FOR GOD AND COUNTRY
The Earth and Humanity presently find themselves confronted by a threat
of unprecedented proportions. The source of this threat is the power
struggle between two political systems, both of which justify their
existence on the basis of promoting Freedom, Justice, and Equality.
There is very nearly a unanimous opinion among the citizens of both
systems that their governments are not perfect. However, neither
citizenry appears capable of raising above the complacency, born of what
their system provides them, in order to bring about a more perfect form
of government.
Objective observers will agree that both the United States government
and that of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics oppress their
citizenry, in that they each demand obedience, submission, and contri-
butions. It cannot be reasonably disputed that absolute Freedom,
Justice, or Equality exists in neither of these political systems.
Therefore, the only disagreement could be as to relative degrees of
oppression in both systems.
It is obvious that both systems are a source of oppression to people of
each system. While working to convince those people that the other
system is a potential source of greater oppression, the question seems
to reduce itself to one of: Which form of oppression is preferable?
Because people are inclined to endure suffering while the suffering is
endurable, neither the "Russians" nor the "Americans" are terribly
anxious to throw off their own familiar yokes for fear that the strange
yoke of the other might be worse than their own. "Our oppression is
better than your oppression," the ignorant citizens chant at one another
from behind their national frontiers.
Thus the capitalists of the USA control the people of that country from
their bureaucratic "brain" in Washington DC, while the communists of the
USSR control the people of that country from their bureaucratic "brain"
in Moscow. The rest of the world population trembles as these two
"brains" vie for control of the Earth's resources.
While there is much talk of eliminating oppression and reducing the
threat of nuclear holocaust on both sides, there seems to be no con-
sensus as to how these ends may be accomplished.
In his inaugural address the President of the United States noted: "In
our present crisis government is not the solution to our problem, rather
government is our problem." Thankfully, the president has been unable
to make the problem operate mroe efficiently. Hopefully he will be
prepared to make the personal sacrifice necessary to eradicate the
problem.
The author, residing at l600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, is
dedicated enough to the elimination of oppression and the avoidance of
nuclear annihilation to suggest that the people of the United States and
the people of the Soviet Union give warning to oppressors by
simultaneously launching one of their largest warheads at the seat of
the other's government. This would be called a rational limited nuclear
conflict. If this action is carried out by mutual consent of the
governed, not only will it provide a graphic illustration of what to
expect in the event of nuclear war, but additionally it will quickly
eliminate enough red tape to gift wrap the solar system.