Wednesday, April 21, 2004

The Dangerous Military Mentality

"Today, the existence of the military mentality is more dangerous than ever; for the weapons which are available to aggressor nations have become much more powerful than weapons of defense. This fact will inevitably produce the kind of thinking which leads to preventive wars. Because of the general insecurity resulting from these developments, the civil rights of citizens are being sacrificed to the alleged cause of national interest. Political witch-hunting and governmental interference in many forms, such as official control over teaching, research and the press, appear inevitable and, consequently, do not encounter the kind of popular resistance that might otherwise serve to protect the population.

All traditional values are changing, and anything which does not clearly serve the utopian goal of militarism is considered inferior."

Sound familiar? A quote from the John Kerry camp? Carping from another liberal-leaning newspaper?

Nope.

Albert Einstein, in 1947, in a piece he wrote entitled "The Military Mentality." Taken from my newly found treasure, a 1960 704-page book "Einstein on Peace" that compiles his prolific writings and speeches on peace and the desperate need for peacemaking.

Send emails to DeborahWhite@UniqueRecipes.com.

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