart) that being for this war is being
for the human rights of the people of Iraq?, that your country
is at war with Iraq because of gassed babies or any of Sadam's
other atrocities against his own people?
The truth is T being for this war is actually being for environment
destroying SUV's, being for this war is being for the environmental
atrocities now being committed in your name in the Gulf, it's
being for controlling the food chain with internal subsidies and
external tariffs, it's for giving aid with one hand while tying
the receivers in self perpetuating helpless knots with the other
(mind you the UN isn't without fault here). But mostly being for
this war is being for PAX Americana or as the Project for the
New American Century' said in September 2000: being for this war
is believing the state of the world demands "American political
leadership rather than that of the United Nations,"
But perhaps there is good in all this - perhaps - just for a
season or two your young people, students, those not already totally
consumed by consumerism may start talking about more than their
Nike's and cell phones. Ours certainly are. It's a small hope.
So you see T I'm not sitting on the fence and I'm most certainly
not with you in spirit. But it does seem strange that in your
rejection of Goering's quote you consider yourself to be with
me in spirit while clearly sitting on the opposite side of my
fence - or am I twisting the language too much for you?
Oh and those little kids gassed in the streets that has so upset
you - sadly you'll be seeing a lot more them - courtesy of your
support - not to mention the birth defects for decades to come
- but then maybe you could sponsor one through World Vision -
that should ease your pain.
By the way Hitler wasn't planning to fluoridate the worlds water
to make stronger teeth. But you won't find information on that
subject pre-packaged for your viewing pleasure on CNN - you might
have to investigate that for yourself.
Best, Barb.
Have your say on this column:
Barb Sumner Burstyn.
© Barbara Sumner Burstyn
March 2003.
P.O.V. with
Barbara Sumner Burstyn @
http://www.spectator.co.nz/POV
and now @ http://www.mensnewsdaily.com
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