Independent research and analysis, essays in politics and philosophy.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
America: A Fork In the Road
"If there is one principle more deeply rooted in the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest." - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) 3rd American President
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
"As an American who long ago realized that the US military is used as a corporate security force to protect globalist assets and interests overseas, and the "wars" and "police actions" are mounted whenever global capital interests are threatened, I felt Dr. Paul deserved further investigation as a viable candidate." You might think this is the statement of a liberal or leftist, but this is a voice from conservative America. Wherever you are on the political spectrum, if you oppose the war in Iraq, if you would not like to see the further escalation and spread of war across the cauldron of the Middle East, would like to see the body count, on both sides, end, or would like to see America stop acting like the world's policeman, and stop wars of empire and aggression, or even if you would simply like to see the US avoid bankruptcy through $1 trillion a year in imperial warfare expenses, then please Google Ron Paul. If you are American, look at this long shot who just might win. If you are not from the United States, tell your American friends to Google Ron Paul.
Key words: Ron Paul, US, war, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, preemptive war, aggression, empire, CIA, Mossadegh, Mujahadeen, Brzezinski, Musharraf, ISI, blowback, bankruptcy, dollar crisis, Middle East, foreign policy, election, 2008, YouTube, Ron Paul 2008, constitution, voting record, freedom, non-intervention, republic
Ron Paul: Basic principles - first things first:
Stop the use of US military as global corporate security force. Restore civil liberties and constitutional rule at home.
In a nutshell: Save the republic, renounce empire.
My American friends, there approaches a fork in the road. The choice is becoming increasingly clear: empire or freedom. Everyone talks of freedom, democracy - like mom and apple pie, such words bring nods of approval, and everyone wants to be associated with them. But words can be hollow, even deceptive, as Orwell warned. In terms of freedom and democracy, one would expect a political candidate to support and adhere to the Constitution, and in practice, not just in speeches. Yet leading Democratic Presidential candidates (Clinton and Obama) voted for the Patriot Act and Military Commissions Act, which together nullify the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and in fact, abolish the 800 year old foundation of all rights under the rule of law, habeas corpus, allowing arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, without trial, indefinitely and without recourse to a lawyer or defense, and allow torture and extra-judicial execution by order of the executive or his representative. Only Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, among the US Presidential candidates, voted to protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights, to protect freedom and civil rights, and to protect democracy from excessive and arbitrary executive power. The other candidates literally voted in favour of demolishing the Constitution, Bill of Rights, civil liberties, freedom, democracy and the Republic, and in favour of arbitrary rule by Presidential decree. America has entered a terrifying new phase of its history. Only Paul and Kucinich among the candidates speak to the truth of this new reality, and only these two men speak and also act to defend the freedom, rights and democracy that are fundamental. Orwell would be nauseous over the rest. Many speak of peace, few have shown their words have any substance. Only Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul have shown action on opposing and reversing the historical pattern of US imperial warfare and wars of aggression. Look at the candidates voting records, not just their sound bite rhetoric. (See www.Vote-Smart.org)The rest are either unabashed pro-war hawks, ardent fence-sitters, or politicians who talk out of both sides of their mouths, saying one thing to win votes, but showing the complete opposite in their actions - and this includes Clinton, Obama and Edwards. (Mike Gravel seems a genuinely honorable and highly informed man of integrity, like Kucinich and Paul, but he is the long shot of long shots, hence I have focused here on the other two decent candidates, as I believe one of them, particularly Ron Paul, could actually win - could become the next president.)
As the insightful and prescient political essayist Gore Vidal put it, the United States has always had two very different currents running throughout its history as a nation: the Great Empire, and the Great Society. Unfortunately, it has been the Great Empire that has been the predominant pattern (my apologies to those who are fond of the American fantasy of sublime and pure history prior to Bush and company). There have always been strong anti-imperialist voices within American society as well, including those of Thomas Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr. and Noam Chomsky. Ron Paul follows in this most noble of American lineages. These are my American kindred. And I would suggest they are more kindred to the great majority of Americans than citizens of the United States tend to realize. Most Americans want a great society, in peace and in freedom, not a great empire. The fact that nearly 70% of Americans now oppose the war in Iraq is but one indication of such basic common sense and the basic decency of the American people. But the presidential candidates, with the exception of Paul and Kucinich, speak only in PR spin - doublespeak, as Orwell called it.
