Uncle Ed: Destruction
Letter From the North
(My Uncle Ed, who lives in the far north of Minnesota is always annoyed by people’s lack of common sense. These are his most recent thoughts about destruction on this planet.)
Oh, come on, folks—we all understand destruction. Most of us have likely experienced it in some form, perhaps through war or natural disasters. We understand the deep human pain and loss that accompany such events.
Our hearts go out to those affected by natural disasters, even when such events—like the wildfires in California—are partly caused by our appetites for fossil fuels. These disasters, undoubtedly exacerbated by global warming, reflect our failure to act, apparently lacking the political will, or perhaps the fact that most of us have no real access to the decision-making processes. Somehow, in our deep attachment to capitalism, the loss of property is often seen as nearly as tragic as the loss of life.
If we can move beyond our nationalist myopia, we might keep in mind the totally preventable and totally man-made destruction inflicted upon the people of Gaza. In terms of human destruction there is no comparison. In Gaza we have the wanton destruction of an entire civilian population by a superior power-totally under human control. Although Israel, as an occupier should be bound by moral obligations, Israel now seems intent on completing the Nakba begun in 1948 by expelling or killing all the Palestinians that remain in what used to be Palestine to claim that land for the Jewish state of Israel. This represents the systematic destruction of a people, the Palestinians—their institutions, their means of survival—in what we are forbidden to label as genocide.
We are not supposed to recognize the actions of Israel’s current leadership as a continuation of the ethnic cleansing which was at the heart of Israel’s Zionist goals of 1948. Yet, we are expected to support, with our tax dollars, the funding of this endeavor, supplying weapons in a proxy war against the Palestinians and those who might support the Palestinian cause. We are to stand by while our leadership uses the prestige of our international standing to prevent any interference with Netanyahu’s aggressive goals in the Middle East. All of this apparently in the name of empire to project our control over the Middle East and its oil. This pursuit not only perpetuates human suffering but also accelerates global warming and environmental destruction.
It boggles the mind that not only do we prioritize fossil fuels over human survival and profits over people, but we also choose to expand our global empire at the expense of human life. This destruction is as much about eroding the human spirit and soul as it is about physical devastation.
The destruction of so much property with the loss of life in California is sad, but, that it has been accelerated by our refusal to deal with climate change is unforgivable. However, the incredible loss of life and the destruction of an entire culture that we are encouraging with our funding in the Middle East is even more unforgivable. Property is relatively unimportant next to human life but the pursuit of profits and power at the expense of innocent civilians is unconscionable.
Oh, come on, folks—let’s put an end to this destruction and begin to restore our shared humanity before it’s too late.
Uncle Ed
We can hope that Uncled Ed's view of the world will become widely shared from coast to coast and abroad. This is not the "America" that emerged from the end of WWII.
We need an updated version of "the Greatest Generation" - an even better-educated generation - with American values (e.g., integrity and fair play) intact!