dinsdag 26 augustus 2014

American Fascism 3

MICHAEL PAYNE
NATIONOFCHANGE / OP-ED
Published: Tuesday 26 August 2014
Washington War Hawks crave more war, while the rest of the US wants peace. They have a powerful, relentless influence over the U.S. government which may one day lead to another World War if they are not stopped.

Washington War Hawks Simply Ecstatic Over Growing World Turmoil


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They can’t get enough, this is what they live for; it’s in their blood and embedded in their psyche. These war hawks that are embedded in Washington D.C. watch the rapidly increasing violence and turmoil taking place in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine and they thank the Gods of war who they believe have answered their prayers.
After the fabricated war in Iraq ended and the one in Afghanistan began to wind down these war hawks fell into a state of deep depression and despondency. Their lives became largely meaningless and empty and they began to feel powerless; but deep inside they had this feeling that some way, somehow things would change, because they always do.
And they were not mistaken as suddenly they saw the bloody civil war break out in Syria; that was a good start but not nearly enough to satisfy them. Then they were encouraged when the nation of Iraq erupted once again as ISIS, the newest terrorist group rose up and began to wreak havoc in that country. They were further inspired when they saw the civil war in Ukraine gather momentum with Russia overtly supporting the pro-Russian rebel forces.
Here’s why these war hawks are so overjoyed at this increased world turmoil. They see the increasing probability of U.S. troops once again entering Iraq in significant numbers. They are fully aware that President Obama and the Pentagon are reconsidering the possibility of launching some sort of military attack on Syria; and they watch as the U.S. government and their NATO partners look for some kind of reckless, aggressive military action on the part of Russia that would give them justification for coming to the aid of the government of Ukraine militarily.
Yes, the Washington war hawks must be in a state of euphoria as these tensions around the world escalate. John “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran” McCain and his sidekick Lindsey Graham are obviously thrilled; Hillary the hawk Clinton, as more and more writers are referring to her, is no doubt overjoyed and Dick Cheney is likely on his knees thanking the gods of war for creating these bloody conflicts between nations and factions within them.
Let’s talk some more about Hillary Clinton, someone I have to admit I once greatly admired. As a senator she did not see through the lies of the Bush/Cheney administration and voted to approve the Iraq War. Then as Secretary of State, instead of using statesmanship and diplomacy in world affairs, she used her new found power to issue constant warnings to Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil and a host of other nations who she felt were refusing to follow the dictates of the U.S. government.
Village Voice reportedly referred to her as“Mama Warbucks” and Steve Chapman stated in this article in the Chicago Tribune in April 2014, “The former secretary of state is a long-standing and unblushing advocate of frequent military intervention abroad.”
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What exactly is it that happens to seemingly normal individuals as they ascend into the higher levels of the U.S. government; what is it that causes them to become so highly militant, so willing to send American troops into battle? What causes those such as McCain, Graham, Cheney and so many others that have so much influence in Washington D.C. to be so very militant-minded? That is very difficult to say but it must be something that’s in their genes, it’s a part of their very being, it is what motivates them and keeps them going from day to day.
There are far more war hawks in Washington that anyone may realize; they are everywhere. Some are very vocal in their desire to launch attacks on countries that are prime targets for military action such as Libya and Syria. Others hide their feelings because they don’t want to be so labeled but far too many of them, both Republicans and Democrats, always seem to be ready and willing to cast their vote to go to war in some area of the world.
Remember when President Obama and John Kerry were ready to launch an air attack on Syria when its government was being accused of using deadly Sarin gas; and then Putin of Russia intervened with a plan to accumulate and dispose of that deadly gas in a verifiable way? Well, that prevented a catastrophic situation from taking place at a critical time. But guess what? Now, this article indicates that, “US Top Brass: Striking Syria Back on the Table.” Here we go again, as that urge to intervene in Syria apparently will just not go away.
The fact that these war hawks create and facilitate most of America’s wars is bad enough but when they do they are also creating many thousands of new enemies. When countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Pakistan come under attack by the U.S. military, bringing great devastation down on their civilian populations, many thousands of new enemies such as Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS and others are created and they will seek revenge and retaliate. And when they do, as they are currently doing in Iraq and Syria, the war hawks will demand that the government go after them. This is like a vicious circle that never ends.
So, at this point in time these staunch promoters of war seem to have, once again, risen up to assume a dominant position in Washington. Some would say that they are, once again, “Riding high” and back in control. What could be better than an attack on Syria, a reentry of more into Iraq and the possibility of becoming directly involved militarily in Ukraine? In their minds it doesn’t get much better than this.
What’s next, what other kind of military actions involving U.S. firepower around the world will we see? Well, there’s Afghanistan where there are still American troops present and there are distinct signs that those with great power and influence do not want to leave the country and, in fact, are pushing to maintain a significant force in that country. What about Afghanistan’s next door neighbor, Pakistan, a nuclear power, one which is beset by constant internal strife andturmoil between powerful opposing factions?
If these war hawks continue to exert this powerful, relentless influence over the U.S. government there will come a time when this country could find itself staring into the dark abyss of a potential world war. But they better be careful or they will go too far and the resulting price will be very high. Perhaps they haven’t been paying close enough attention to Russia and China who are both sending a message that they are not going to let any country, in particular the U.S., infringe into regions of the world that they consider to be within their particular spheres of influence.
Those warnings were backed up by Russia’s moves into Crimea which give it unrestricted access to the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and beyond, and their involvement in Ukraine. Then we heard China make it very clear that it intends to maintain control in the South China Sea region where over $5 trillion in goods, including vast quantities of petroleum and natural gas shipments pass through annually.
In America today we have two forces that want to take this country in two distinctly opposite directions. There is no question that the war hawks fully intend to lock America into an agenda of endless war. They are simply not satisfied with the tremendous damage that their ideology and actions have already brought upon this country and the world in terms of the lives lost needlessly and the massive associated costs that have been incurred. Their thirst for war quite apparently cannot be satiated.
Strongly opposed to them and their ideology of constant war are the large majority of the American people who want to take this country in the opposite direction; they want to see an end to the wars, a dramatic scaling back of the military empire and they want to see America remain as a strong force in theworld but not one that dominates and controls it.
When and how this struggle between these two opposing forces within America will end is impossible to determine at this time. But God help America if the warhawks prevail and remain in control of this government and this country’s direction going into the future.

Geen opmerkingen:

Peter Flik en Chuck Berry-Promised Land

mijn unieke collega Peter Flik, die de vrijzinnig protestantse radio omroep de VPRO maakte is niet meer. ik koester duizenden herinneringen ...