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The Decline of the American Empire
As the world is undergoing a profound transformation, what role will the US play in a post-American century?
The US has the world's biggest economy, the most influential culture, and the most potent military machine, with a budget that equals that of all other nations combined. It is the only power with a global project defended and supported by more aircraft carriers, Fortune 500 companies, and more successful media-tainment conglomerates than any other.
But the last decade has been problematic for the world's only superpower.
America's post-Cold War optimism has given way to pessimism, forecasting a declining power and more crucially, the end of "the American era".
The rise of new regional and global powers, coupled with Washington's recent war fiascos and financial crisis have worsened the outlook for the future of the US.
Countless books have been written prophesying the end with titles like: Suicide of a Superpower; The Empire Has No Clothes; Taming American Power; Nemesis: the Last Days of the American Republic; Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire; and Selling out A Superpower.
So, is all this talk of the US decline premature? And if not, what role will the US play in a post-US century?
Empire finds out.
57 Comments so far
Show AllThe most important factor in selecting a president (and any national representative of the people) is not their claimed positions as deceitfully postured and pontificated on the 'symptom problems' of; increasing imperialist oil wars 'abroad', nor the financial 'looting' by Wall Street hedged fund whores and private equity pirates 'at home', nor the environmental destruction globally, nor vast economic inequality 'at home' and 'abroad', nor extra judicial assassinations by drones "abroad" and extra-Constitutional tyranny against Americans "at home", but rather with all Americans forcing on these phony candidates an honest and candid discussion of the core cancerous 'casual' tumor of the hidden global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE --- which is the proximate cause of all these problems, and which has now fully 'captured' and 'Occupied' our former democratic Republic and country by hiding behind the facade of the EMPIRE's bought and owned, modernized TWO-Party 'Vichy' sham of faux-democractic and totally illegitimate government, as surely as the Nazi EMPIRE 'captured' and 'Occupied' France while trying to disguise that earlier EMPIRE behind Hitler's crude and single-party 'Vichy' facade regime.
I have written about the seminal importance of average and honest middle/working-class American citizens voting on this most serious basis since early 2007, and continually write about the seriousness of purpose that Hannah Arendt wrote, based on her painful experiences under the Nazi EMPIRE (and from her life-long study of all EMPIREs) to presciently warn:
"EMPIRE abroad entails tyranny at home".
We have now, unfortunately, reached a point akin to the Nazi Empire's enactment of the 1933 'enabling acts', which are almost identical to the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Acts) passed by this faux-Congress and signed by the current nominally "Democratic Party" faux-Emperor/president --- an act of treason which would certainly just as gladly be performed by any of the neo-fascist "Republican Party" shills running for the office of Emperor/president (with the exception of Ron Paul).
Only Ron Paul, of all the candidates of either of these dual 'Vichy' parties, has had the guts, courage, and candor to even raise the most critical issue of our country having been taken over by this disguised "Vichy Empire".
My greatest hope, and one purpose that I work toward, is that based on the brave protesting of the criminally oppressed and viciously/illegitimately attacked 'Occupy Empire' movement, that a second principled candidate will arise to challenge the Democratic party's current faux-Emperor/president Obama, and that Americans will be able to see and understand the exposure of this hidden corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE when Ron Paul and his equivalent truth teller on the real 'left', both share with Americans the last best hope for them to help start the desperately needed Second American Revolution "Against EMPIRE".
Until then, the duty of all patriotic and anti-Empire Americans is to raise the alarm and confront the deceitful Vichy Empire's shills on both their Democrat and Republican campaign charades by publicly, loudly, and repeatedly 'calling them out' for the treasonous whores of "Vichy Empire" which they are.
Like modern Paul Reveres, we must shout out, "The Empire is coming. The Empire is coming. The Empire is HERE." --- and point to these faux-Emperor/presidential shills, phonies, and Hitlerian level world-class liars and deceivers.
Nothing less can restore our democratic Republic in a non-violent manner.
Best luck and love to Occupy Empire.
Liberty, democracy, justice, and equality
Over
Violent/Vichy
Empire,
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
So you advocate for equality while supporting Ron Paul? Pardon me if I find it a bit difficult to take you seriously...
Ditto, Steve.
We'd get a much better deal selling our souls to the devil than voting for Ron Paul.
pardon me, but listen beyond the tip of your nose.
I'm not advocating for Paul, I'm advocating for a public debate of two alternate candidates who have the guts, brains, and courage to debate the most important thing in the world to my future, my kids and grandkid's future, your future and kids future, and everyone in this country's future to avoid the rather messy existential end that is coming, compliments of this fucking Global Empire.
