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About The North Coast times-eagle. (Wheeler, Oregon) 1971-2007 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1989)
VOL10NO7 5 0 CENTS a dark time the eye begins to see. - Th&Khrt Rjethkf JUNE1989 BOB GALE A BRIEF RESPITE FROM WAR " A t l e n g t h w e a r e in p e a c e . G o d b e p r a i s e d a n d l o n g , v e r y lo n g m a y i t c o n t i n u e . A ll w a r s a r e f o llie s , v e ry e x p e n s iv e a n d m is c h e v io u s o n e s .W h e n w i l l m a n k i n d b e c o n v i n c e d o f t h i s , a n d a g r e e to s e t t l e t h e r e d i f f e r e n c e s b y a r b i tra tio n ? " — B e n j a m i n F r a n k l i n (1 7 8 3 ) T he w o rld fo r a r a r e m o m e n t is p r e c a r io u s ly c l o s e to p e a c e , a n u n u s u a l s u s p e n s i o n o f s l a u g h t e r w h ic h is th e r e s u l t of a few w a r s th a t r a n o u t o f g a s a t th e s a m e tim e . I r a n a n d I r a q h a v e s t o p p e d f ig h t in g ( f r o m s h e e r e x h a u s t i o n , o n e w o u ld a s s u m e , a f t e r m o r e t h a n a m i l l i o n d e a t h s ), t h e S o v i e t U n io n h a s m a r c h e d o u t o f A f g h a n i s t a n , t h e C u b a n s a n d S o u th A f r i c a n s a g r e e d to s i m u l - t a n e o u s l y e v a c u a t e A n g o la , a c e a s e f i r e h a s b e e n a r r a n g e d f o r C a m b o d i a ( th e t e r m s o f w h ic h m i g h t h o w e v e r r e t u r n th e h o r r o r o f th e K h m e r R o u g e to p o w e r ), N i c a r a g u a h a s a c c e p te d te r m s of a fiv e -n a tio n C e n tra l A m e ric a n p e a c e t r e a t y ( w h ic h g i v e s U .S . s u p p o r t e d C o n t r a s l i t t l e p r e t e x t f o r t e r r o r r a i d s on p e a s a n t v illa g e s ) , a n d a few s m a l l e r o r l e s s n o tic e d c o m b a ts a r e ta k in g a r e c e s s . W a itin g f o r t h e n e x t s h o t c a n a f f e c t th e n e r v e s . H u m a n a n tip a th y d o e s n o t go a w ay e a s i l y o r f o r v e r y lo n g . O ld h a t r e d s s c a b o v e r o n ly b r i e f l y a n d s o o n r e e r u p t . B e i r u t i s s h e l l e d h e a v i l y a l m o s t e v e r y d a y , S o u th A f r i c a n a n d S w a p o g u e r r i l l a s h u n t e a c h o t h e r in N a m i b i a in v io la tio n of a j u s t - s i g n e d t r u c e , I s r a e l i s o l d i e r s a n d P a l e s t i n e y o u th f ig h t b i t t e r b a t t l e s o v e r a n c e s t r a l c l a i m s , s o l d i e r s a n d p o l ic e c o n t i n u e to c l u b a n d s h o o t in to c r o w d s a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d , d r u g k i l l i n g s in th e U n ite d S t a t e s r e s e m b le w a r s ta tis tic s (m o re A m e ric a n s h a v e b e e n k i l l e d by g u n s in th e p a s t tw o y e a r s t h a n d u r i n g s i x t e e n y e a r s ^ o f w a r in V ie t N a m ) . S o m e o n e s o m e w h e r e c o v e ts s o m e th in g p o s s e s s e d b y a n e i g h b o r ( la n d , w e a l t h , p o w e r ) ; a n in s u r g e n c y p la n s a n a s s a u l t o r a n a m b u s h . L a t e s p r i n g o r e a r l y s u m m e r w h e n th e g r o u n d i s d r y a n d h a r d is t r a d i t i o n a l l y th e s e a s o n w hen w in te r - r e s tle s s a r m ie s c la s h . It i s a l m o s t a c o n t r a d i c t i o n : w h e n l i f e is r e n e w e d a r m i e s s h a r p e n t h e i r s p e a r s , lo a d th e ir cannon — but p e rh a p s m en m ake w ar b e c a u s e t h e y a r e u n a b le to g iv e b i r t h ; th e c o n t i n u i n g w i n t e r o f t h e i r d i s c o n t e n t . W i n t e r 's s o l d i e r s . " T h e r e is no g o o d w a r a n d no b ad p e a c e ," B en F r