the propeace community - The Enemy Within: The NeoCon Hijacking of America - Comments

is Wolfowicz the Buddha?

stereoman — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 23:10:47 -0500

hi jason,

thanks for letting me know about your new website. very very cool coz. i've been very aware of paul wolfowicz today,a s he has just been nominated to head up the world bank. it will be very interesting to see the reactions from the rest of the world, but my initial take on it was "dang, michael ruppert was right!"

it's a great relief to me that most of the people i am likely to encounter in my daily life are not much like paul wolfowicz. most of our fellow citizens really have no idea what the pnac says, wherever they may be on the political continuum. it's very hard for me to think of paul wolfowicz as the buddha, perhaps in part because i know he spits on his comb, but more than that because of the way his pronounced ideology seems to spit on the rest of humanity. if i assume that one of my friends or associates shares paul wolfowicz's philosophy, it may become equally difficult to think of that person as the buddha, and that would prevent me from being at peace with them. i try to avoid the label.

analogies to pnac's policies can be found throughout recorded history, whenever one nation has established military hegemony over the world as it was known. so i think of it as "ancient" or perhaps "ingrained" rather than "backward". as the europeans progressed across the north american continent over centuries past, similarly analogous policies were developed, espoused, and canonized. in this sense, the "american way" is exactly what the neocons are promoting. "Our animal passions remain," says Valenzuela, "taking tens of thousands of years to evolve . . . "

those of us who promote peaceful resolution to conflict, a respect for human rights, human dignity, and the rule of benevolence and egalitarianism are also promoting the american way, our history is also rich with examples of such policies as these. we may rightly claim that peace is patriotic, but not to the exclusion of war. war is also patriotic. i am finding it possible to listen to what my more conservative neighbors and clients have to say and still think of them as the buddha rather than as right-wing reactionary war-mongers.

i still have trouble thinking of paul wolfowicz as the buddha, though. my good fortune is that i do not interact with him on even an occasional basis.

Steve

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What you do may not seem important . . . but it is important that you do it. (attributed to Mahatma Gandhi)

we're in this together

Jason White — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 12:05:42 -0500

This article is good insofar as it is a good analysis of the NeoCon ideology, actions and probable motives. My view is that information like this provides an invaluable tool to help us learn how to communicate with this group.

As backward as the "NeoCon" ideology seems to us, we must learn to communicate with them in a manner that does not create barriers and a defensive posture. If we do not ensure that lines of communication are open, then no matter how reasoned our position, no matter how much progress we visualize and work to put forth, their hearts and minds will remain closed to it.

I don't believe that the NeoCons want to destroy the "American Way". They simply have a different idea of it. To have big ideas and a big vision for our world is not our challenge, nor theirs. Our challenge is effective communication, inclusivity and enlightened debate. If we can take the high road, it will eventually follow that dawn will break on "dark night of the American soul". We must set the example.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi.

The Enemy Within: The NeoCon Hijacking of America

efields — Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:57:59 -0500

After reading the following link, Boston Globe story lines give me the sense of watching a glacier sliding into the sea. This article was written a year ago, and at the time most would have thought this guy is really out there. Not so today. I was struck with the suggestion that Iran and Syria may be targets in Bush's 2nd term. hmmm, sounds familiar. See The Enemy Within