End US military wars and US drug wars. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Jeff Davis Show
The big lie peddled by our leaders at the beginning of this millennium was that the military had to go into Iraq because Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Although the rationale for military intervention was based on inconclusive reports, the lie was still sold to the public. The cartoonLiar, Liar, Pants on Fire, published on Engaging Peace April 15, 2019, brilliantly illustrates the tactics that the government used to sell that lie.
Even prior to September
11, 2001, the military-industrial complex did a rather good job of drumming up
public support for the invasion of Iraq. However, the level of that support
reached an apex following the September 11 attacks. In fact, according to a
Gallup poll conducted at the time, the majority of surveyed individuals falsely
believed that Iraq was responsible for those attacks. It is my firm belief that
this was no accident. It seems that the government’s propaganda machine was
working overtime to convince the public that it really was Iraq that was
responsible. Perhaps this was done to exploit Iraq’s strategically advantageous
geographic location, or perhaps the U.S. had long felt that it was time for
Saddam to go because they could no longer exert enough influence over him.
Either way, they undoubtedly felt that it was the right moment to push for war,
given the public outrage over 9/11.
The devastating
destabilization resulting from the power vacuum created in Iraq is still being
felt to this day. It is quite unfortunate, but the U.S. has long been having a
direct impact on the instability that some countries face. For instance, I
strongly believe that many Mexican migrants are fleeing a never-ending war that
is not often spoken about anymore — the “War on Drugs.” It is, in fact, the
same “War on Drugs” that was used to justify the U.S. invasion of Panama in
1989. This war, propagated by the U.S., has fueled the rise of ruthlessly
violent cartels, who have caused political corruption, violence, and
instability in Mexico. This has led some Mexican citizens to seek refuge in the
United States.
I am very understanding of
their plight and believe that people such as this should be treated as refugees
by our government. However, I also feel that a good number of those people
would have liked to stay in Mexico, but could not, in large part due to the
havoc wreaked by the cartels running their towns. Yet, I firmly believe that
the power to wreak such havoc is mandated to the cartels as a result of the
“War on Drugs.” As with Alcohol Prohibition in the first half of the twentieth
century, it has created an increasingly lucrative black market, with profit
margins (as well as substance use) actually increasing over time.
As a strong proponent of civil liberties, I believe that the government has long been abusing their powers by perpetuating the “War on Drugs,” leaving countless casualties in their wake. A lot of politicians talk about accepting migrants as refugees, but very few talk about the uncomfortable fact that oftentimes, our government is creating refugees by destabilizing nations. Sadly, it appears that this has been the case in both Latin America and Iraq.
Note from Kathie MM: Please check out the cartoon that inspired Arsen to write this post.
Arsen Gourjian earned a master’s degree in Psychology from
Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Worcester State
University. He currently works as a Research Psychologist at The Fireside Center: Learning & Teaching
International, a Massachusetts based clinic for psychological and
educational services. He is also working towards his graduate degree in Applied
Behavior Analysis at Regis College, with aspirations of becoming a Board
Certified Behavior Analyst. In addition to Psychology, Arsen’s academic and
research interests include Criminology, History, and Geopolitics.
Martin Luther King Jr, at a press conference / World Telegram & Sun photo by Walter Albertin, 8 June 1964. No known copyright restrictions
By Anthony J. Marsella
Ladies and Gentlemen, I write to you today from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, birthplace and national shrine of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), clergyman, civil rights leader, social activist, Nobel Prize Laureate, and martyr to the cause of justice.
I write to call your attention to the land where one man made the word ‘‘justice’’ a living reality, where one man’s relentless and indomitable pursuit of “justice” for his people, and for people everywhere, changed history through non-violent protest inspired by an oratory filled with inspired thought and hopes.
I write to welcome you to the land where one’s man’s vision changed a nation’s identity, conscience, and heritage of slavery and abuse of African-Americans, and of all people living in bondage across the world seeking opportunity, screaming for dignity, begging for relief.
It was here, more than 50 years ago, in Atlanta, Georgia, and in a thousand other places across the land, from Alabama to Chicago, from Washington D.C. to California, a deep, resonant, baritone voice of a Black man electrified the air with words of such magnitude, of such righteousness, of such eloquence, of such truth, they crushed historic roots of oppression lifting the human spirit to new levels of possibility.
It was here, in Atlanta, Georgia, a Black man refused to be silenced, denying fear, injury, and pain, and threats, dangers, and risks to life. It was here, and across the land, hundreds of thousands harkened to King’s inspiring words, joining in protests at costs to their safety, health, and life.
The task before King, and for countless others taking the cause of “justice” in those tumultuous years, was to undo a history of oppression, and to build a future founded on laws guaranteeing justice, equality, and liberty, regardless of race, creed, color, gender or any social-identity marker.