Substance is what is needed. We must renounce empire in more than words. We must support freedom, democracy and peace in more than pleasing phrases designed to win votes or assuage discontent. We must seek action that is bold and strong, or democracy and freedom will be lost, peace will be an impossibility, and empire will eclipse all hopes for a truly great and free society. If bold and peaceful action is not taken, it will be the end of the republic, the end of freedom in America, and the beginning in a new chapter of global imperial terror for the world.
There must be a deep re-examination of the state of the union, the Republic, democracy, freedom and civil rights, in light of the now oligarchic and profoundly anti-democratic nature of extremely and increasingly concentrated corporate power. Anti-trust laws must be strengthened, particularly in the absolutely critical area of mass communications and media ownership, and election financing reform must gain some real teeth. But these things are not even possible unless the basics of Constitutional rule and civil rights are upheld, and the powers of the executive held in check. Presently, America is sliding rapidly into fascism. Its future will not only deeply affect the American people, but will also profoundly affect the rest of the world.
Ron Paul does not represent the answer to every problem America faces, but he does represent a definitive rejection of the notion of empire, the imperial warfare that goes along with it, and the destruction of civil rights, freedom and democracy which are now entwined with this late-phase imperial ambition. He represents a reinstatement of the Constitution and a restoration of the most basic foundations of the Republic. Without these things, it is hard to see any future for America that is not gravely dark. And if America is not averted from its present dark road, it bodes very, very ill for the rest of the world as well.
The question now, the question for America, is, does America continue along the tragic and failed path of empire, which is to say, rogue nation, disregarding its own constitution, international law and the sovereignty, independence and self-determination of nations and peoples around the world, at the probable cost of American bankruptcy, and the certain cost of many more lives, both American and other, and the inevitable cost of further and possibly more terrible blowback, reaping what it has sown, or rather, the American people, tragically, reaping what its political and business elite have sown; or does America embrace that other current of its history, that more noble current, which upholds the rule of law, respects and honours the freedom and self-determination of all nations and peoples, and sows freedom and democracy by its good example - which is the only thing that works - and not through the barrel of a gun?
Which will it be America? Empire, or great society? The two are now self-evidently mutually exclusive. It cannot be both. Choose wisely my friends. The world is watching. I would urge you, please, choose freedom over empire. Choose the great society, forgo the madness of the great empire, and show the world the true greatness of America, in peace, in brotherhood, and in sisterhood, with all humanity on Earth. This is the basis of a peaceful and harmonious family of humanity: mutual respect in freedom and self-determination, with solidarity and strength in unity - within diversity. Trying to impose uniformity on the world - the impulse to domination - leads to the destruction of both freedom and democracy. It is only through embracing diversity, and recognizing our underlying commonality, despite our differences, our common ground as human beings, and also by renouncing completely the wars of conquest for material gain or economic predation, that we can live in peace, or that freedom or democracy are possible.
Freedom and empire cannot coexist. We are forced to choose one or the other. If we choose empire, say goodbye to freedom - at home as well as abroad. The choices are becoming stark. Freedom and democracy, or empire and fascism?
It is not important that we agree on everything, nor can we. It is enough that we agree on certain essential basics, certain fundamental principles. No to imperial warfare. Yes to freedom and democracy. If the people of America can unite on these two most basic, most essential points of principle, then there will be a new day for America. America, which will it be? America, I hope you have some dreams left. Let they be of peace, of freedom, and of the end of empires.
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." - Thomas Jefferson
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." - Thomas Paine
America, a choice is at hand. America, what are your dreams?
