It has been said many times and in many ways that the first thing killed in a war is truth. This has certainly been true in all the wars we can think of, going back as far as our history stretches, at least to the Crusades. More recently, we remember Colin Powell’s statement on “weapons of mass destruction” that sent us into Iraq 20 years ago. And we remember being mystified by the war in Vietnam. There was the vague urge, not really felt by the public but occasionally referred to by the media, that we were fighting communism.
Vietnam. Just the word reminds us of unrest in America. Marching in the streets. Running from the cops in Chicago. And Country Joe and the Fish singing the anthem of those days: “And it’s one, two, three, what are we fighting for? / Don’t ask me cuz I don’t give a damn /Next stop is Vietnam /And it’s five, six, seven, open up them pearly gates / Well there ain’t no time to wonder why / Whoopie! We’re all gonna die.”
And, so, as we try to untangle the un-truths that serve as media sound bites in the current military actions in and surrounding Israel, we stumble and fail. We don’t have the background, we don’t have the context, we don’t know what the areas were suffering before the first shots were fired. The case is slightly clearer in Ukraine.
What we do know, in both cases, is where the US stands. Thanks to Joe Biden, who would be a mighty poor poker player, it is clear where our commitments lie. In both cases, our friends and enemies also know where they stand in regards to the United States.
The media in the US blabs that they are almost 100% behind Israel, with few exceptions. A few courageous reporters are working inside Palestine, in the tiny strip of Gaza, and sending out releases from that population. According to the BBC, Gaza is home to more than 2.2 million people, with 1.7 million of them refugees from other parts of Palestine that have been carved off by Israel little by little through the years. Some 500,000 Palestinians live in refugee camps.
But US newsrooms, while they generally support our government, are not reflecting all the feelings of all the American people. Media polls—which show almost a 50/50 split on support for Israel or the Palestinians—are reported but usually ignored. On Oct. 14, ABC reported “A slight majority (53%) of Americans say the US has a responsibility to protect Israeli civilians, per the new ABC News/Ipsos poll.” This is, clearly a problem for Joe Biden, who has come out boldly in favor of protecting Israel. And we have to wonder what this means if allies of Palestine come forward to help and we step in to protect Israel. It looks from here like we could step into another Vietnam.
It is possible, very possible, that Americans are finally becoming war-weary. Our ignoble, but unavoidable, exit from Afghanistan gave the media fodder for criticism. But the problem goes much farther back in our history. Meddling in the Arab countries has been in fashion since 1917 when the first Balfour Declaration was issued by Great Britain to create a Jewish homeland. And Israel has been part of our history ever since.
ABC’s poll goes on to say that 54% say “the US does not have a responsibility to protect Palestinian civilians. An even larger majority (63%) say it’s not the US’ responsibility to work toward Palestinian statehood. Half the country (50%) believes the U.S. does not have a responsibility to ensure peace in the Middle East …”
Those are big numbers and our government should take note. Americans have noted, time and again, that we are a divided country. Well, here we go again. There are even factions that believe the attack is a prelude to the end times and Armageddon is just over that hill. Literally and figuratively.
Whatever we believe, the truth eludes us. In opening this column with the observation that truth is the first casualty of war, I thought I could credit the quote with its original speaker. So I googled it and guess what? That truth has been said and re-said over and over. Aeschylus, born in Greece in 525 B.C., may have been the first to write it into a play, but he may have picked it up at a neighborhood tavern. A thread on The Guardian website says that the idea was picked up by Samuel Johnson for “The Idler” magazine on Nov. 11, 1758: “... among the calamities of war may be jointly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages.”
Repeated and repeated and repeated, like war itself, finding that it has been repeated on these shores every decade or so, we weary of the pursuit.
Margot Ford McMillen farms near Fulton, Mo., and co-hosts “Farm and Fiddle” on sustainable ag issues on KOPN 89.5 FM in Columbia, Mo. Her latest book is “The Golden Lane: How Missouri Women Gained the Vote and Changed History.” Email: margotmcmillen@gmail.com.
From The Progressive Populist, November 15, 2023
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