Defending the People Who are Supposed to Be Our Enemies

I had a call early this morning from PressTV in Iran asking for me to comment on the latest ISIS news from Iraq.  The story is more mayhem there and Obama, right after the recent election, saying he is going to send another 1,500 GI's to Iraq - essentially doubling the US troop levels.  I made my customary comments which included: ISIS is a CIA/Saudi creation; more war brings greater profits for the war corporations; and this allows for the continued surrounding and destabilizing of Iran.  After I was done I spoke to the PressTV worker who has been calling me for the past year or so and is always so kind.  I apologized for being so negative but told her it is really difficult to say much else as things from this end are increasingly gloomy.

She told me that the people in her country would never surrender to the US even though they have adopted many of the ways of the west.  I felt so bad that she would even have to consider that the US would attack Iran.  I told her about my old friend in Florida Saviz Shafaie who was from Iran.  He was a wonderful peace activist who loved to dance and make food for our local peace community in Orlando.  I worked with Saviz for about 20 years (he has since passed away) but he taught me to love the Iranian people and their culture.  As I told her about Saviz I began to get very emotional.  It was a really wonderful connection.

Some in America would call me a traitor or some other nonsense like that because I defend the people of Iran or Russia or China from our ever expanding mega-military war machine.  Back in the 1980's, while living in Orlando, a man once accused me of being on the payroll of the Soviet Union as I held a peace sign on April 15 (Tax Day) in front of the post office.  I was reminding the public how much of our money then went to the Pentagon.  I told the man, "Yeah that damn Gorbachev, he's late again with my check."  I'm not sure he got the joke.

It doesn't matter what country we are from - the global corporate mobsters want to enslave all of us to their benefit. 

I think because when I was young living in Germany and England I learned early on that people everywhere are essentially the same.  People love their children, they love to eat, they love music, they love to laugh.  I don't buy the nation-state BS that we are fed nor did I ever fall for the line that the US is the greatest country in the world.  We are not.  Not even close.

I taped the latest edition of my public access TV show today and had Maine filmmaker Regis Tremblay (The Ghosts of Jeju) on the show.  We reviewed the recent elections and analyzed what is likely to come next from Obama and the Congress.  We talked about neo-feudalism... this time you get a credit card and color TV.  In the end Regis called for revolution and the overthrow of our corrupt and immoral capitalist government - controlled by a corporate oligarchy. 

I'm often asked what gives me hope in the face of all the evil and insanity that exists today.  My answer is simple - it is the good people all over the world who are working so hard for peace, justice, and our Mother Earth that keep me going.  Each of you are the reason I am able to keep doing what I do each day.  Knowing that you love your country, love your people, and love your land gives me the strength to dive in one more time.