"I am for Peace"

Even if I have to kill you to prove it.

Published on July 13, 2007 By Dr Guy In Current Events

In yet another example of how some think that only the value of their ideas and words are worthy of dissemination, Betty Williams - a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, wants to kill George Bush. It would be funny if the joke was not so stale by now of others with a lesser claim to fame, calling for the exact same thing.

The Nobel Peace prize is supposed to represent the ideal of bringing peaceful settlement to conflicts. It is supposed to be won by people that promote peaceful alternatives to forceful means when resolving problems around the world.

Sadly, that is not the case, and recent winners seem to re-enforce the perception that all it is, is a platform for a bunch of pinched nose intellects to further their agenda. Betty Williams is the latest example of how hypocritical the recipients are. They want peace - but only on their terms and definitions.

She is not the first, nor will she be the last. Of the hypocrites that say one thing, and do another. Our world seems to have run out of Mahatma Ghandis and Mother Theresa's, instead being forced to settle for - not second tier, but no tier - candidates that hardly represent the ideal that Alfred Nobel was looking for when he established the prize.

What is all to common today, sadly, is the people saying they want peace - but using violent means to force their viewpoint on others. Just last week, a Marine was shot by a "peace protester" who did not like the Iraqi war. If these were rare and uncommon occurrences, we could cluck cluck and express our sadness over a few deranged individuals. But when the trickle becomes a raging river of such examples, we can no longer brush aside the ugly truth that these purveyors of Peace are nothing more than war mongers - on their own terms.

The only peace they apparently want, is a peace dictated by their terms and conditions, and forced upon mankind through any means necessary. Including force of arms.

In some ways, the only difference between the communist dictators of the past, and the peace movement of today - is the amount of power they wield. Give them enough power, and the true gulags of Stalin will arise right here in America. But they will not be run by George Bush. They will be run by the likes of Betty Williams.

Comments

OckhamsRazor

on Jul 13, 2007

Dr., I banged an insightful on this one...and I offer you this strange gift. It's long, so I apologize, but have a read. Good stuff, in my opinion.

CHAPTER 4
And it so happened that war again descended on the earth, and the king of the Most Chosen Nation sent out armies to rape a foreign land, and murder their patriots, and burn their babies, and commit other acts of a nature that filled the hearts of the righteous with horror.
2 And the children, who were the most righteous of all, rose up against the king, and put on strange garments, and lived apart from those who did murder and who did not speak out against murder, and who had visions of peace and love in which the way was simple and clear and theirs.
3 And the people who had lost their children were angry and afraid, and they reproached their king saying,
4 "Why have you alienated our sons and daughters, whom we love, and who no longer love us, but instead revile us and hate us and spit upon us?"
5 And the king hung his head and abdicated the throne, and a new king was crowned who waged war with even greater vengeance, killing great multitudes of foreign patriots and babies.
6 And when the children reproached him, he waged was against them also, ordering them to be beaten when they marched for peace, and lamentation filled the land.
7 And the children cried out, saying to one another, "What has become of our visions? In which direction is the way of peace and happiness, which we have longed for and now despair of?"
8 And their gatherings became grim as their visions faded and their questions received no answers.
9 Thus it was that the world became ready for Harry, who knew the way.

