Jagat 1 Report post Posted August 19, 2003 <h3>What I Want</h3> By Marc Ash (truthout.org) Tuesday 19 August 2003 I am often asked by readers, "Why are you doing this? What do you want?" It's a good question. My friend and colleague, William Rivers Pitt, recently called upon the words of John F. Kennedy, who said it far better than I could hope to. This is the quote that Will drew upon:<blockquote>"What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children - not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women - not merely peace in our time but peace for all time." -- President John F. Kennedy at American University 10 June 1963</blockquote>We are, as a nation, challenged as never before. We are squarely confronted by a Presidential administration that bears no resemblance to any of its predecessors. Do not be lured into that grey cavern of political analysis. Understand without doubt that to view those who now control our federal government in the same light as those who have gone before them is to invite total disaster. What do I want? I want a Presidential administration that is not above the law. Preemptive warfare is an advertising slogan designed to sell ruthless and brutal aggression, for profit, to an American public that would be asked to give up its prosperity, its civil liberties and the very lives of its children on a foreign battlefield. Such warfare is an outrage before the world. We have traded our reputation with other nations, built over more than two centuries, for the enrichment of arms dealers and gasoline merchants. What do I want? I want freedom to be more than a reason for killing; I want freedom to be a reason for being. Word now comes of 7,000 dead across Europe, killed not by terrorism, but by heat. For years, scientists have warned of global warming caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases caused by man-made chemical pollutants. One country generates more of these pollutants than any other: My country. No other nation even comes close. An international treaty to limit production of pollutants that contribute to the problem, the Kyoto Accord, stands ready to be ratified by a consensus of nations. One country stands in the way of international ratification and implementation: My country. What do I want? I want my neighbors to join with me in choosing leaders who will seek solutions that help Man, live on earth. Will we cease to have a government "Of the people, for the people and by the people?" Privatization of our government means the end of American democracy. You who remain silent now as the rights of all Americans are sold to the highest bidder, believing that your interests, your vision of America will be preserved as all others are forsaken, stand to reap the whirlwind. What do I want? America. ------- Marc Ash is the Executive Director of t r u t h o u t. He can be reached at: ma@mail.truthout.org ------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
