Dr. Charles Mercieca
mercieca@knology.net
President
Photo taken 1997
International Association of Educators for World Peace
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS FOR WORLD PEACE
NGO, United Nations (ECOSOC), UNDPI, UNICEF, UNCED & UNESCO
Secretariat's Executive Council, 2002-2004
Part I
Part II
What Kind of US President Americans Expect and the World Wants
By: Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.
President
International Association of Educators for World Peace
NGO, United Nations (ECOSOC), UNDPI, UNICEF, UNCED & UNESCO
Professor Emeritus
Alabama A&M University
The kind of US President the American people expect and the world at
large wants to see is very different from the kind of US President that big
corporations expect and want to have by all means. Many are nowadays fully aware of the fact that the US President and government, as a whole, function at the mercy of US big business, always headed by the weapons industry.
Problem of Big Corporations
US big business has succeeded, for quite a time now, to keep the US
President and most members of the US government as helpless hostages. It is
obvious that the US President has become the most powerful person on earth when
viewed as a decision-maker. Such decisions would often affect the lives of
Americans as well as people of other nations for the better or the worse. When
we consider that the US President's primary intent is not the citizens' needs
but the financial interests of big business, the situation becomes very serious.
This is due to the fact that he has been reduced to being merely a
toy, a puppet in the hands of big corporations always headed by the weapons
industry. Big business always wants a US President and US members of Congress
that could be easily manipulated to suit the exclusive interests of big
corporations, even if fully detrimental to the American people and the rest of
the world. The American people are very much concerned with their health. They
love their children dearly whom they want to see living in a stable and peaceful
world.
To this end, Americans expect to have a healthy environment free of
air and water pollution. They want to see their children receive full medical
attention and a good education without the strain of financial burden. They want
to have their children at home watching TV programs that are fully positive and
constructive, programs that would bring the entire world into their homes. They
all want to have the essentials of life without any worries whatsoever.
Big business finances the campaign of the leading US Presidential
candidates and once elected the corporations would be expected to benefit
greatly at the full expense of the American people. To this end, a lot of fairy
tale stories are being fed to the people as to hypnotize them and to have them
under full control with hardly any serious opposition.
Methods of People Control
One of the strategies used by big corporations to control the US
president and, if possible, the entire US congress lies in a carefully
structured propaganda. There are several facets of propaganda, which may be
outlined as follows:
- Distortion of Realities: Big corporations took hold of all the
major news media all of which have a vested interest in the manufacture and
sales of weapons. Hence, the creation of constant struggles and the promulgation of wars became an absolute necessity for the weapons industry to remain in business. To this end, nothing will stand in the way. Distortion of reality has become the order of the day all the year round.
- Suppression of Facts: The only way to control the American people who mean well in anything they try to do seems to lie in the systematic
suppression of facts. This has been witnessed in the United States'
determination to become the policeman of the world, using the military across
every continent to this end. The excuse given is "national defense and security" while the real facts are found in the United States' determination to control the economy of the whole world.
- Isolation from the World: The American news media, particularly the television stations, do everything in their power to isolate the American people from the rest of the world. This way they will not find out easily how the United States is infiltrating every global area while alienating many nations in the process. Foreigners often find themselves helpless when confronted by this gigantic power, which often explains the instigation of the terrorism we witness.
- Implementation of Ignorance: In spite of the fact that Americans
are rich in culture due to the fact that they constitute a conglomeration of
nations, hardly anything is done by the US President and the US Congress as a
whole to benefit from this enrichment. In fact, statistical studies of American
schools have demonstrated that when it comes to geography American children have proved to be among the most ignorant of all children in all of the developed nations.
- Fabrication of False Stories: If we were to watch TV stories for an extended period we will soon realize that most of the stories we hear,
especially about political affairs, are pretty much fabricated, fully or in
part. In fact, the "USA" newspaper has started to bring false stories provided
by Republicans against Democrats and on the other hand by Democrats against
Republicans. At the same time, the true facts are afterwards outlined by the
editorial board.