CHAPTER 5

And it so happened that Harry journeyed to a place called Altarey, which means high mountain, and appeared to the multitudes, to whom he spoke, surrounded by Angels.
2 Listen to me, he said, I am called Harry, and my way should be your way.
3 And some of them mocked him, saying, "Who are you to speak to us in this way? Your suit is in three pieces, your face is clean shaven, and your words sound to us like the grunting of a pig."
4 When they had said these things, the children moved closer to Harry as if they would beat him, but the Angels protected him, knocking many children cold, so that they were amazed at his wisdom and sat down to listen.
5 Then Harry said, I would say this to you, that you have heavy thoughts but see nothing, that you rap much but say little. What profit a man if he gain the earth and not know it?
6 And one among the multitudes cried out to Harry, asking this question: "Your words are strange to us, and we do not understand what you speak of. Tell us, what is your problem?"
7 Harry answered him, saying, It is not I who have the problem. It is all of you who have the problem, who live in paradise, if you would but open your eyes, but prefer to walk about seeking paradise with your eyes closed. I ask you, is this the right way to go about it?
8 And one of the biggest children, who had a beard and a pair of large fists, spoke scornfully to Harry, saying, "You must surely be an anus on fire if you believe that this land of pigs is paradise. Are not our leaders evil warlords, who commit genocide every day of the week?
9 "Have they not arranged to murder the few good men who would rise to replace them, including Bobby and Martin, and probably others, too?
10 "Have they not beaten us, and imprisoned us, and given us a very hard time for loving goodness, including peace and love and brotherhood, and all that stuff?
11 "Truly, if your skull were not wedged inside your colon, you would recognize these things. There is no paradise in this land of capitalist, imperialist, rascist pigs. And that is all there is to it.
12 "Now I warn you to depart from this place, you who fornicate with your mother, before we rearrange your physiognomy."

CHAPTER 6

And when the large child with great fists had said these things, Harry laughed out loud, and said in a great voice, Now pay attention, children, because I shall perform a great wonder for you.
2 Whereupon Harry made a small sign to his Angels, who advanced on the large child with rods,
3 And smote him to death where he stood, causing the multitudes to quake with awe, and other emotions.
4 Then Harry stood over the remains of the large child and said, Behold. How quickly and easily are we deprived of life. I have come to tell you great truths, which will make your life better, but I have it equally in my power to make your life shorter, as you have all witnessed.
5 Now, which do you prefer? The choice is yours, ans I truly must tell you that I don't care which you choose.
6 When Harry had said this, there was a great murmuring in the crowd, but at length the children said to Harry, "We are very much interested in hearing how our lives might be made better, so please teach us, O Wise One, and tell your Angels to go easy, because we are listening to you with great attentiveness."
7 And Harry laughed again, saying, That is much better. I congratulate you for listening to me, for I know everything, and will tell you everything you need to know.
8 Thereupon did Harry walk through the crowd, unmolested by anyone, and mounted the stage, from which place he spoke in a loud voice and at great length.

CHAPTER 7

My name is called Harry, and I have knowledge of all things, because I am smart, and do not try to fool myself with a lot of nonsense about ideals and beliefs.
2 And truly, this is good news for you, because the things I know are no secret, but have been written down many times before, and have even been taught you your whole life, although you cannot see the forest because your eyes are so full of trees.
3 Now I ask you to pluck the trees from your eyes, and behold the forest, which will give you a vision of paradise.
4 Let me give you an example of what I mean. You have heard this recently deceased child cry out against the land of the Americans with great irritation. He has seen that Americans commit genocide agaist their own black people and their own native population, and against the yellow peoples of Southeast Asia.
5 And he therefore believes that the Americans are evil. And more than this, he concludes that the American evil surpasses the evil of all other peoples and all other nations all over the world.
6 This is a great tree that has become stuck in all your eyes, which I conclude from the fact that fully a third of your number are wearing the flag of the world's Most Chosen Nation on your buttocks.
7 This tree burns your eyes, with a fire like righteous indignation, and if you do not wise up it will consume you, which would be foolish indeed, because this is not the only tree in the forest.
8 Truly, this is not the only tree in this particular forest, which is great and vast and extends far beyond the limited reach of your ignorance.
9 Pay close attention while I remind you of the forest.

