conscience – David Vaszko's Blog

At this special time of the year when we’ve taken a truce from fighting out of respect for our various religions, I would like to talk with you about peace. It is something we long for. But human frailty being what it is, the world always seems to be at war.

Wars are not always just or sensible. We Americans have certainly waged war for the wrong reasons, and should have helped rebellions against regimes we claimed to have been a threat to us, the world or a region.

While we wish for peace, we must face the fact that as long as there are people and large populations, war is going to be a reality. We can only hope that a war is not fought here, and that America from now on only fights a just war.

We must maintain a strong defense. This does not mean that we should continue to spend as much on the military as we do.

I am trying to persuade Congress to reduce the military budget by half. With our money, our scientific and technological knowledge and our business skill we can rise to the occasion if we need to.

By reducing our military spending we will tell the world that we are not as agressive as we used to be. We will also tell the world that the United States cannot protect every nation, that they must build up as we are backing down.

When we back down we will not be cowards but realists. We will be acknowledging that we should not be lusting for war and instilling fear and suspicion in our citizens like we have been.

Peace though, is something we can only hope for. We must be ready to fight as military personnel, but also as citizens. We have to have the skill and confidence to kill if we have to, but this skill and confidence will be tempered by good will, self-restraint and constant self-examination which as you well know, have not been American characteristics for some time.

We can learn from the Indians we conquered. Though they were violent they had sane and peaceful societies. They could be officers and they could be gentlemen. There is an inner peace in being able to do both.

We have no such balance. Those who are violent are not interested in inner peace. Those who seek inner peace are offended by the thought of beating up somebody who assaults them.

Many people have contacted me. They have begged for a department of peace, saying a department of peace will show America’s good will and set a good example for children.

Such a belief is dangerous and naive. It is dangerous because the argument assumes children have no awareness of good and evil, that somehow evil is put in the minds of children. But good can only exist if evil exists or an awareness of the potential for evil exists.

If we develop a department of peace it will be taken over by people who do not allow boys to swear, fist fight or play football.Our society will become even more insane than it is now.

All the people who want to protect us from violence will be creating a nation of psychopaths. The nation of psychopaths will need to be policed by a greater number of officers with greater power to impose themselves on people. This will add another layer of restraint to an already insane society and remove us further from peace.

The argument for a department of peace is also naive. Allow me to explain.

In the middle of the last century America had a Department of War. Following our victories against tyranny the nation realized it had immense power. We lusted for more control of the world. The war department changed its name to the Department of Defense.

Along with the name change came an increase in fear that the federal government and the media instilled in people. By talking fearfully and talking about defense while we really were on offense, the name defense department did not ring any alarms to the public.

For fifty years we have been making war and instilling fear without calling the war department a Department of War. At the beginning of this century the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself to those who love to talk fearfully about defense.

A new department was created. The Department of Homeland Security. Can you imagine the secrecy and ineptitude a Department of Peace will exemplify?

One of the most important things to do to pursue peace is to use accurate language. I have proposed to Congress to rename the defense department to the Department of War. That way we will be honest with ourselves. Whether a war is offensive or defensive it will not have a euphemistic name.

People who call themselves peace activists hardly exemplify the diplomacy and good will implied by peace. What so called peace activists must do is to change their name to anti-war activists. They should not mention peace until they attempt to make peace with themselves and their opponents.

So in closing, the nation has great work to do. The American government must stop imposing itself upon the world.

The American public must stop being selfish and greedy. Until then, our prayers to the Prince of Peace will remain unanswered.

As we in Washington observe the Labor Day holiday, I cannot emphasize enough the contributions labor has made to the well-being of our nation. It is labor that pushed for a forty hour work week, time and a half for overtime and holiday pay.

It is labor that increased the standard of living for such a large percentage of Americans. It was members of labor unions who got killed, beaten and were not allowed to work so that business would share its profits and future workers would have a comfortable income.

These are turbulent times in America. But the turbulence is comfortable. Even without health insurance, Americans live well. Most people have plenty of food. Most people spend a lot of money on goods that are not necessary.

During the rise of organized labor in America, life was not comfortable. There was seldom plenty. There were no credit cards. If people wanted to buy something they had to pay cash. That means they had to save.

Saving was not only essential to a household. It was considered a religious obligation as taught in the Old Testament.

As those working people scrimped, struggled, hoped, feared, dreamed and planned they were angry that their employer made so much money, but paid poorly. The workers noticed that their employers were proponents of religion, but did not exemplify the generosity of the founder of their religion.

It wasn’t just toughness that allowed these labor leaders and their followers to organize, risk and strike. They were savers. They, if they could, had money in the bank so they could strike. If they all saved they could help each other. It was not only an obligation to save, but a religious duty to help each other, even if you get killed.

These workers followed their religion by sticking up for what’s right and by opposing greed. This religious sense of justice is gone from America. There is a sense of justice within various churches, but the American people do not have this sense of justice, this sense that their religion and the courage of its founders be taken into the workplace.

Why is this? One reason is because people generally, do not save. By refusing to save people are putting their desires before their future needs.

This means that they take themselves too seriously. It means that the bond they have with each other is one that emphasizes getting.

Getting is an unhealthy competition. It creates envy and resentment. People do not look upon each other as friends or neighbors, someone to ally oneself with, fight for justice with, get beat up for with.

If Americans expect to share in the increasing profits of America’s business, they will have to struggle for it. Americans must face the fact wealthy people are happier to the extent working people are poorer.

The nation needs to realize that all the comforts we have would have been created with or without labor unions, but that the sharing of these comforts to such a large extent is a result of the sacrifices of the people working between 1870 and 1930, not a result of generosity on the part of business.

There is an advantage business has today it did not have 100 years ago. People spend foolishly. This foolish spending combined with decreasing compensation has business sitting pretty.

Business knows Americans are selfish. Business knows that Americans only sacrifice to obtain a job that allows them to squander a lot of money every weekend.

Business knows Americans do not like or trust one another. Business knows Americans will jump up and down about a war, but are afraid to risk themselves for their family or each other. Business knows Americans today are soft and afraid and have only superficial religious beliefs.

My countrymen, America’s businesses are not being fair to you. 2/3 of our economy is what working people spend.

Your employers do not return 2/3 of their profits to you either through cash, improved health plans or safer and more relaxing work places. This should drive you absolutely wild. But it doesn’t.

Tomorrow I will meet with business leaders of our nation. They will frown at me for what I said today.

I will laugh. I will tell them that they have nothing to worry about.

I sincerely hope you, my fellow Americans, prove me wrong.

Tag: conscience

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