Anybody But Bush?
I recently received a heavy dose of criticism from some die-hard Democratic supporters when I pointed out that John Kerry supports Bush’s request for an additional $81.9 billion to bolster his Middle Eastern joy ride. Not only does Kerry support it, but it appears it will be approved with overwhelming Democratic support.
This of course bolsters my claim that the Democrats are really little more than GOP-lite, always lining up and doing their part when it comes to the key issue: advancing capital, not democracy, to all parts of the globe. While their supporters, particularly Kerry’s, enjoy living in a pretend world where all their Democratic candidates are “green,” reality is that the advancement of capital is the single major force behind the environmental crisis.
The debate between real progressives and hard core Dems is like a serve and volley tennis match with the Dems losing every key point at the net. Real progressives are promoting grass roots democracy and lessened dependence on Washington, while the Dems still seem to believe that Washington is capable of solving our problems! How unfortunate is it that the Democratic party now lies in the graveyard of radical politics with no hope of resuscitation.
The argument posed to support Kerry and the $81.9 billion supplemental request is this. “If we pull out now there will be chaos and anarchy.” In other words, we have to see it through and help this country get back on its feet and recover from the dastardly deeds of George W. Bush, whether we can afford it or not.
Well my friends, that’s hogwash. It makes me think of a line in The Outlaw Josey Wales. “Don’t piss down my back and tell me its raining.”
I’m now seeing reports where the US is actually arming insurgents in Iraq in order to maintain a state of chaos. The US guvment apparently has “procured Pakistan-manufactured weapons, including rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, ammunition, rockets and other light weaponry” and distributing the weapons to militias some of which are comprised of former members of the Ba’ath Party. Why Pakistani weaponry? Well, that way it will make it harder for dumb and dumber to put two and two together and figure out it’s the US financing the rebellion it’s supposedly trying to stop!
The US is retrying the successful 1980′s operation in Afghanistan against the Soviets – the one which established al Qaeda and bin Laden – by covertly supplying arms to the Ba’athist insurgents, a tactic way too complex for the average Red-state bubba to understand and therefore one that can be safely implemented.
My guess is the plan is to arm the insurgency to assist in creating the civil war which will eventually force the creation of three mini-states in Iraq.
Next stop? Iran.
If the Shrub regime learned one thing from its Iraqi adventure, it’s that they need to do a better job of masking their lies. This time, Britain, France and Germany will serve as unwitting partners in the effort to secure the remaining fossil fuel sources. Bush can blame the trusted European allies’ failure in getting Iran to abandon its nuclear power program, he’ll have to “sadly resort to military force,” and the gullible folks in the US will buy into it.
But anyone with a pulse should know that’s not the real reason we’re headed to Iran. The real reason is Iran has developed a plan to begin competing with New York’s NYMEX and London’s IPE with respect to international oil trades, using a euro-denominated international oil-trading mechanism via a newly created “Iranian oil Bourse.” This means that without some form of US intervention, the euro is going to establish a firm foothold in the international oil trade.
Remember that Saddam Hussein in 2000 insisted Iraq’s oil be sold for euros. Iraqi oil sales returning to the international markets in June will once again be in US dollars.
Progressives understand that this whole Middle Eastern affair is about controlling hydrocarbon reserves and maintaining the U.S. dollar as the monopoly currency for the critical international oil market, all in anticipation of peak oil. It’s about money and making the world friendly to US business interests, regardless of who is harmed in the process.
So, what do we do? How do we resist? At times like these, I often think of Ed Abbey and his wise, prophetic words. (mp3 file) The simple truths he wrote about, including our responsibility to fight for freedom, both our freedom and the freedom of the voiceless. Ed believed that we are morally obligated to defend the things we love, our land and our families when they are threatened and violated, but does this mean we are to resort to revolution and violence?
Yes and no.
Violence will do little to solve our problems as it just replaces one violent regime with another. But we can have revolution without violence, and this is where the real progressive movement must begin work and begin work now, within our communities and bioregions. We must begin today by gradually withdrawing our support from the oppressive apparatus of the state, industrial capitalism and the military-industrial complex that now dominate nearly every aspect of life in the United States and soon the entire world. We do this through the decisions we make in our everyday lives by resisting and refusing to feed the system causing all of the problems. We do this by realizing that our leaders are not in Washington and that voting is not democracy.
Democracy is people being in charge of their lives, each and every day, and being connected within their communities, both with their human neighbors and their non-human neighbors. It’s about being in touch with your community whereby you become an engaged, active participant, living sufficiently and in harmony with the land and those that share it.
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.” Edward Abbey