CHAPTER 8

The trees in this forest are as countless as the grains of sand on the beach at Malibu, where I will be going later on.
2 Since the very beginning of time, the Chosen Nations of the world have committed genocide against everyone who dared to oppose them.
3 If you had paid attention in high school, you would know that the Hebrews committed genocide against the Philistines, and the Assyrians committed genocide against every nation in Mesopotamia,
4 And the Greeks committed genocide against the Trojans,
5 And the Romans committed genocide against the Carthaginians,
6 And the barbarians of Europe committed genocide against the Romans and each other,
7 And the Christians of Europe committed genocide against the Saracens and each other,
8 And the Spics committed genocide against the Indians of Central America,
9 And the Frogs committed genocide against the other nations of Europe,
10 And the Brits committed genocide against practically every nation on the planet,
11 And the Krauts committed genocide against the Jews and everybody else, too,
12 And all the Chose Nations in the Middle East committed genocide against all the other Chosen Nations in the Middle East, not to mention large parts of Europe and other places,
13 And the Russkies committed genocide against their own people for thousands of years,
14 And likewise, the Chinks have also learned to commit genocide against their own people,
15 And the Nips committed genocide against every nation in the South Pacific,
16 And at every time in the whole course of human history, the Chosen Nations have always sought to commit genocide against anyone who stood in their way,
17 No matter how big or how small an obstacle they were.
18 But none of this matters to you, of course, because you believe that your tree is the only tree.

CHAPTER 9

For the tree that is stuck in your eyes is a great stupid tree, and you look at it and think that it fills the whole universe with evil, and that no other tree has ever grown so tall and burned the eyes so viciously.
2 And truly this tree burns your eyes with a fire like napalm, so that you think that you cannot stand it.
3 And you beat your breasts and say, I can never grow used to this tree, and I can never eat of its fruit or climb its branches, because it is an evil tree,
4 And so I will sit far away from the tree, and I will do everything possible to show that I am not of this tree, and think that its fruit is poison, and that its branches should only be climbed by criminals.
5 More than this, you say, I will do everything differently from what is done by the criminals that climb the branches of this tree.
6 I will not wear the clothes that they wear,
7 And I will not consume the things that they consume,
8 And I will not like the things that they like,
9 And I will do everything there is to do differently from the criminals of the tree,
10 Including not wash,
11 And not shave,
12 And not brush my teeth,
13 And not launder my clothes,
14 Or any other thing that is like what the criminals do.

CHAPTER 10

And now I, Harry, ask you, What does this accomplish?
2 The answer is that it makes you smell bad,
3 So that you stink like a bunch of animals,
4 And the very air around you is foul-smelling and unclean,
5 And that is all that it accomplishes.
6 It does not end genocide,
7 And it will not change the nature of the tree,
8 Or shame the criminals who climb the branches of the tree,
9 Because they will merely laugh at you and hold their nose,
10 Which is understandable,
11 Since you are all dirty indeed,
12 And you are also stupid,
13 Which helps nothing and no one,
14 Least of all, you.

CHAPTER 11

When Harry had said this, a female child among the multitudes stood up and reproached him, saying, "Surely, yours is the wrong view, because if everyone stayed away from the tree it would wither and die, and the Others, that is all the oppressed peoples of the world, would have a chance to live in their own way, which is all they have ever wanted,
2 "And everything would be better,
3 "And more equal,
4 "And there would be peace, because no one would have any more than anyone else, and there would never be any reason to commit genocide or any other evil."
5 Thereupon Harry laughed,
6 And laughed,
7 And laughed,
8 Until the multitudes thought that Harry would perish of laughing,
9 On the spot,
10 But he did not,
11 And when he had wiped the tears from his face, he spoke again, saying, How can any child be so stupid?
12 Truly, you do not understand the way of things,
13 At all.
14 Now sit down, you daughter of a dog, before my Angels have to make you sit down,
15 And I will explain the way of things to you, so that even you can understand them.

