AMERICA: War Dictatorship or A Democracy of Peace? The Great Moral Dilemma

[Contrite]

http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/137338/index.php


The purpose of this essay is to inform those not familiar with the those historical behaviors of the state known as the United States of America and their impact on the world community and as a plea for progressive reform.

It takes us from the origin of what is called “America” to where we find ourselves and our “democracy” today: A state of universal peril.

(snip)

ANY, ANY politician who is not calling for a revised, defense policy built clearly upon an anti-terrorist, anti-imperialist oriented, non-militaristic approach to foreign policy - who does not demand that the billions of unnecessary tax dollars being spent on the military-industrial-media-intelligentsia complex be spent on social services for working, middle class and poor educational, health and local, state and national infra-structural oriented needs; who does not demand stripping the funding for political candidates by private hire by wealthy donors and that a Federal, State and Local public financing of elections, is not a candidate or elected official serving the interests of the American people. He or she is serving the interests of themselves and the Corporate State!

(snip)

The great challenge has been and remains the fulfillment of that democratic promise. The question facing us is whether it is too late? Only the American people can answer that question and by making the right moral choice, humanity over profit, take the right action. This will be no easy, nor safe choice.

On Wednesday January 3rd 2007 Bush made his domestic case for homeland security: we “need to protect American from ‘radicals’ and ‘terrorists.”’

This delineation for the first time includes “radicals” with the foreign and homegrown terrorists he has labeled subject to his police state laws. This clearly is in keeping with the recently passed Military Commissions Act that establishes provisions for the detainment and rendition of American citizens as “enemy combatants.” This is the true agenda of his “Homeland Security” apparatus.

[illinoisprogressive]

1. Of course DHS is that. He wants it for his secret police

[Contrite]

2. Yes and we must stop it

As the author says:

The list becomes, as intended, arbitrary and infinite.

Dan Ellsberg, one of the heroic Americans who exposed the fraud of the Vietnam War by releasing the proof in documents known as THE PENTAGON PAPERS, put it recently in the Los Angeles Free Press’ iteration of his speech at a San Francisco Bay Area peace rally in September, 2006:

“What is needed at home of course is people who will change their lives and risk their careers and their jobs and their relationships with their families, their bosses, with their church groups, whoever-by-taking a stronger stand than those people are read to take. And by say truths that those people don’t want to hear. Without that courage, policies … can’t be changed. With it, they may not be changed, we may fail. But without that kind of courage and that means mass mobilization there is no chance."

Sounds like a call for revolution to me.

(P.S. Thanks for the recommend)

Edited to add: Of course, people are afraid to act because of fear. But in not acting, what is the result? Edmund Burke comes to mind: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." And: "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion."

[Mythsaje]

3. Absolute truth...

ANY, ANY politician who is not calling for a revised, defense policy built clearly upon an anti-terrorist, anti-imperialist oriented, non-militaristic approach to foreign policy - who does not demand that the billions of unnecessary tax dollars being spent on the military-industrial-media-intelligentsia complex be spent on social services for working, middle class and poor educational, health and local, state and national infra-structural oriented needs; who does not demand stripping the funding for political candidates by private hire by wealthy donors and that a Federal, State and Local public financing of elections, is not a candidate or elected official serving the interests of the American people. He or she is serving the interests of themselves and the Corporate State!

[neoblues]

4. Such an Important Message/Idea

It really is...

Demanding "that the billions of unnecessary tax dollars being spent on the military-industrial-media-intelligentsia complex be spent on social services for working, middle class and poor educational, health and local, state and national infra-structural oriented needs" and also the public funding of political candidates, are a couple of really important ideas.

Note that "the annual military budgets with the U.S. far in the lead, actually spending nearly as much as all other countries combined. For 2006 the U.S. military (defense) budget came to $426 billion, including $17.5 billion for nuclear weapons, and this does not count the cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."link.

If we just stopped trying to control the whole world, with military bases** we'd save many billions. If we didn't feel we had to spend as much on the military as the rest of the world combined, we'd save many, many billions. If we didn't go of half-cocked into "wars" of choice, such as IRAQ or left when it's clear we're not wanted there, we'd again save many billions (anywhere from scores to many hundreds of billions).

Every citizen could avail themselves of the best education available. Research and Develoment in every field; America could be a much brighter, shining source of advancement and improvement to the human condition while improving the quality of life in America to wonderful new levels. Quality jobs/careers, homes, communities, infrastructure and a citizenry that's educated, well-informed and a society that ensures everyone has access to the American Dream.

Sounds like a Utopia. Well, it may fall short, but seriously, hundreds of Billions of Dollars invested/reinvested in our own people, our own country and intelligently invested to help the other peoples of the world would make great strides towards just such a thing. Alas, the wealthy and their Corporations want it all... Since 1979, the actual "wealth" in the U.S. has doubled; very nearly none of the increase went to the middle class and none of it went to the poor. The wealthy have become supremely wealthy while the lives of their fellow Americans (and the rest of the world) hasn't improved. The wealth needs to be distributed (and if the so-called "free" market fails, as it has, it must be fixed).

How long until everyone wakes up and realizes the possibilities and joins together to take the steps needed to right our nation? Simple understanding that if we really choose to do it, we can do it. A charismatic leader and a means by which he/she could communicate with everyone (since the M$M would either not cover them or seek to destroy them) and some real grass-roots support... A plan would be needed, one that people wouldn't reject (since everyone is taught from childhood how important, even Holy, the "free-market"/Capitalism is). That being an alternative economic theory (something like Participatory Economics) that makes such sense that it could convince people who are resistant to alternatives; one that might be implemented in phases since it would seem risky to do it all at once...

History has seen situations in which when the disparity between the haves and have-nots has become too large and the suffering of the many has become to great, their societies may undergo a violent transition. Any means of redressing the problems we face and avoiding the growing suffering and powerlessness people feel would be very desirable. Our own system, when it's allowed to work properly can be adapted or changed and can address many of the problems we face, but we have to take it back and clean it out for it to work.

We need change.


**

...
Following its bombing of Iraq in 1991, the United States wound up with military bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Following its bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, the United States wound up with military bases in Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Hungary, Bosnia and Croatia.
Following its bombing of Afghanistan in 2001-2, the United States wound up with military bases in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Yemen and Djibouti.
...

Killing Hope
by William Blum
(as in a recent post by stillcool47 in "a couple of oldies but goodies...")