We the People are murderers
Not long ago, while speaking about the Iraq Occupation, a relative told me, in all sincerity, that the U.S. could no longer afford to be isolationist. I shrugged. Because that’s what I do now when talking politics with any family that’s not my wife. I shrug. And then steer the conversation to sports.
The U.S. has virtually never been isolationist in any real sense of the word. We are a dangerous, aggressive nation that has slaughtered millions and millions in the name of democracy, freedom, liberty, or whichever catch-phrase worked best at the time. But mainly, we are an empire. And we will kill any that stand in the way of our imperial goals.
And there is no error when I write “we.” Because We the People have allowed this to happen. We lost control of our government. We allowed the United States to define itself as a nation of international murders and terrorists. We have stood to the side and even applauded as our nation has attacked country after country.
And while there are plenty that protest America’s overt acts of aggression, there obviously just aren’t enough. And there isn’t enough passion in it. Because the voices for peace are easily drowned out by a government and media that believes we are a nation entitled to kill anyone, anywhere, for whatever reason, and whether those reasons are truthful or not.
Think of it - the Democratic Party allowed itself to be insulted as the party that was “weak on defense.” So now, Democratic candidates talk of how they would bring war to others, and the weapons they would use. The “weak on defense” bait has been so easily swallowed, even though the United States is anything but defensive. We are an offensive juggernaut.
And it appears obvious that soon that offense will be unleashed on Iran. And many more innocents will die. And many more will grow to hate America. And the cycle will continue. Because Americans will continue to allow it. And because our leaders - for whom the word “diplomacy” is spoken with disdain and anger - know of no other way.
And if you look clearly, you will see that the government truly believes it is doing the will of the people. We the People allowed the Neoconservative takeover of our nation. And they are no fluke. They are the natural progression of things. After eons and eons of American military involvement everywhere from Panama to Palestine, we have become a people at ease with our nation’s murderous plans. The endless bursting of bombs in our name have drowned out peace, and We the People have no idea what a world without American aggression sounds like. Murder has become white noise.
Even speaking of using nuclear weapons is no longer taboo. Imagine that. Discussion of a preemptive nuclear strike on a sovereign nation is now considered serious foreign diplomacy. And those in charge see this all as validation and are able to strut about with murderous hubris. Their hunger for a militarized free-market empire is endless. We are gluttons for war and the Middle East is a virtual buffet of targets.
It’s gotten increasingly difficult to imagine those currently in charge resisting the opening to launch a first-strike attack on Iran. Followed by a draft. Followed by more war. Followed by a war economy. Followed by more war. Serial killers don’t slow down until they are forced to stop, after all. And with military bases dotting the globe, a public and world unwilling to stop them, things will continue on their obvious path. The U.S. has the largest military in the history of the planet and will continue to use it and refuse to allow the world to know peace. And We are all culpable.
The U.S. is an aggressive, warring nation. And unless something dramatic happens, and We the People force those in charge to give up the belief that the U.S. has a divine right to rain death on any nation we so please, things are going to get much worse. And soon.
–WKW
August 15th, 2007 at 7:25 am
This confirms all along of what I knew about the left. Thank-you for the honesty.
August 15th, 2007 at 7:55 am
The ugly truth hurts, Bill. We will be looked at by future generations as wretched failures who thought it better to keep shopping that play an active part in our nation’s governance and the violent acts of that government.
Be glad you’re far away. The vibe here is like being inside a room full of sedated people.
When the streets are overrun with citizens outraged, then something might happen, but that kind of protest seems to have been co-opted by the mental grip of consumerism and every other trinket and distraction Americans believe so “important”. Try to figure out how Americans who claim to care about their nation, about this war, about our oil addiction, and still buy an SUV, still use energy like it’s a bunch of endless beach sand.
And the prospect of a draft in a decade, taking my son to god knows where to fight for god knows what…horrifying.
August 15th, 2007 at 8:17 am
I found you via crooks and liars. I sure am glad I did, that is a very good post and you covered it all. Too often we hear that 9-11 changed everything. I guess it did but not in the way it is often meant. Seems Americans had been just waiting for an opportunity to be mean. I know this isn’t the first time that our country has looked away in the name of war, but it seems this time they want to hurt themselves and someone else as well. When the word torture was used in connection with our country, that was when we lost our humanity. Any country that even considers torturing human beings is not great.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:30 am
You’ve started a very bad mental exercise there I’m afraid. Just as bad, if not worse, than those in power now. By your reasoning everyone in Afganistan is guilty of 911. Everyone in Saudi Arabia and Iraq too. If the citizenship are all guilty of the crimes of their government, then what used to be “collateral” damage is now justifiable targets.
You can’t condem a populace because they’ve been tricked by their government. Surely we all have some responsibility for what our government has done. Whether we deserve it or not, we will pay the price. We paid it on 911, and we’ll continue to, theres no doubt about that. That doesn’t mean we should judge others by the actions of a few though. Much the same logic was used to commit genocide in the past. Native Americans, Jews, you name it. When you remove the individual human elements of a population and see them as enemies, murder becomes all to easy. We can’t let that happen to other groups (Iraqis, Iranians, etc.), and we can’t afford to think about ourselves that way either. Instead we must try to find the individual human elements in others that will allow our compassion to outweigh our fear. We all a lot more alike than we are different, we just need to have the bravery to see that in others. Only then will we know shame for our actions and the actions of those we put into power, and only then will we be able to do something about it.
I understand your sentinment. I just think you’re falling into the “US” verses “THEM” mentality that those in power use to keep us from uniting. Instead of hating your fellow citizens for not doing enough, feel sorry for them for their ignorance, and help them understand the issues.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Jasper,
Though you don’t identify your own political affiliation, you do seem to prize candor somewhat, so here’s another truth; anyone who supports the President and the current Administration is an advocate of treason, and truly hates America.
August 16th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Thank you for your comments.
I believe that this all began with Vietnam. We killed 3 million Vietnamese (genocide) and failed to understand why. We have never accepted that fact. Unless we finally acknowledge that we are as capable as evil as any other nation we will continue to think of ourselves as “the leader of the free world”. This is a lie.
BTW I am a Vietnam veteran. I really wish that Americans would own up to what we did (and are doing!) and begin the long healing process.
August 16th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Those Who Dishonor Our Soldiers, and Our Nation…
Disagreeing with the war effort is one thing (I personally don’t think we should have gone into Iraq inthe first place), but to call us a nation of murderers (and that is based on the efforts of our soldiers through our nation’s history) is quite……
August 16th, 2007 at 9:02 am
The word you are looking for here is imperial. Empirical means “provable or verifiable by experience or experiment”. So you are claiming that we will kill anyone who stands in the way of science. And that clearly is not happening right now.
August 18th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Truth does hurt. Unfortunately, I get a look at it every day.
That old phrase about “the banality of evil”… I think of that every time I see some fox news anchor talking about the evil islamofascists.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:52 am
[…] As you well know, Mr. President, public relations is a vital part of getting a war going, and keeping it going. It takes a lot of fancy words to confuse the masses into becoming willful murderers, after all. […]
January 14th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
[…] It’s a small thingIt’s a small lesson, but one all the world’s citizens could learn from, I believe. Dipping your toe into other cultures helps you understand how alike we really are, deep down. Americans are notorious for not caring about, or being unwilling to learn about other cultures. Which could be a reason why we as Americans barely blink when our government kills millions of people of other cultures. We are not a culture that walks in other people’s shoes, nor really cares when they are blown out of them. […]