CHAPTER 12

I ask you, What is the difference between the Chosen Nations, whom you hate, and all the Others for whom you have so much love?
2 You see that the tree you hate is big, and so you think that every small tree is beautiful and good.
3 But this is a lie which you have made up for yourselves, because you are not very smart and cannot think of any other way to look at it.
4 The truth is that all trees are of the same tree,
5 Which is the tree of Mankind,
6 And one is not different from the other in its basic nature.
7 You would revile the conquistadors because they committed genocide in the name of God against the Mayas and Aztecs,
8 But I ask you, Did not the Mayas and the Aztecs also commit genocide in the name of God against those who opposed them, and even against their own people?
9 You would deplore the Brits who committed genocide against the Zulus of South Africa, not even in the name of God, but in the name of the King, for the purpose of expanding their evil empire,
10 But again I ask you, Did not the Zulus commit genocide against their neighbors, also in the name of their king, for the purpose of expanding their empire?
11 And so what is the difference between the conquistadors and the Mayas, or between the Brits and the Zulus?
12 The only difference is that the Spic tree was taller than the Maya tree, and the Brit tree was taller than the Zulu tree,
13 Just as the American tree is taller than the tree of Southeast Asia or the tree of the Native Americans.
14 And if you cut down the biggest tree, you will simply make room for the smaller trees to grow taller,
15 By committing genocide against their neighbors and their own peoples,
16 Which is what they all want to do anyway,
17 All of them,
18 Including even the very tiniest trees on the planet,
19 Even unto the headhunters of the rain forest,
20 Who have no nuclear weapons,
21 Or B-52s,
22 Or Napalm,
23 But still want more heads anyway,
24 Because they, too, are of the tree of man.

CHAPTER 13

By the same token, all of you are also of the tree of man,
2 Which can't have escaped your attention completely.
3 When I first spoke to you, you did not reply to me with words of peace and love,
4 But you threatened me with physical injury,
5 Because I looked different from you, and do not smell bad,
6 And are only listening to me now because I brought plenty of Angels with me.
7 And if I were to ask which of you would lay down his life for all the Others you love so much, you would look at each other and slink away,
8 Because you can hide nothing from me,
9 For I am Harry, and I know you better than you know yourselves,
10 Because I am just like you,
11 Only a lot smarter.
12 For example, I know what your parents and teachers and your politicians do not,
13 Which is that your ideals are thin as tissue paper,
14 And even more transparent.
15 You have been born and raised in the Most Chosen Nation on Earth,
16 And from the moment of your birth, you have always had your own way,
17 And everything else you wanted,
18 Because your parents were born into a time of famine,
19 And they wanted you to have more than they did,
20 And so they gave it to you,
21 Just like my parents gave me everything I ever wanted.
22 And you grew up watching TV,
23 Where you learned that every problem anyone ever had could be figured out in just twenty-two minutes plus commercials,
24 And that there was no such thing as a problem that could not be solved,
25 Because this is America,
26 And you were born Americans,
27 And Americans always get their own way,
28 And always win.
29 But then you got to be eighteen years old,
30 And suddenly America asked you to do something it wanted,
31 But you didn't want to,
32 Because who wants to die for a bunch of creepy little gooks in some faraway jungle,
33 When you could be at home having fun,
34 And getting laid,
35 And having everything you ever wanted?

