Here is some stuff that has been on my mind; it's long, but if anybody has some spare time I'd be interested to hear what they have to say, positive or otherwise...
Of late there has been much debate about whether or not certain countries possess weapons of mass destruction, whether or not U.N. inspections are effectual in reducing the proliferation of such weapons, whether regime change by military force is just and legal, where shipments of aluminum tubes came from, who sent the white powder in the mail, and etcetera ad infinitum. Isnt it time that we stood back for a minute and looked at the connections between these sensationalized stories and the heated arguments surrounding them?
In order to do this, I feel one needs to look for the guiding principles which seem to be steering both this countrys foreign policy, and the policies put in place at home. In short, one need look no further than the Project for a New American Century (www.newamericancentury.org), among whose adherents are listed Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and others. Clearly no lightweights in the realm of U.S. policy-making. In a bizarre exercise in governmental transparency, the beliefs and goals for the future of our nation as seen by this group of politicians is available for anyone to see, twenty four hours a day on the good old internet (which may or may not have been invented by Al Gore ).
The goals of the New American Century project are really fairly straightforward. In the Statement of Principles, it is made clear that this group of conservatives sees a future of U.S. world domination, through both military and economic means. Increased military funding is listed as one of the primary means to reaching this desired end. Nothing is said of the deterioration of our very own economy, not to mention our culture and populace, which is forced to live with one of the worst educational systems in the industrialized world, and which now must stand by and watch as the very freedoms our forefathers fought for are stripped away by totalitarian euphemisms. Patriot Act 1, and soon 2 if nothing is done about it, indeed contradict that most American (and patriotic) piece of paper, the Bill of Rights.
We have seen that the forces at work are not afraid to invent evidence and reasons for military action. Witness the whole African uranium debacle used as evidence of Iraqs development of nuclear weapons. It has now been exposed that the documents alleging a sale of possible weapons-making material (yellow cake uranium, which can be further refined into weapons-grade material) from Niger to Iraq were in fact forged (http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?030331fa_fact1).
Contrast this with the fractured nature of the so-called peace movement in this country: There are so many different organizations working for so many disparate goals that it is almost impossible to find any coherent vision. This notwithstanding, I see the very fact that issues are being debated to be a source of hope for the future. At least from what I can see, the citizenry of this nation are becoming more and more informed. It has been stated before, but perhaps one of the Bush administrations only successes has been to alert the world community to just how hegemonic their vision of Americas future has become.
The Bush administration has, so far, managed quite a feat: they have gotten everything wrong. A record budget surplus has been turned into a deficit; funding for education, environmental protection, drug treatment programs, etc. have all been decreased. The military budget, meanwhile, continues to increase. This administration even had the gall to cut disability benefits for returning military veterans on the very same day they were sending troops abroad to fight in the name of freedom. We are on a train going the wrong direction. Its time that our leaders starting leading, not following the will of their corporate sponsors. And it is time that the people of this country snapped themselves out of the illusion that the administration has their best interest in mind. Those in power have clearly expressed their goals. It is time that the people of America stood up and expressed what they want for the future.
Of late there has been much debate about whether or not certain countries possess weapons of mass destruction, whether or not U.N. inspections are effectual in reducing the proliferation of such weapons, whether regime change by military force is just and legal, where shipments of aluminum tubes came from, who sent the white powder in the mail, and etcetera ad infinitum. Isnt it time that we stood back for a minute and looked at the connections between these sensationalized stories and the heated arguments surrounding them?
In order to do this, I feel one needs to look for the guiding principles which seem to be steering both this countrys foreign policy, and the policies put in place at home. In short, one need look no further than the Project for a New American Century (www.newamericancentury.org), among whose adherents are listed Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and others. Clearly no lightweights in the realm of U.S. policy-making. In a bizarre exercise in governmental transparency, the beliefs and goals for the future of our nation as seen by this group of politicians is available for anyone to see, twenty four hours a day on the good old internet (which may or may not have been invented by Al Gore ).
The goals of the New American Century project are really fairly straightforward. In the Statement of Principles, it is made clear that this group of conservatives sees a future of U.S. world domination, through both military and economic means. Increased military funding is listed as one of the primary means to reaching this desired end. Nothing is said of the deterioration of our very own economy, not to mention our culture and populace, which is forced to live with one of the worst educational systems in the industrialized world, and which now must stand by and watch as the very freedoms our forefathers fought for are stripped away by totalitarian euphemisms. Patriot Act 1, and soon 2 if nothing is done about it, indeed contradict that most American (and patriotic) piece of paper, the Bill of Rights.
We have seen that the forces at work are not afraid to invent evidence and reasons for military action. Witness the whole African uranium debacle used as evidence of Iraqs development of nuclear weapons. It has now been exposed that the documents alleging a sale of possible weapons-making material (yellow cake uranium, which can be further refined into weapons-grade material) from Niger to Iraq were in fact forged (http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?030331fa_fact1).
Contrast this with the fractured nature of the so-called peace movement in this country: There are so many different organizations working for so many disparate goals that it is almost impossible to find any coherent vision. This notwithstanding, I see the very fact that issues are being debated to be a source of hope for the future. At least from what I can see, the citizenry of this nation are becoming more and more informed. It has been stated before, but perhaps one of the Bush administrations only successes has been to alert the world community to just how hegemonic their vision of Americas future has become.
The Bush administration has, so far, managed quite a feat: they have gotten everything wrong. A record budget surplus has been turned into a deficit; funding for education, environmental protection, drug treatment programs, etc. have all been decreased. The military budget, meanwhile, continues to increase. This administration even had the gall to cut disability benefits for returning military veterans on the very same day they were sending troops abroad to fight in the name of freedom. We are on a train going the wrong direction. Its time that our leaders starting leading, not following the will of their corporate sponsors. And it is time that the people of this country snapped themselves out of the illusion that the administration has their best interest in mind. Those in power have clearly expressed their goals. It is time that the people of America stood up and expressed what they want for the future.
