When we first moved to Marin County, in California, it seemed like every other car had a “World Peace” bumper sticker. This instantly reminded me of the anti-Vietnam War protests. They sang songs like: “All we are saying is, give peace a chance.” Since I serve three tours in Vietnam, I knew this was ridiculous. Apparently, John Lennon thought the Vietnam War was a civil war between people who should have been able to hug and make up. The reality is that communists in North Vietnam, supported by China, were willing to accept one million casualties in their lust to invade and control South Vietnam. How, exactly, do you negotiate with someone who is ready, willing, and able to kill one million of its own citizens to kill you? Sound great, less filling.
John Lennon was most famous for writing “Imagine.” People still sing it today, with tears in their eyes, imagining utopia.
Imagine there’s no heaven, It’s easy if you try, No hell below us, Above us, only sky.
Imagine all the people, Living for today.
Imagine there’s no countries, It isn’t hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too.
Imagine all the people, Living life in peace.
Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man, Imagine all the people, Sharing all the world, You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us.
And the world will be as one.
Ironically, John Lennon was worth about $200 million in December 1980. He owned Tittenhurst Park in England, The Dakota in New York, A Palm Beach estate, and a Dorset seaside retreat.
So much for “Imagine no possessions.”
John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8, 1980 by Mark Chapman. Chapman was a Beatle fanatic, who was envious and outraged by John Lennon’s lifestyle. Hypocrisy is not a strong enough word to describe John Lennon.
There is a reason we have police departments. There is a reason we have prisons. There is a reason we have law and order. There are always people who are only focused on themselves without regard to the impact on anyone else. They don’t listen to reason. They don’t respond to hugs and kisses. They just rob you or even kill you.
All countries are not created equal. If you are a gay man, and you doubt, that, here’s ticket to Iran. See how that goes. If you believe in freedom of expression, go to China and bad mouth the government. If you believe in freedom of religion, go to any Muslim country and try to preach the gospel.
We don’t know who actually said the following. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good me do nothing.” We do know some of this in attributed to Edmund Burk in 1770, but researchers have confirmed that he never actually wrote this. What we do know is that is was accurate then and it is accurate now. The most important thing to understand is that if people threaten to kill you, believe them.
All those hippies smoking weed and pretending to love on each other only survived because people like me were fighting communists in Vietnam. That is why I had the “Whirled Peas” bumper sticker on my car. The only proper response to absolute nonsense, is to respond with absolute nonsense.
Sadly, many people still believe in the non-existent world that John Lennon created to become rich.
Today, President Trump is confronting Iran. The same Iran that is the number one sponsor of terrorism in the world. The same Iran that wanted desperately to get a nuclear weapon so they could annihilate Israel. From the River to the Sea does not include the Jewish state of Israel.
This election voters have a choice between candidates who view the world as it is and are working to make it better, and delusional people who imagine a world that does not and will not ever exist. At the same time, these people are being overtaken by zealots who want to do for American was Fidel Castro did for CUBA. “How did that work out?”
“Whirled Peas.” Better than the alternative. You’ve been warned.
TDM