- Distraction from Vital Matters: In spite of the fact that there are so many things in the world that are worth bringing to the attention of the
American people, the major American news media reports on relativelyinsignificant and virtually irrelevant events day in and day out. One recent example is the report that Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation. What about anything of significance that is going in Africa or Latin America? Hardly anything!
- Incompetence of News Reporters: It is very embarrassing to see the major five American TV stations full of reporters that act like they were smart, which is so far away from the truth. They never try to talk about how American big business has exploited other nations at the expense of the natives there. They never utter one single word critical of the weapons industry that has drained every dollar from the health care and education of our nation's people
- Betrayal of the Public Trust: What is ironic and outrageous at the same time lies here. The American people elect their representatives who
afterwards spend their time in office looking after the exclusive interests of
big corporations even when detrimental to the very same people that elected
them! This is certainly a betrayal of public trust, which is criminal from every aspect one can imagine. Surprisingly, not much is being done to remedy this situation.
- Imposition of Needless Suffering: How is it that while the US
government finds billions of dollars to wage on wars all the year round, not a
single million dollars could be found for the health care and education of the
American people? Millions of Americans are suffering from inadequate nutrition,
shelter, health care, and education needlessly and unnecessarily.
- Exploitation of People: To have the American people exploited by
some foreign nation may be understandable. But to have the US government itself
exploiting the American people by putting the nation's priorities upside down is outrageous to say the least. Before we go into further military and space
ventures we need first to fix the vital problems of the American people.
Conduct of Presidential Campaign
Let us now explore how the US Presidential candidates, controlled by
big corporations, conduct their campaign. They hardly ever present a
constructive agenda that would involve a restructure of the nation's priorities. The 2004 US Presidential candidates are focusing their campaign on the following:
- Exposition of One's Resume: The two main presidential contenders
for 2004 are Bush the Republican and Kerry the Democrat. Both are stressing the
good things they did in the past to convince the public of their qualifications. They seem to believe that such a resume may serve as a guarantee for the eventual solution of the many problems the average American family faces.
- Awards and Citations Received: As though the exposition of one's
resume is not enough, focus is made on awards and citations that might have been received some five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty five or thirty years ago and more. These are all beautiful ornaments to hang on a wall for posterity to
enjoy. Of course, the acquisition of such ornaments is much better than nothing.
- Experience Based on Past Actions: The fact that both Bush and Kerry served in the military should not be taken as an indication of a good and
indispensable quality that a US presidential candidate needs to have. Such a
quality as a prerequisite for the US presidency is not mentioned anywhere in the US Constitution. Emphasis on this quality by both the Republican and the
Democratic Party reveals merely the war mentality of the American nation.
- War Leadership Qualities: The US President is expected to surround himself by the most intelligent people in the nation on virtually every crucial issue. However, in practice the US President has always surrounded himself with people who were fully loyal, but not necessarily intelligent. Yet, big corporations, headed by the weapons industry, opt always for either a military man in mufti or for a civilian that could be easily manipulated.
- Witnesses for Past Braveries: In order to convince the people of
their past, witnesses are called to testify for or against one candidate or the
other. Again, everything is focused on the character and personality of the
individual US presidential candidate. The question that is often raised by the
American people and foreign observers is this: What focus is being made on the
vital needs of the American people in particular and the world at large?
- Devised Tricks to Attract Votes: Instead of working on presenting to the American people in particular and the world at large with a serious and viable agenda, the US presidential candidates concentrate mostly on trying to distract the people of their deficiencies. This is done by trying to make people focus on the assumed weaknesses or defects of the other candidate. Of course, the US presidential candidates always try to hammer on more jobs and better economy.
- Saying What People Want: What is it that people would want to hear? Among other things, people are presumed to be looking for improvement in the economic sector with a substantial generation of new jobs, greater income with lesser taxes to pay, possibly tuition credits for children's education, and equality of job opportunities for women. Besides, they want to feel secure
against terrorist threats without having to risk more American soldiers' lives.
- Promise of Economic Growth: Regardless of the status of the
nation's economy, every US Presidential candidate always tries to speak of the
so called American dream where every American looks forward to own a home, a
car, and is financially very comfortable. If we were to make a statistical study to see how many Americans really have achieved this dream, we will find the number is significantly low. It's just a dream and for many it will always
remain as such.
