U.S. Foreign Policy: Blinded by Self-Righteousness, Greed & Arrogance; Held Together with Stupidity

With all the experiences of loss, depravation, waste and human tragedy one would think that the country would be reluctant to send one more American son or daughter to the incinerators of hell, but yet we continue to follow the Judas sheep right up the ramp to be slaughtered. Of course, those with such brilliant ideas of using deadly force are rarely seen in attack-chariots racing across the desert. Not to worry young person, stand tall and be what you can be; we'll have medals for you and a flag for your parents.

More callousness of war and the utter disrespect for humanity was set forth when questions were asked about the sanctions against Iraq after the First Gulf War which can be linked to the reasons for the attacks on 9-11: CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl relied on this estimate (of infant mortality) in 1996 when she asked U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright, "we have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that is more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?" Albright answered; "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price, we think the price is worth it". [9] Albright's words echoed like thunder through the Arab world in the following years. Could it be that our current impasse with the Arab/Muslim world might have more to do with actions such as these and our ongoing aid program that finances continued settlement of contested lands than just their hatred for the American way of life? So, we have paid homage to Mars, the Roman God of War, by sacrificing a half million Iraqi children during the 10-year embargo of Iraq and the insurgents brought down the towers of capitalism in New York. Both sides, it would seem, have perfected terrorism; but will it be enough to satisfy the appetite of the God of war? Let's see, whose move is it now?

Insane debt has crippled our nation's economic system, hyper-inflation is a distinct possibility and floodwaters of discontent are rising rapidly, yet the government band plays on as if we are in the plush ballroom of the Titanic, dancing the night away. Wave the flag; beat the drums, faster, faster. Are we trying to replicate the events of WWI where global war provided a grisly picture titled "the sound of freedom"?

Thanks to our lobby system of government and an intoxicating sense of self-righteousness, we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again, generation after generation. We get involved in political campaigns but not in the day-to-day operation of our government carelessly allowing lobbies, PAC's and special interest groups to take control of the congress.

Are there any spiritual consequences of spreading death and destruction over so many parts of the earth? Fortunately, for our conscience, one nation, under God, gives us the ultimate assurance of being right. How ironic, that Mohamed Atta probably chanted "God is Great, God is Good" as he slammed his hijacked airliner into the World Trade Center. Being right with God absolves either side of any adverse eternal consequences whether they are causing the deaths of innocent children or slaughtering the monsters of capitalism. If the other side worships a false God, heaven forbid, any restrictions on humane warfare are lifted.

Without a doubt, both current dominant American political parties mean well and profess a great love, respect and hope for our country but both are ultimately beholden to the lobbyists who feed them. The lobbies could care less which party is in power; they will contaminate either with their lavish gifts and free money. It's not the parties, it's the system, and it's broken. If the cycle of death, destruction and despair is ever stopped it will be the citizens who terminate it, not the groups who profit from it. The lobbies and special interest groups have never had a great concern for the health and welfare of the nation and probably never will. Self-interest is their overriding concern. Creating fear, selling arms, controlling foreign aid and influencing congress are all areas of interest to these groups. If the group has an official or patriotic sounding name it will almost make them an arm of the federal government.

A recovery from the power-dive would require that have an ethical, financially responsible and an unencumbered congress in operation and a fully engaged public to monitor and maintain their direction. We have neither. Can it go on? Possibly, but recall the image of the stricken bomber at Fairchild AFB, Washington. The anatomy of a crash had been visible for years but no one had the leadership abilities to put a stop to the actions of a reckless flight commander. Remember the unrestrained actions of the pilot as he violated tenets of good airmanship. Think about where we are on the scale of violations; how many tenets of good government have we allowed to be violated? Imagine a bloated lobbyist at the controls of the B-52 (which represents our nation) banked at ninety degrees; the picture in the cockpit window terrifying, the earth sideways, seemingly frozen in time, as we hurtle helplessly toward impact. Then; silence, eternal silence.

We can take back our government and require it to make wise choices for sustainability or we can continue to follow the Judas sheep up the ramp on a path of death and destruction while it bleats out "freedom and democracy".

Those are our choices.

Charles Foerster 2009

CF is a graduate of the University of Houston, a former Naval Aviator and a retired commercial pilot. He and his wife live in West Texas.

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