The Ongoing Obscenity of the Specter of Nuclear War

Weekly message for 06/05/22 From the Social Gospel Blog with Author Rev. Paul J. Bern

Putin’s Threats to Use Nukes and Its Contradiction With Authentic Christianity

The Ongoing Obscenity of the Specter of Nuclear War

(Matthew chapter 26, verse 52) by Rev. Paul J. Bern

The war in Ukraine has lasted more than three months, with no end in sight as of this writing. At the height of its military operations, the United States was spending $60 billion per month on the twin wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. That is not counting all the other bases the US military now has in well over 140 countries around the world, such as Germany, Japan, South Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Diego Garcia and Kuwait, to name a few of the major ones. A stepped up nuclear arms program is the ultimate escalation. All this is coming from Vladimir Putin, a man who is reputedly portrayed as a devout member of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He Who Lives by the Sword Will Die by the Sword

This raises a fundamental question; why is our country's leadership (because it's not just president Biden) doing this? Why take a chance on a nuclear conflagration ever happening in the first place? Have we become collectively suicidal and homicidal, all at once? Look at the world from the standpoint of armaments. The USA is the world's #1 arms manufacturer by far. This leads me to the conclusion that most of the arms being manufactured by other countries, such as Russia (the #2 arms manufacturer), are in place to counter the American threat. Too many Americans do not realize how much our country has frightened and damaged much of the world. We have the military and our elected politicians to blame; this happened on their watch. And now the Pentagon wants to ramp up nuclear arms production? I rebuke those intentions in the name of Jesus, who said, “He who lives by the sword will die by the sword”. (Matt. 26: 52)

The Farce That Was the Afghan War

The notion of America being a superpower – the highly vaunted American Empire – is a 20th century notion whose retirement date has long since arrived. With over 7.5 billion people currently inhabiting the earth, waging war has become counter-productive. It creates more problems than it solves, both in terms of human lives and in damage to the environment, which is already severely damaged and in need of extensive rejuvenation. Moreover, wars are almost never being fought for the reasons stated to the public.

Let's take Afghanistan as an example. The US military was allegedly there to find Osama Bin Laden, but the truth is that Afghanistan is a country with vast untapped natural resources, including enormous copper deposits. Meaning, all the fuss about Afghanistan's poppy seed crop being a target of the 'drug war' here in the US is just a whitewash job on the American public. Upon closer examination of what has happened there, out of sight of the American people, it becomes apparent that none other than the CIA is running the show. So when you see teenage gang members selling heroin on any given street corner in America, you can thank the CIA, who is their main source of supply.

America Has Betrayed Its Own Values

This is a stark contrast to what I have been teaching about being a people of peace for the last 7 years (I started this Christian blog back in 2015). It brings the US “war on terror” into sharp focus and sheds light on the criminality of the American Empire's military machine and its illegal incursions into countries where it does not belong. The truth of the matter is that the US position with respect to the dictators in the Arab world has been one of pure hypocrisy. We have supported these tyrants in the name of "stability" and the "war on terrorism" in exchange for easy access to their oil, but it has been a policy that has contributed mightily to the oppression of the people in those countries, as well as ongoing economic slavery here at home. This is a betrayal of our own revolutionary past as well as exacerbating the Islamic terrorism that has been used against us in the past.

Going Nuclear Is Not the Way to Go

Contrary to what is being reported in the Lame Stream Media, populist revolts in the Arab world have been non-sectarian, grass roots and non-ideological in every country they have occurred. That fact would seem to expose and make America's policy in the "war on terrorism" while initiating wars in the Muslim world obsolete and absurd. Regarding this, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said during Bush 43's second term in office, "Any secretary of defense who advises a president to engage in land wars with vast armies in foreign lands needs to have his head examined". So going nuclear is now the new way to wage war? Go to Japan and find a few of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and ask them whether nuclear war is a viable option, and see what they tell you.

No More Endless Wars

The fact is Washington's entire strategy of preemptive nuclear war and the whole "war on terrorism" is a ruse, a cruel invention concocted by neoconservatives and cold war warriors who were itching to replace the defunct Soviet Union with another enemy – otherwise the purpose for their existence would have to be called into question. Not only is the war on terror a reason for the American Empire to exist, it has become the only reason for its existence. It was and is a fantasy perpetrated by them and foisted on the American people. The 'terrorist attacks' perpetrated on 9/11 by rogue elements inside the US government has become the manufactured cause for endless war and is the real legacy of that fateful day.

The Noble Cause of Peace

But in light of the unfolding "awakening" in much of the world, can there not be serious discussions in the White House and Pentagon of the absurdity of our continuing to fight global wars. Secretary Gates' comments allude to the insanity of fighting these wars (even if he put it in the context of new misadventures). From here it seems the US resembles (in its ability to end its wars) a giant ship at sea that takes an excruciatingly long time to reverse course. Like the Viet Nam quagmire we seem stuck, committed to the non-winnable 'endless war' yet unwilling and unable to face reality. War is an ongoing obscenity, and America is addicted to it. It's time for America, particularly those inside the Washington Beltway, to check it's collective self into ‘war rehab’. No more wars, and especially no more nukes! I urge you all to stand against the US military-industrial complex. What will you do this coming week to stand up for the noble cause of peace?

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