This, then, is the pressing challenge of life in our global age, as nations withdraw from social responsibilities, and dismiss ideals promised by government, and guaranteed by universal human rights and accepted moral codes.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018, in memorial celebration of the tragic assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., we gather to share ideas, to seek wisdom, to pursue inspiration, and to bond in common purpose, in honor of Reverend King’s legacy.
Let me, however, be clear in my message to you:
I do not write to tell you the profound changes inspired by King and countless others who followed his ways in the 1960s are sufficient. Nor do I write to tell you we must be content with the many broken political barriers, proud of social advances, and with patient remaining challenges.
I write today to tell you King’s words are enshrined in stone to remind us the struggle for justice will always continue. I write to you today to tell you the fierce and exhausting struggle beginning in the Land of King 50 years ago, has not ended, and will continue for generations to come.
I write today to tell you the roots of hate, ignorance, and evil endure, nurtured by the protective veils of government corruption, cronyism, greed, and religious prejudices sanctioned by dogma and custom. I call upon you today to join King’s call to justice, now more than 50 years old as it still echoes throughout our global age.
Listen! Can you hear the cries of the masses around the world leading lives of desperation, lives devoid of hope, lives existing from moment to moment, each breath lacking reflexive assurance the next breath will bring solace to an aching body, and also to a troubled mind?
Events in recent months regarding the betrayal of our government’s Justice and National Security Agency staff and offices raise serious questions about the sources of Reverend King’s assassination. It is said, Reverend King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, with a rifle bullet fired by James Earl Ray at 6:01 on April 4, 1968. A single assassination? A conspiracy? Today’s DC scandals leave open the question of assassination, albeit we now know government offices, agencies, and people have engaged in criminal acts.
There was, at the time, extensive fear among the highest offices of our land that Reverend King’s words would spark massive protests for social reform regarding legal and civil rights, especially for African American populations doomed to limited fixed roles and opportunities.
It is well known, and inescapably criminal, that J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and one of the destructive forces in his time, sought to stop Reverend King’s influence by threatening him with exposure of affairs with women and urging him to commit suicide. Hoover was furious over Reverend King’s efforts to stop the war in Vietnam, efforts that were to prove prescient as the war’s tolls upon Vietnam and the United State of America’s society became doomed with endless guilt at its carnage.
Hoover was also fearful the civil rights movement would challenge the status quo:
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, feared the civil rights movement and investigated the allegations of communist infiltration. When no evidence emerged to support this, the FBI used the incidental details caught on tape over the next five years in attempts to force King out of his leadership position in the COINTELPRO program.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
The question of Reverend King’s assassination remains open to debate. Today, a building in Washington, DC, is named after J. Edgar Hoover, and a gradually expanding national monument is being built in Atlanta, Georgia, close to Reverend King’s home and church, to honor Reverend King. The monument is insufficient given Reverend King’s legacy and impact. We must insure his words will be present in every classroom across the land because they go beyond protests, anti-war and civil rights protests. “They are timeless!”
Slavery, and its brutal legacy, sullied and stained by inadequate USA peace and justice efforts, continue. Reverend King’s words and actions challenged the comfort zones of those in power at local, national, and international levels. Their efforts after saturating Black areas with illegal drugs, and imposing prison terms on offenders with even slight amounts of illegal substance, were unable to halt the rising tide of freedom and justice Reverend King’s word inspired. Was the “War on Drugs” really a war on black people?
Today, we are engaged in a global struggle for justice. There are victims of war and violence. There are victims of labor, gender, and child exploitation. There are victims of oppression, there are victims denied freedom. All victims yearn for recognition, support, and justice. All victims are you, for there is no other! This was the message in King’s words.
Answering King’s call, and the call of billions of others living amid injustice, will not be easy! Heeding King’s call will add burdens to conscience, press discomforting responsibilities upon daily rounds, and risk threat to security.
In answering the call, your life will not be the same. You will be required to face harsh realities; you will be singled out for abuse from reactionary forces whose accepted inhumanity keeps them locked in hate. Your life itself will be at risk. Yes, your efforts will bring you threats and surveillance.
What will not be at risk, however, is your personal integrity, your dignity, your identity, and your position of gratitude, respect, and admiration in the heart and minds of those you help.
Pursuit of justice is not for the faint of heart. You can expect condemnation, ridicule, insult, entrapment, and defamation; costs are high, but rewards are more than gold or silver; rewards come in knowing in our brief time on earth, you have done something to advance the cause of “justice.”
As Reverend King would, in my humble opinion, say: Brethren, I share with you the words spoken before in a distant land, by a humble man, who understood the evils of violence and hatred, anticipating his own death at vile hands:Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.AMEN
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. . . . A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called games of amusement and amusements of mankind. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Jul 12, 1817-May 6, 1862 Walden (Aug 9, 1854)
Introduction
12 Jul 2017 – I call upon the timeless words of Henry David Thoreau, a 19th Century student of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1889-1888), to open this article on the critical consequences of the socio-cultural context for human health and well-being. It is, perhaps, coincidental today is Thoreau’s birthday; his 200th year anniversary, a reminder of the enduring power of great thoughts and words. Guide me, Sir!
