Over the past thirty years, the United States has invaded Iraq (twice), Afghanistan, and Grenada (!) and in addition has bombed Pakistan and Yemen, as well as threatened Iran and North Korea with military action.ã ‚¬ ‚¬ The United States now has a military presence in over one hundred foreign countries, has established a new AFRICOM command, as well as the recent basing agreement in Colombia.ã ‚¬ ‚¬ Our troops remain in South Korea for 57 years and in Japan for 65 years after the cessation of hostilities.
Over this same period, wages for American workers have not improved while the rewards for the rich have multiplied, and when big-money interests abuse the system beyond its capacity to tolerate rapacious greed, they are awarded funds from OUR treasury to prevent their deserved failure, not to mention of their legal culpability.
In the meantime, our government's actual concern for the well-being of its citizens can be assessed by a glance at the standing of our healthcare system in the international index, where the United States is ranked 37th "best" by the World Health Organization.
Our Bill of Rights has been trashed in the name of "protecting us from terrorism," blatantly by the Republican Bush and rather furtively by the Democrat Obama.ã ‚¬ ‚¬We are now also "protected from terrorism" by the use of electronic body scans that pictorially display the pubic details of grandmothers and nuns who would board an aircraft, and by security thugs clutching at the privates of six-year olds.ã ‚¬ ‚¬ The propaganda implies:ã ‚¬ ‚¬"Comply or die!"ã ‚¬ ‚¬(Incidentally, the Russian government as well as our FBI at its headquarters use dogs for the very same purposes while claiming superior results.)
How did it get to this?ã ‚¬ ‚¬Because most of the American electorate is divided into four categories:ã ‚¬ ‚¬(1) those who "don't care about politics,"ã ‚¬ ‚¬(2) those obtuse to their own best interests,ã ‚¬ ‚¬ (3) those of unshakable partisan fervor, and (4) those convinced that they must support the "lesser-evil" choice.
This is what delivered us into the hands of a government -- under either of the major partisan persuasions -- beholden to vested interests at the expense of constitutionality, the common good, the regard of the decent peoples of the world, and -- wretchedly -- ã ‚¬ ‚¬of peace.
Our countryã ‚¬ ‚¬-- and the world! -- is desperate for a long term American solution beyond the choice of the "lesser-evil."
THE "lesser-evil" choice in favor of Democrats or of Republicans has produced essentially the same results:ã ‚¬ ‚¬(1)ã ‚¬ ‚¬immoral wars for resources or military dominance in influencing foreign affairs to commercial advantage, and (2) dominance of America's economy and thereby control of our society by crass moneyed interests.
Not Reagan, not the Bushes, not Clinton, not Obama -- by either design or political ineptitude -- have resisted war as an instrument of national economic policy or spared the citizens the treachery of the rapacious greed interests.
We are now in the TENTH YEAR of the War of Lies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Obama promises us "only" four more years.ã ‚¬ ‚¬ Iran looms on our list as the next target, or perhaps North Korea -- and why would we not believe Venezuela, against whom the propaganda is already mounting -- yes, again to "protect freedom" with a slyã ‚¬ ‚¬eye on its oil and the addition of one more foreign military basing to add to our current inventory.
The motive of anyone expressing these notions is immediately suspect by the confirmed partisan mentality.ã ‚¬ ‚¬The leap to judgment commonly demonizes sound criticism as "Socialist,"ã ‚¬ ‚¬ "Teaã ‚¬ ‚¬Party,"ã ‚¬ ‚¬ "Bloody Liberal,"ã ‚¬ ‚¬and even "Un-American."
But this particular critic, this questioner of America's misguided course is none of those.ã ‚¬ ‚¬ I am frankly scared of the Democrat or Republican captain of America's ship and am impelled to sound the alarm that either one of the current major partisan persuasions has us heading for the rocks.
I don't have the answer, just the question.ã ‚¬ ‚¬ But I implore all partisan addicts to open their eyes and their minds to where we've been led for the past thirty years, to recognize the treachery of these wars and a lying government, to question and disavow the propaganda, and to join in common causeã ‚¬ ‚¬in search for an honest solution beyond the "lesser-evil" trap, a solution that finally embodies decent government.
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