This is not about right and left. This is about something more basic. This is about freedom versus empire. America, it is time to decide where you stand, and what you stand for. People of America, speak now. A moment of decision is at hand. There is a fork in the road ahead. Choose wisely. Your decision may be more momentous than you realize. America, this can be a time of rebirth, or the descent into further darkness. There is no time for apathy, no time for despair, no time for the paralysis of fear. Action must now be taken. Be brave: freedom is a powerful idea. Unlock the power of freedom. Restore the Constitution. Save the Republic. Renounce empire. The time is now. This is an historic juncture. It is time to decide.
America, who are you, and where are you going? The fog of delirium, the stupor of illusions, is wearing off. I can see the dawn light. Be clear, be brave, be decisive. Freedom or empire? Choose well my friends.
"The future holds ominous portent, and signs of great hope. Which result ensues depends largely upon what we make of the opportunities." - Noam Chomsky
Below is a collection of photos, quotes, videos and references. There are a lot of resources here, which together make for an excellent summary of where America now stands. You may want to bookmark this page and come back to it more than once.
"It's amazing what you can see - when you look." - Yogi Berra "Whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth." - Patrick Henry
"If the American people knew the blood that was on their hands [by acts carried out in their names] they would be appalled." - Noam Chomsky
"I have to believe that the American people are the most systematically lied to people on Earth; if I did not, I would believe they were the most evil." - Former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua
"We know what to do when someone is caught misappropriating funds, but when confronted with evidence of a systematic attempt to undermine the political system itself, we recoil, in a general failure of imagination and nerve." - Former National Security Council staff member Gary Sick
"Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it." - Robert F. Kennedy
"Somebody, sometime has got to take a stand and say democracy cannot survive, much less thrive with the level of big corporate and big government interference and intimidation in news." - Dan Rather
"In the size of the lie there is always contained a certain factor of credibility, since the great mass of people will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one." - Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf
"If this were a dictatorship it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." - George Bush II
"Beware the military-industrial complex." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
"I wanted the American eagle to go screaming into the Pacific ...Why not spread its wings over the Philippines, I asked myself? ... I said to myself, Here are a people who have suffered for three centuries. We can make them as free as ourselves, give them a government and country of their own, put a miniature of the American Constitution afloat in the Pacific, start a brand new republic to take its place among the free nations of the world. It seemed to me a great task to which we had addressed ourselves. But I have thought some more, since then, and I have read carefully the treaty of Paris [which ended the Spanish-American War], and I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines. We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem. It should, it seems to me, be our pleasure and duty to make those people free, and let them deal with their own domestic questions in their own way. And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land." - Mark Twain
"I am said to be a revolutionist in my sympathies, by birth, by breeding and by principle. I am always on the side of the revolutionists, because there never was a revolution unless there were some oppressive and intolerable conditions against which to revolt." - Mark Twain
"Our involvement in the [Persian] Gulf is not transitory. It pre-dated Saddam Hussein's aggression, and will survive it." - George Bush Sr., September 11, 1990
"What I’ve Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy. The basic message being that the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the military-industrial-complex, the Pentagon, the multinational corporations, the media and the Government of the United States are responsible for the deaths of millions of people in the third world, not to mention the poverty and oppression of millions more. We support, arm, and train dictators and militaries that do these evil actions to their own people. All of this is to insure that we control the natural resources of these countries and their market place, use the people for cheap labor and keep the business of war (which is our biggest business) ongoing."
"Why do we do these grisly things broad? I believe strongly that until we have fundamental change in the United States, domestically, in the domestic system; until we have some kind of real democracy in this country, participatory democracy, where people have a say, and where we end the re-election of 95 to 97% of the incumbents at every election, [the Soviet Union only had a 92% re-election rate!] where there is a real political debate; until we change the domestic system, we're going to have elitist control of United States, we're going to have these foreign adventures, and grisly things that I mentioned that the CIA does abroad, so the real problem is here at home, in changing the domestic system, in bringing about a conversion of the economy to human purposes, solving the domestic crises, and getting the people out of office who are in there to back a continuation of the permanent war economy." - Former CIA Officer Philip Agee
By the way, the Bush family really does have a history of fascist sympathies and Nazi collaboration - something we might want to know:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D6fxyOtVeI
Check the facts. Do your own homework. Don't dismiss or believe anything based upon who said it. See for yourself.
