America’s Dummy System: Eating Itself While Destroying The World
By Sean Fenley
13 September, 2012
Countercurrents.org
“The Syrian rebels would be immeasurably weaker today without al-Qaeda in their ranks. By and large, Free Syrian Army battalions are tired, divided, chaotic, and ineffective. Al-Qaeda fighters, however, may help improve morale. The influx of jihadis brings discipline, religious fervor, battle experience from Iraq, funding from Sunni sympathizers in the Gulf, and most importantly, deadly results.”
- Ed Husein, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
It has been said that America’s last liberal President was Richard Nixon. Nixon set up the EPA, OSHA, and created the Clean Water Act. Additionally, he had a better health plan than Obamacare, and proposed a guaranteed minimum income. [1] Nixon also implemented price controls, which notably — in recent history — Hugo Chavez, has been savagely attacked in Western media, for introducing on basic foodstuffs and household goods.
1981 is said to be the breaking point of when the modern Republican Party, began its failure in accepting that government has a role to play in propping up — and, moreover, aiding and abetting — Americans’ livelihood and well-being. [2] The much ballyhooed advent of the so-called Reagan Revolution. And ergo this began the inroads, into creating a system of essentially two neoliberal, militarist, Wall Street, and largely indifferent to the needs of significant sections of the American population political parties.
We should keep this in mind considering that we have just been enduring the revolting, gross, and gratuitously self-congratulatory (taxpayer funded) spectacles of the — decrepit, moribund and abounding with cretinism — duopoly conventions. [3] So, what are we to make of things after envisaging these uber lurid, radically self-aggrandizing, and entirely putrefactive celebrations? For one it’s clear to me that a battle royale between Jill Stein, and Gary Johnson, would be a marked improvement, over the bromides, platitudes, and; undoubtedly, soon-to-be-broken promises of the plutocracy’s kept candidates of their choosing.
Clearing brush, pork rinds, arithmetic, surreptitious tax returns, “presidential” beer recipes and gaffing vice presidential candidates, are about the utmost the level of “cerebreality” that these folks, unequivocally, want to “ascend” toward. [4], [5] Celebreality is much more important anyhow! That is to say, what kerfluffle has a prominent Scientologist befallen him or herself into at the present moment! This stock in trade is all the more important than: wars and peace, progressive taxation (or a Tobin tax), guaranteeing health care, poverty, the Great Recession, unemployment, and the greatest disparity of wealth in all of the Western world!
On the foreign affairs front, the French have lurched forward into the preeminent imperial role in the decapitation, sacking and dismemberment of the Arab Republic of Syria. [6] The “socialist” Hollande is now planning to arm Islamist guerrillas who include voluminous battle-hardened Salafis, and even — the sometime NATO/Western mortal enemy/adversary — Al Qaeda. [7] The neocon enemy image, in fact, which has eroded so many civil liberties in America; cast aside the Constitution; and metamorphosized the country into a police/surveillance society and/or (take your pick!) ultra-security state.
Now, of course, Al Qaeda has been reborn as an ally planting “American” values against a regime that is unequivocally authoritarian, but not without its positive attributes. Which includes tolerance of a mosaic of religious and faith traditions, exceedingly low cost university-level education, and government subsidy of many basic provisions, foodstuffs, household items, and everyday wares. [8] In fact, in 2005 the Christian Science Monitor ran an article about what an agreeable experience — that so many Americans were having — studying Arabic in the capital city of Damascus. [9] The Arab Republic of Syria, even with all of its drawbacks, is certainly preferable to the theocratic, anachronistic, strict sharia caliphate “alternative” proffered, by precisely the wild-eyed militants that the NATO/Western countries are currently so myopically and narrow-mindedly backing, and so vehemently in support of. (Many of them are not from Syria by the way, they are being brought in from Libya, Chechnya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere — about 60% according to a Medecins Sans Frontieres doctor, who was only recently in the country.) [10]
The French are no doubt stepping up the brazen adventure/interventionism, whilst the American political silly season places handcuffs, on some of America’s hegemonism; that might spell trouble for Beltway spin doctors to massage, repackage, gussy up, and/or twist or otherwise festoon for the voting “riffraff”, “the great unwashed”, and “the rabble”. Better off not to patently and intentionally seriously overcomplicate, a (previously) unsophisticated and garden variety flimflam/deception.