- Distortion of Candidate's Character: What is ironic and mysterious in US Presidential candidates lies here. They tend to try to secure votes for winning the election more on the exposition of the opponent's supposed weaknesses than on the eventual candidate's strengths and capabilities. It is somewhat sad to see in such a technologically advanced nation this kind of behavior that is more adolescent in nature than adult in any way whatsoever.
- Constant Denial of Realities: Another sad characteristic that we
notice in US Presidential candidates is the constant denial of realities. For
example, Bush took a unilateral war action against Iraq in spite of the fact
that Pope John Paul II and others warned him that it would be a grave mistake.
He did not listen to such a providential warning and proceeded with the war and
we are all aware of the present mess in Iraq. Yet, he continues to defend his
war position.
So far we had a bird's eye view of the ten major methods used by big
corporations as a method to bring the American voters under full control of US
corporations. This was followed by exposing ten devices that the US Presidential candidates tend to adopt in their campaign for election.
People's Expectations of the US President
We will now proceed to outline ten major characteristics that
Americans expect to see in their US Presidential candidates by all means. Such
characteristics will prove that the next US President would serve the people
primarily and not big corporations.
- Free Health Care for all Americans: The US President provide all
Americans with a free health care system. This should have been already in
operation since President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Leaving such a vital element in the hands of insurance companies is tragic, since such companies are concerned with profit-making and not with the welfare of the American people.
- Provision of Free Education: Several countries in the world that
are considerably less wealthy than the USA do provide for their people free
education at all levels and that includes Cuba, which the USA does not like. The US President should know that Americans have a sacrosanct right, given to them by the Natural Law, not only for a free health care system but also for a free education at all levels.
- Remedies for Fatal Illnesses: In virtue of his office, the US
President should be highly concerned about the physical and mental health of the American people. After all, the strength and weakness of a nation depends
primarily on the peoples' state of physical and mental health. Hence, priority
in expenditure should be on finding a cure to such deadly diseases as cancer,
leukemia, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease, among others.
- Moratorium of Further Space Ventures: It is incomprehensible for a US President to continue to support the expenditure of billions of dollars in
space exploration, while countless millions of Americans are dying unnecessarily from numerous illnesses some of which have just been outlined. The US President is expected to straighten the mess of disease that exists in the American nation and the world at large before committing any more money for space ventures.
- International Disarmament and Arms Control: US President Eisenhower summarized the status quo of the world beautifully when he warned the US Congress saying: Remember that all people of all nations want peace, only their government wants war. The American people prefer to live in a peaceful world that is equipped with positive and constructive items than with negative and destructive devises such as military weapons.
- Gradual Abolition of all Weapons: Those that advocate the total
abolition of weapons are not, per se, threatening the existence of the weapons
industry. In this regard, the US President may advocate for the weapons industry to change its product. This would be a gigantic step in the right direction. For example, instead of manufacturing tanks for soldiers, the weapons industry would start manufacturing tractors for farmers.
- Good Relations with All Nations: Over the past recorded history of 6,000 years we have noticed that international problems could be basically
solved in two ways: through dialogues or through wars. The US President must be
aware of the fact that problems solved through dialogues tended to be solved on
a permanent basis. On the other hand, problems solved through war tended to
deteriorate in the long range, as being observed in the recent Iraqi war.
- Restructure of Central Intelligence Agency: The US President, along with senators and congressmen, often talk of "Intelligence!" This refers to information that comes from the CIA. When such an agency views foreign heads of state that put priority on the welfare of the people over that of big
corporations, as in Cuba and Venezuela, as dangerous but not the other way
round, the US President should be either have it abolished or restructured with
a new philosophy.
- Elimination of Traveling Restrictions: The USA always boasted of the freedom of movement Americans had all over the world. If a global region
revealed danger the US government would simply warn Americans about it but would never proceed to prohibit them to travel there. The US President must restore this freedom of movement by lifting the prohibition imposed on American citizens from traveling to a number of countries including Cuba.
