Chris Floyd on "Coming to Terms with Imperial Power"

[lwcon]

Dare we look into the abyss that is American's foreign policy?

Chris Floyd does:

The quality of life for ordinary Americans, those outside the golden circle of the elite and their retainers, has decayed immeasurably – and measurably. Stagnant wages. Degraded infrastructure. A poisoned food chain. Whole communities -- with all their social, political, cultural and family networks -- gutted by the heedless flight of capital to cheap labor (and slave labor) markets abroad, and by the dissolution of an embodied economic life into the shadow-play of high finance, the ghostly manipulation of numbers that produces nothing of value except gargantuan profits for a very few. A bonfire of public amenities, making daily life harder, harsher, constricted, diminished. Ever-growing social and economic disparity, shrinking the circle of opportunity. Two million citizens behind bars, in prisons overflowing with non-violent drug cases – nightmarish institutions given over to gangs, neglect, punitive regimens and private profit.

Yet this long, grinding process of diminishment and degradation has been accompanied by a never-ending expansion of the war machine into a dominant position over almost every aspect of American life. Not even the ending of the Cold War slowed this excrescence; defense budgets grew, new enemies were found, there were new missions, new commands, new wars. The ruling elite of American society were – and are – obviously willing to let the welfare, prosperity, opportunities and liberties of the common people sink deeper and deeper into the mire, in order to finance a system structured around war, with all the attendant corruption, brutalization and accrual of authoritarian power that war brings.

This is the system we have. It’s right out in the open.

Click through to read the rest.

Please K&R if you'd like more DUers to read Chris's sobering take on the policies we're a party to.

[mikita]

1. love Chris glad to K & R

[dgibby]

2. Be happy to.

K&R

[scarletwoman]

3. I'll gladly k&r Chris Floyd any day, and always.

He's at the top of my list of must reads.

Thanks for posting this!

sw

[lwcon]

5. Nice to see Chris Floyd fans around here

One of my must-reads, too!

[leftstreet]

4. K&R

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. How can any rational, informed person deny it?

K&R

[lwcon]

7. It's easy

Just value tribal identity over truth.

Then whatever "we" do is good, or is forced upon "us" by some circumstance, or is part of some 11-dimensional chess game that smarter people are brilliantly and humanely playing on our behalf.

[Hannah Bell]

9. except most people don't get much of the spoils from their "Tribal identity".

only the tribal leaders do.

so after a while, the pollyanna game grows hollow.

[lwcon]

10. It just depends how long the tribal followers want to keep the myths going

We're very wise on the left about "What's the matter with Kansas," realizing that rank and file Repubs are screwed by the policies they vote for.

Now, it's a matter of how long it takes Dems voters to realize that their party has thrown them under the bus. And will we realize it profoundly enough to do anything about it?

[debbierlus]

8. The heart of the matter.

[juno jones]

11. K&R! n/t

[JohnyCanuck]

12. K & R

[lwcon]

13. Thanks to you and all for the Recs! n/t

[lildreamer316]

14. I was reading this early this morning. EXTREMELY important & very well put together.

Thanks so much for posting it in GD..it really is a must-read for anyone who wants a good grasp of what is going on.

[inna]

15. i'm sorry i'm too late to recommend this (it's been over 24 hr), but...

a kick.

:kick:

[KoKo]

16. Kick ...it's a rant but is an interesting read for the fine points.

:kick:

[BeHereNow]

17. Too late to Rec' but I'll Kick it!

Astonishing how Americans don't connect their
rapidly declining way of life with the ever expanding military
expenditures.

I think most understand by now how NAFTA, The WTO et al,
have affected the job market, but that should be even
more reason for them to protest the percentage of
tax dollars spent on the use of our military to
protect the multi national global interests of the wealthy.

Guess most still believe the military is being
used to keep them "safe."

BHN