Working Class Hero

I have experienced the whole Iraq war fiasco through the eyes of the American media of which I played a small part. I produced discussion shows, some of them live, for a PBS station in Denver. I invited war dissenters, sat them next to war supporters, and let them all openly and honestly discuss the issue. The public could also call in live and join in the debate. Unfortunately not many people saw these shows, and this kind of open debate was rarely found in the mainstream media which most people were tuned in to.
In the wake of the 9/11 enforced patriotism and hysteria we were supposed to unquestioningly accept that our so-called leaders 'knew best' and to criticize or probe their decisions was deemed unpatriotic. We were encouraged to fear 'the terrorists' who could attack the homeland any minute. Those who openly opposed the war as it progressed were accused of the ludicrous crime of 'not supporting the troops' - apparently the gravest of all sins. This charge has rendered speechless those who should speak out and are in a position to stop this carnage, but many of the powerful have remained silent out of fear.
Isn't it the responsibility of individuals living in a democracy to question their government? If citizens' voices are silenced through some kind of insidious threats, does this not put us in the dictatorship category? And regarding supporting the troops - in what way exactly? How does a pacifist or compassionate human being (or Christian!) support troops that have been trained to kill other human beings? Sorry to be so blunt, but soldiers are trained to use weapons that kill, what else do people think guns, hand grenades and machine guns are made for? Does the ordinary citizen believe that killing others, possibly mothers with their babies, is heroic?
The only way I can think of to support any troops is to bring them home, disband the military, and have them live in peace and harmony doing other jobs. Sounds naïve, impossible, idyllic, maybe yes, but I'm a pacifist, and I value every human life, what else can I say or suggest?
The right wing media, which pretty much dominates the airwaves have been waving the flag and spinning the story since the beginning of the Iraq war.
Any real journalist would have asked the tough questions and demanded the truth be told or leave their jobs in disgust. How could they just sit there and spew this propaganda night after night knowing half of it at least is political spin and the other half outright lies. We need only remember the WMD fairy tale. This monstrous lie that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands should have caused uproar; but it was quickly buried and people continue to associate 9/11 with Saddam Hussein, just because they heard it on the news so often and they refuse to see the truth. The Saddam Hussein version is much more convenient for them and eases their conscience.
Nobody was held to task and jobs were not lost. Where does the buck stop?
While Bush hides behind his 'threat of terrorists' rhetoric, children were and probably still are suffering and dying.
The news here constantly laments over American military deaths which number in the 3,000's - which is awful of course, and a great loss, a terrible tragedy for each family involved. But what about the tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of Iraqis that have perished, those who had no choice - that were just caught in the crossfire or happened to be in the wrong place (like in their homes!) when bombs were dropped?
Soldiers have signed up for their positions, they were not drafted, they knew what they were getting into, and were trained for war and combat. Citizens in Iraq, especially children, were of course not trained in killing or avoiding being killed like the U.S. or British military. Yet we hardly ever hear about them in the news - the true and silent victims of this war. Journalists do not interview the families of the Iraqi casualties, nor lament on the huge number of deaths over there. They are the 'non-people', not worthy of our news minutes or our pity or compassion.
Shame on you America and Britain for the horror you have caused.
And shame on all of us for allowing it to happen. We could have stopped this from ever getting started - all we had to do was stay home, refuse to work, refuse to pay our taxes. The system would have collapsed within months. This is the extent of our collective power but we are so caught up in our own little lives, petty problems, and so consumed by fear that we'd rather see thousands of people in a far away country get slaughtered and massacred than stand up and be brave. And why did they all die? Was it in the name of Freedom? Whose freedom? Whose way of life are we protecting here - the rich and the powerful few of course, as usual. Our individual freedoms in the U.S. and especially Britain are slowly being diminished, with cameras watching our every move, credit cards with microchips, telephone conversations being recorded, and the books we buy monitored. Even some of the amendments to the U.S. Constitution have been compromised and what has been the reaction? Nothing! Most people are too worried about paying the bills, watching the latest episode of big Brother, or American Idol, and talking about Paris Hilton or other vapid, vacuous idiots in the media. Our freedom is being eroded by our own governments and not so-called terrorists, and the sooner people wake the hell up to this fact, the sooner we can overcome or challenge it.
Until then we are slaves.
Remember the words of John Lennon in the song 'Working Class Hero',
"They keep you doped on religion, and sex and TV,
And you think you're so clever, and classless and free,
But you're still f*#*ing peasants as far as I can see."
Rings a bell doesn't it!
And then there are also these lines from 'Imagine':
"Imagine there's no country, it isn't hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace..."
You're not the only dreamer John Lennon it's just that right now we dreamers don't have much of a public platform. But we could all, very easily, get off our butts and be a Working Class Hero. Who's game?
Power to the People!