The ‘Eve of Destruction’ that Never Ends. From the “Old” and “New Cold War”… to the “Hot War”?

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In 1965 songwriter PF Sloan wrote the lyrics for ‘Eve of Destruction’. The most famous recording was by singer Barry McGuire in the summer of that same year. Some of the lyrics obviously address the issue of the Cold War between the US, Russia  and China, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and the thrust for integration in the South. Other of the song’s lyrics seem to be timeless:

Don’t you understand what I’m trying to say?
Can you feel the fears that I’m feeling today?
If the button is pushed there’s no running away
There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave.
Take a look around you boy, it’s bound to scare you boy
And you tell me over and over again my friend
That you DON’T believe we’re on the eve of destruction.

 Yeah, my blood’s so mad, feels like coagulatin
I’m sittin here just contemplatin
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation
Handful of Senators don’t pass legislation
When human respect is disintegratin
The whole crazy world is just too frustratin… 

The poundin of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace…
No, you don’t believe we’re on the EVE OF DESTRUCTION!

Since that song came out in the mid 60s this empire of ours has gotten more and more bold. The Vietnam debacle forced the movers and shakers of this republic, the economic and military predators, to take a pause to regroup.

Boy, did they ever?

By the time Bush Sr. took over a White House that he most likely ran for the eight years under Reagan, the Cold War seemed to be over. The infamous Berlin Wall came down and even the (controlled) mainstream media talked about a “Peace Dividend”. Imagine, money that usually went down the rabbit hole of Pentagon spending could now be redirected for things like better infrastructure, better schools and of course maybe even viable National Health Care for ALL. Sorry!

The bag of (dirty) tricks was opened up and whallah we had the “new Hitler”, Saddam Hussein, as villain number one. You see, he made the error of listening to Ambassador April Glaspie who assured him that the US does not get involved in disputes between two other nations. One must also think that Glaspie got Hussein to buy a piece of a bridge in Brooklyn.

Image Rumsfeld and Saddam (1980s)

Fast forward to 11 years later in 2002, when once again Saddam Hussein, with his (invisible) WMDs, had us all on another ‘Eve of Destruction’ watch list. Well, we all know how the Bush Jr./Cheney gang took care of that problem.

History then instructs us that from that phony war on Iraq, our illegal invasions and occupations of both Afghanistan and Iraq, our carpet bombing of Libya and now our intrusions into Syria, the tens of thousands of terrorists we helped create and nurture are here to stay. Thus, another ‘Eve of Destruction’ takes away our focus from what really ails our republic. Factor in the new (phony) threats from Iran and Venezuela and you have great fodder for the National Security State to chomp on.

Oh, did I forget the new Cold War with the same old players from bomb shelters past: The Russkies and the Chinks?

What better way to keep the suckers feeding on the pabulum of money for security and not for a better life for all Americans?

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Philip A Farruggio is a contributing editor for The Greanville Post. He is also frequently posted on Global Research, Nation of Change, World News Trust and Off Guardian sites. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn NYC longshoremen and a graduate of Brooklyn College, class of 1974. Since the 2000 election debacle Philip has written over 300 columns on the Military Industrial Empire and other facets of life in an upside down America. He is also host of the ‘It’s the Empire… Stupid‘ radio show, co produced by Chuck Gregory. Philip can be reached at [email protected].

Featured image is from teleSUR


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Articles by: Philip A Farruggio

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