Will the Real Humans Please Stand Up?

"Leo Sketch" collage; monotype, silver & water color.

Last night Henry Kissinger appeared on Steven Colbert to pitch his book "On China". He's an international expert who obviously has huge influence. Yet watch this: he says that whereas you and I would agree that the unification of China was not worth the deaths of tens of millions of citizens, only a "split" percentage of Chinese would agree. In that single sweeping statement he's turned the Chinese into monsters. (While you and I obviously are respectful of human life, some Chinese applaud the slaughter of millions of their peers!) How the hell does he know?  How can anyone know for sure? And who in the world has the authority to disagree with him?

I remember hearing from supporters of the Vietnam war that the Vietnamese would send little kids with explosive belts to greet groups of US soldiers because they didn't value human life the way we do (THEY are monsters!) I have no way of knowing what did or did not happen. But I do know for sure that while suicide bombers violate the laws of "civilized" warfare, the suggestion that any people have a disregard for life– especially that of their children!– violates the laws of the whole blasted universe.

This is where the model of the Democratic Globe would be extremely valuable in preventing such caviler generalizations by any power that pretends to speak with special knowledge. Let the people speak for themselves. Then we'll clearly see who is monstrous.