If only one guy is wiling to even fucking whisper about this Empire, then shame on any of the real and principled 'left' who don't challenge this treasonous prick, Obama, and join the real debate about our future without Empire ruling this world.
Hell, wouldn't you enjoy seeing one alternate right libertarian principled, anti-war, anti-Wall Street, and anti-Empire candidate talking about the deadly danger of EMPIRE, while one alternate left social democrat principled anti-war, anti-Wall Street, and anti-Empire candidate ALSO exposed the American public to the deadly common danger of very same EMPIRE?
WOW, average Americans might actually 'get it', and this would make the lying prick posing as a gutless Democratic liberal (Obama), and the lying prick posing as a patriotic Republican conservative (Romney), both look like the whores of the very same fucking EMPIRE --- which is what these jerks are!
But maybe that kind of a real debate against both of the 'Vichy' party fools is something that wouldn't interest you --- or maybe it would foul-up your viewing of "The Biggest Loser" or "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on your rented TV.
Thanks for your serious attention,
Alan
I agree Alan, that Ron Paul would be the best republican candidate to challenge Obama because of the issues he has always brought up about endless war, and the Federal reserve system so that the election will have some radical problems to debate in public for the first time I can remember.
He is the only major candidate that has a chance to make this election something to even just think about or wake-up call for the average voter.
Whether or not the next president will do anything big or small about the issue of Empire or broke, domination obsessed superpower... whatever one wants to call it, is anybodies guess.
But at least this subject will not be ignored if Ron Paul wins the nomination.
If any third party person or independent can do that and be heard by the whole public, not just on Common Dreams, I want to know who it is.
Jim G.
I think this may be the person that you are seeking-Rocky Anderson, who is running on the Justice Party platform of putting an end to the rule of large corporations and American imperialism, climate protection, and the advocacy of universal health care. Anderson is also going to rely upon the social media to get the word out to the American people about his candidacy and what he stands for.
https://www.voterocky.org/node/253
One man's ambition to be president. One lone-ranger. It's so American. So Mom and apple pie. Even if Rocky Anderson had a great platform, his odds of winning when 2/3 of the country probably haven't even heard of him can't be very good. He should be working TOGETHER with as many aggressively progressive constituencies and institutions, none bigger or more experienced than Organized Labor, to build a powerful political coalition. It should be the PARTY we are seeking, not the person. It's the only chance we have.
Duplicate.
rgardener98 states with authority that "Even if Rocky Anderson had a great platform, his odds of winning when 2/3 of the country probably haven't even heard of him can't be very good." In the first place, he does not seem to realize that Anderson's platform is still very much operating in the present and not in the past.
Also, it seems that he may skipped over the part where I mentioned that Anderson and his party hope to draw attention to their cause, and especially to America's youth, through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Much if not most of the young people today are more in tune with modern technology than they are with newspapers and the boob tube.
It would be nice if organized labor did align themselves with the Justice Party [if rgardener98 were to pay attention, he would note that this means that Rocky Anderson is indeed running under a party and not just himself] and Rocky Anderson. But if they choose not to do so by once again joining forces with either the Democrats or the Republicans then this would prove just how shallow the leaders of Organized Labor truly are. One also has to wonder why rgardener98 arrogantly assumes that Rocky Anderson will not do this as he has announced that he is running for president just four or five weeks ago.
It is long past the point that people like rgardener98 start to think outside the box.
Erroll:
I appreciate your opinion -- I want to see a third party succeed as much as you or anyone who has been commenting about our dirty, almost tawdry, electoral system.
I just don't think one progressive mayor from a southwestern state, known yes, but not well known, can or will succeed against THE POLITICAL MACHINE. In modern electoral history, have we had one third party run succeed? The MACHINE has found a way to convince the voting public that they have to vote for either Dems or Repugs, else it's a wasted vote. Not running the same old way but expecting a different result, as I meant by invoking the "insanity principle", was an attempt to "think outside the box".
"rgardener98 states with authority that "Even if Rocky Anderson had a great platform, his odds of winning when 2/3 of the country probably haven't even heard of him can't be very good." In the first place, he does not seem to realize that Anderson's platform is still very much operating in the present and not in the past." -- Erroll: My use of the word "had" is not a reference to the past. That's a misinterpretation, (not a trivial one) as it's the use of the subjunctive to express conditionality/uncertainty, as in not fully evolved. He obviously has a platform -- I'm sure you've been to his website, as have I -- he has four basic justice party platform objectives. I don't think they are intended to be rooted-in-stone principles and may be amended in the future, most likely at the convention they've scheduled.
