- 14 Mar 2003 12:31
#2515
Like on the religion forum; I apologize for the rather long post. Still I don't feel too bad as text loads much quicker than some of these pictures folks use for their signatures. Feel free to read or ignore. I spammed groups from alt.politics.bush to alt.politics.clinton with this one last August.
War, Imperialism, and 9/11
9/11 was a great tragedy for the American nation. Long thought secure behind the two largest
oceans, victor in the Cold War, it came as quite a shock that we could be attacked from overseas. The
American public was justifiably angry and a retaliation was called for. Having said that, however, let me
say Patriotism, like religion, can easily be translated into fanaticism. We are more than seeing that with the
mindless flag waving that just doesn’t seem to abate. Why?
The simple truth is that war is good for business. What is good for business keeps the Wall Street
financiers who have replaced the industrial bourgeoisie as the oppressors of the working classes very happy.
Capitalism thrives on war and human suffering; and in this case, more than a little slight of hand. Governor
Dubya is basking in presidential glory he did not earn, crying crocodile tears over the deaths of
approximately 3,000 lives.
Republican presidents like to pat themselves on the back concerning their prowess in foreign
policy. It is supposedly a strongpoint. But look at Dubya’s record prior to 9/11. He made an ass out of
himself at Euro-Economic Summit and with the Kyoto Protocols (environmental controls to save the earth
for posterity.....fuck that.....bad for business). He made America the “heavy†on the ABM Treaty debate
with the Russian Federation, and the US delegation walked out on the UN sponsored Racism Conference in
Durban. We won’t even mention how he destroyed the strong Clinton economy, as that is a domestic,
rather than a foreign policy affair (or is it?).
Then comes September 11th, 2001. Followers of a religious fanatic seize four large airliners and
three impact on target. This is the best thing that could have happened to Junior, away from the targeted
White House at the time. And the more time passes we see more evidence that the government knew
something was afoot. If Dubya knew then he should be impeached. In the meantime, he is able to focus
national attention on a foreign enemy, ignoring the domestic issues in this country. He fans the flame of
patriotism to keep his popularity up. This is an all too common trick, as Round Up Ronnie did it for two
terms (his illegal and immoral invasion of Grenada being the perfect example), and George Senior did it
with the Gulf War.
Dubya is riding high now and is not about to let things die down. We have ousted the Taliban and
yet we are still in Afghanistan bombing wedding parties and killing innocent people. Why? It is quite
simple. If he can keep the war popular he can maintain an edge for the GOP in the fall elections. Also, the
majority of the ground forces are African-Americans. The more casualties among this ethnic group the
better it is for the Right (i.e. fewer potential Democratic votes). It gets even more ridiculous than this,
however. Dubya knows at some point he will have to pull out of Afghanistan, so he is already laying the
groundwork for future wars. Next on his agenda is to create a war with Iraq to finish what his Papa
couldn’t. It is becoming increasingly clear that in the post-Cold War era the United States and its
Middle-Eastern lackey, Israel, are the greatest threats to world peace.
Imperialism is the inhuman exploitation of Third World countries by the West. The countries are
raped for their resources and labor. This is another wonderful outgrowth of Capitalism and its need to
dominate markets. Imagine 12 year old girls laboring in sweat shop labor conditions in Honduras so that
naive, small town white boys can have clean Hanes underwear. “Gawd bleSS Amerika, indeedâ€. The
United States has shown itself in the past more than willing to sling its military around to keep these
markets and areas under our domination.
We can only hope. For what, you might ask? If his pig-headedness to stay in Afghanistan long
after our objectives have been completed, causes people to question his motives, for one. In Lexington
there was a demonstration for Peace in March (“War is Terrorism too†was the theme). Still later,
hundred’s of thousands marched in Washington to the same effect. Eventually heroes such as Jane Fonda
and Muhammad Ali, with the power of name recognition, will have the courage to step to the forefront of
the anti-war effort. That is, unless they are arrested for doing so under the provisions of the mis-named
“Patriot Actâ€, the blueprint for an American SS or KGB. A huge protest over his Iraq policy is planned for
October.
Washington’s continued support of the squatter state of Israel continues to astound. Modern Israel
has no right to exist, and continued support of Israel is what attracted the terrorists attacks of 9/11. Israel
exists because of the collective guilt of the west over the Holocaust. And how do the Israeli’s repay the
West for being given a country on a silver platter? By being the most fascist and racially motivated state
since Nazi Germany. Of course, maybe that is why Rightists like Israel so much. They can give their dark
nature an “out†and still pretend they are not anti-Semitic. And before anyone accuses me of such, let me
state that I do not equate Judaism and Zionism. Neither do some leading Jewish intellectuals, such as Dr.
Noam Chomsky of MIT. If we embrace the “Black Gold†of the Arab world over a strategically useless ally
our international situation will be much improved.
Patriotism is a very base emotion, and like religion, one that is capable of degenerating into
fanaticism all too easily. Ask any flag waver today what is the greatest country in the world, and the answer
is America! And they will parrot a whole list of reasons why that have been brainwashed into their heads
for years. Birth is a trick of fate and who is best is a matter of perspective. If these people could see past
the testocerone the reason America is the greatest country in earth is because....they were born here! These
people would feel loyalty to Norway, Zimbabwe, or any other country to the same degree if they had been
born there.
Some don’t agree. Take John Walker Lindh for example. The “My country right or wrong,†and
“America: Love it or leave it†crowd would gladly have slammed the door on his ass as he boarded the
flight to Kabul with a good riddance, don’t come back wave. He didn’t love or support it, so he left. Now
these same people were demanding the death penalty when the young man was forcibly brought back as a
prisoner of war. Am I the only one who sees a “Catch-22†here? I hope not.