Crossposted from Axis of Logic
The world is standing on its head. Priorities are so totally screwed up that it seems unlikely they will ever get straightened out.
There was a time when people mattered. There was a time when governments had the concerns of the people in mind when running a country. There was a time when elections had a meaning and democracy was not just an empty word. When people actually had a say in what was legislated in their country. When ethics and justice were ideals that were anchored in people's minds. When the Constitution meant something – to the Government and to the people.
No more. The moral compass was declared obsolete and superfluous decades ago. 'The Constitution is just a piece of paper.' International courts and the Geneva Conventions are 'quaint'.
So why have things changed so radically? What made these changes possible? Greed made it possible. Greed has won out over all decent attempts to keep the world livable, for us and for generations to come. There are still voices heard that demand a return to a humanitarian world order. But how can they be heard over the din of exploding bombs? How can they be heard over the screaming hatred that's tearing the world apart? That's poisoning the minds of the people who might otherwise have seen through the fog of greed and power hunger.
The greed that rules the world feeds on the hatred of everybody who is not like us. The people who hold the reins of power get the masses to toe the line by pouring fuel on the fire of fear. The flames of hatred and fear are easily kept burning. Propaganda makes them the dominant features in the life of a nation. They have become the poisoned blood of a country that was for decades looked up to by the rest of the world. But hatred and fear in the long run can only weaken a nation.
How can the masses hear the voices of those who are trying to save the planet from constant wars and from environmental disaster? How can they hear any voice of reason over the deafening noise of propaganda? What is called America the beautiful is filled to the brim with glaring billboards, with a never-ending stream of commercials on radio and television, with 'news' that is an exact replica of what the media are paid by the powers that be to serve on a platter for the infotainment of the masses. News that is anti-news. News that hide the truth, that distort the truth, that present a world which is a cartoon, courtesy of the mass media and its sold-out talking heads. Instead of the reality, we are spoon-fed baby formula propaganda. The world presented to us by our sociopathic rulers and their lackeys looks like a clumsy, black-and-white drawing by a five-year-old.
How did the world get to be so distorted? How did our vision get to be so blurred? How did our priorities become so artificial and so callous? Instead of cooperation and compassion there are wars and destruction. Instead of acceptance and tolerance, there is hatred of the Other. There are never-ending wars because our rulers want to dominate every last square inch of the planet. The arms manufacturers rake in billions. They call it Pax Americana and the masses are still gullible enough to believe that the U.S. wants to create a world of peace and freedom. Why of course, the U.S. military is in Iraq to install democracy and a better life for its people. And how devoutly they care for the lot of the Iraqi people! How can anybody still today believe in this game of smoke and mirrors?
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