Economics for everyone (episode thirteen)
By Dr. John F. Sase
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Gerard J. Senick, general editor
Julie Gale Sase, copyeditor
William A. Gross, cultural advisor
In war, truth is the first casualty.
– Aeschylus, Greek Tragedian (525 – 456 BCE)
We live in a Democratic Republic, one founded on the Rule of Law as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. This platform provides the foundation for developing and preserving Sufficient Affluence in a Sustainable Economy. We find one of the most critical elements of our set of Federal Laws in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution. Sometimes we refer to this Constitutional element as the War Powers Clause, which vests Congress with the power to declare war in the following words:
[The Congress shall have Power ...] “To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water ...”
Although controversy exists as to the exact number of conflicts that have been declared by Congress, we recognize five: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the Spanish–American War, World War I, and World War II. The Constitutional provision that gives war-making power to Congress appears to reflect the fact that kings or other monarchs could involve their subjects in wars, often while pretending that the good of the people was the object. Our Constitutional Convention understood the War Powers as the greatest of all oppressions by rulers. Therefore, members of the Convention resolved to frame the Constitution in such a way that no one individual should hold the power of bringing oppression of this kind upon American citizens.
Over the past two centuries of viewing our Constitution as a living entity, the Courts of the United States have clarified elements of it. In Woods v. Cloyd W. Miller Co., 333 U.S. 138 (1948), the Supreme Court held that the war powers of Congress extend beyond the end of hostilities in order to allow the problems caused by the wars to be remedied. In Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952), commonly referred to as the “Steel Seizure Case” or the “Youngstown Steel” case, the Supreme Court decided to limit the power of President Harry Truman to seize private property during the midst of the Korean War without express authorization from Congress.
Contrastingly, in the case of Campbell v. Clinton, 203 F.3d 19 (D.C. Cir. 2000), the Court held that members of Congress could not sue President William Jefferson Clinton for alleged violations of the War Powers Resolution in his handling of the Serbo-Croation War in Yugoslavia. This Resolution requires a President to submit a report within 48 hours “in any case in which United States Armed Forces are introduced ... into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances” as well as “to terminate any use of United States Armed Forces with respect to which a report was submitted (or required to be submitted), unless the Congress…has declared war or has enacted a specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces” within 60 days.
However, in an opposite stance in Dellums v. Bush, 752 F. Supp. 1141 (D.D.C. 1990), the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., denied the plaintiffs, who were members of Congress, a preliminary injunction against President George H.W. Bush. This was done in order to stop the implementation of his orders that directed the United States military to fight in Iraq without first obtaining a Constitutionally mandated declaration of war from Congress.
On the Tragedy of War
Hopefully, these examples, which illuminate the complexity of warfare, provide an introduction and a framework for revisiting a play, “A Soiree in the Houseboat on the River Styx” (c. 1980), that I (Dr. Sase) have shared previously with the public in various forms over the years. As a co-founder of the Freezer Theatre in Detroit, a performance space that flourished during the last quarter of the Twentieth Century, I was inspired to write this play by the socio-political collective and climate that formed the core of the theatre.
We look to my muse John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922), an American Author and Satirist who is well known for creating a genre of Fantasy Literature in which plots occur in the Afterlife. Through his short-story collection “A House-Boat on the Styx: Being Some Account of the Divers Doings of the Associated Shades” (Harper & Brothers, 1895), Bangs inspired the construction of the following one-act play, which we now recreate in paragraph form. In emulation of Bangs, we bring together mythological characters, deceased figures from history, and live personages at a gathering on a houseboat moored along the banks of the River Styx that divides the worlds of the living and the dead. Charon, the Ferryman of Hades from Greek Mythology, transports the souls of the recently deceased across the river in order to join guests from the Land of the Living.
While contemplating how best to approach the subject of war in emulation of the style of Bangs, I decided to draw upon the words of some great minds, thinking, “What if we invited a selection of legendary personages to a cocktail party or parlor soiree?” Then, with a bit of artistic license and a little help from our muse, we could allow these personages to discuss the matter of war with one another in their own words. I decided to model the party on the third story by Bangs, “[George] Washington Gives a Dinner.” Please note: original quotes from each celebrated guest appear within single quote-marks in the body of the text.
Our Story
Charon had busied himself all that morning and afternoon ferrying guests from the far side of the River Styx. Almost seventy years before, he had arranged with General George Washington, First President of the United States, and members of the Houseboat Committee to use the vessel on the Styx to host a soiree. More recently, a second soiree was held to discuss the threat of terrorism. Now Charon had organized a third soiree with Washington and the Committee. The houseboat, which resembled a Florentine barn set on top of a barge, was moored on the near side of the Styx in order to facilitate a special group of invitees who were coming from and returning to the Land of the Living. These guests would join a group who already had passed into the Afterlife.
