Hi Folks, 

War is the ultimate form of insanity.  Perhaps it is evidence of some kind of collective psychosis in humankind and a few other primates.  The time for war has long passed.  Our poor fragile planet is sustaining more than enough damage from our otherwise peaceable activities 

For this blog I will offer a few more thoughts about the tragic insanity of war.   There are  few points here, I will try to be brief. 

War has become a commercial enterprise.  The wealthy and powerful gain more wealth on the backs or the taxpayers of both sides and the bodies of soldiers and residents of the countries where they fight.  The oligarchs that profit are well insulated from the negative consequences of their actions. 

The mainstream media outlets are heavily financed by these oligarchs and accordingly spend much of their vast resources promoting and glorifying war. With modern technology the news outlets have made war a spectator sport.  The entertainment outlets spend a great deal of their resources on glorifying war, focusing their narrow lenses mostly on the excitement and heroism of battle. Precious little is spent on the heartbreaking outcomes for the common people. 

War wastes lives, resources and the environment.  When it was just primates (us included), attacking or being attacked by rival tribes the environment suffered much less grievous damage.  Our current state of art weaponry consumes vast quantities of resources and destroys great swaths of the environment.  Such waste is written off as “collateral damage” and the cost of doing business. 

I do not believe there is simple solution to this tragedy on the grand scale.  Probably the best solution is for individuals to wake up and take a leaf from the late Phil Ochs and say “I Ain’t Marching Anymore”. 

Thank you for listening. Please, please seek non-violent alternatives to killing our people and our planet.