Ci vis pacem, Para bellum - Alcyonenews

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Posted May 5, 2023

Ci vis pacem, Para bellum

There are many fake self-evident truths in the market. They have become part and parcel of the Myth Bubble we live in. This Latin adage translates to: “If you wish for Peace prepare for War”. Logical, is it not?

The idea is that a fearsome army would dissuade those who may eye attacking you. No different really from my reluctance to punch Mohamed Ali, to retrieve the $100 he owes me. Power Corrupts the rulers, but Protects the Peace as a side-benefit.

But this, as much a bargain as it sounds, has fallouts. To begin with, the society may lack enemies for its Army and has to make some for armies are not viable without good enemies. A good enemy is one with an army of comparable killeabiltiy to that planned. This because killability competition in the War-for-Peace market results in growth for the armament industry which produces “wealth” with which to boost the army’s killability thereby providing more protection for Peace. No?

Anyway, what matters is that the society has to make enemies, which is not a task to relish. But it has to be done for idle hands are the Devils tools. Since people all over the Earth long for Peace, all societies have to prepare for war which would cause a famine of enemies that may result in rebellion thereby leaving the Peace unprotected. To avert the catastrophic effect this would have, societies support each other by assuming the role of “enemy”, as well. Sure it is difficult to be both, but it needs be done, at least until we get blessed with interstellar enemies.

The purpose of armies is to wage war. Dedicated to defence, suggests laying back waiting for the enemies to attack. It is also risky as the enemies may fail to attack, thereby inducing complacency in the society who keeps the army. This may cause “de- funding”, which, in turn, may affect the Army’s capacity to protect the Peace. But worry not, the peace guardians have a solution to keep the system vibrant. They have coined another clever adage: “Offence is the Best Defence”, they authoritatively assert. This, fortified with adequate demonization of the chosen enemy, generates support for attack. The army then attacks and if it wins, occupy the defeated nation and prevents threat to Peace.

Plowshares shine on the job and rust when idle. Armies keep on exercising by playing “war games”. But exercise is not the real thing. Corrupted by power as the military need be and are, they often toss out the country’s government and supplant themselves for it. This they say they do to prepare the society for democracy. Sometimes this flares up (un)civil war, the ugliest of them all. Indeed, armies are dangerous even to the hand that feeds them. Building an army to defend Peace is like growing a Douglas fir in your living room to support the roof.

Isaac Newton reasoned that only equal opposing forces result intranquillity. Hence, if the the mood for war is strong and the cause absent, unless one is “manufactured”. The Gulf of Tonkin “incident” and Sadam’s satanic Weapons of Mass Destruction, are examples of “manufactured” war-causes. The “trick” is old, dates back to the Trojan war the Greeks staged on the pretext of reclaiming Queen Helen for King Menelaos of Sparta. Helen had eloped with Prince Paris of Persia. It resulted in the invention of the Wooden Horse, (predecessor to “stealth aircraft”) which enabled the Greeks to burn Troy and inspired Homer’s “lliad” and “Odyssey”.

Crafty politicians protect their countries by deploying the armies to do controlled small wars in distant lands. Viet Nam, Korea, Iraq, Afganistan, were all “make war for soldiers” projects. I recall a fighter pilot on TV showing a spent cartridge, bragging it was the first one “Canada had fired in anger” since the Korean War. “In anger”? In anger caused us by Saddam’s satanic WMD ... ?

That was the silver bullet that killed Canada’s proud reputation as the leader in humankind’ war against War.

As I tap out these words, leader Trudeau turns a blind eye to Canadians “camping” in the streets of our cities to divert the savings for leaving them homeless into boosting the kill-ability of the Army thereby protecting our “freedom” to endure him taking vacations in exotic Islands. He is busy buying fighter jets and planning renewing the Jean Chretien “rust-bucket” class submarine fleet. On terra firma, he is adding four Canadian Army bases in EU countries.

I am certain were Canadians to have a fair-way (Ideas Bank) we would do much better than I can, but in the famine of such I will start the ball rolling. Let us cap our military expenditures at the amount we spend to help Canadians under the “Minimum Wage” level live better decent life. Let’s begin with an Ideas Bank where to bang our heads together on remaking Canada the leader of sanity in the world. It is expected from us.

Ci vis pacem, pugna contra bellum