I offer only a few lines of Thoreau’s words as an epigram, insufficient to honor the timelessness of his thoughts, but perhaps sufficient to acknowledge his special sensitivities to the human condition of his age and our age. Thoreau’s entire works deserve reading. The unfolding industrial age in which he lived, was the source of problems paralleling the problems of our unfolding socio-technical age.
I can think of no better guide to justify the thoughts and words of this article. In so many ways, we have forgotten the tragic consequences of the psycho-social contexts of life for the human condition; we have become infatuated with “reductionism,” a wondrous gift of technological progress, but a distraction from the realities of human nature.
No one can deny the sheer wonder and glory of our growing knowledge of the CNS, brain, organs, and genetics. Yet, the magnificence of our knowledge must not detract from our understanding the socio-environmental determinants of our life milieu. Political powers, controlling funding have called for various national initiatives: “Decade of the Brain.” Similar initiatives for increasing awareness of psychosocial topics have too hidden agendas (see documentary: America’s War on Drugs) directed toward arms deals, racial oppression, and disguised foreign relations policies.
Psychosocial Contexts
Kurt Lewin (1890-1947), one of psychology’s great thinkers, contended behavior is a function of the interaction of organism and environment (B = O x E). It is the interaction of an organism and its milieu which generates behavior, and the problems of disease and disorder. Nothing exists apart from its inner and outer singular milieu. Although physicists may disagree, nothing exists in a vacuum! Life is connections.
As we become increasingly, and deservedly, awed by reductionist discoveries and revelations, and as we seek insights, answers, and solutions to major human problems within reductionist levels, we are failing to address and resolve the challenges of the psychosocial context of our lives. The psychosocial context is the life context in the behavior equation. The psychosocial context has critical implications and consequences for health and well being. It is a formative cause of problems, a precipitating cause, an exacerbating cause, and a maintaining cause. The psychosocial context requires careful attention and understanding in all of the causal relations.
We may be excessively concerned and pre-occupied with the physical aspects of our being, even to the extent of dividing solutions into medical specialties, sub-specialties, and sub-sub specialties. We journey across limb, organ, cell, gene, atom, and molecular space; this journey has proven miraculous for many diseases and disorders. However, this journey alone cannot address nor resolve the tolls exacted on human health and well being forged and sustained within the psychosocial contexts of our lives.
There are many empirical and theoretical reasons concluding many diseases, disorders, dysfunctions, deviancies, and distress arise from the psychosocial contexts of our life than from our body alone. Indeed, the experiences forged and sustained in the psychosocial contexts shape and generate many of these tragic “D” words as the body and mind become war zones for survival struggles – lives of “quiet desperation.”
Today, humans seek respite and relief from “desperation” in prescription pills, illegal drugs and substances, and/or both. Pills and substances are often temporary palliatives, unable to treat and heal the broader destructive contexts of human life, located in the “isms,” poverty, violence, war, and oppression.
There can be no doubt pills and substances alter behavior via neurochemistry and anatomical structure. However, seeking solutions to the determinants of problems requires solutions appropriate to the level generating them and their consequences. Tragically, psychosocial contexts, though obvious, are too often ignored. These are big problems! Too often local, national, and international leaders yield to the preferences to the wealthy, powerful, and positioned. The result is the medicalization of society and human existence; the abuse of power is history’s story!
Many noble minds and hearts sought to awaken humanity to the psychosocial sources of their problems (e.g., Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy), but those in power, continue to dominate, “tossing bones of solace” to reaching hands. Today the world is gifted by many new heroic stalwarts, who are advancing peace and social justice (e.g., Mairead McGuire, Michael Knox, Antonio de Rosa, Glenn Paige, and numerous others). The struggle, however, is endless, and requires a person become a social and political activist. As has been suggested by many, today’s situation requires us to merge personal, occupational, and civic lives; there must be a fusion or a gathering of “self.”
FIGURE 1: PSYCHO-SOCIAL CONTEXTS FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
There are so many more items that should be included, as the “interaction” of the contexts foster yet new contexts and complexity. Amidst this challenging “matrix,” it is easy to become pessimistic, to give up on solutions, and to accept forces and fates as destiny. Do not!
As the struggles appear overwhelming, find inspiration and hope from those about you, especially at local levels, making contributions to peace, justice, and dignity. They are the new heroes our times.
________________________________________
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace, Development and Environment, is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Emeritus Professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa Campus in Honolulu, Hawaii, and past director of the World Health Organization Psychiatric Research Center in Honolulu. He is known internationally as a pioneer figure in the study of culture and psychopathology who challenged the ethnocentrism and racial biases of many assumptions, theories, and practices in psychology and psychiatry. In more recent years, he has been writing and lecturing on peace and social justice. He has published 21 books and more than 300 articles, tech reports, and popular commentaries. He can be reached at marsella@hawaii.edu.
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 17 July 2017.
