My wife has a recurring dream where she is situated on an elevated position overlooking a village and expansive terrain far below. She can see a tornado or a severe storm approaching but can't warn the villagers in time and knows the storm will devastate the village. It is a dream of helplessness and despair.
I experience a similar feeling when I contemplate the way this country is going. The storm I see is brewing right here in the "homeland." Our decision-makers seem to have put us on a course of endless war at a cost of trillions of dollars. Our personal liberties are being confiscated. Our health care is unaffordable. Our jobs are being exported as corporate profits continue to soar.
What wealth we do have is slowly trickling upward to the "one percent." When it comes to dealing with anyone opposed to their agendas, no holds are barred, including indefinite detention, torture and even murder. They seem to be indifferent to anyone other than themselves and their precious "bottom line."
The latest case in point is the NATO conference held in Chicago. Like many cities, Chicago has no money for libraries, education or social programs for the poor but mysteriously has come up with the hefty sum to beef up the riot police to deal with the demonstrations. Similar to the "occupy" demonstrations, these anti-war protest non-violently. They simply want to use their constitutionally given rights to express their view, in this case against the military viewpoint that NATO embodies.
The fact the government is so afraid of anti-war activists is telling how the "powers that be" need and crave the endless war scenario, both to keep the billions of tax dollars flowing their way and to further entrench their positions of power by increasing the leverage of oppression over the multitudes.
Our Founding Fathers were keenly aware of oppression and tried their best to safeguard against it. The truly frightening thing is, unlike my wife's dream, lots of people see it coming but feel powerless to avoid it.
Fred Dawson
Munday, W.Va.