CHAPTER 14

Notice that none of this has anything to do with genocide or evil,
2 Except that one of the greatest things about life,
3 As you will learn, provided you can pay attention a little longer,
4 Which I have doubts about,
5 Is that there is always a good and virtuous reason for being opposed to doing what you don't want to do.
6 In this case, you did not want to die in some faraway land,
7 And so you discovered ideals.
8 And where did these great ideals come from?
9 Did they come from your encyclopedic knowledge of history, which you got from Clark Gable and John Wayne, and Errol Flynn and Charlton Heston?
10 Did they come from your vast knowledge of religion, which you got from John Huston and Jeffrey Hunter and Charleton Heston?
11 Did they come from your deep knowledge of politics and government, which you got in twenty-two minutes a night plus commercials from Walter Conkrite and Chet Huntley, unless you got it from the sports page?
12 Did they come from your rich experience of culture, which you got from the Three Stooges and Lucille Ball and Superman and Ed Sullivan?
13 Did you get them from each other, through profound conversations that struck deep into the heart of things?
14 Did they come from you intellectual awakening in college, where you learned how to smoke dope and screw like rabbits and cut class and read Cliff Notes and grow beards and give up bathing?
15 Did they come from the counterculture, where you were exposed to such world class brain trusts as Timothy Leary and Abbey Hoffman?
16 Did they come from the Woodstock Nation, where you sat naked in the mud and got enlightened by the divinely inspired wisdom of Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie and Crosby, Stills & Nash?
17 Or did they come from your parents who taught you that the best way to get what you want is to ask for it,
18 And keep asking for it until everyone's sick of hearing about it,
19 And make up a bunch of inane reasons why you should get your own way,
20 And then demand your way,
21 And then have a giant tantrum and hold your breath until you finally do get your way?

CHAPTER 15

Yes, I believe pretty devoutly in all your ideals,
2 Because I have ideals too,
3 And I have seen your devotion to freedom of speech, which you have proven by denying it to your opponents on college campuses all over America,
4 And I have seen your love for your fellow man, which you have proved in riots on college campuses all over America,
4 And I have seen your powerful vision of the future, which you have revealed in communes and other pidsties all over America,
6 And I have been impressed.
7 In fact, I have been greatly impressed by the amzing frequency with which you do exactly what you want to do,
8 Whenever you want to do it,
9 And wherever you want to do it,
10 Which is exactly the way I'd expect the children of a Chosen Nation like this one to behave,
11 And isn't different in any way at all from the behavior of the government you despise so much.

Sean Conners aka SConn1

on Jul 13, 2007

guy,,,that was a clever lil twist and spin.

1) she didn't say she wanted to kill bush, but that she "could kill him" which is a common figure of speech that hardly ever results in anyone's death. like when i say "i could kill my son for the mess they made."

2) she apologized.

3) a single figure of speech, apologized for hardly constitutes hypocrisy. equating her to stalin for a slip is a joke.

Moderateman

on Jul 13, 2007

The Nobel peace prize lost all its luster and wonder when they gave it to Yasser Arafat. Giving a [peace prize to a known terrorists. please stop, I have a headache now.

Dr Guy

on Jul 13, 2007

1) she didn't say she wanted to kill bush, but that she "could kill him" which is a common figure of speech that hardly ever results in anyone's death. like when i say "i could kill my son for the mess they made."

I did not credit her with a premeditated fact, just a statement that belies her award (or for the more cynical, punctuates it). I dont know about you, but I dont go around saying "I could kill Hillary (or insert name here)" just because I do not agree with them. Perhaps this is another episode of not getting a joke, but considering the number of "jokes" these peace keepers continue telling, it is old and tired. That they keep bringing it up is indicative of what Ockhams parable is all about.

2) she apologized.

I guess that excuses any thing that can be said or done these days. Do what makes you feel good, but if it is bad, just say your sorry and make it all better.

3) a single figure of speech, apologized for hardly constitutes hypocrisy. equating her to stalin for a slip is a joke.

I used her as the launching pad for this editorial, but did not limit it to only her (and gave another example). I suppose I should have listed all of the recent episodes (to list all would take an encyclopedia greater than Britannica), but then who would want to read a list of people whose claim to fame is that they demonstrate for peace by employing threats or acts of violence?

Dr Guy

on Jul 13, 2007

The Nobel peace prize lost all its luster and wonder when they gave it to Yasser Arafat. Giving a [peace prize to a known terrorists. please stop, I have a headache now.

Thank you for bringing his name into this, as that was one I meant to mention in the vein of cheapening the Nobel Peace prize, but got side tracked in the heat of the issue. Yes, they do make a fine pair of receipients. And they are not alone.

