Gary Field
DC# MO5398
South Bay C.F.
PO Box 7171
South Bay, FL
33493

6/28/14

"If we do not learn from history, we shall be compelled to relive it. True, but if we do not change the future, we will be compelled to endure it, and that could be worse."
- Alvin Toffler

100 years ago today, a 19 year old kid fired 2 shots that set in motion a chain of events that would reshape the world [marginal note - Gavrilo Princip, of Serbian descent, shot the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzogovina, 6/28/14]. 2 .30 caliber bullets would unleash a tsunami of "nationalism and hatred" and leave a trail of destruction. The lock was popped on Pandora's box and the "war to end all wars" would simply set the stage for the next one.

Dwight D Eisenhower, who would come of age in that first war, and play a major role in the next, wrote, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the houses of its children. This is not a way of life... Under the cloud of war, it is humanity hanging itself on a cross of iron." He wrote that in 1953.

Several years later, upon leaving the Presidency in 1961 (Jan.) he said in part "...the greatest threat to the United States is not communism but the military-industrial complex" (paraphrased). That may not be a direct quote, but the message was clear - not coming from some namby-pamby left wing pacifist, but from a Republican President who had achieved 5 star status as Supreme Allied Commander during WWII, before becoming Commander in Chief.

I've never stood, like Lord Byron
In Venice, upon the Bridge of Sighs -
But I've heard the mother crying
When another soldier dies
- G. Field

After that First World War - after 9 million soldiers and 6 million citizens had died - after the returning soldiers carried influenza back to their countries, which would kill another 50 million worldwide - President Wilson said on 9/5/1919, "Why, my fellow Americans, is there any man here, or any woman - let me say, is there any child here - who does not know that the seed of war in the modern world is commercial and industrial rivalry."

Wow! You mean it's all about "money" and "resources" - "commercial and industrial rivalry" and not patriotism? (or some are saying: yo momma!)

"Military funding for overseas contingency operations" (think: "costs of war") is projected to be $68.5 billion for 2015. It's been as high as $180 billion in 2008 and as low as $13 billion in 02 - we've just allocated $500 million of 2015's budget to be spent arming and training Syrians to fight I.S.I.S. (whoa?!?). It can be guaranteed that the $500 million will only fan the flames and fuel the furnace of affliction which is devastating huge chunks of the Middle East.

I'm not naive enough to claim I have the answers... you'll have to ask the cab drivers and hairdressers. You'll have to ask someone who watches snatches of C.N.N., Fox News ans "Downton Abbey". Someone who scans the headlines on the way to the sports pages (or comics, or financial section). Someone who listens to Billy Cunningham, Glen Beck and Savage Nation - falls asleep during "Coast to Coast" and snorts in disgust to N.P.R. Perhaps they'll have the answer.

Here's what I know - the forces at work today were unleashed 100 years ago today - the current administration did not start the fires it's been tasked with putting out. Almost 100 years ago, an Englishman, Mark Sykes, and a Frenchman, Georges Picot "cut some deals" and "drew borders" around what we now know as the 'countries of the Middle East" - a nomad named Saud would stake claim to a chunk of desert named Arabia, and later, up from the ground would come a bubbling crude black cold Texas Tea and the current life blood of the industrialized world. Balfour would make a Declaration, and mustard gas would be used in trench warfare all along the Western Front.

I know that the first prayer (as a request) mentioned in scripture was made by Abraham in Genesis 15:2 when he said, "...Lord, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless..." In Verse 4 the Lord promised him an heir.

If you read the next few chapters of Genesis - you'll see something amazing takes place. Rather than wait for the promises of God - the answer to his prayer - Abraham and his wife Sarah take matters into their own hands.

Sarah sends Abraham to the Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar, because she thinks she's too old to conceive. Hagar has a son, Ismael. Sarah casts her out and has a son of her own, Isaac.