- Better Approach to Terrorism: When the USA was attacked on
September 11, 2001, the whole world was shocked. Later, Pope John Paul II warned the US President not to attack Iraq because the situation would deteriorate. The best way to bring terrorism under control, the Pope stated, was to find its source and then to provide a remedy. The US President ignored the Pope and countless thousands died or were maimed, including Americans.
The US President needs to work with the United Nations to find the
root of terrorism and, at the same time, bring the American troops home. More
than 30 thousand innocent Iraqis and young Americans were killed or severely
maimed. Many suffered amputations of legs and arms or severe mental depression.
Presidential Qualities for World Community
We will now explore ten characteristics that the world at large wants
to see by all means in the US President. Once such qualities are clearly
evidenced in a tangible manner, the US President and, as a matter of fact, the
entire American nation would win admiration and respect from all nations across
the world.
- Replacement of Military Aid with Vital Needs: American peace
workers who visit Latin American and African countries are often met with people who say: Please tell your government that what we need is medicine and food; no moreÊ military aid that is being used to kill us and our helpless children. The US President is expected to stop furnishing weapons to nations everywhere and instead to provide vital needs for survival.
- Development of Human Resources: Like Nelson Mandela stated some
time ago: The USA has emerged to become the most dangerous country on earth with all the weapons of devastation it is manufacturing and selling. The US President needs to use his human resources to find cure for cancer, heart disease and other deadly illnesses and not to destroy society with bombs and shock and awe weapons.
- Elimination of World Hunger: The US President must explain to the world why is it that the USA instigates the dictators of the poorest nations on earth to purchase weapons instead of food for the nation's starving population. The USA needs to have a President that is no longer the Corporations' President but rather the People's President. Professional writers tell us that Bush has been a Corporate President. Would Kerry be capable of being a People's President?
- Provision of Shelter to the Homeless: It has been estimated if the US President were to divert merely 15% of the yearly American military budget to the poor people everywhere, within a very short time every single person on earth will have a home of his/her own. There will never again be people sleeping in the streets like strayed animals. The whole world wants a US President that functions with a human heart in this regard rather than with a beastly one.
- Immediate Closing of Military Bases: Regardless of what people are told, the world at large does not like to see military bases of any nation
stationed anywhere on earth. The presence of US military bases in general is
always viewed as a threat and not as a blessing. Millions of South Koreans
believe that the presence of US military bases in South Korea has prevented them from having a unified Korean peninsula. North Koreans concurred with this as well.
- Ending Exploitation of Big Business: One of the sources of
terrorism is attributed to be the tremendous exploitation, exercised by
industrialist nations, of the poor countries on earth that are mostly found in
Africa and Latin America. The US President must cease to remain hostage of big
corporations. The entire world wants him to be on the front line in protecting
people everywhere from the continued exploitation of the greedy rich that live
in his country.
- Treating all People with Dignity: In the USA there are some 23
million people living in shacks with no home and some other 23 million suffering from all kind of ailments simply because they have no financial means. The US President is expected to set a good example to other political leaders by putting top priority on helping his nation's people. The whole world wants him to do just that and then to proceed to give needed assistance to other people also.
- More Reliance on Diplomatic Relations: We are all familiar with the saying: One will catch more flies with honey. Any US President that resorts to war instead of diplomacy to solve problems reveals to be a phenomenally week
leader. Rather than respect he will gain disdain and disrespect not only from
his own people as a whole but from the entire world at large. The world wants a
US President that could be trusted as world leader because of his diplomacy.
- Replacing Politicians with Statesmen: A politician is one who
promotes the welfare of some to the exclusion of others. A statesman is one who
promotes the welfare of all people to the exclusion of no one. Bush proved to be a politician each time he spoke of American interests, which always tended to refer to the interest of US corporations. The world wants a US President that is a statesman like Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and Oscar Arias, among others.
- Bringing Power-Abuse under Control: One of the problems the world sees with the US President lies here. He often surrounds himself by loyal men mostly characterized by lack of adequate intelligence and proper vision. Because of this, the US President is often being misled, like it was with the Iraqi war. Many believe that in this process of misleading there is a degree of
power-abuse. The world wants the next US President to remedy this sad situation.
