La Costa, CA
January 8, 2016
by Rich Scheck
The Founders wisely warned posterity to avoid foreign entanglements.
“It’s a Republic” Franklin is reputed to have stated when asked by an
inquiring citizen about the form of our new government following the
Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Yet that Republic is long gone, lost in the unending “success” of
Pax Americana with our “Empire of Bases” forged during the Cold War
(see Chalmers Johnson’s Blowback Trilogy).
Victory has led to imperial overreach and the arrogance associated
with American Exceptionalism. The NeoCon led quest for full spectrum
dominance, total information awareness and a unipolar world has resulted
in the dramatic loss of our liberties, the exhaustion of our treasury and the
moral bankruptcy of our role as world leaders.
For those doubting, the extent of our commitments as we continue to
fight Cheney’s Long War, a recent book detailing our agreement to go
to war for 67 countries should end the argument:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/65816/67-countries-us-obliged-go-war
This means that when Turkey shoots down a Russian jet, they can
elevate the possibility of our entering conflict with Russia. In places like
Iraq, Syria, Libya and Ukraine, are involvement is triggered by foreign
policy considerations that are not even part of our treaty obligations,
often in violation of international law and the UN Charter.
Yes, war is the health of the state…….but it comes at the expense of
“we the people.” The situation has become so untoward that we are
currently backing neo-Nazi elements in the new Ukrainian government
while simultaneously remaining closely allied with the Wahhabist Saudi
head-choppers who fund ISIS and bomb helpless civilians in a war of
aggression against that poor country.
This legacy of endless wars over the last 100 years has led to the
concentration of power in a unitary executive bolstered by a massive
military-industrial complex who have created a national security state.
Congress has allowed its war powers to atrophy as both political
parties embrace the same constitutionally suspect philosophy.
The imperfect white men who established our government had enough
foresight to remind us what works to preserve liberty and what actions
lead to tyranny. By forgetting that history lesson, the United States has
put in jeopardy the future of our country.
We have neither security or freedom anymore in the face of militarized
police, the end of habeas corpus, indefinite detention, NSA spying,
punishment of whistle-blowers, restrictions of free speech, controversy
over 2nd Amendment rights, TSA pat-downs, mandatory vaccinations and
other serious challenges to The Bill of Rights.
Secrecy in the name of security is evoked to hide the extent of the rot while
an entertainment culture is nurtured to distract the public from all the corruption
while we are “Amusing Ourselves To Death!”
http://www.amazon.com/Amusing-Ourselves-Death-Discourse-Business/dp/014303653X
This being a presidential election year, we see few signs of encouragement
that this process will be arrested or reversed in the near future. Most candidates
are falling all over themselves posturing as if we can still be the world’s cop
and “carpet bomb” so-called bad guys into submission to our will.
We are soon to wake up to the sad reality that things have changed: we have
lost the respect we once were so proud of as the champions of freedom because
of our hubris and failure to heed the warning: “avoid foreign entanglements!”
What can save us from this sad state of affairs? Angels: many believe The
End Times beckon and that Christ will soon return to redeem fallen man.
Aliens: many believe that ET’s are hovering over the horizon with good intentions to
salvage our besotted race with their wisdom, gentleness and advanced technology.
Perhaps. More likely, it will take a new generation of enlightened leaders, simple
mortals who will retake the reins of power from the war-mongers and greedy ones
who have brought us to the verge of disaster.
Empowered by a vision of human freedom and inspired by those who love liberty,
somehow these enlightened souls will muster the courage and strength to resurrect
some semblance of what those who preceded us enshrined in their sacred writings.
When that day comes, the prospects for a brighter future will have arrived!