I'm not critical of Mr. Anderson, himself. I think, from what I've heard from him, that he's a breath of fresh air, his heart and politics in the right place. I'm critical of the process whereby The Green Party, Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson, and others possibly are all running against each other and will split the progressive vote. In this way, the ESTABLISHMENT wins. That's my only point. I didn't intend to sound "authoritative" or dismissive of Mr. Anderson's Justice Party. Social Media is very useful for lots of logistical communications, it can be used quite effectively as Howard Dean showed in 2004 and Obama in 2008. And, you get a big bang for very little buck. But it's not magic.
Sure, vote for Anderson if he makes it onto your ballot. But also vote for Paul in the Republican primary in your state so that, if he gets the nomination, he and Obama can debate in prime time in front of the American public. What possible drawback can there be to that?
I agree, I feel he has the right attitude about the military butr all his other positions are just wrong...
amacd ---
So passionately and well-said. Hopefully, we can restore our democratic Republic in a non-violent manner. We need to keep the pressure up with civil disobedience. And finally, politically, we need, as people of this country, to truly grapple with the insanity of continuing to vote for the "lesser evil" of the "two-party evils", because the simple fact is they are both evils. Both corrupt. Both rotten to the core principles of what democracy should mean. Democracy is supposed to mean a system of, by, and for the people. Not a system where an obscenely unequal amount of wealth and opportunity, a "spoils system" of advantage, is hijacked and stolen by and for a mere few. We are a country, and we nearly always have been, run by rich, mostly white, men fronting for oligarchs, who are in politics to serve their upper-class brethren, who could care less about "the people".
A MESSAGE FOR ALL YOU THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES: Here is a message LOUD AND CLEAR for you and your potential supporters: Running individually against the EMPIRE machine, in separate and fragmented campaigns, competing against and taking from each other mere crumbs, for at best less than 5% of the vote is a totally useless exercise and a recipe for continuous third party failure in this country.
The only way to take this country back from the One Party state and the oligarchs is this: COME TOGETHER, RIGHT NOW!!! Put your selfish ambitions aside. Find a way to do this. The country is a mess. The people need you to do this. Reach out to each other and do what comes unnaturally in our individualistic system and build coalitions around commonly held principles. Build a common platform of huge common ground which could attract a groundswell of support across the country. Together we're strong, divided we're weak. So many voters want to be "independent" of these two horrible choices we are perennially faced with each rigged election season, which is always a Hobbsian choice. They would vote for a credible third party, meaning one which could win. BUT, without the ability to WIN, too many will vote for the "lesser of the so-called two evils" rather than support the best alternative.
So many are hungering for a new progressive direction, have gotten out on the streets to protest for it. It's clear the country is ready for a real change in society and an agenda which puts people ahead of profits, and gets this capitalistic-socialistic balance right finally.
THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES: You have to do this, otherwise the "insanity principle" wins out again.
Alan,
Thank you for this incredible comment, and the others below!
This discussion, while interesting and even mildly helpful in causing Americans to think about Empire, is unbelievably naive and parochial in terms of not realizing that the EMPIRE is a 'global EMPIRE' merely, nominally, and probably temporarily headquartered in America --- but definately NOT a strictly 'American Empire'.
One has to seriously wonder if any of the panelists ever read and understood Paul Kennedy's fabulously insightful "Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" --- and his critique of the preceding "Church-centric world" of one post-Roman Holy Empire being displaced by the second millennium's several succeeding European "Nation-state" Empires.
We are now in the next era of a post-nation-state world wherein the empire is a single Global Empire, only working through, utilizing the powers of, and posing as an American Empire.
The actual Empire that needs to be publicly discussed by a panel (hopefully including knowledgeable people like; Antonio Negri, Michael Hardt, Sheldon Wolin, Christopher Hedges, Joseph Stiglitz, David Korten, et al.) is the underlying singular Global Empire that hides itself behind the camouflaged term 'globalization' and uses the military, political, economic/financial, and propagandist powers of America to best hide and effect this entirely new 21st century Global Empire --- which incorporates the top 1% ruling elites of America, UK, Israel, Germany, China, etc. etc.
This is the first global and 'ruling class' based Empire, you dopes, not an American Empire --- or a geographical and nation-state based EMPIRE at all!!
