Alternative Radio on 08/31/10

Howard Zinn – Three Holy Wars (lecture)

AR celebrates the life and legacy of America’s great historian Howard Zinn with a whole month of programs. Since its inception he was an integral part of AR. He was a friend and mentor to us and countless others. Howard Zinn would have been 88 on August 24th.

The conventional view of U.S. wars follows a formulaic line: We are innocent victims of unprovoked attacks. The sleeping giant wakes and reluctantly goes to fight. All military action is imbued with benevolent intentions: human rights, democracy, and liberty. There are parades and flag-waving. Solemn ceremonies and gun salutes at funerals honor the fallen. But who asks for what and for whom were they killed? Who benefits? Weapons manufacturers and mercenary contractors make out like bandits. That’s a taboo subject. Resources? Empire expansion? Don’t go there. Stick to patriotism. You can mouth the typical prattle of they died for freedom. The Afghan war is Operation Enduring Freedom. And war crimes?  That’s what they do, not us. Tribunals? Same deal: for them. Wars are packaged and sold just like any other commodity. Propaganda is skillfully used to win over the population.

Howard Zinn passed away in January 2010. He was born in Brooklyn. His parents, poor immigrants, were constantly moving to stay, as he once said, “one step ahead of the landlord.” A World War Two vet and professor at Spelman College and Boston University, Zinn was at the center of activism and resistance from the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements to Iraq and Afghanistan and the struggle for economic justice.