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| MY STAND | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A RESPONSE TO THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Editorial Board's column, "Fly It Proudly" 3/22/03 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| By Robert Clapp | |||||||||||||||||||||
| The word 'symbol' is a slippery concept. Like all hierarchical abstractions, it's visceral at its best and pernicious at its worst. By "visceral" I refer to Webster's definition "dealing with crude or elemental emotions;" By "pernicious" I refer to Webster's definition "highly injurious" and "exceedingly harmful or deadly." | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Such connotative language is indispensable for fictional and poetic writing. However, when writing about reality - especially matters of life and death - one should use denotative language. Language that is grounded in concrete referents, not self-serving abstractions. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| The flags of nation-states (abstractions themselves) are just such self-serving abstractions. Behind all of them are the "elemental emotion" and pernicious acts: of collective force and violence - a brutal and bloody history of "exceedingly harmful and deadly" events. They symbolize the remnants of the unavoidable evolution of Homo sapiens' unique moment of consciousness of existence and mortality. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Even though, today, Homo sapiens' cerebral cortex, scientific knowledge and understanding of reality have rendered Tribalism and Mysticism (aka modern church and state) extinct, we still murder millions in their name. Behind all Statism and Theism stand their concrete referents - slavery, borders, genocide, and murder. There have been 300 million such murders through war in the 20th century alone. All in the name of some god; all wrapped in some flag! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Now that America has declared war on Iraq, most Americans and media are demanding that dissent and protest should cease and that all of us should support our military. Some, like bellicose Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, demands that it stop or all such dissidents should be arrested as traitors. In fact, one night behind some not so veiled language, he threatened protestors with violence. I wrote the Nazi coward a letter; a copy is enclosed. [It immediately follows this article.] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Now, after endless tries over many years, with little success, I shall again try to make something very clear. Of course, the Orwellian conditioning of virtually all Americans, over many years from kindergarten and Sunday school has made the task next to impossible. It's frequently unsuccessful even with those who call themselves dissenters and protestors. It's the brainwashed ideas that dissent against war must still be couched within the non-existent abstraction "patriotism" and that dissenters must still support the troops - the only ones who actually commit the murders ordered by others. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Consequently, you have historian Michael Kazin, and dozens of other "intellectuals," saying "The problem is that some current anti war dissidents aren't framing their arguments in patriotic terms." | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Now, notwithstanding hatred for it and me, try to get these very simple facts through your head: There are many people, I'm one of them, who do NOT recognize the non-existent paradigm - The STATE! In fact we believe that the false concepts STATE and CHURCH to be the prehistoric genesis of EVIL. We believe WAR to be the primary manifestation of that evil, and we believe the primary consequences of that evil to be murder. Got it?! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Therefore, war is evil and immoral before it starts and equally evil and immoral after it starts. Hence, the murder of innocent Iraqi children can NEVER be justified by cloaking it in the semanticide of "collateral damage" or wrapping it in patriotism and flags! Furthermore, the soldiers are adults who choose to go and kill (even witnessed one on CNN remarking aloud, "This is fun!"), while the Iraqi children seen on Arab television in hospitals with horrible wounds or like one little 7-year-old boy dead with half his head blown off - Did NOT choose their fate! Therefore, I shall NEVER support murderers however Machiavellian defined. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| So, in steadfast opposition to your weekend agenda, I do not fly any flag. I do not honor those who work and sacrifice in that cause. I do not look to the future in the same direction or with the same goals as all Americans. I do not pray for the safety of anyone; in fact I do not pray under any circumstances - even though you continue to use the word all when you write "We all pray." You guys really ought to quit using the word "all" so much. Especially since the obvious impossibility just makes you look deceitful or stupid. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| No, I am not proud of our history. As a nation-state we are simply one among history's infinite supply of such collective evil. I do not believe that we are the greatest nation on earth - just the latest empire. Just because reality commands that I live in an ignorant world with insane leaders does not mean I'm required to support the ignorance and insanity of murdered Iraqi babies as collateral damage and their murderers as American patriots! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| I must admit, though, your editorial did prompt me to action this weekend: Instead of holding my annual flag burning on the 4th of July, I decided to use this weekend. I took my flag, bought with my money, and used it to start a fire in my barbecue. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| If Senator McCain wants to put me in prison for 5 years, or Bill O'Reilly wants me arrested as a traitor, I sure hope that they come in person! However, as I said in the enclosed letter to O'Reilly guys like them are, in street language, plain old chicken shits! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| [The enclosed letter to Bill O'Reilly that Mr. Clapp mentioned in the previous article now follows.] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL O'REILLY, a coward and host of the O'Reilly Factor, Fox News Network: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| On your show of 02/26/03, you publicly threatened me, my family, friends, and unknown thousands of like-minded people. It's not necessary to repeat what you said. What was clear is anyone who wrote, spoke, or demonstrated against Bush's invasion of Iraq after it began was, by you, to be considered a traitor. You threatened them with reprisals laced with violence by implication. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mr. O'Reilly, while I in no way like you, and find you to be an ignorant, loudmouth coward, I would never threaten you. However, since you decided to threaten me and loved ones, who also believe as I do, let this be a warning to you: If any actions that you initiate after Bush starts his Nazi invasion of Iraq threaten to bring harm to me or my family, I will hold you responsible and will defend myself and them as necessary. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| I offer you this warning in advance of the invasion because, while I "fight" vigorously now against the jingoistic madmen who run this country, it is nothing compared to the verbal warfare and peaceful demonstrations that I will wage after they start murdering innocent Iraqi men, women, and children. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| You're too stupid to understand but it was the increase in public dissent and demonstrations that halted the evil the country reigned on Vietnam, not a decrease! | |||||||||||||||||||||
| I am a 67-year-old atheist anarchist. To me the paradigms of church and State are the very genesis of evil. For over 40 years I've relentlessly fought them - always peacefully! This is not true of them. I have been beaten and jailed by their Nazi thugs for such peaceful dissent. I assure you, Mr. O'Reilly, I will not allow you to do the same. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| However, since you will never find someone who hates your institutions of church and State and their icons, constitutions and flags (I've burned many of them), Popes and Presidents, uniforms and robes, ad nauseum more, I make you the following offer: I exercise and train in a gym in Phoenix, Arizona. It has all the requisite gear and licensed referees to conduct a legal boxing match per our mutual consent. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Call me and I will be more than happy to arrange a date for you and me. Or, for you is this as stated in the great Anglo-Saxon epic "not the coward's enterprise." Personally, in the language of the streets, I think you and guys like Bush are chicken shits. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| This letter is being reprinted in several alternative media newsletters for which I write; they also need to be aware of your cowardly threat. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Clapp | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 5244 E. Hashknife Rd. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Phoenix, AZ 85054 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (480) 664-2633 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| [This article originally appeared in the March/April 2003 issue of THE THOUGHT.] | |||||||||||||||||||||
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