By Timothy V. Gatto
There are so many of my fellow countrymen that wish Barack Obama were really the answer to this nations errant wandering. So far, since World War II, we have seen this nation violate just about every humanitarian principle ever developed by a modern civilization. We have overthrown governments for monetary gain, for the industrialists and the agricultural elite, for resources and markets, defying international law, and succeeding. We have become not a representative republic; the form of government proposed in The Constitution by our forefathers, instead we seem to have opted for a military oligarchy.
Our military budget is 55% of the total spent on the military for the entire planet. We have bases in over 75% of the world. No citizen knows how many countries our CIA is working in. Our clandestine agencies have infiltrated just about every capitol and every government. We have no way of knowing what they are presently up to; this is classified, like almost everything our government does. We are supposed to take the governments word that they are operating in the peoples best interests.
We are involved in two wars, even though our economy is strained to the limit. Many Americans in this day are finding it hard to feed their families while we deliver military and economic aid to influence world events. This hasn’t seemed to be important to the new administration, American influence and military power is still the main goal of Washington. Is the paradigm still the same as it was under George Bush? It would seem that the world view of America is the same as it ever was.
We continue to support Israel, no matter what war crimes they commit. The Arab Middle-East sees us as an enemy and in that they are unfortunately right. We are the enemy of every nation that stands against the war policies of the Jewish state. Why are we surprised when they fire their weapons at us? Will the situation change with President Obama at the helm? If you listened to his speech to AIPAC, the lobby that practically controls our political system, you know nothing will change; in fact it appears that the situation will only get worse. This country will continue to turn a blind eye to the killing of women and children and the destruction of everything Palestinian.
Of course you could say that Obama is a million times better than Bush. That’s like saying tuberculosis is better than the Ebola virus. Our society is still on life-support when it comes to being “The shining example on the hill” to other nations that George H.W. Bush tried to portray us as. The only people that don’t realize our entire foreign policy is a sham are the American people. Everyone else on the planet understands that America has become a world class tyrant. Still, our people are fed pabulum for news by the tightly controlled American media, controlled by a few corporate entities, all spouting the same propaganda.
It is up to the American people to stop this military oligarchy from destroying this nation. It is only as a united people that we will have any influence on the course of national and world events. We will not bring this nation back from the abyss until we understand that we are indeed standing on a precipice.
After spending 20 years in the military I understand that there are those out there that wish America harm. What I am trying to convey to anyone reading this piece is why we are so hell-bent on creating enemies? Why do we attempt to criminalize Hugo Chavez of Venezuela? Is it because he believes in a different economic system for his country so that the poor will have a chance at leading a decent life? Why do we side with the rich in that country that would like to keep all of their wealth regardless of the living conditions in the barrios? Why do we support the succession of the Bolivian States that are rich in natural gas and are the home of those that came from Europe to colonize that country? Is it any wonder that the indigionous people in Bolivia that make of the majority hate us?
I wish our new president the best of luck. I don’t wish to throw insults at him. I know this and only this; whether you believe in God or Karma, what goes around comes around. I really don’t want to be around when America gets what is coming to it. I sincerely hope that we can change our direction in time to right some of the wrongs that we have perpetrated. It is too bad that anyone with any influence in our government won’t read this. I realize that to many of you, I’m just speaking to the choir. If that is what we are, it’s about time this choir sang so loudly that people can’t help but listen. Whether you believe it or not, we are all part and parcel of this nation. To not raise your voice is to admit defeat. I believe this; it is better to go down fighting than to be part of this nation’s problem.
timgatto@hotmail.com http://liberalpro.blogspot.com
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