There remains no substantial recognition that our former country (and others like U.K. Israel et al) has been captured by a disguised global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE, which hides behind the facade of its TWO-Party modernized “Vichy” sham of faux-democratic government——just as the occupying Nazi Empire hid behind its far cruder single-party “Vichy” regime. This new 21st century Global Empire or Global Reich is what Hitler only dreamed of but never achieved with his crude propaganda of a single-party and national French 'Vichy' facade of empire.
‘Globalization’ is simply the branded and polite marketing term for global EMPIRE!
This disguised global empire is the causal cancerous tumor that creates all ‘symptom problems’ like wars, economic oppression, massive inequality, environmental destruction, finance capitalist 'looting', and all other ‘issues’ that are used to divide and distract resistance from attacking the core of the Empire ITSELF.
“Nobody does it better”——lying about the Empire——certainly not the Nazis, nor the Soviets:
Obama’s speech immediately reminded me of the old James Bond “Spy Who Loved Me” song, “Nobody Does It Better” — in that nobody does disguised global Empire better than the US and its new “Open Globalization” pitch-man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOd1JJvwlM
Yes, Obama is a wonderful spokesman (better than even Ronald Reagan or Thomas Friedman) in promoting the appearance of a promising “Globalization” and looking forward to democracy for all, while glossing over the fact that the forced march to globalization by force of arms is essentially just a cover for the reality of “global Empire”.
The PR skills of the corporatist media and Obama are the only combination that can promise the advertising illusion of such ‘hope for change’ under the implied mantel of “democracy” and free market economic “Globalization”, and yet deliver the reality of deceptive, disguised, dysfunctional, and unsustainable “Global Empire” — Nobody does it better.
As Nobel economist George Akerlof more presciently diagnosed as far back as 2001, “This is not normal government economic policy, but a form of LOOTING”.
Who will tell Americans the truth; that 9/11 was a perfectly orchestrated event to divert the growing attention on ‘American Empire’, to engender patriotic sympathy with American victim-hood, and to thus cover-up the real 21st century post-nation-state global corporate/financial/militarist Empire which has taken over our former country by hiding behind the facade of its modernized TWO-Party ‘Vichy’ sham of faux democratic government—- similarly to the patriotic sympathy engendered by the Reichstag fire and the subsequent ploy of installing a crude single-party ‘Vichy’ government in Europe to cover-up the spread of the global strategy of the fascist/corporatist Nazi Empire.
Empire and not the American government is the real enemy of people everywhere!
Best luck and love to Occupy Empire.
Liberty, democracy, justice, and equality
Over
Violent/Vichy
Empire,
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
Extremely well put, Alan.
I would adjust "Empire and not the American government is the real enemy of people everywhere!" to say "Empire and the American government (to the extent it is a tool of Empire) is the real enemy of people everywhere!"
excellent insights alan, thank you.
especially for patiently explaining how the 'empire' is transnational in nature. the point was overlooked by all of the guests in the al jazeera video. i suspect, b/c to a certain degree they all support the notion that deep down america is still a republic that can be reformed, or perhaps b/c on a certain level they (the guests and the moderator) have excepted the idea of american exceptionalism which acts as a screen to hide the real criminal acts (they want democracy - shell wants the oil everyone benefits) occuring behind the scenes. of course each time a commentator frames the discussion in statist terms (us against them), the identities and roles of the financier class continue to be masked.
there is the cabal that runs western capitalism, and there are other cabals that can be exploited (i mean liberated). the endgame of capitalism coincides with the emergence of the global casino where everyone knows everybody else (like cheers) and where you play by the house rules (some people get larger cuts than others) or you're eliminated (like the mob). the firms and the power they yield become more and more concentrated (5 wall street investment banks - become 3 wall street investment banks). not a single one of the guests on this program mentioned goldman sachs, lehman brothers, loyds of london, or barclays bank.
the moment the masses understand the depth of the ruse (if that's possible in our soma induced brave new world of screen culture), the jig is up and there will be hell to pay for the scams (like US taxpayers funding the theft of iraqi oil fields for us/anglo banks and oil companies). hence the need for the guns, and the aircraft-carriers, and the militarized police forces the globe over.
so alan, on another thread you were very critical of resorting to the use of violence against the people's enemies sa a means of resistence, at what point does that position change ? and would you be willing to harbor 'insurgents' in such a future, or would that in a sense be contributing to a violent act of resistance ? i only mention this as you alluded to the passage of the latest defense authorization act.
at some point in the not so distant future, people we know and people we admire will be tossed into jail (perhaps w/out our awareness - like the punk patriot pointed out).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world
updated 13:15 24 October 2011 by Andy Coghlan and Debora MacKenzie
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed--the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html
................