From Isaac would come Jacob, later known as "Israel", and his 12 sons would comprise the 12 'tribes' of Israel. But what of Ismael? From Ismael would descend the "Arab people" as we know them today. But wait! (as they'd say in a late night infomercial) There's more! From Isaac would come Jacob a.k.a. Israel - and from one of those 12 tribes, 'Judah', would come King David => Jesus => and Christianity! And guess what? From Ismael's descendants, in 570A.D. would be born Muhammad, founder of the World's second largest religion, Islam!

When Muhammad died in 632 (peace and blessings be upon him) it set in motion another important chain of events. 85% of the World's Muslims are Sunni, 10 to 15% Shia. The Sunnis recognized Muhammad's uncle Abu Bakr as the rightful heir (a 'Caliph' = Islamic leader) while the Shia (Shiites) thought the legitimate successors should descend directly from Muhammad, and that his son-in-law, Ali (who was martyred) and his sons should succeed as Imams.

And all of this is important, why? Because today's headlines are the first drafts of history. I.S.I.S. the "Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham" is trying to redraw the map of the Middle East based upon a Sunni majority. Iran, Iraq and Syria want to create (or maintain) an unbroken line of Shiite influences. Into this mix of sectarian, religious and tribal mayhem comes American Interests (resources = oil).

So what's to be done?

Of course the cab drivers and hairdressers could solve all of the world's problems if only given a chance. But the entire Middle Eastern [illegible] was started by one man's prayer (religion or resources? Hmmm!?) Genesis 15:2 "And Abraham said, Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless. And the steward of my house is Eliezar of Damascus (Syria) 3. And Abraham said, Behold to me Thou hast given no seed: And lo, one born in in my household will be my heir." So - before Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the prayer was about the distribution of wealth, resources.

I'm just rambling but I do want to say this. Let us pray, on this 100th anniversary of WWI, that some cooler heads prevail, and we don;t march once again into the brink, whether the catalyst be Russia and the Ukraine, Mid East peace or a Sunni / Shiite cataclysm. Let us pray that this administration is guided by the hand of God to to make wise decisions.

We may not like the "man", the "party" his race, or position, but let us realize that he is in a position to base his decisions on more than just snatches of headlines, 'soundbites' and radio personalities whose 'stock in trade' is drumming up controversy and spiking emotions, with the skin of the truth wrapped around a body of lies.

Let us pray for peace = but let us realize that our own decisions might be different if we were provided with information daily from a National Security Council, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Homeland Security and State Dept. as well as an alphabet soup of Intelligence Agency reports (yes including the NSA). Let us not forget the opinions of [illegible] and [illegible] He may not know everything, but at least he doesn't 'know it like a tweet' (as compared to knowing it like an E-book).

I'm finally getting settled in here at South Bay, but I'm waiting for a permanent dorm assignment before updating my profile page. Now that I'm here I'll also be notifying the staff at Behind the Bars (our wonderful volunteers) that I can begin receiving the "comments left" again - they will not be returned by the mail room as "unauthorized".

I look forward to receiving comments (feedback) on my posts. I haven't received any in well over a year - and even then it was sporadically.

By the way - it just dawned on me as I bring this train of thought back into the station - I opened this post by commenting on the start of WWI - the shots fired on 6/28/14 whihc set that chain of events in motion. I went off into a tangent which led to Abraham and the advent of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - by extension, the current Mid East discord. Well - today happens to be the start of Ramadan. What a coincidence, eh?

Also, when I mentioned the date of Muhammad's death in 632 and said "Peace and blessings be upon him" - it was an expression of respect, customary to the world's 1.4 billion Muslims, not an indication that I've been converted. L.O.L.

Until next time - peace and blessings be upon you all.

Gary

PS Shavot (the giving of the Torah) falls on June 3rd this year, my birthday. It is the 2nd of 3 major Jewish festivals (Passover being the 1st, Sukkot the 3rd). It comes 50 days after the Passover and is known by Christians as Pentecost (the Christian Church was born on Pentecost - see Acts chap.2)