Before we come to conclusion, we have before us ten major methods that the US news media, controlled by big business, uses to control the American people. We also have ten major approaches the US Presidential candidates use to secure people's vote without making any substantial commitment.
Next we have in front of us ten major characteristics that the
American people expect to see in the US Presidential candidate by all means.
This is followed by another ten characteristics that the world at large wants to see in the US President because of his eventual global role.
US News Media Needs Improvement
One of the greatest problem we have in the United States lies with the news media reporters who, on the whole, are merely a bunch of charlatans.
Virtually all of them are mere creatures of big corporations. This explains why
they never dare to ask US Presidential candidates what the American people and
the world at large wants them to ask and find out by all means. For example, why is it that US news media reporters hardly ever ask US Presidential candidates their idea of making a moratorium on further space ventures until first they would solve the problem of hunger and the homeless? Why is it that the US news media reporters hardly ever ask US Presidential candidates about their plans, if any, to provide free health care and free education for all Americans?
Why is it that the same news media hardly ever asks US Presidential
candidates about their plan to develop an international program of disarmament
and arms control that would include the abolition of landmines and all weapons
of mass destruction? Why is it that the same news media hardly ever questions US presidential candidates about their possible intention to establish good
diplomatic relations with all nations including Cuba? Why is it that this same
news media never inquires about the US Presidential candidates' intention to
restore the freedom for Americans to travel all over the world, including to
Cuba, with no restrictions? Why is it that this same news media never asks the
US Presidential candidates about their getting to the source of terrorism and to provide remedies without the continued waging of hopeless wars?
Do the US Presidential candidates know that such acts of terrorism
have been instigated by American big corporations who tried, over an extended
period, to exploit many poor nations where millions died as a result of
starvation and disease? Why is it that the news media does not ask the US
Presidential candidates about their intention of changing the role of the
military from one of being negative and destructive to one of being positive and constructive? Why is it that the same news media does not inquire of the US
Presidential candidates about plans, if any, to close numerous military bases
whose presence in many countries has now become the albatross that hangs around
the American neck?
Why is it that the same news media hardly ever asks US Presidential
candidates about their intention of treating people everywhere with dignity and
respect? And how would such Presidential candidates proceed to have politicians
replaced by statesmen both in the USA and in countries around the world? Also,
why does the same news media hardly ever raises a question to the US
Presidential candidates relative to what they would do as US President to
abolish or restructure the Central Intelligence Agency that has mislead so many
US Presidents including the current one, George W. Bush?
Needed Answers to Vital Questions
The American people and the world at large want clear cut replies to
such questions from each of the US Presidential candidate. The American nation
and the whole world want to move forward while looking forward. They want their
US Presidential candidates to do likewise: moving forward while looking forward. They do not want to see the US Presidential candidates neither moving forward while looking backward, far less moving backward while still looking backward. In view of this, we hope the American people will open their eyes widely and demand a straightforward reply from the US Presidential candidates to all the questions raised above.
As an incumbent President, George W. Bush has both advantages and
disadvantages. His advantage lies in the fact that he has received a tremendous
amount of visibility as to give people chance at least to admire his charm and
charisma in a number of ways. His disadvantage lies in the fact that he may be
easily judged on his four-year performance. His future performance will, almost
certain, be identically as his past performance. As one Semitic saying goes:
Min jghamililek darba jghamililek elf darba -- The one who disappoints you once
will disappoint you one thousand times, which may also be translated as: The one who deceives you once will deceive you one thousand times.
On the other hand, John F. Kerry who has been in public office for
some two decades does have a history of where he stands in virtually every
issue. But he is not immune from the questions raised above. Kerry is an
intelligent man and he surely realizes that this American nation is built on the culture of war. Would he be capable, as US President, to exert his influence to replace this country's culture of war by the much desire culture of peace? If he were to stay closer to the people than to big corporations, then his term as President would prove to be highly beneficial to the USA in particular and the world at large.
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