"When war, as in these days in Iraq, threatens the fate of humanity, it is ever more urgent to proclaim, with a strong and decisive voice, that only peace is the road to follow to construct a more just and united society. Violence and arms can never resolve the problems of men."

At this time of escalation of wars and world wide disorders where the only superpowers are Bush&Co. and the people of the world, we common people, cannot stay mute, as business and politics cannot be as usual! We must work for peace and economic development, and we cannot continue with business as usual by dividing people, by escalating wars and by preaching today's globalization policies.

Business must not be as usual as wars and today's globalization are the intrinsic values of the neoconservative elitists of the world headed by Bush&Co. There is a disconnect between common people and their governments and this is the root problem of the ongoing social disorders, poverty, hunger, wars.

Business must not be as usual and we must change our way of thinking to exclusively deal with "apples with apples" as this kind of thinking limits our understanding of our social and economic predicament. The restrictive way of thinking "apples with apples" narrows down our capacity to shape our possible peaceful future, and reinforces a world environment characterized by the Roman Imperial saying "divide and conquer."

This Roman imperialistic understanding of "divide and conquer" is what characterizes the Bush administration. Bush is not a uniter as he self-proclaimed prior to his occupation of the White House; Bush is a divider.

Life is not made of wars and heroes, life is relationships, it is understanding of our differences, life should be peace among all of us common people. We must learn to understand our differences, our contrasts, our relationships, in a few words, we must widen our way of thinking and be able to think of "apples with apples" and "apples with oranges" and "apples with oranges and with bananas" and so forth.

So today I just want to highlight that business must not be as usual as all of our events are interrelated, and as a consequence we must learn how to understand today's paradoxes that my life is your death, my wealth is your poverty. These are some paradoxes I find today:

President Bush initiated the war against Iraq by saying "My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."

So, here we have Bush portraying himself as a liberator, and now I find out that Bush was a malefactor as he was involved in the harassment of Col. Bill Burkett when he angered "George W. Bush by refusing to falsify readiness information and reports; confronting a fraudulent funding scheme which kept 'ghost' soldiers on the books for additional funding, and refusing to alter official personnel records [of George W. Bush]."

We have been bombarded by the reality TV show "Shock& Awe" (http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/currentEvents/iraqWarII/showbusiness/realityTV/realityTV.html)with the mass destruction of Baghdad and at the same time we have been experiencing the rallying of the stock market as a consequence of this mass destruction.

Bush attacked illegally Iraq without the support of the United Nations and we learn that French President Jacques Chirac would reject any move that "would legitimise the military intervention and would give the belligerents the powers to administer Iraq."

 

 

President Bush thanked members of Congress for their support of the military stating, "Not only do we support those brave souls who are sacrificing on our behalf, but we want to thank their parents and their families for their dedication, as well."

However, the father of Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Waters-Bey, killed after an helicopter crash in Kuwait, holding his son's picture has exclaimed in tears "I want President Bush to get a good look at this, really good look here. This is the only son I had, only son."

Thousands and thousands of demonstrators protested the war against Iraq in Cairo, and at the same time the Bush administration was planning to provide Egypt with $2.3 billion in aid to help it weather the economic shock of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

 

President Bush has named North Korea a member of the axis of evil along with Iraq and Iran. As president Bush is attacking pre-emptily and without provocation Iraq so North Korea is now preparing for a possible nuclear war with the United States.

 

 

A new way of thinking is needed, and certainly not the Imperial thinking of president Bush.

References

Pertinent articles published in Ensign

Associated Press Pope Says War Threatens Fate of Humanity (PDF) March 22, 2003 http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/desantisArticles/2002_700/desantis772/pope.pdf

The White House President Bush Addresses the Nation March 19, 2003 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-17.html

Burkett, Bill What do you say? March 19, 2003 Online Journal, http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/031903Burkett/031903burkett.html

BBC News Chirac warns on 'post-war' plans (PDF) March 21, 2003 http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/desantisArticles/2002_700/desantis772/BBCChirac.pdf

White House President Thanks Congressional Leaders. Remarks by the President in Meeting with Congressional Leaders March 21, 2003 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030321-3.html

TheWBALChannel.com Baltimore Marine Dies In Chopper Crash. Victim's Father Has Strong Words For Bush (PDF) March 21, 2003 http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/desantisArticles/2002_700/desantis772/baltimorepilot.pdf

Entous, Adam US Readies Aid for Egypt to Offset Iraq War (PDF) March 20, 2003 Reuters http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/desantisArticles/2002_700/desantis772/egyptAid.pdf

MacDonald, Joe U.N. Envoy: N. Korea Preparing for War (PDF) March 21, 2003 Associated Press http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/desantisArticles/2002_700/desantis772/koreaUN.pdf