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Joseph J. Honick is
president of GMA International in Bainbridge Island, Wash.
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Aug. 24, 2010 |
WILL WE NOW FEAR PARADES? |
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By Joseph J. Honick
Labor Day is almost here. Will we still welcome parades while many millions remain unemployed and tens of thousands of battle wearied, depressed and likewise jobless soldiers return with so little to greet them?
This reality was brought home severely to me the other evening as I
accidentally came upon an old video of the late Walter Cronkite's series "The Seeds of War." While it tracked the history from the end of World War I, the terrible inflation in Germany and the chaos it created, there were far too many parallels to where we are headed now.
There were the millions of returning jobless veterans to add to the already jobless civilians, destruction of the middle class while plenty of goodies went to the biggies and resentment grew and grew, even eventually destroying the country's failed experiment in
democracy, opening the door to Adolf Hitler. Sadly as well, this movement got lots of help from influential people in America, Britain and France.
It is not cynical once again to make the point that symbolic times like Labor Day tied to the September 11 memorial will crystallize for many the times in which we live....times that have damaged our own leadership relevance in the world and at home at the same time.
All this has been going on as General Motors can smugly propose an IPO after getting tons of billions in bailouts and stimuli along with other major industry and financial giants. These realities do not go unnoticed by the millions with foreclosed homes and unemployed...men and women who had been deployed, redeployed and then deployed again only to return to inadequate treatment or even acceptable understanding of what they had been put through.
As I said a year ago, "These Americans will not remain quiet for long and are extremely fertile candidates for some clever agitator." I was also reminded that, about 20 years ago, to quiet laughter, I had proposed the idea of a Public Relations Peace Corps that would put the talents of a talented profession to work helping the millions hit by the developing economic and political problems. That idea was going nowhere fast of course.
But here we are today, immersed in all the "seeds" that read like the early 1930's and agitated and aggravated by interests battling from many sides and less than respected leadership from any of them.
So back to Labor Day that used to be a celebration of America's working men and women, followed by September 11, another day that will live in infamy. But absent from all this is any apparent recognition of reality.
If leadership from our industry fails to use the talents we sell to others, the old song "I Love A Parade" may not be sung again for a long time, as millions of impoverished, unemployed and
military returnees swarm into Washington amid the glare of national and international media spotlights....while ignoring "liberty and justice for all" except for some!
Anyone who will take the time to "google" the Cronkhite series must come away with a deepened sense of the parallels of the times and what such circumstances can breed.
* * *
Joseph J. Honick is an international consultant
to business and government and writes for many publications,
including huntingtonnews.net. Honick can be reached
at [email protected]. |
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Responses: |
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Wes Pedersen (8/25):
Joe, we need a parade in every town in America.
Remember, the song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home, Hurrah! Hurrah! ? We need Hurrahs around everywhere. The troops need to know we appreciate their heroism. Every unit returning should have a welcome back at the White House with the commander in chief saluting them and pinning on medals earned.
Joe Honick, GMA International Ltd (8/25):
You are of course correct, Wes, except such a ceremony would only be brief and inadequate balm for the service people(men and women)but put all the politicians in the positive spotlight they could use for weeks.
What we need is some sense of leadership and at least to demand attention to both civilian and miitary people who serve this country every day...even as parents stuggling to stay afloat.
[email protected] (8/25):
Of course, you're correct Wes. It be much more meaningful to those who could have lost their lives in the service of our country than those silly photo ops with every sports team that is invited to the White House.
Joe Honick, GMA International Ltd (8/27):
Arthur and Wes, we must not allow all that bravura trumpeting the troops, deserved as it is, to give the politicos all the PR they would wring from it for their campaigns, newsletters and all the rest. The "troops" in America are not only those who have been sent to fight two needless and seemmingly endless wars but the millions of Americans who are also heroic in keeping their families afloat as their homes are foreclosed and their jobs disappear. These are also heroes deserving of major spotlights and real support.
[email protected] (8/31):
Joe, I agree with you. I was just making the point that our soldiers deserve more recognition from the president for their service to our country than someone who can hit a baseball, dunk a jumper or win a foot race.
PR Historian (8/27):
Joe, we may see a parade -- of veterans marching on Washington after searching for jobs without success. Pray that it never comes to that.