MasonM

on Jul 13, 2007

I often find it very ironic that so-called peace protesters, people advocating a right to life, and assorted others who claim to value life and peace will resort to violence to promote their peaceful cause.

Perhaps her slip of the tongue was just an unfortunate choice of words, but there are a lot of cases, such as the "peace" protester shooting the Marine, that are far more than that. The words a person chooses often belies their inner thoughts, apologized for or not.

Whether she actually meant it or it was a slip, the point of the article is a good and valid one just the same.

Jythier

on Jul 13, 2007

If I kill a million people a year for 5 years, then stop, I should get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping millions of people from being killed, right?

Dr Guy

on Jul 13, 2007

as the "peace" protester shooting the Marine, that are far more than that.

Some choose to ignore the actions, and excuse the rhetoric. Others choose to ignore both. Or excuse both.

Appologies are good things - when sincere. And the only one, in Betty WIlliams case, who knows if it is, is she. But you are right. In the heat of passion, our guard is down, and often we will say things more honestly than we can in a measured debate in a controlled arena.

Jewbu

on Jul 14, 2007

I feel that the one who shot the airmen should go to a psychiatric hospital, just as I feel those who bomb abortion clinics should. When we allow our anger to push us to violence we need help.

Be well.

Dr Guy

on Jul 14, 2007

I feel that the one who shot the airmen should go to a psychiatric hospital, just as I feel those who bomb abortion clinics should. When we allow our anger to push us to violence we need help.

I dont think you are going to get much argument from most here. And surely not from me. But what makes me question the motives is why these "proponents of peace' so often (not always) resort to violence to enforce their edenic utopia? For all they are really accomplishing is to demonstrate that violence, however distasteful it may be, is necessary in the world. And that peace is not the absense of violence, but the use of it to restrict the beleifs and options of those you disagree with.

Jewbu

on Jul 14, 2007

Hello Dr. Guy,

Agreed. Its not the proponants of peace's motives, I think, so much as our unskilled abilities to deal with feelings. Both "sides" of nearly any passionately debated issue seem to have trouble with this. Recent bomb threats to Sen. Edwards office, violence on picket lines, and the craziness at G-8 meetings push the point. My sense is that we do not teach people how to deal with conflict, our media (all media) has thrown civility and reasoned siscourse out the window in favor of fire-breathing talking heads, and the moment we ask people to consider diversity, boom, we are again off to the races.

Violence and aggressive conduct is so endemic in our culture. A review of current films and books make this point. Everyone is a action hero, few are actual heros. Actual heroes are not flamboyant. They typically resolve conflict without violence, such as SWAT negotiators, and the like.

Many people are feeling deeply frustrated by this war and what do we really know about how to deal with our frustrations? Kick something. Punch something. Throw something. Yell. Yeppers. Rarely do we put talk reasonably and air our differences civily at the top of our list.

Anyway, glad to see we have some basic agreement here.

Be well.

Dr Guy

on Jul 14, 2007

Many people are feeling deeply frustrated by this war and what do we really know about how to deal with our frustrations? Kick something. Punch something. Throw something. Yell. Yeppers. Rarely do we put talk reasonably and air our differences civily at the top of our list.

Yes, that is the actual results. But I do not blame the media as much as I think the media is a reflection of our own actions.

Man is violent by nature (part of being a carnivore - or if you want, an omnivore). Society inhibits our agressive tendencies. But it is still there, and some do overcome it. Others want to, yet yield to that base instinct in times of stress and pressure.

We all snap at others from time to time. Yet some can understand that, and still allow their "humanity" (which I define as the intellect's ability to overcome the natural knee jerk reaction) to over rule the urge to snap. My examples demonstrate that it is possible, and most of us would like to be in that group. And most of us never do get there. But that does not mean we should stop trying.

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