My first post...

Today, as I was driving (yes, my CARTA pass expired a few days ago) into town to complete my research in the library, I heard some comments on the radio about President Obama's trip to Russia. I did some basic online searching and discovered the president made the following comment: "The future does not belong to those who gather armies on a field of battle or bury missiles in the ground." (Source: http://www.time.com/time/quotes/0,26174,1908976,00.html?xid=rss-quotes).

Today's lesson: What many news organizations left out was the second portion of Obama's sentence. Thus, the entire statement reads as such:

"The future does not belong to those who gather armies on a field of battle or bury missiles in the ground; the future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create. That is the source of power in this century. And given all that has happened in your two decades on Earth, just imagine what you can create in the years to come." (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/world/europe/07prexy.text.html?pagewanted=6)

I disagree with the first portion of Obama's statement, since it is evident the future has, indeed, belonged to those who gathered armies on a field of battle and harbored (even buried) weapons. I submit the American Revolution (yes, that wonderful beer-filled holiday from which many of us are still recovering) is an example of a people taking up arms against an oppressive force. Now, military might is but one necessary piece of the puzzle; of course, education and imagination are the other necessary pieces. However, education and imagination alone would not have been sufficient to free us from the fetters of King George III. In fact, they were not sufficient. You will recall from your junior high days the multiple peaceful and non-violent means utilized in an attempt to secure more rights. Below is a summary (Source: Wikipedia.com; the information is also available in myriad secondary sources available online...in the event you are, rightfully, skeptical of Wikipedia.com):

"The revolutionary era began in 1763, when the French military threat to British North American colonies ended. Adopting the policy that the colonies should pay an increased proportion of the costs associated with keeping them in the Empire, Britain imposed a series of taxes followed by other laws intended to demonstrate British authority that proved extremely unpopular. Because the colonies lacked elected representation in the governing British Parliament many colonists considered the laws to be illegitimate and a violation of their rights as Englishmen. Additionally, British mercantilist policies benefiting the home country resulted in trade restrictions, which limited the growth of the American economy and artificially constrained colonial merchants' earning potential. In 1772, Patriot groups began to create committees of correspondence, which would lead to their own Provincial Congress in most of the colonies. In the course of two years, the Provincial Congresses or their equivalents rejected the Parliament and effectively replaced the British ruling apparatus in the former colonies, culminating in 1774 with the unifying First Continental Congress.
In response to Patriot protests in Boston over Parliament's attempts to assert authority, the British sent combat troops. Consequently, the colonies mobilized their militias, and fighting broke out in 1775. First ostensibly loyal to King George III, Congress' repeated pleas for royal intervention with Parliament on their behalf only resulted in the states being declared "in rebellion", and Congress traitors. In 1776, representatives from each of the original thirteen independent states voted unanimously to adopt a Declaration of Independence, which now rejected the British monarchy in addition to its Parliament. The Declaration established the United States, which was originally governed as a loose confederation through a representative government selected by state legislatures (see Second Continental Congress).
The Americans formed an alliance with France in 1778 that evened the military and naval strengths, later bringing Spain and the Dutch Republic into the conflict by their own alliance with France. Although Loyalists were estimated to comprise 15-20% of the population,[2] throughout the war the Patriots generally controlled 80-90% of the territory; the British could hold only a few coastal cities for any extended period of time. Two main British armies surrendered to the Continental Army, at Saratoga in 1777 and Yorktown in 1781, amounting to victory in the war for the United States. The Second Continental Congress transitioned to the Congress of the Confederation with the ratification of the Articles of Confederation earlier in 1781. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 was ratified by this new national government, and ended British claims to any of the thirteen states."

So, you see, education and imagination may not always be enough to effect the necessary change required to live free in the future. The American colonists were relunctant to fight the world's most powerful sovereign; however, sometimes the future must be secured by force.

In conclusion, I would respectfully submit that the victor, who sits atop his secured and sturdy palace, is always in the best position to preach peace to the world. But, don't let those history lessons you learned collect dust in the dark corners of your mind. In the end, you should be able to appreciate the president's desire for a future where armies and buried weapons don't dictate the course of human events. You also should be able to recognize that the reason he enjoys the position of authority he does is because, over 200 years ago, a tired and oppressed group of individuals decided that intellect and imagination, alone, were insufficient to build their future.

Thoughts?