Joe Honick, GMA International Ltd (8/31):
PRhistorian is on target. Too few study history anymore and will recall the tent city of WWI veterans who camped out in DC to demand the $500 bonds Congress had promised them and reneged on. The situation rose to a point that the President of the United States dispatched none other than Douglas MacArthur and his aid LtCol Eisenhower to get rid of the miscreants. At one point MacArthur was ready to fire on the vets, people who had fought in a far more righteous war(if such really exist)the same as the hundreds of thousands have in the last decade for doubtful purposes but honorably neverhtheless and winding up without a success. What we have wrought are record military suicides, at least two recent cases of returned soldiers using water punishment for disobedient 3 and year olds in the Seattle area and the revelation that the eath of a former NFL star(Tillman)was used for propaganda purposes and was misreported. Do you believe those men and women think they are returning to problems few are worrying about handling? You bet, and the few concerns expressed here prove it.
Joe Honick, GMA International Ltd (8/31):
Wes, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"??? There is no music, military or otherwise attached inspirationally to the time. There also has never been "Any Bonds Today" so the American public could have invested not only in the war but in the country to help pay for these military shenanigans now costing in the trillions. The people, if they believed in the billion bucks spent for prvate PR outfits...if they believed that stuff, could not only have bought bonds but collected on their investment as a nest egg. It is doubtful there were that many believers.
Wes Pedersen (8/31):
Joe, let's go back to my first post. We need a parade. They've earned it. Let's do the right. Let's not scoff and yes-but. Every city, every hamlet should honor the men and women who served. We can disaagree with the wars, but let us not shame our GIs by ignoring them and their acts of valor.
Joe Honick, GMA International Ltd (9/01):
Wes, to further amplify my point about how politicians would make hay at the people's expense, we need only look to the fraudulent way the death of Pat Tillman was handled. First it was trumpeted that he was killed protecting his men. The military and the administration took the opportunity to get him a Silver Star that was even signed off by Gen. McChrystal, with Rumsfeld participating in the phonied up PR effort until it was discoveredhe was killed by what is ironically termed "Freiendly Fire." In the meantime, his family was rollercoastered and Tillman was used, abused and mistreated even in death. And that is what would happen with those parades. Speeches, press releases and bands and the next day those who served will still be treading water trying to get back to their lives.
Wes Pedersen (9/07):
Joe, you would like an isolated case that keep you from honoring a returning soldier? Why always look for a negative?
Joe Honick (9/07):
Wes,I am not looking for a negative. On the contrary, I do not understand why you fail to see how politicians use this kind of one day brief event to sound like they have been "out there" for the men AND women sent to senseless wars. Furthermore, such events in these times are empty investments. Point in case: I flew yesterday with a young man just returned from Afghanistan who wants only that there be some even reasonable treatment for his troops who have been drained physically and emotionally. And, as I have repeatedly pointed out, the millions on the home front shocked by the economy alse deserve recorgnition. We simply do not always need wars to recognize heroes, nor do we need political speeches and bandstands to express recognition. We need something that happens today AND tomorrow that is action, and I fear you do not recognize the truly positive recommendatons and points here.
Wes Pedersen (9/08):
We live in a real world. The country is turned off by the wars. You want to shake it up so people turn nice overnight. Go to the American League, the AmVets, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled Veterans of America...see how hard they have been trying to instill high regard for the Vets. It's not happening. But if we did something to wake them up via parades honoring the vets, it would be a start. You would start with nothing except memories of how America honored its heroes long ago. I want to do do something doable. I want America to stand up and salute. We need to do something now. I say this as a vet, a member of the Disabled Veterans and the American Legion.
Joe Honick (9/08):
Wes, please, many of us can do the military service thing, including my own 14 years of Regular Army nnd Reserve time, enliated and commissioned. If you want to salute, repeal that foolish all-volunteer armed forces act the CATO people talked Nixon into signing. When you returned f rom WWII, people believed in what you and millions of others had done. The parade you ask for ia a 'feel good for a day' doe politiciana and recognizes two wars we have neither won nor completed.
Wes Pedersen (9/09):
Joe, you would kill the all-volunteer law as a step to honor the returning (and staying) GIs. I do hope you can come to appreciate the fact that they are all volunteered and see your "honor" as something else. I started out with a simple suggestion that we honor our returning service men and women with traditional parades. There is no reason why that should have been dispute or become a matter for extended debate. I am out of here on this one, my friend.
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