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What's wrong with America?
What would America be like if it was truly a leader instead of being an oil-grabbing empire-building fascist pariah state? And how did it get like that? Was it the baneful influence of the Republican Party over the last six years? The insidious effect of AIPAC? The Military-Industrial-Complex that Eisenhower warned you about? How about the Corporate Capitalists? Is any one of these the culprit, or any combination of them? Did it happen quickly or over time?
What happened to the 'American Dream'? What is the 'American Dream'? Is it that anyone, with hard work and a bit of luck and a good idea can become a billionaire? Is it the fallacy that anyone could become President of the United States of America, provided they had enough ambition, integrity and honesty which of course the population would inherently recognize and vote for? Why is it that anyone with even remotely possessing these kinds of qualities is marginalized and ridiculed by the mass media?
Well, the reason for this could be money. You cannot get elected as President of the United States of America unless you have millions of dollars - and where does that money come from? Does it come from millions of supporters with their $10, $100 or $1000 donations? No, it comes in donations from companies, which in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. What is bad about it is what the companies expect in return for their donations - a favorable outcome in legislation for their industries. And add to this the overwhelming influence of lobbyists.
To my limited knowledge there is no other country so corrupted by the political set-up as it is in America. In no other country is it quite so true that 'money talks'.
But what happens to people who win millions of dollars from the lottery? Do they become model citizens, looking out for their fellow men and women?
The whole ethos of Americans is based on this American Dream. But Americans who already have millions - do they foster this 'Dream' knowing it to be a myth? Aside from Bill Gates and a few others, are the billionaires philanthropic? Do you think that an ordinary working stiff in Atlanta or Chicago could make it big? Really?
Do these corporate monsters really believe in the American Dream? Do they think that just anybody can partake of those tax cuts for the really, really rich that George Bush gave them? The country is run 'by the corporations' - for the corporations. 'We, the People' do not get a look in. The Congress is bought and paid for, likewise the House of Representatives and every candidate running for the Presidency is also bought and paid for, and promoted by the bought and paid for Media whores and any 'outsider' candidate like Mike Gravel or Ron Paul is cut out of debates, ridiculed, marginalized and moved into the 'second tier' level and so into a 'no-hoper' category.
In addition, almost every member of Congress or the House, even starting out with the highest ideals, finds that to get into office you have to toe the line. Just look at Barack Obama and his comment about the Palestinians which he quickly was told to back track on and he did! Another bought and paid for lackey of the Corporations. And this only scratches the surface - what about the Military complex of corporations? The huge staff of the Pentagon with its procurement requirements, do they not lobby too?
So, what is an honest (and brave) candidate for the Presidency to do in the face of all this? And what is the ordinary working individual able to do in the face of all this? Writing letters and emails and telephoning your Congressman's office doesn't cut it; they will listen to their bosses and fob you off with excuses as to why they are 'powerless' to stop the war; 'they don't have enough votes'; 'they are trying to do it in very difficult circumstances', etc, etc.
So how does an honest candidate get even enough votes to show a possibility in the primaries? Do you think that the bloggers and the Internet geeks will be anything more than an irritation to the Corporate Media shills?
This has been going on for a very long time. Past history, for anyone who cares to look, shows that America has been going about its business of building its empire since the Second World War. Interference in other nation's affairs has been going on for years, without the consent and knowledge of the people of America. Countless 'black ops' by the CIA in other countries, bringing down democratically elected governments (not to the liking of the powers that be in the White House and its owners), have been perpetrated in Nicaragua, the blockade of Cuba, the regime change in Iran and the installation of the Shah, the 'coup' in Venezuela, Haiti, the ongoing trouble in Somalia, Darfur - not to mention the debacles of Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia - until we come to the modern phase of Afghanistan, Lebanon and the blood bath of Iraq. And 'the corporations' now want to attack Iran! What possible effect can the ordinary American have on all of that?
For months I have been watching all the blogs and news about the crisis in America and the bloggers have been calling for 'action'. Write to your Congressman, go on marches like they did in the 60's, hold sit-ins in your representatives offices, and so on. The numbers doing that have been, what shall I say, ineffective. Stopping the war was the message given to the democrats in the November elections and after a suitable time they just gave up and rolled over. Cindy Sheehan has given up. Many are disillusioned and defeated.
If it were not for the fact that America sneezes and Europe gets a cold, I would say - stew in your own juice. But, for years America has been leading the world in technology, science, world financial institutions and many other fields. If America goes down, it takes most of the world's infrastructure with it - except for China, Japan and India, but they would have some trouble too. Recent developments in south America moving towards socialism and kicking out the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund poses a threat to the status quo of America's position in the world so expect some covert action in that region to prevent it soon.
Given the enormous influence and power of the Military-Corporate-Industrial-Complex do you think that there is anything that can be done about this situation? Europe is going in the same direction, a right wing President of France, the status quo in Britain, most of the European nations providing troops for the subjugation of Afghanistan, even though the pipeline is now a dead duck.
I have no simple answer to all these questions and no doubt my information is incomplete. 'Holding the Democrats' feet to the fire' did not work, so perhaps it's time to think of putting the fire to the whole rotten theatre, because that is what it is - a showcase for the deception and the sham of American democracy.
As far as I know, the US of A is the only country with a comprehensive written Constitution. It has built in checks and balances framed by the writers who knew the dangers of giving too much power to one branch of government. I've watched in horror as little by little, by stealth and by trickery, your Constitution has been eroded and downgraded into that infamous 'piece of paper' that George Bush disparaging called it.
I am writing this, a little in despair, as I watch the next episode of this soap opera unfold, because I do not have any answer, and even the experts and the undoubtedly first class 'thinkers' do not, in my opinion, have any real answers either. Mostly they point to one or another 'correction' needed for this or that transgression of the White House, Congress, the House, the spying on Americans or the Patriot Act and Homeland Security, or voter fraud.
But nowhere have I seen any acknowledgement of the disease of America - this 'American-Dream' psychological disengagement from the rest of the world. Maybe its because physically America is more or less disconnected from the rest of the world, so its understandable that psychologically it is isolated too. Hence the phrase that many of you do not even question, "We must fight them over there, or we will have to fight them over here."
One thing is for sure, the populations of countries all over the world look at what America is doing with horror and revulsion, but not the people in power. They too are 'big business' and 'globalization-controlled' and go along for the ride. How is it possible that grain farmers in India cannot sell their wheat because the World trade Organization's subsidies undercut the pitiful small prices they ask for and drive them to bankruptcy and suicide? How is it possible for Italian tomatoes to be cheaper in Uganda and Senegal than locally grown tomatoes? In a sane world this could not happen.
I know that this writing is not very articulate and what I am trying to convey is not easy to follow, but nevertheless, it needs to be said; America is sick. Not that it is alone in that, but just because it is, at the moment, the greatest power on earth and can do just what it likes with impunity, and the great masses of Americans can do nothing whatsoever about it.
Sometimes the cure for a sickness is very severe, and waiting to let the disease run its course can only end in death. But what is the cure for Globalized Corporate greed and rape of the environment? It is too big for me to contemplate. Maybe there is someone, or a few good men, that can find a remedy.