"The idea that a few bankers control a large chunk of the global economy might not seem like news to New York's Occupy Wall Street movement and protesters elsewhere (see photo). But the study, by a trio of complex systems theorists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, is the first to go beyond ideology to empirically identify such a network of power. It combines the mathematics long used to model natural systems with comprehensive corporate data to map ownership among the world's transnational corporations (TNCs)."
"When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a "super-entity" of 147 even more tightly knit companies - all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity - that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. "In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network," says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group."
.......................
number 10 on the above list - merril lynch - was acquired by BoA since the study was conducted (in '07) and number 34 on the list - lehman bros - was eliminated by the latest crash (to goldman sachs/morgan stanley's advantage). this all substantiates marx's ideas.
...peace...
......continued.
Accumulation by dispossession
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accumulation_by_dispossession
{Accumulation by dispossession is a concept presented by the Marxist geographer David Harvey, which defines the neoliberal capitalist policies in many western nations, from the 1970s and to the present day, as resulting in a centralization of wealth and power in the hands of a few by dispossessing the public of their wealth or land. These neoliberal policies are guided mainly by four practices: privatization, financialization, management and manipulation of crises, and state redistributions.}
{Practices
Privatization
Privatization and commodification of public assets have been among the most criticised and disputed aspects of neoliberalism. Summed up, they could be characterized by the process of transferring property from public ownership to private ownership. According to Marxist theory, this serves the interests of the capitalist class, or bourgeoisie, as it moves power from the nation's governments to private parties. At the same time, privatization generates a means for profit for the capitalist class; after a transaction they can then sell or rent to the public what used to be commonly owned.
Financialization
The wave of financialization which set in the 1980s is allowed by governmental deregulation which has made the financial system one of the main centers of redistributive activity. Stock promotions, Ponzi schemes, structured asset destruction through inflation, asset stripping through mergers and acquisitions, dispossession of assets (raiding of pension funds and their decimation by stock and corporate collapses) by credit and stock manipulations, are, according to Harvey, central features of the post-1970s capitalist financial system.
Management and manipulation of crises
By creating and manipulating crises, such as by suddenly raising interest rates, poorer nations can be forced into bankruptcy, and agreeing to such deals like that of the structural adjustment programs can yield more damages to those nations. Harvey reasoned that this is authorized by parties such as the U.S. Treasury, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
State redistributions
The neoliberal nation-state is one of the most important agents of redistributive policies. Even when privatization or commodification appear to be profitable to the lower class, in the long run it can affect the economy negatively. The state seeks redistributions through a variety of things, like changing the tax code to profit returns on investment rather than incomes and wages (of the lower classes).}
...peace...
iowablackbird, thanks for your kind words, and particularly for the incredibly valuable link to that New Scientist article (which I never would have seen) revealing and detailing the efforts of those complex systems theorists, mathematicians and other scientists who are working toward better understanding, and hopefully solutions to deal with this TNC/financial global Empire. Now if we could only find the same level of empathetic and reality-based experts in the 'social science' of economics --- aside from Stiglitz, Akerlof, Krugman, Galbraith, and a few others.
When the morally motivated but scientifically trained communities side with reality over ideology, and support reality based solutions for the people, we will be starting to make more progress against the old nemesis of truth, Empire.
Best to you and yours iowa, and as you say, "peace",
Alan
PS. some of the data from this research reminds me of figures I saw about a Merrill Lynch and CapGemini joint study targeting their respective markets for US and European ultra/uber-wealth management prospects. Apparently they selected a target audience profile of fewer than 50K families across the US and Europe whose net private wealth approximates the combined national debt of the US and all European countries. WOW. Wonder how that happened?
Nobody says it better like MacDonald...excellent analysis and writing! Bravo, said EXACTLY what I was thinking, but couldn't even begin to write like that. Thank U!
Great points Alan; I agree largely with your posts and your references, however I would still argue that the US national interests (defined by policy elites like CFR, financial interests etc.) are still at the forefront of this new form of Empire. This is changing and the Empire Inc. is unsustainable that much is crystal clear.
Amacd said nothing about supporting Ron Paul. He said he is the only one in either party telling the truth about the Empire that has destroyed our Democracy.
----Reading slowly works , helps you understand what the writer is saying.