After the last of the guests arrived, Charon decided to visit the little boatman’s room to freshen himself. As he washed, Charon reflected on a verse from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 that a member of the Committee had posted on the mirror above the sink:
“For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
“A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
The ferryman mumbled to himself, “I have been here and will continue to be here for all eternity. The first soiree occurred when the Nazi Party twisted the German Evangelical Church into the ‘Reich Church’ for which Hitler appointed the new bishop. However, the End of Days will come in its own time, not from any action or any belief that it must come now.”
The guests already had assembled and commenced to greet one another as Charon entered the grand parlor of the houseboat. The gathering quieted when Charon walked into the room and up to the podium. Without hesitation, he began to speak:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome all of you to the third of these soirees. The first was on the eve of the Second World War in 1939. In 2008, we convened a meeting in the midst of a Global War on Terrorism, an episode that many of you referred to as ‘more of the same.’ At that time, the administration of the United States proposed a Federal budget that allocated fifty-four percent of its total funds directly to the Defense Department. What concerns us today is that most of the current budget reflects a similar trend as we move further forward in time. According to forecasts from many sources, this spending pattern and the horrors associated with it can be expected to continue well into the next decade unless a change in direction takes place.”
“Peace Is Not the Absence of War; It Is a Virtue, a State of Mind, a Disposition for Benevolence, Confidence, and Justice.”
—Benedict (Baruch) De Spinoza, Portuguese-born Dutch Philosopher (1632-1677)
Charon continued, “We have convened this meeting of great minds to discuss how current wars or potential conflicts may affect humanity. Also, we are here to discuss how many persons most likely will gain from the continuation of these events—people including myself, who holds the monopoly on trafficking across the Styx. We convene this gathering tonight so that we might lend some clarity, understanding, and direction to those who will return to the Land of the Living. We hope that they will carry our thoughts with them to share with other human beings residing throughout the various nations of Earth.”
A side conversation quietly ensued at the table of the artisans. English Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley spoke first, declaring that “war is the statesman’s game, the priest’s delight, the lawyer’s jest, the hired assassin’s trade.” The rest of the invitees at the table looked at each other sternly. German Field Photographer Horst Faas, known for his pictures of the Vietnam War, spoke next. He asked, “Lord Shelley, when were you ever on the battlefield?” As Shelley rolled his eyes, Faas continued, “Being in Vietnam and being around a major story of the time was always a shot of adrenaline.”
He added emphatically, “War is Hell. You can’t photograph a flying bullet, but you can capture fear.”
Turning toward Faas, Tony Vaccaro, American Frontline-Combat Infantryman/Photographer during WWII, said, “I understand, Horst. ‘As for myself, I wanted to collect evidence against the war, the futility, the destruction ... I said to myself, do not worry about how good the photo is. When the eye sees it, do it. I developed the film at night, in our helmets. The soldiers looked often and talked with me. Some died the next day.’”
American Jazz Musician Dexter Gordon invoked, “I lost many friends in that war. In my humble way, I hope that I helped the cause by recording the ‘Victory Disks’ 78-rpms with the Hampton, Henderson, and Armstrong bands for the U.S. Military Special Services. We believed that all of us are created equal. After ‘The Bomb’ dropped, we began to say that, ‘in a nuclear war, all men are cremated equal.’” The table fell silent.
Next, Vaccaro turned to English Actress Vivien Leigh, famous for her portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara in the film version of “Gone with the Wind,” and asked, “Beautiful lady, will you please say something to raise our beleagered spirits?” Flouncing her ruffled skirt over her crinoline, Leigh exclaimed, “‘Fiddle dee dee! War, war, war! This war talk is spoiling the fun at every party this spring.
I get so bored I could scream.’” A few at the table chuckled. Fuming, Leigh asserted, “There’s my iconic line that you’ve were waiting for. However, it saddens me that the world remembers me from that bit of dialogue rather than my portrayal of a more tragic war character in Waterloo Bridge.”
Sensing the embarrassment among her dinner companions, Vivien brightened the mood by saying, “I hope that they serve dinner soon. After all, with God as my witness, I vowed never to go hungry again.” Her reference to the line that she spoke as Scarlett O’Hara was followed by guffaws and smiles around the table as everyone seemed to relax a bit.
Meanwhile, the conversation had gotten headier at the table of politicians. Fortieth American President Ronald Reagan continued to address the matter of war in general terms: “I would like to put forth the thought that ‘history teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.’ Following this comment, Third American President Thomas Jefferson stood with perturbation and said, “This is all well and good. However, I believe that you are missing the main point. Personally, ‘I recoil with horror at the ferociousness of man. Will nations never devise a more rational umpire of differences than force? Are there no means of coercing injustice more gratifying to our nature than a waste of the blood of thousands and the labor of millions of our fellow creatures?’”
Thirty-Fourth American President Dwight D. Eisenhower motioned respectfully for Jefferson to sit down. Then Ike turned to Reagan and addressed the original comment about costs: “‘Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.’” Those at the table paused to ponder Eisenhower’s statements for a moment.
(CONTINUED)
