Ask Not What America Can Do for You
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You
New -- 20 January 2005
In President John F. Kennedy'south Inaugural Accost, he provided what is quite possibly one of his well-nigh famous quotes:
"My boyfriend Americans, ask not what your country tin do for you lot -- ask what tin can yous practice for your country."
This was followed upwards past,
"My fellow citizens of the world, inquire non what America will do for y'all, but what together we can practise for the freedom of man."
It is noteworthy that the 2nd line is routinely ignored or merely unknown -- and for that affair, the existence of any antecedents including that of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.:
"It is now the moment ...to retrieve what our land has washed for each of the states, and to inquire ourselves what we can do for our country in return." [1]
Exactly 44 years afterward Kennedy'south Inaugural address, information technology might be worthwhile to revisit the implications of this statement. Can it be said that it is quite the liberal glorification that we are often led to believe that it is? Peradventure not.
How might one, for case, define country? Information technology is at once a fatherland, a nation with its own government, a national population, a rural land, and/or a territory possessing its own language, people, and civilisation... among other things. In the context in which Kennedy and Holmes likely used it, it is either the collective government which provides both protection and welfare to its citizens (and simultaneously collects taxes and requires obedience to its laws)... or information technology is the collective of young man citizens. It is probably not the latter in that the commonage of boyfriend citizens do not routinely and automatically provide much of anything.
It is far more than likely that these quotations from our illustrious leaders refer to the thought that our young man citizens should non be asking what manner of welfare and free rides their country can provide for them, simply what they can provide for their government. Assuming this is the example, then nosotros are left with a bit of a quandary.
A government is not an contained entity with its own inalienable beingness. Information technology is instead that drove of individuals who exercise the rule of the government over its constituents. In other words, governments are that collective of the elite and powerful.
Accordingly, nosotros might rephrase John Kennedy's argument equally:
Enquire not what the aristocracy and powerful can practice for you -- ask what you lot tin can exercise for the elite and powerful.
Oops. Non quite the same impact of altruism, is it? The rather sad fact is that such a rewording is quite perhaps much more than realistic and a much better indicator of the state of the earth. After all, both Kennedy and Holmes can hardly be said to be among those idea of equally the common human being. Both in fact were very much members of the elite.
In fact, the American Aristocracy which rules the U.s.a. -- and their counterparts in most every democracy, facist government, and theocracy in the world -- are but examples of elite ruled governments. The elite rulers claim a compassionate kindred with the mutual workers (aka slaves) and simultaneously savor the fruits of the labors of these menial serfs, as well known as "my beau citizens".
A really proficient instance of the currency of this view is the political fanatism which sends the commoners to wage wars in such exotic locations and popular tourist destinations as Iraq, Afghanistan, Islamic republic of iran, Saudia Arabia, and whatsoever other locales which take the misfortune to have black aureate resting serenely under their sands, jungles, and whatsoever. In effect, the U.s. Authorities asks its young man citizens to do for their country what the land'due south ruling elite has no interest whatsoever in doing for themselves. The Chicken Hawks of the current ruling aristocracy are eager to wage war only so long as they're not likely to be in harm's fashion.
[Craven Hawks: "The army of media pundits, cabinet members, and military experts arrayed in favor of an attack on Republic of iraq [who] have i startling fact in common. Not i of them has a shred of wartime experience." As Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Bill.), a Vietnam veteran, has phrased it, "They come at it from an intellectual perspective versus having sabbatum in jungles or foxholes and watched their friends become their heads diddled off." [ii] For further clarification, one can visit the webpage, "Recognizing Who Served."]
On the other hand, when it comes to what their country can do for veterans of these ill-blighted and ill-conceived wars... Ah yes. That's an entirely dissimilar matter. It'southward okay for the electric current crop of scum numberless to transport the armies over which they have authority to a war -- a war which was initiated by them at a time of their choosing -- without adequate armor, equipment, or preparation for the horrendous chore of policing the aftermath of their smart flop destruction. Just information technology is an entirely different matter to respond to the veterans' needs upon the occasion of their returning dwelling house with physical and emotional disabilities. The economically inconvenient fact that the government (the elite) has a contractural obligation to the veterans to provide veteran benefits for those who take served their "country" seems lately to have fallen through the cracks.
A example in point is the very contempo, unfortunate incident of a U.Due south. Marine returning from the Iraqi Occupation and subsequently kidnapping and killing a stranger, a 19-year-old female. "Constabulary said she was killed at the easily of a man who went on a multistate crime spree", "a preacher's son who was discharged last year later four years as a Marine [and] arrested last month... on a cocaine possession accuse." Reportedly, he was also "involved in an armed robbery at a convenience store." "'Something happened to my son,' the suspect'southward mother" said, "saying he had trouble adjusting to civilian life after serving in Iraq. 'Some of the things that he endured I may never know. But it inverse who he is and for that I'1000 sorry.'" [iii]
In another unrelated incident, i veteran of the start Persian Gulf State of war ended up suing the Regular army subsequently information technology ordered him to study of duty 13 years after being honorably discharged from active duty and eight years afterwards he left the reserves. I.e. inquire what you can do for your land's elite once again and once more!
