Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Imperial Hubris, "Free Trade" Roll On

Thumbing their nose at economic injustice protests surging into streets around the world (great coverage of NYC's Oct 15 standoff in Times Square on Democracy Now!), Congress and the President passed three more "free trade" agreements to further gut U.S. manufacturing, and drive more food farmers in South Korea, Colombia and Panama off their lands.

Corporate-owned Democrats like Obama and Kerry campaign on promises to oppose the neoliberal economic policies that exploit the masses on behalf of the 1%, but once they are in office they do what their masters bid them to do.

Banks can destroy the social fabric of countries like Greece, and the social future of entire generations with debt, and who gets bailed out?
 Meanwhile the war machine and its obscene profits rolls on. $200,000+ a minute just for the war against Afghanistan. Now Obama announces we're sending troops into Uganda for humanitarian reasons (NOT for the oil) while the U.S. continues to build drone bases in Africa and on the Arab peninsula, and to support developing kamikaze drones that fit in a backpack. Here's a graphic depiction of what the enforcement arm of global neoliberalism looks like and costs.

Tax Dollars At War from Softbox on Vimeo.

The Pentagon and the White House are pretending to squabble (again -- remember when Gen. McChrystal resigned?) to help U.S. citizens continue to believe that there is any significant difference between the federal government and the global war machine. This time it's over whether or not U.S. troops can stay in Iraq long after the "end" announced by the President elected to end it, despite failure to secure legal immunity for said troops in negotiations with Iraq's client government. With Iraq and Afghanistan permanent bases in place, the time has come to attack Iran.

Cue the trumped up charges that will stampede the corporate-owned politicians and media outlets into beating the war drums.

How soon will the U.S. empire collapse under the weight and stupidity of its own hubris? Soon, say the 99%.

1 comment:

chrisrushlau said...

The center of the craziness (prior to being destroyed by "the gods") is in the pro-Israel Jewish sector:

...AJC Executive Director David Harris thanked the Egyptian and German mediators Tuesday, and commended Netanyahu and his Cabinet on making "one of the most difficult and heart-wrenching decisions ever faced by a political leader."

“Israel made a decision of extraordinary nobility, choosing to risk future dangers at the hands of an implacable enemy to save one human life today. Jewish tradition teaches that 'He who saves one life has saved the world," said Harris.

...By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz, October 18, 2011