Perhaps the most serious question regarding the issue of the rush to expand the Iraq war to Iran and the whole Middle East is that superficial differences of opinion as to what forces are behind such 'rushing' to expand war, and which of these forces is most culpable, are defusing the anti-war efforts of average people everywhere.
Some anti-war activists strongly believe that "oil is at the center" of this imperial war of conquest in Iraq and the Middle East. Many other anti-war activists just as strongly believe that it is weapons 'war profiteers' and 'military industrial complex' corporations like Halliburton that are the forces of darkness at the heart of the current Iraq war and the 'surge' toward broader war in the Middle East. While other principled anti-war activists believe that a minority of radically aggressive, right-wing extremists in Israel's Likud party are at the center of banging the drums for extending Middle East war.
Arguments about whether the dark-side is composed of global corporate oil thieves, weapons makers, financial war interests, or radical Zionist forces seem to be diffusing, dividing and diminishing the singular truth of the anti-war argument.
Those unified in favor of: peoples' interests, democracy, human progress, and anti-war sanity (and against: elite interests, corporate empire, entrenched reactionism, and pro-war insanity) may see their humanitarian and pro-democracy solidarity distorted and diffused by arguments of which elitist forces are most responsible for our looming disaster.
However, I strongly believe that the progressive, humanist, democratic positions on the looming threat of expanding war are, in fact, merely different views of the same 5000 pound elephant in our living room of democracy ---- namely, guileful Empire, which is the common denominator of pro-war evil.
The common denominator of all of our progressive, humanist, democratic and hopeful aspirations is that we can survive, and that to survive as equality-minded, free, and loving human people, we have to deal together in facing the multiple threats and forces of elite empire groups who do not share such positive goals.
Throughout human history (which is at heart an historical progression toward the means and ends of personal and social growth, awareness and evolutionary achievement toward light rather than dark) man has always had to learn, share, educate and work against forces that do not share such a view for all mankind.
Over the long arc of such history, the concept of Empire has typically been the name and form of such darker forces which would deny human and historical progress toward any positive and universal goal. In the past, Empire has frequently been overt and brutal --- often co-opting average people from one society, religion, race, or ideology into supporting the brutality of war under the clear promise of selfish gain in land, territories, gold, or other 'spoils of war'. [At times, of course, Empire has taken the visage of Monarchy, Nationalism, Fascism, Imperialism, Religion, etc., but the common denominator can always fairly be called Empire].
During the disastrous history of wars of the 20th century an ever increasing volume of average people directly experienced and learned of the ultimately self-destructive nature of war, and became increasingly aware both rationally, from that experience, and spiritually that the brotherhood of man and even the continued existence of human survival were not well served in listening to any claims of 'war spoils' to be gained by war itself.
Thus, the majority of average people became more openly suspicious of many of the easy and traditional arguments that the ruling-elite of Empire have overtly forwarded about the personal, national, ethnic, religious, ideological or other falsely claimed 'spoils of war' as being enough to justify loosing the dogs of war again in our nuclear age.
So today, Empire is left with only a few new tools with which to incite and further enflame war: Guile and Fear.
Guile can basically be defined as a subtle or well disguised form of lying.
Fear can perhaps most strongly be envisioned as the irrational sense of loss of life (for an individual, his family, or for the entire society ---- termed 'existential')
Thus, when Vice Emperor Cheney spoke this morning on FOX News (sic) Hour of the 'bottom line', the most devastating danger and chaos for which there can be no 'defeat' in the Iraq WAR, and which Emperor Bush had in mind when planning for the entirely military 'surge' and escalation of WAR with an "open ended commitment" because of the incalculable threat of failure, Cheney threatened:
Must Read (
Well Said (
News (
Touching (
Funny (
Supported (
Interesting (
Inspiring (
Valuable (
