Opinion: Against War, Again

Love, Justice and Climate Change

In Tehran, the largest city in Iran, one day last week the air became so filled with toxic smoke for many hours that it seemed more like night than day. This was the result of U.S./Israeli bombardment of four major oil storage facilities and an oil distribution center. The effect was the equivalent of massive chemical warfare affecting the entire civilian population of 16 million people in the metropolitan area. The skies were jet-black during the day.

Al Jazeera reported, “The medical and environmental fallout is immediate and severe. The Iranian Red Crescent Society warned that the smoke contains high concentrations of toxic hydrocarbons, sulphur, and nitrogen oxides. The organization noted that any rainfall passing through these plumes becomes highly acidic, posing risks of skin burns and severe lung damage upon contact or inhalation.”

The physical damage, the contamination of the environment and worsening of climate change, the public health effects (many will likely be long term) are a part of the war that Donald Trump has launched against Iran. There also have already been more than 3,000 people killed, and countless more injured and traumatized and extensive destruction of infrastructure and residences. At least 175 were killed in an attack on a girls’ school. According to a preliminary report by military investigators, the U.S. was responsible for that attack.

War is always horrible, of course. Perhaps all war is senseless, but this one seems particularly so, since it is being waged without justification or cause.

Majority Is Opposed
A majority of the population of the U.S. is opposed to the war against Iran, while only 4 in 10 support it. In a sense, Donald Trump and his henchmen are using the U.S. military to wage war against Iran and having the U.S. population pay for it, while the country as a whole does not want to be at war. (Apparently the war is costing more than a billion dollars a day. All of this will be paid for by U.S. taxpayers. In addition, the price of oil is going up and up – providing great profits to the fossil fuel industry, but an oppressive burden on working class people facing rapidly rising gasoline prices.)

Many commentators have been writing about Trump’s psychology and motivations, his narcissism, his need to dominate, his impulsiveness, his need to look powerful, his disregard for majority public opinion, and his steady stream of lies. All of these may be significant factors in this war, but I don’t believe the very wealthy of this country would be allowing this war to go forward if it weren’t to their benefit. War is generally very profitable for the arms, energy, construction, and financial industries and all those related to them.

George Orwell
As George Orwell said (in his non-fiction writing), “War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it.” In general, the ultra-rich profit from war. This is particularly true in the United States. I’m not suggesting that the ultra-rich pushed Trump to attack Iran. I am suggesting that they would have prevented him from attacking Iran if it appeared that such an attack would be significantly detrimental to their financial interests. Whether Trump’s war against Iran ends up being called a success or a failure, the wealthy will profit.

Many of Us Have Protested War in the Past
When I was a college student way back in the 1960’s, the Vietnam War was a major feature of life in the U.S. My first protests, sit-ins, and civil disobedience all came opposing the war in Vietnam. The slogan, “War is not healthy for children and other living things” became a unifying theme. Much of my generation joined together to protest that war. Those protests helped move public opinion against the war and played a significant role in ending the war.

I have been opposed to each of our wars since. Now we are in another war that needs to be ended. The No Kings Day rallies that have been called for Saturday, March 28 are an opportunity for all of us to stand up and say no to war (as well as to speak out on other vital issues). There will be events in Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, South Hadley, Greenfield, Springfield, and more. (See indivisble.org or the Indy’s Western Mass Resistance Calendar for times and locations.) I hope you will join me in attending at least one of these events. My sign is going to read:

• PEACE
• CLIMATE JUSTICE
• IMMIGRANT JUSTICE
• DEMOCRACY

Of course, there are many other issues that I also care deeply about. I think they are actually all related. I hope you will make a sign that includes the issues that are closest to your heart and join us on March 28 in what promises to be a huge nationwide stand against the rise of authoritarianism and against the war.

Russ Vernon-Jones was principal of Fort River School from 1990 to 2008 and is currently a member of the Steering Committee of Climate Action Now-Western Massachusetts. He blogs regularly on climate justice at www.russvernonjones.org.