a n k lin s a id . B ut p e a c e h a s a ls o b e e n d e fin e d a s a p e r io d b e tw e e n w a r s , a tim e to b u r y th e d e a d , l i c k w o u n d s , p r o d u c e n e w w eapons and r e c r u it m o re h u m an fo d d er. A s w ith m o s t o t h e r e f f e c t s o f i n s a t i a b l e te c h n o lo g y w a r f a r e h a s a d v a n c e d f a r b e y o n d B I L L M A U L D IN n a t u r e 's s t r i c t u r e s o f w e a t h e r o r g e o g r a p h y . T h e w o r l d 's m i l i t a r i e s , e v e n t h e p o o r e s t f r o m t h e m o s t o b s c u r e n a t i o n , a r e a b l e to m a k e w a r a n y tim e a n y p la c e . S ta te o f th e a r t w e a p o n s f lo a t a ro u n d th e w o rld , s o ld b y a r m s m e r c h a n ts t o a n y o n e w ith m o n e y , c r e d i t o r g o o d p r o s p e c t s . E v e n d r u g g a n g s in A m e r i c a n g h e t t o s a r e a r m e d w ith h ig h s t a t u s a u t o m a t i c w e a p o n s , a s a r e s o c io p a th s w ho s p r a y s c h o o l p la y g ro u n d s w ith jo u lle ts . T he in d u s t r ia l n a tio n s a r e a r m s b a z a a r s , p ro d u c in g a n d m a r k e tin g e x o tic w e a p o ns an d h ig h -te c h w e a p o n s s y s te m s , v ic a rio u s ly e n r a p t u r e d b y th e i n c r e a s e d c a r n a g e r o c k e t s an d je t fig h te r- b o m b e r s m ak e of tr ib a l- le v e l s q u a b b l e s . P e r h a p s a b s t r a c t e n g a g e m e n t in w a rs fo u g h t by o th e r s , m a d e p o s s ib le by o u t l a n d i s h w e a p o n s d e s i g n e d s o m e w h a t in th e m a n n e r of v id e o g a m e s is e v id e n c e of a p o s t m o d e rn s e n s ib ility of im a g e o v e r p a rtic ip a tio n . T h i s d e f a c t o d e c a d e n c e m i g h t b e r e l a t e d to th e h a l l u c i n a t o r y d r e a d o f n u c l e a r o b l i t e r a t i o n , w h ic h i s a l m o s t t o o l a r g e a h o r r o r to b e a r . It s e e m s i n c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t h u m a n i t y h a s m a d e i t s e l f c a p a b l e o f i t s ow n e x t i n c t i o n , th a t by o u r ow n w ill we c a n d is a p p e a r f ro m h is to r y a s a b s o lu te ly a s d in o s a u r s an d dodo b i r d s . M o s t p e o p le r e f u s e t o t h in k w e c o u ld be so fo o lis h , y e t th e y s u s p e c t o u r l e a d e r s h a v e fe w q u a l m s o r s u f f i c i e n t f e a r . In s u c h a w o r l d r e a l i t y h u r t s . W e t u r n a w a y a s w e w o u ld f r o m a g l a r e o f s u n l i g h t . W e s u b m e r g e i n to b a n a l i t y to m u te o u r a n x i e t i e s . G e n e s is m ig h t b e a w a r n in g : I n s te a d of a m y th o f i n s t a n t b i r t h i t i s a p r o p h e c y o f s u d d e n m e g a d e a t h . P e r h a p s w e a r e s t i l l in th e G a r d e n , it b e in g a m e t a p h o r f o r l i f e . E v i l m ig h t n o t be s e x a f t e r a l l ( o r k n o w l e d g e ) b u t h u m a n i t y 's c a r e le s s b r u ta lity th a t le a d s i r r e s i s t i b l y t o w a r d p l u c k i n g th e r i p e f r u i t o f s p e c i c i d e . T h is p a s t M e m o r i a l D a y — a t h r e e - d a y h o l i d a y p u r c h a s e d b y b lo o d , o r m o r e a p t l y a n im a g e o f s a c r i f i c e — i n s te a d of th e u s u a l h o n o r s a s h e r o s w e s h o u ld h a v e p i t i e d th e h a ll o w e d d e a d a s f o o ls o r c u r s e d t h e m f o r b e in g s o l d i e r s . It is a l m o s t to o s i m p l e , b u t w i t h o u t s o l d i e r s t h e r e w o u ld b e n o w a r s . W ith o u t s o l d i e r s C a s a e r w o u ld b e a s c h e m i n g m i n o r p o l i t i c i a n , C O N T IN U E D O N P A G E F O U R T E E N