"And its true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die” – U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday 

There are forces in this country that wish to continually perpetuate the current war we are in; and expand it into further wars. This sounds like such a basic statement, but the insidious nature of this truth goes far deeper than just the surface. The fact is that there is a narrow group of people who are in power and wish to maintain that power for as long as possible. They are making a killing from the mass bloodshed across the globe and wish to continue to do so. They do not care necessarily about patriotism, terrorism, or any other codes words they use to fool you into accepting their wars without end.

The model is old but reliable. It was used for decades during the Cold War. Prop up an enemy for the people of the United States to revile, to hate, and most importantly to fear. Then use that enemy as the justification for wars of aggression in other countries, all in the defense of the veiled “national security.” It worked like a charm for decades of air-raid drills. But something funny happened along the way. The Soviet Union collapsed from the weight of a failed economy (sorry Reagan fans). The 1990’s provided new territory for this ruling group of elite. They had no enemy to plug into their model. Defense spending plummeted and the internal needs of the country were finally making it to the forefront. They wrote position papers and tried desperately to affect policy so that the Middle East could be the new battle ground. They opined that the nation needed a “new Pearl Harbor” to rejuvenate their thirst for blood. Coincidentally (?) a couple of years later they would receive their greatest wish on September 11, 2001. The terrorist now replaced the communist. The veiled enemy was back to revile, to hate, and to fear. Even greater this time, the terrorist had no real country, so the war could continue ad nauseum; perpetually. War was chic again and the dollars started to flow back into the military industrial complex we were warned generations before about. Six months in it was no longer about Osama bin Laden because a single enemy could be killed. No, it was now the global struggle against Islamo-fascism; a focus group tested and approved buzz-word. We have hopped from Afghanistan to Iraq and now the drums are beating for Iran. Not coincidentally, the same three countries (along with Syria) the neo-cons had written about back in the 1990’s when they were scrambling to regain the power and wealth that was fading from their grasp.

So here we are, a scant six years later and somehow these intricacies are lost on the majority of the country. There is a corporate-bought media to prop up the government positions; to sell you the hate and fear. To sell you the war. Just a little bit longer, I promise. Just until a General testifies, we swear. Just until the surge can have a chance to work. They throw words like “victory” and “honor” to prod your emotions into supporting it. They bring out the big guns and question the very patriotism of anyone who dares to dissent. They strip more and more of our civil liberties in exchange for the imaginary security we never really have set against the backdrop of the democracy illusion. They tell you it is about the cause of freedom, while they strip the countries they invade of their nationality and resources. They tell you it is to protect future generations when in reality, they will have them fighting the same war if they have their way. In the end though it is not about freedom or democracy. It is not about tinpot dictators and righteousness. It is certainly not about God, no matter how desperately they try to tie Him to it. It is about continuing the war. It is about continuing to feed the machine. They wrap themselves up in the flag they have soaked with the blood of the innocents, and deride anyone who disagrees. It exists for the sole purpose of existing, of continuing.

But in order to have it continue they need you. They need you to buy it, even if it is a little bit. They need some legitimacy to be leant to it beyond the corporate media. They have all sorts of weapons designed to sell it to you. One such weapon is to pretend that a “grass-roots” organization with a good ole American name is on their side. They finance them with millions from the blood money, and then send them out before the cameras and through their media machine. This happened in 2004 when the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” were formed specifically to tank the candidacy of John Kerry by spreading lies about him and the service he gave to this country. More recently, we have a new group dubiously called “Freedom’s Watch.” This of course is no grass roots organization. It is the same elites who wish their wars to continue. As they saw the country continue to recede from supporting war, the White House formed this group, flushed it full of millions of dollars and sent them out to sway public opinion. Fifteen million dollars buys you a lot of public opinion.

So Freedom’s Watch started their media assault against America. We have been deluged with commercials of soldiers and soldier’s families who want “victory” or a “fair chance” to “win” the war. We are reprimanded for wanting to bring the boys home and lectured that dissent is somehow “political.” This of course is patently ridiculous but these forces have always been bold in their attempt to redefine reality. Those who want the troops to stop dying are labeled as unpatriotic and not supportive of the troops and those that care not if they continue to come home in boxes are labeled as true Americans. Unsubstantiated links are still made to 911, to stir up emotions and legitimize what is clearly illegitimate. They try to pretend they are not connected to the White House but the current President of this bogus group is a former Deputy Assistant to Bush and co-founder Ari Fleisher is Bush’s former Press Secretary. The disgraced Lewis Libby and Mary Maitlan were also involved in creating this farce. 

Farce is too weak a word for this vile enterprise. Preying upon the American people’s patriotism, Freedom’s Watch is not about freedom. It is not about democracy and it is certainly not about the troops. It is an organization of millionaires who continue to make a killing off of this war. They are parasites who are consolidating their power at the expense of your children. To add insult to injury, they then use the troops they are consigning to death as a shield. They shoot 60 second spots designed to convince you that up is down and right is wrong. They insult the collective intelligence of the American people who now overwhelmingly support withdrawal. Any objective analysis of Iraq has concluded already it is a lost cause, not to mention illegitimate since the reason we invaded has been proven to be fabricated. Instead they prop up the surge, or Petreus, or anyone who is still willing to publicly side with Bush’s failed war.

Not content with the untold bloodshed in Iraq, Freedom’s Watch is now beating the war drums for Iran; taking out full page ads in the NY Times denouncing Iran and its leadership. There is no diplomacy for the death merchants America. They do not want diplomacy because that leads to peace. They are not about peace; they are about perpetual war and holding onto their power. The blood that is sacrificed does not matter to them either because they do not have a chip in the game. It is always easy to gamble with someone else’s money.

So when those commercials come on, remember who made them and who paid for them. Remember what their agenda is. Remember it is death they deal in, not freedom. They will watch as more and more of your kids are sacrificed on the altar of power and greed. They will watch as they wrap themselves up in flags soaked with the blood of your children to sell you their wars. They will watch to see if you respond to their new focus group tested slogans and the false hope of indefinable concepts of “victory” and “surge.” They will watch their money be spent to buy your opinion. They will watch their power grow. They will watch your kids die. Freedom though? They don’t deal in freedom America, let alone “watch” it. They deal only in death.