War

A.I. War

American-Israeli?

America-Iran?

The Iran War

is for…..?

Nuclear

disarmament

and an intent

to change

the regime?

It may seem

a semantic

matter

what to call

all

this,

or is this

history

soon 

to be re-

defined?

Never mind

the stupidity

of no exit

strategy

from the 

unforeseen

tragedy

that always

unfolds

when

a no holds

barred 

approach

with constant 

reproach

is  the

brand of

diplomacy.

Over a

century,

there was

The Great

War,

then renamed

more

appropriately,

World War

One,

which the allies

against

Germany

eventually

won.

Or did we?

The second

World War

brought

the nuclear

age

after we

decimated

Hiroshima

and Nagaski.

Emboldened

and beholden

to the cause

of democracy

we deployed

troops

south

of the DMZ.

Then we chose

to bomb

Viet Nam

so that we

could be

free,

in case

you could 

see red

from

your bed

at home

instead

of in

the jungles.

All the bungles

of that war

and explanations

at the time

undermined

what Americans

saw.

International

law 

prohibited

the bombing

of Cambodia,

but for 

a paranoid

crook

who took

the oath,

Nixon

put the fix in,

but then

the truly

great Americans

forced 

his resignation

over the Watergate

investigation.

At home

and abroad

fraud

counts,

and when it

mounts,

citizens rebel.

The story

we tell

ourselves

about war

is for 

being

a good guy.

The 9/11

attacks on us

gave us 

a reasonable

mission:

defeat 

the seat

of the terrorist

threat

in Afganistan.

But soon

we 

got sidetracked

to Iraq

using artificial

intelligence.

A mushroom cloud

image

was the official

message

to rally

support

for invasion.

Iraqis would

welcome us,

we were told;

a slam dunk!

We were drunk

with fear

and Sadam

was an easier

target

than Osama.

And then

the Ayatollah,

because,

you know,

he’s evil.

It’s hard

to argue

with what

you know

is true,

but who

knows the 

rest?

We don’t.

And I’m

not sure

our Department

of War

or

Commander

in Chief,

who still

refuses

to brief

Americans

beyond

social media

posts,

knows

what to do

really.

Ideally,

a coalition 

of allies

tries

diplomacy,

but see,

he

alone,

can fix

it.

No congressional

approval,

ladies and gents,

just artificial

intelligence

at war

with who

we need

to be.

Is It Just War?

During Obama’s

presidency

Navy Seals found

Osama’s

residency

and eliminated

the threat.

Met 

with praise

and celebration,

we considered

Al Quaeda’s

decapitation

a major victory.

But our history

with Iran,

especially since

the Shah

was gone

(and given

safe haven

here),

has been 

of humiliation

with 

the hostage

situation

that commenced

with the repressive

revolution,

that sought

the dissolution

of freedom

and western

constitution,

now decades

of our 

seeking

a solution

to their

nuclear

threat

and oppression.

In addition,

more than one

proxy militia,

including

the Houthis

and Hezbollah,

directed by

the Ayatollah,

have menaced

the middle

east

and beyond

for decades.

Recently,

the potential

nuclear threat

was met

with surgical 

strikes,

diminishing their

capability.

But suddenly,

that threat

was imminent

if you listen to

our current President.

So in coordination

with Israel,

we attacked

Iran

at its most

central

and

therefore

consequential

spot,

and killed

the Ayatollah.

Who knows

what follows?

And that’s 

the part

that should be

the start

of any

discussion

of war.

Is it just

an exercise

to exorcise

a demon?

Without advice

or consent

from Congress,

we could be 

in a considerable

mess

again.

No question,

when

we get

the bad guys—

Osama,

Sadam,

Qaddafi,

Khamenei-

it’s easy

to rejoice.

But the choice

for 

war

is always

more

than 

assassination.

By definition,

war is hell,

and yet 

we tell

ourselves

it’s glory.

It’s gory,

and a country’s

past

is not erased.

We have faced

this dilemma

many times,

yet despite

history’s 

rhymes

and war crimes,

we haven’t

grappled 

much with

nuance.

Is it a 

just

war?

Or 

is it just

regime change

in exchange

for more

of the same,

while Trump

gets his name

attached

to a win?

I’m feeling 

queasy

that this won’t

be easy,

and really,

it might

not

be.

We should

discuss

and debate

the fate

of each 

nation-state

with great

consideration.

That was

the idea

in our constitution,

because

a single

individual

should not

be responsible

for putting

our service members’

lives 

or ours

in danger.

Clearly Marked Vehicles

Oops.

Sorry.

My bad.

Mea culpa.

Shit happens.

Collateral damage.

War is hell.

Casualties 

of war.

Fog

of war.

Misidentified

target.

A grave mistake.

A very complex 

condition.

It shouldn’t

have happened.

Starving

for power.

Starving 

for peace.

Starving

for supper.

Starving

to death

without

aid.

First, 

protect

the starving

victims

and the ones

who feed

them.

Now the world

is starving

for peace

and freedom.

And the 

basics.

For some

reason,

it’s too

difficult

to see 

clearly

marked

vehicles.

Minimum Wage

At a minimum,

political

campaigns

are attempts

to influence

decision making

without violence.

We wage wars

on everything.

We conjure

the valor

of fighting

as a warrior

for the right

to champion

Cancer

Christmas

Guns

Personal Autonomy

Fetal Rights

Racial Equality

Gender Equality

Marriage Equality

Group Identity

Gender Identity

Social Justice

Climate Justice

….

You name it,

war is waged

on it. 

Until now,

those wars

have been

metaphors

for concerted

efforts 

to support 

a cause

or suppress

what is 

deemed

an invader

or enemy.

But even after

electoral decisions,

ill health remissions,

and holiday contritions,

divisions

remain,

and positions

harden.

At a minimum,

we wage

a perpetual

cold war

on  several fronts

at once.

Who are

the ones

waging peace?

Too idealistic?

They do not

need

to search 

for the way

to peace,

for they know

that peace 

is the way.

Too unrealistic?

It seems

that waging

war,

at a minimum,

does not

cause peace.

What happens

the day after

the cease fire?