End War? Nope. We should go to war

Unfortunately, this was only a small fraction of the support these countries needed. And the support was purely military, leaving the impression of U.S. military power as our dominant theme. Of course, there were many non-U.S. government charities, relief and assistance groups in the area, but their actions were not part of any official “strategy,” and they could not make up for the lack of U.S. government non-military of¬ficial “outreach.” For all our good words and noble intent, American diplomacy still lacks these fundamental underpinnings required for us to provide effective assistance abroad.
Retired Four Star General Ramsey Clark, NATO Supreme Allied Commander, A Time To Lead, page 192

End War? Nope. We should go to war.
Dwayne Hunn

End War?

We are losing. We must wage this war.

Our army is worn down, our warriors physically and mentally wounded. Our costly military equipment broken and abandoned amidst enemies. Our military spends huge amounts to attract fewer and fewer volunteers. Our adversaries have overwhelming numbers volunteering their lives to uniform-less armies.

Our perceived strategy rains down death and destruction via costly high tech missiles and Star Wars clad soldiers, which is offset by the vengeful families we create and their ragtag citizens improvising warfare. A well-read high school student recognizes our strategy as mimicking the red-suited Brits, sent to teach us how to behave.

In a world approaching 7 billion souls, America needs to build boot camps for the soul that turn out precision guided troops on a mission of good, not more havoc reeking missiles multiplying by millions the enemies that bleed our soldiers.

In the world’s 200 nations, America supposedly has 130+ military bases. Iraq was a nation of about 28 million. Since our arrival, half of Iraq has joined the ranks of refugees, unemployed, wounded, and dead. Do you think the harmed or Al Jazera keeps such destruction secret?

Relying on our dutiful military to use warring tactics as a long-term strategy to build world stability produces the opposite. Stability is established through building schools, roads, farms, heath facilities, and small businesses; and through personal international relationships.

Situation Room
Smart leaders would walk into the Situation Room, study our troop deployment map, and send more of the right troops to where hatreds and needs require stability building.

In the majority of the developed nations, the number of hearts and minds that respect American policies has fallen 20-40%. Among the rest, our image is worse. In the following troubling nations, smart leaders would notice the paltry number of winning troopers, from the world’s once richest and strongest nation, who have helped build troubling nations’ infrastructure and learned about and appreciated their customs.



2006 Peace Corps

Population Vols. since 1961
Iraq 27,675,617 0
Iran 66,600,000 1863
Syria 18,600,000 0
Palestine 10,500,000 0
Afghanistan 26,000,000 1739
Pakistan 142,000,000 462
Sudan 37,000,000 16

Total 328,398.321 4,081

A PCV last served in Pakistan in 1967, Afghanistan 1979. Red Cross workers were in such short supply after the 200 5 Pakistan earthquake that a handful of New York Paramedics who volunteered there became American and Pakistanian folk heroes. A Habitat for Humanity home has yet to be built in any of these nations.

Hearts & minds
A 2007 PEW Poll reflects how well we are winning hearts and minds to insure the security of your children and grand children. Those with favorable views of the U.S. in:
Pakistan 15%
Turkey 9%
Jordon 20%
Morocco 15%
Palestine 13%
Egypt 21%

We are a disastrously long way from the Camelot days of John Kennedy, when:
• The world’s people admired Americans.
• We cared for our schools, environment, and community needs.

The world watches, and many cheer, this decline of the American dream, power, and prestige. Yet, little is done to again make America the shining light on the hill.

Our education is dumbed-down, investigative journalism is marginalized, the middle class is shrunk, and citizens feel unable to change the system. Consequently, our public policy decisions hinge on shallow, illogical slogans that reek disasters on our espoused goal of building healthy national and world communities.

The answer? Go to war.

But the war must be fought with a dedicated, robust 21st century volunteer army whose mission is to:
• Win hearts and minds,
• Build, not destroy, communities, and
• Spread stability, so our soldiers only battle when truly needed.

That army awaits formation when enough visionary Congressional representatives sponsor and pass People’s Lobby’s citizen-initiated American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposals. When passed as written, the next twenty-seven years will see 21 million Americans use the incentives in the bill to voluntarily serve in their choice of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, OxFam, Mercy Corps, and State Conservation Corps, etc.

Imagine, if we had built these robust, stability-building teams of national service volunteers decades ago, as Kennedy envisioned when he started the Peace Corps. Instead of barely 175,000 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) carrying indelible insights about how the world works and its needs, we would have tens of millions RPCVs. They would have erased the personalities of Osama Bi Laden, Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin…

America and the world would be richer and smarter. And we would not be mired in another stupid, economically debilitating war.

Read the proposed legislation at http://www.WorldServiceCorps.us. Then become a citizen who leads your Congressional employees to enact People’s Lobby’s citizen-initiated AWSC Congressional Proposals. Ask your presidential candidates whether they will wage war with a, robust American World Service Corps that will win today’s wars for hearts and minds and build stability. Contact Senators Feinstein and Boxer, whose staff are preparing sponsoring reports, and your congressional representatives.

And what has General Clark said, “It should be bigger…People to deal with corruption – doctors, lawyers, accountants… We’ve got so much talent, we should use it…”

Become an involved citizen. The world has waited too long for you to get involved creating the American World Service Corps.