The lesson to be learned here is that the electric current administration in the United States -- and indeed most all administrations in every state in the world throughout history -- have treated their war veterans as simply so much cannon forage. Once the veterans have shot their wad, and then to speak, then they are discarded without fanfare -- either that or called upwards for another shot at the contumely ring. Despite the Craven Hawks' claims of honoring their returning veterans, the reality is that wounded soldiers -- both those with physical and/or psychological injuries -- are send to loftier profile, public relations oriented institutions like Walter Reed Hospital, and and so thereafter sent home to depend upon the closest Veteran's Administration (VA) hospital or clinic for subsequent care. The VA, of grade, is facing equally a system a continual decrease in the availability of veterans benefits, and in many cases involves closing hospitals even during a time of war when the needs are increasing.
Furthermore, VA hospitals in general place a much college priority on following procedural rules -- i.e. the military mindset of following the book to the letter of the alphabet -- than in actually helping their patients: i.east., the veterans with military disabilities and those with health problems arising from other causes. While the latter may not accept incurred their problems while in the military machine, they are yet entitled to effective medical handling by virtue of the contractural obligation they entered into with their government as an inducement for them to bring together the military in the first place.
Much of the staff of VA hospitals are competant and concerned people. They are making a valiant effort in a largely untenable situation. Furthermore, they tend to be very skilful at dealing with health problems which do not require immediate aid, i.e., those problems which lend themselves nicely to following a horribly long ready of procedures in order to activate the VA staffs to actually exercise something for the veterans. Preventive care, for example, is much more in the VA venue than addressing acute emergencies.
For example, a routine colonoscopy or hernia repair -- where surgeries can be scheduled well in advance (so every bit non to interfere with golf days, vacations, and so forth) are some of the things the VA hospitals are really quite acceptable in performing -- adequate at least in terms of whatsoever effectively socialized medicine standards. Just when serious hurting is involved -- physicaly and/or psychological -- or urgent treatment is essential in gild to preclude irreparable harm to a veteran'due south body and mind, so in that location's a existent problem. Blind adherence to procedural rules of a sudden becomes a serious hinderance to providing constructive health intendance.
Blinding pain is of class often only in the eyes of the beholder, the one experiencing the listen-bending juggernaut. From the typical military viewpoint, it's procedurally just a matter of sucking it upward and proving that one's a man (fifty-fifty when they're a woman). The almost universal dominion is that those who complain are to exist treated equally if they are hypocondriacs. This condition on the office of the staff to routinely presume this of their patients tin can be thought of as hypohypercondriacs.
[A distinguishing characteristics of VA and private intendance emergency handling rooms is that while the VA is blindly obedient to procedures and suffers from rampant hypohypercondriac conditions, private hospital emergency rooms tend to suffer from hypomoniacal atmospheric condition, i.due east. the fear of not getting paid for proferred medical services. For example, the routine at emergency rooms in private hospitals is for the patient to see, in lodge: 1) someone to briefly review your complaint and to check your insurance, ii) someone in the emergency room itself to verify your power to pay, 3) someone to obtain signed waivers on all the ways the hospital tin can screw upwards (something which could price them money), iv) someone to ensure that the beginning three individuals have done their job, 5) someone to run across if you're still live after the foregoing ordeal, and finally... 6) the medico... or nurse practitioner... or just whoever is available. The just exception to this drill occurs in the case where the patient is bleeding profusely when they arrive at the emergency room and thus threatens to bleed all over the recently installed and very expensive carpet and/or room decor. These patients go to skip step one.]
The end outcome is that many veterans -- who asked what they could practise for their country (i.due east., for the powerful and wealthy Chicken Hawks) -- have found that asking what their state can exercise for them is oft an exercise in futility. Many in fact take been forced to resort to their ain finances in club to obtain constructive medical handling. Of form, such choices are but for those who tin afford information technology. Those without such means are ofttimes forced to suffer irreparable damage from pain relief medications and extension of the time of the disabling condition while waiting patiently for their case to meet all of the arcane procedural requirements and the eventual marginally adequate handling.
It'south really quite a pathetic respond to those who have honorably served their country.
In that location is, however, the possibility of a silver lining in all of this. It is this: For the elite and powerful who are currently enjoying the fruits and sacrificial efforts of their military veterans, these members of the ruling class might want to consider that these people who they are willing to discard equally so much unwanted trash... have been very well trained in a multitude of means of killing people. They take become very good at shock and awe. The kinds of talents which might shock the elite and cause them to say, "Ahhhh..."
(6/20/05) As Anthony J. Principi, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, has said [4]:
"History is littered with governments destabilized by masses of veterans who believe that they had been taken for fools by a lodge that grew rich and fat at the expense of their hardship and suffering."
Merely a thought for the elite to while away their hours at their sectional polo matches. Sort of gives a whole new meaning to the ideas of anarchy and revolution, doesn't it? <Cheshire Cat smiling>
BTW, this was written by a veteran who has personally experienced much of the above. And so in that location!
References:
_______________________
[one] http://www.bartleby.com/66/31/32431.html
[2] http://www.alternet.org/story/14070
[3] http://www.netscape.cnn.com/news/story (22 January 2005)
[iv] "Habitation From the War: the 200-Yr Struggle of Returning Soldiers for Their Rights," The Washington Spectator, April one, 2005. [April Fool's Day, no less!]
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