The Hobo PhilosopherNew Globalism and Terrorism?
By Richard E. Noble
The word out on the "street" is that the world is changing. We have in today's "new" complicated world, concepts that we never had to deal with in the past. Two examples of these "new" developments are - Globalism and Terrorism.
We now live in a global economy, we are told, and all the rules have changed. Due to these new rules and new developments we must all now understand that as working class and middle class people we must accept "downsizing" our lives and our children's lives. We must be willing to be retrained as fast as new products can be developed and their technologies shipped over seas where they can be done cheaper by people with comparative skills and training who will work for a hell of a lot less money. This is the way that it must be if we are to continue to live in a "free" country. Because unless rich factory owners and big corporations and super wealthy international conglomerates are allowed to make all the money that they possibly can - America will not be "Free," Communism and Socialism will rise and all the smartest and brightest among us will be forced to harvest sugar cane in central Florida or tend rice paddies in the Louisiana bayou.
We must all understand that even if we do not have the capacity we must be able somehow to get a college education. All of us must be able to get through college, whether we have the financial means or the brains because these are the only people who truly deserve to live the American Dream. This must happen even though it has never happened before in the entire history of the human race. Even though in this country, the most "advanced" in the world, we have never had more than 20 to 30 percent college graduates in our history; this must nevertheless happen. It may seem impossible but don't worry you can do it - you are an American!
Then on the other hand the poor and lower wage earners in this society must understand that they are lucky to be alive and allowed to live in this great land. They should not gripe because they have to live in a homeless shelter, or under a bridge, or in a sewer main - after all there are better off people who have had to give up shopping at J. C. Penny's and go to K-Mart or Wal-Mart because their stock and bond interest payments have declined. You see we all must suffer equally. This is the land of "equality." We are all created equal. It says that in our Constitution or was it in the Declaration of Independence or was that the Communist Manifesto. Who said that anyway? It wasn't Jesus and I know that it wasn't Buddha.
In any case this is all brand new type thinking brought on by Globalism. There has never been such a thing as Globalism before in history. When Marco Polo went to China it was because he had relatives living there. And Christopher Columbus set out to discover America because he had nothing better to do. And when Alexander set out to conquer the known world it was because he wanted to introduce eggplant to all the poor people who had never eaten an eggplant before. And when Britain, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands Colonized people all over the world it was because they all were interested in "freedom." They wanted to free all those natives from their ignorance and if they wanted to remain ignorant they would just have to be killed. And when the American Colonies revolted against England it wasn't because the British wanted the colonies to buy and sell only to Britain, with Britain determining all the prices and profit, it was because everybody in the Colonies wanted free stamps and wanted to pay high prices for tea. Yes it was "give me higher tea prices or give me death."
Globalism is new? I don't think so. What's new is selling out the American people and the American workingman in order that the wealthy can become wealthier.
Well, that isn't all that new either. Actually it is a kind of American business and political tradition.
Globalism isn't the problem. It's the lack of proper priorities, true patriotism, and national pride. It is the idea that making 20% dividends is more important than the health and wellbeing of the people of your own country, of your own friends and neighbors, of your countrymen. It about valuing economics above human decency, above moral philosophy, above human life.
Globalism isn't new. What is new is this callous disregard for anything other than what is economically advantageous. What is new is a total disregard for our own nation and its people. It is disregarding the principles of trading fairly and sensibly and to the country's advantage; of remembering that it's not just a wage that is necessary but a living wage and not forgetting the old adage that "Charity begins at Home".
II
Terrorism is another "new" and never before seen tactic in human history. Really?
Does anybody remember the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia? How about Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust? How about Stalin and his Purges? How about China and the Cultural Revolution? How about Slobodan Milosevic? How about the Romans and the Greeks? How about decimation, ethnic cleansing and genocide? How about the American Indians? How about the Jews against the British in Israel? How about the British infecting the Chinese with heron addiction? How about Japanese Kamikaze Pilots? How about the Samurai? How about the Visigoths and the Huns? How about the Crusades and the Islamic conquests? How about the witch burnings and the Inquisition? How about Nero and his fiddle? How about King Herod and the oldest male child? How about good old guerrilla warfare? How about blowing up passenger trains during World War II? How about Carpet bombing? How about just plain old dropping a bomb indiscriminately from an airplane? How about the Atomic Bomb? How about napalm? How about public execution and beheading, burning at the stake, crucifixions and evisceration? How about chopping off a young girl's breasts in front of her entire village? How about the French Revolution and the guillotine? How about the biblical David and random foreskin hunts? How about gathering scalps, and skulls, and hearts, and eyeballs? How about a God flooding the entire world? How about head hunting and cannibalism? How about human religious sacrifices and eating human hearts of brave warriors for strength and courage? How about poison gas - not just in Iraq but during World War I? How about dragging a "queer" behind a pickup truck? How about turning somebody wife into a pillar of salt? How about lynching niggers? How about castrating IWW activists? How about throwing prisoners of war out of helicopters? How about the My lai Massacre and a million similar incidents? How about poisoning all the jungles in Vietnam with Agent Orange? How about killing all the buffalo and selling the Indians blankets invested with typhoid fever? How about the Czar killing all male Cossacks taller than a wagon wheel? How about the Ludlow Massacre? How about an eternity in Hell?
When we were just little kids sitting on a street corner and thinking pissed-off thoughts. I remember saying who couldn't hurt this country if they really wanted to. Look at all the telephone poles and generators, and reservoirs, and railroad bridges, and buses and trains - just look around the neighborhood man. What if we just went around the city removing all the sewer covers?
So what keeps a society from being "terrorized" and destroyed? There is only one thing. The population of any country must like their country at least enough not to want to blow it up and kill their own neighbors, friends, relatives and associates. There must be at least enough respect for one's country and its people that random killing is not an option. If you don't have that much feeling and respect, I really don't think that you have a country at all?
Richard Edward Noble is a freelance writer. If you like the idea of the Hobo Philosopher Column and would like to publish it in your newspaper, magazine or whatever, the author can be contacted at richardedwardnoble@gtcom.net.
