Bush and empire: OUR Frankenstein's monster

[wiggs]

I believe the author John Perkins is on to something in this excerpt...maybe the reality is more complex than this, but his idea may explain real reluctance by the American public to acknowledge this Frankenstein's monster we've created:

"It would be great if we could just blame it all on a conspiracy, but we cannot. The empire depends on efficacy of big banks, corporations, and governments -- the corporatocracy -- but it is not a conspiracy. The corporatocracy is ourselves -- we make it happen -- which, of course, is why most of us find it difficult to stand up and oppose it. We would rather glimpse conspirators lurking in the shadows, because most of us work for one of those banks, corporations, or governments, or in some way are dependent on them for the goods and services they produce and market.

snip

How do you rise up against a system that appears to provide you with your home and car, food and clothes, electricity and health care -- even when you know that the system also creates a world where 24,000 people starve to death each day and millions more hate you, or at least hate the policies made by representatives you elected? How do you muster the courage to step out of line and challenge concepts you and your neighbors have always accepted as gospel, even when you suspect that the system is ready to self-destruct?"

Deep down, we've known, really, about Panama, the corporatocracy, sweatshops, empire, House of Bush/House of Saud, CIA medding and assassinations, Ecuador, starving millions, disproportional distribution of wealth and resources, etc for a long time. We allowed it to happen and we continue to allow it...continue to consume and allow corporations and governments to do whatever it takes to get us what we want, or what we think we want.

Bush and the corporatocracy is our creation. If we don't like it, we need to do something about it as a nation...but that is a very, very big decision that most people can't deal with.

John Perkins (Confessions of an Economic Hit Man) goes on to make the analogy that America's founding fathers (many of whom were doing quite well) were faced with the same dilemma and made a choice to risk a lot to set things right....our decisions now are on a par with that. We need a sea change in order to create a future world that is acceptable morally.

His book is very important IMO and talks a lot about empire, explaining the reasons for much of what we see out of this administration.

Other factors, I believe, that contribute to the lack of outrage and willingness to accept status quo even in the face of disaster: numbess from repeated outrages; disbelief that an American administration(s) could be so dishonest and greedy; effect of polarization has half the nation happy it belongs to the winning group; media control; lack of compelling opposition voice (Galloway excepted); lack of knowledge of history; a new, dangerous, unspoken policy that the ends justify the means (deception doesn't matter as long as the right side wins); and finally...many probably like the idea of American global empire kicking ass on the rest of the world, no matter what it takes to get there.

[wiggs]

1. post-fillibuster kick. nt