In Libya some Muslim radicals, that are now readily operating in that country — and exceedingly armed-to-the-gills — recently destroyed some sacred Sufi sites, to no doubt christen the US/NATO-brought “freedom” to that country. [11] This, undoubtedly, reminds one of the benighted mentality that led the Taliban to bringing about the batty-headed, incoherent, and lunatic bombing of the Afghan Buddhas of Bamiyan.
Of course, the ignominious Ronald Reagan christened the inordinately fanatical mujahideen, as much like America’s own Founding Fathers. And perhaps ironically, today our “democrats” in Libya, would seem to be of rather similar rearing, upbringing, tack, style, attitude, worldview and overall demeanor. No doubt, anyone of any other faith, would have a difficult run-in with these folks — should they encounter them in a dark alleyway — or, for that matter, any place at all! And moreover, anyone who has been persistently following the events in Libya, since the “mainstream” media lost all interest in them, was not; of course, surprised at all, to the see the Benghazi consulate attack — and the needless deaths that occurred there (sadly), as a result.
The Christians in Syria, who predominantly support Dr. Bashar al-Assad, know precisely what kind of “freedom fighters”, that the West has taken great relish in: seemingly infallibly, consistently and unflinchingly backing. [12] In fact, Patriarch Gregorios III of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, has cautioned against foreign interventionism in his country, and furthermore accused the Western media of negligently misreporting on the conflict. [13] A Syrian nun, Sister Agnes Mariam, has recently recounted that she personally eyewitnessed, the beheading of nine Alawite Syrians. According to the sister, they were murdered simply for being Alawite, by; of course, the Western-backed “democratic”, and indeed, raucous proxy forces. [14]
Clearly, an agenda of stopping development, on a multitude of levels, is an aspect of the pernicious strategy that appears to be at work here. Freedom, human rights, women’s rights, and rights of speech and expression are thinly veiled patinas for domination, and “creative destruction” of a ravenous, retrograde, ignoble, antediluvian, and inillustrious breed. Of course, America has never acted truly consistently toward Wilsonianism, but this is; certainly, a far cry from it, indeed!
Seemingly, that once great beacon on a hilltop, has become a beacon of benightedness, for sure. Allied with some of the most backward absolutist monarchies, and the most obtuse of “pious” militants, death squads, and “Godly” roving “religious” warriors, miscreants, and thugs. Unfortunately, for Americans and non-Americans alike, Americans have virtually no choice in this matter at their polling places, in the ongoing presidential election/food fight/sham. Either of the two candidates — that are capable of winning, will continue on with this sordid trash.
Fortunately, we seem to see other nations (and blocs) rising, unalike that of which we have envisioned in some time. Some examples, of course, include the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas), the Non-Aligned Movement, and the BRICS. This sort of thing, I think, is most probably the beacon lying abreast of today’s enlightened hilltop. For all to look upon with great positive portent, and the highest and the utmost of regard.
The wanting of a world with the ending of these vicious cycles of domination, with “great powers” dictating schemes to “lesser”, and “inferior” subsidiary client nations. Of course, the new power configurations aren’t going to be any guarantee of rule by: the diminutive, the genteel, the dignified, the noble — and the altruistically and the courageously strong. But at least there is new hope, within these nascent rising power configurations. There is hope for elements to originate and to fully consummate, that will far outweigh; if it even had any, the positive elements, of the previous (ancien) global de facto administration/regime.
Notes:
[1]http://blackagendareport.com/content/freedom-rider-nixoncare-finally-wins
[2]http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/business/the-gops-journey-from-the-liberal-days-of-nixon.html
[3]http://nader.org/2012/07/30/open-letter-to-rnc-chair-reince-priebus-and-dnc-chair-debbie-wasserman-schultz/
[4]http://www.nationaljournal.com/conventions-speeches/bill-clinton-s-speech-prepared-full-text-from-the-democratic-national-convention-20120905
[5]http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/03/uk-obama-beer-idUSLNE88200G20120903
[6]http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/05/syria-crisis-france-idINL6E8K5JGF20120905
[7]http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/al-qaida-rebels-battle-syria
[8]http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/04/us-syria-economy-socialist-idUSBRE8630FA20120704
[9]http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0510/p14s02-legn.html
[10]http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/08/syria-crisis-jihad-idUSL6E8K80WG20120908
[11]http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/world/africa/in-libya-extremists-vandalize-sufi-shrines-with-impunity.html
[12]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fnc1toC9EY
[13]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19064703
[14]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iogH78kXccU
Sean Fenley is an independent progressive, who would like to see some sanity brought to the creation and implementation of current and future, US military, economic, foreign and domestic policies. He has been published by a number of websites, and publications throughout the alternative media.
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