"In the course of hundreds of interviews in the US, Europe and the Middle East, I've been told repeatedly that individuals associated with the Reagan-Bush campaign of 1980 met secretly with Iranian officials to delay the release of the American hostages until after the Presidential election. For this favour, Iran was rewarded with a substantial supply of arms from Israel.....From October 15th to October 20th 1980 events came to a head in a series of meetings in Paris....Accounts of these meetings vary. There is, however, wide spread agreement on a number of points. [One:] William Casey, Reagan's campaign manager, was a key participant. [Two:] Iranian representatives agreed that the hostages would not be released prior to the Presidential election on November 4th. [Three: In return] Israel would serve as a conduit for arms and spare parts to Iran.... At least five of the sources who said they were in Paris in connection with these meetings insist that George Bush [senior] was present for at least one meeting. Three sources say they saw him there....[Former President George Bush denied being in Paris.] Immediately after the Paris meetings things began to happen. Iran shifted its policy position."
- US Congressional testimony of former National Security Council staff member Gary Sick, author of October Surprise
(The American hostages were released the day Reagan - and Bush - took office; in fact, just minutes after Reagan was inaugurated as President.)
"a bias, malicious, deceptive, and manipulative tissue of lies and another reason for Americans to disengage from an establishment media empire that continues to hemorrhage viewers on a daily basis due to its ceaseless lies and propaganda." - An unnamed voice of honesty in a sea of spin and fabrication.
Democracy in the US being destroyed, media networks silent - Greg Palast & RFK in NY
"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country."
- Thomas Jefferson, 1816
"I have more fear for the banks than from standing armies." - Thomas Jefferson
"I have the South in front of me and the bankers behind me, and for my country, I fear the bankers more." - Abraham Lincoln
"The domination of government by corporate power is the essence of fascism."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"Fascism, properly named, should be called corporatism, for it is the merger of business and the state. - Mussolini
"If you want to remain slaves of the bankers and pay for the costs of your own slavery, let them continue to create money and control the nation's credit." - Sir Josiah Stamp, 1880 - 1941
"Once a nation parts with control of its currency and credit…all talk of the sovereignty of Parliament and democracy is idle and futile." – Prime Minister of Canada Mackenzie King, 1935, creator of the publicly owned central bank, the Bank of Canada
"The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933
"The real rulers in Washington are invisible, and exercise power from behind the scenes." - Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, 1952
"Those who would trade a little liberty for a little security deserve neither." - George Washington
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"- Patrick Henry
"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." - George Washington
"It ain't over `till it's over." - Yogi Berra
Ron Paul: Next President of the United States, 2008
Stop voluntarily subjecting yourself to propaganda, indoctrination and manipulation.
Cut through the spin. Switch off the corporate news.
Here are ten excellent resources for further information.
Examine things for yourself.
Democracy Now!
Online Independent TV & Radio
http://www.democracynow.org/
"The show that challenges presidents: For 12 years a radio and television news program, Democracy Now, has survived and even flourished on a cobbled-together broadcast network that reaches all of the United States and out into the world. It has almost no paid resources, yet daily defies the corporate and government agendas, and has sometimes forced mainstream media into picking up its stories, if not its attitudes."
People of America, your freedom is being attacked from within - from above; your democracy is being destroyed, your rights are in jeopardy. It is now time to act! Unite, and say no to empire, yes to freedom.
First, a few words about this blog: This site is dedicated to the pursuit of truth, the protection of living beings, to working for the benefit of all living beings, and to providing independent research and analysis on major issues affecting the world today in order to advance these goals.
About me:
I'm a 40-year old father of two beautiful children, writer, entrepreneur, social activist. How should I describe myself? A seeker of truth, unshakably optomistic, fiercely committed to facing our social and environmental realities, an ordinary man with a deep and abiding confidence in basic human goodness - despite everything - and one who believes a good life is one lived with compassion, and also enjoyment of simple pleasures. Hm. Talking about yourself feels a little wierd. Anyway, this is a bit of a profile, for anyone who is interested.
