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The Lancaster Voice
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The Price of Comfort
by
Anthony T. Crocamo
 Has World War III
begun? President Bush refers to the "Global War on Terror" and has
compared it to World War II, and Vice President Cheney has said, "An
enemy that operates in the shadows and views the entire world as a
battlefield is not one that can be contained...The only option for our
security and survival is to go on the offensive, face the threat
directly, patiently, and systematically till the enemy is destroyed."
Global War, the entire world as a
battlefield, only option for survival is to stay on the offensive
until the enemy is destroyed... They certainly talk like it's World
War III.
But they don't act like it.
That is obvious when you compare the
current war effort to the country's response during World War II.
During World War II all Americans were called upon to sacrifice to
support the war. Rationing of gasoline and food began shortly after
the attack on Pearl Harbor. The entire country was mobilized, families
planted victory gardens, women's groups made bandages, communities
held scrap metal drives. The battle of the home front was an
unavoidable fact of daily life.
Not so today. Outside of the military,
none of us is being asked to sacrifice to support this war. More than
six years after 9/11, we still don't have an energy policy to reduce
our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
During World War II Americans
voluntarily purchased war bonds to pay for the war. They purchased
more than $187 billion in war bonds, more than $1.7 trillion in
today's dollars. War bonds and extension of the income tax to the
middle class successfully financed World War II.
No war bonds today. And heaven forbid,
no taxes to pay for the war. In fact, for the first time in our
history we have cut taxes while fighting a war. Consequently, huge
deficits continue to pile up. What should be our shared sacrifice to
pay for this war will be dumped on future generations.
In World War II America's industries
became the arsenal of democracy. Factories curtailed or abandoned
consumer and retail goods and converted to wartime production. They
made uniforms, guns, ammunition, bombs, Jeeps, tanks, landing craft,
planes, and ships—all the materiel for war was produced in astounding
quantities at an incredible rate.
Today, more than five years after the
start of the war in Iraq, we still don't have enough body armor for
our troops, adequate armor for their vehicles, or adequate long-term
hospital care for veterans wounded in this conflict.
There was a draft during World War II.
Approximately 16 million Americans served in the armed forces, 12% of
the population. My father and his brother served in the war. My
mother's three brothers served in the war. Franklin Roosevelt had four
sons in the service. Three of Ambassador Joseph Kennedy's children
were in uniform; one died, another was badly injured. The sacrifices
of that war were borne by all levels of society.
Today, the entire burden of this war
falls upon our servicemen-women and their families, less than one half
of one percent of our population. They are in the fight alone, and
they know it.
I heard an interview with an American
soldier in Baghdad. The interviewer said America was at war. The
soldier said, "America's not at war; America's at the mall." He knows
he risks his life in our name, and he knows this war does not disturb
our comfort.
This administration does not want the
war to disturb our comfort. That's why it doesn't allow photographs of
flag-draped coffins returning home. They don't want us to think about
the war. They don't want us to think about the casualties. They don't
want us to think about the cost. They don't want us to think about the
consequences. They don't want us to think.
The "greatest generation," my parents'
generation, embraced sacrifice to defeat the Axis powers—Imperial
Japan, Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy—in the three years and eight
months from Dec. 7, 1941, to September 2, 1945.
Despite the surge, violence continues
throughout Iraq. More than 4,000 American soldiers dead. More than
29,000 Americans have been wounded. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis
killed, millions injured, millions displaced. Hundreds of billions
have been spent on this war and all that this administration has done
is to ensure that the problems they created will have to be cleaned up
by the next administration.
This administration has not asked
Americans to sacrifice to win this war. To do so might have triggered
the public's demand for accountability and that would undermine their
ability to continue the war as they wish.
They believe we Americans won't question
anything they do so long as the war does not disturb our comfort. And
they don't understand the true meaning of sacrifice. How else would
one explain the president's rationale that giving up golf somehow
honors the men and women in this war who suffer, bleed, and die for
his mistakes.
So long as our lives, our loved ones,
and our wallets are not at risk, this administration gets to do
anything they want. They can invade a country under false pretenses
and get away with it. Or promote torture, and get away with it. Or
refuse adequate health care and benefits to returning veterans, and
get away with it.
Perhaps you're not comfortable speaking
out, taking a stand, or writing your representatives. Maybe you're
concerned that openly supporting peace candidates, promoting peace
within your religious community, or participating in protests and the
weekly Peace Vigil on the Lancaster Courthouse steps from 11-noon each
Saturday might expose you to criticism or open hostility that makes
you uncomfortable. You may be right, but don't let that stop you. This
administration knows that to act as they wish, unchallenged and
unchecked, they need only two things—your comfort and mine.
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