Why a Liberal Progressive Can AND SHOULD Support Ron Paul

SAVE AS FAVORITE

VIEW FAVORITES

By Bill Douglas (about the author) Page 1 of 2 page(s)

opednews.com Permalink

For OpEdNews: Bill Douglas - Writer

Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate, except for the Green Party Candidate, Cynthia McKinney, who will dis-assemble the US corporate militarist empire.

If you peel back the layers of what is making life the most miserable for Americans and the world, you find one over arching issue . . . “the military industrial complex.” The decline of the US standard of living, the collapse of the US dollar, and the growing hatred of America worldwide are explained by that one phrase.

Why? The US military industrial complex has for decades become the body guards and enabler for brutal dictatorships worldwide, that were created to empower rulers who would sell out their own people and allow their national resources to be looted by corporate interests, and their people to be slave labor markets for multi-national corporations.

In 1954, Guatemalans elected President Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in a democratic election. They had a democracy back then. Guzman declared he would purchase all land that was not being used for agriculture or production, and pay the fair price for that land. WHY? Because many Guatemalans were starving while United Fruit left lands fallow, in order to maintain the prices of their fruit. Guzman was going to pay United Fruit the price they said the land was worth in their tax reports. Of course, United Fruit had undervalued the land, so they could pay less taxes on it.

So, United Fruit went to Washington and demanded the CIA overthrow this “communist.” The CIA did so, and Guatemala has had a series of brutal militarist dictatorships supported by the CIA and America ever since. These governments have been brutal and murdered many Guatemalans including those bold enough to organize labor unions.

A year before, in 1953, in Iran Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq, was elected in a free election. Yes, Iran had a strong moderate democracy back then. Mossaddeq had promised his people that they would get a fair price for their oil from British Petroleum. You see, British Petroleum had not paid Iran very much for their oil before that. Mosaddeq made British Petroleum a fair offer, but British Petroleum wasn’t buying. They went to Washington and complained to the CIA about this “communist” that was making waves in Iran. The CIA promptly over threw Mossaddeq, and installed the brutal Shaw of Iran who murdered multitudes of Iranians during his reign. That was why Iranians were so mad at us, when they had their revolution and took some Americans hostages. Of course corporate media didn’t tell us about that, only that those darned mean Iranians were just spiteful and craaaaazzzzzzy.

This pattern has been repeated throughout the world. One of the first things the Bush Administration did upon gaining power, was meddle in Venezuelan politics. WHY? Because President Hugo Chavez was in power and the contracts oil companies had with Venezuela were about to expire and be re-negotiated. Chavez planned to get a better percentage of oil revenue for his people. So, in 2002 a CIA supported coup toppled his government and threw Chavez in jail. But, tens of thousands of angry Venezuelans filled the streets banging pots and pans and occupying government offices until the coup was reversed and President Hugo Chavez, who they had democratically elected, was placed back in power.

Unocal oil wanted a pipeline to move the oil from the countries north of Afghanistan to the ocean for transport. That was why the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s, to create an oil pipeline there. During a meeting with US oil interests and the Taliban, an attendee reported that when the Taliban threatened to go with an Argentinean company to build the pipeline, rather than Unocal, the US representative warned them that if they went along with Unocal’s plans they’d find a carpet of gold, but if they thwarted them, they would find a carpet of bombs falling upon Afghanistan. This occurred BEFORE September eleventh, 2001. (Hmmmmm???)

After the attacks of 9/11, which according the official story (which is suspect on many levels) was perpetrated by Saudis, the US government attacks Afghanistan to topple the Taliban. Yes, your mind turning into a pretzel right now is a normal sane reaction. We invaded the wrong country, even if you buy the official 9/11 story, which again has many holes in it. Who is running Afghanistan today? President Hamid Karzai. Did you know that Hamid Karzai was a UNOCAL CONSULTANT, before US lifted him to power in Afghanistan? Isn’t that convenient?

Even if you believe the official story of 9/11, you have to ask yourself, not only why did we invade Afghanistan for 9/11’s attacks, but also why in 2003 did we invade a country that had absolutely nothing to do with it and had never attacked us. That country of course was Iraq. Who controls the oil in Iraq today? Who will control the oil in Iran if Karl Rove gets his wish to invade?

Securing resources for corporations are part of the US military / CIA empires mission, but slave labor is another part of it. Since the US “drug war” involvement in Columbia, the importation of cocaine into the US hasn’t been affected much. However, the murder rate of union organizers in Columbia has gone through the roof. The School of the Americas was where for decades brutal leaders and military officers that held their people under an iron boot in many Latin American nations . . . were trained. Although that name isn’t used any more because too many people realized it was a dictator and torture training school, the work of the school goes on. When you wring your hands and bemoan those mean old dictators or military in Latin America, realize your tax dollars probably taught them all their dirty tricks.

If you saw the movie Syrianna, you may not realize it was written by a former CIA agent, who based it upon his experiences in the CIA. In the film a good Middle Eastern leader, the son of an aging Sheik, is a visionary who wants to use oil money to build up his nation and educate his people. He is murdered, and his playboy brother who serves US corporate oil interests is hoisted to power. This story goes on and on and on in nations around the world. Even close allies like Australia has had their elections manipulated by the CIA (see the true story film, The Falcon and the Snowman with Sean Penn).

Americans are taught that Mexicans are too stupid or lazy to create a real vibrant economy. In 2007 Mexicans elected a progressive man of the people who would have reformed Mexico in substantial ways, and lifted the standard of living for millions. The election was stolen from him. One way it was stolen was, legitimately registered voters were removed from the voting lists in progressive areas like impoverished parts of Mexico City. Sound familiar? (ala Florida, 2000?) It should because it was the same company that deleted legitimately registered voters in Florida (mostly black voters). Who hired this company to do this disservice to Mexico’s democracy? You guessed it. The Bush Administration.

The horror stories go on and on, but let me tell a personal story of why this must change. When I worked under the auspices of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees in the 1980s in a mass Salvadoran refugee camp housing over 20,000 Salvadoran peasants, I met a peasant family that befriended me. Their children drew crayon drawings of their village back home being napalmed and straffed with machine gun fire by US supplied helicopters and weapons. The bloated bodies of their neighbors floated down the Rio Limpa, the River Limpa, in their drawings.

One day I asked one of their young daughters if she had any questions about America she’d like to ask me, thinking she’d ask about Disney land or something. With her vast dark eyes, she stared into my soul, and asked, “Why do Americans hate us so much?” If this doesn’t move you, then think about the fact that over 50% of federal discretionary spending goes to the military industrial spending each and every year.

1 | 2

By William E. Douglas, Jr., who is author of "The Amateur Parent – A Book on Life, Death, War & Peace, and Everything Else in the Universe." Bill has been a guest columnist for the Kansas City Star, The Business Journal, and (more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author

Contact Editor

View Authors' Articles

Book Recommendations for " Corporations Democracy Dollar"

Dollars and Votes: How Business Campaign Contributions Subvert Democracy
by Dan Clawson

$72.50
Lowest New Price $58.00
Number of pages: 271
Publisher: Temple University Press

Dollars or Democracy: A Technological Alternative to Capitalism
by Yorick Blumenfeld

$21.99
Lowest New Price $16.82
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

View All Book Recommendations

Share this page: (what's this?) Tell a Friend:

(More...)