Thanks much, genicon, sometimes skim readers (or skim brainers) have trouble understanding that my criticism of Demorats or Repuglicans, of Obama or Romney (the vetted choices) is not politically motivated, but rather a laser focus on only one thing --- exposing, confronting, and EXCISING the death-spiral of Empire, regardless of which pin-stripped disguise it wears.
Last week I shouted out at Romney during a Portsmouth NH campaign tour lying about his patriotism as the 'next' American president, and screamed, "Hey Mitt, when are you going to talk about the two-party "Vichy Empire" that is killing our country?"
Naturally, the jerk said, "I don't know what you mean by 'Vichy Empire'".
I shouted back, "Both Parties".
But maybe Romney's education about history suffered the kind of 'brain-fart' that Michele Bachmann had in NH when she thought the American Revolution started in Concord NH. Maybe Romney was studying to be a private equity pirate while his professor was covering the treasonous "Vichy" regime that Hitler set-up in France c. 1940 to attempt to disguise the ugly reality of the Nazi EMPIRE.
He kind of reminded me of the old adage about poker, that if you can't spot the rube at the table --- then you're it.
In Romney's case, if you won't say shit about the "Vichy Empire", then you're part of it!
Best,
Alan
Here's the message we should shout-out at all these pawns of Empire; Romney, Obama, and the seven dwarfs. (2:50 into this video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z00XFvXdzUQ
alan that's priceless, thank you for your shining example - all of us need to find clever ways to confront the powers that be. down w/ the corporate state that has highjacked our republic !!!
...peace...
genicon:
Thank you for your generosity in supplying us with a free lesson in how to read, but as Alan wrote:
"...an act of treason which would certainly just as gladly be performed by any of the neo-fascist "Republican Party" shills running for the office of Emperor/president (with the exception of Ron Paul)."
An even slower reading, and a modicum of thought, might lead one to believe that the above states that Ron Paul is not a treasonous "neo-fascist "Republican Party" shill..." (which of course he is in the social and economic spheres).
The quote implies a favorable opinion of Ron Paul as a candidate, even if, as we now know, it was not Alan's intention to show a favorable opinion of him as a candidate.
You're welcome port lookout--
"even if, as we now know " -- does that mean after you read it again and slower you understood what he meant?
Not exactly, genicon.
Perhaps you are reading too slowly, and have not yet reached the comment at 12:10pm where Alan wrote " I'm not advocating for Paul ..."
pl
Do you mean when he says he's not advocating for Paul he really means he is?
You have me very confused . If I misinterpreted his remarks ,enlighten me please.
The point of my comment of 1:18pm was that Alan originally implied (unintentionally it seems) that he supported RP.
Alan's comment of 12:10pm made clear to me that he does not supported RP.
I hope that clears the air.
___________________________________
This whole line of discussion surrounding amcd's comments is besides the point.
The point is, the entire U.S. (and global) political and economic systems are corrupt beyond repair, and of course the violent and immoral tool of militarism used to sustain the colonialist project continues to do quite well quenching the thirst for power and greed of those despots that continue to wreak havoc around the planet.
All of that is the empire, and simply put, if it is not torn down and replaced with a sane, just, and sustainable system, we are all simply spinning our wheels with long-winded pontifications. Further, concerning ourselves with Ron Paul is a waste of time. He, or any other candidate or president does not have any meaningful (particularly in terms of long-term sustainability) influence on the direction of this country (or the world) because the political, media, and financial system's are frauds that are used to build a wall around the real powers that be --- the mega-wealthy plutocrats that live among the most powerful institutions of the world. For example, the established political system is not worth spending any time on because only "acceptable" commentary will be allowed through the mass media filter, and the "winners" are completely determined by the BIG money powers behind the scenes.
If one wants a sane, just, and sustainable system for ALL living beings (all of life), our only hope is to take direct action with millions of other ordinary citizens to tear down the fraudulent and immoral institutions, and create new ones that express the values of decency, dignity, love, compassion, peace, etc ......... But please, let's forget about Ron Paul, or any other phantom third party candidate that is supposedly going to make even a dent in raising this culture (even the public "debate") from the ashes. It's not going to happen. I'm afraid it's all up to us, baby!
I'll leave you with this short excerpt from Jensen's, "What We Leave Behind":
"Our resistance to the planets destruction --- this resistance is often called environmentalism --- is of course servile to its core. Our activism consists almost exclusively of begging those in power to go against the requirements and rewards of this omnicidal economic and political and cultural system and do the right thing, something we know they will never do with any consistency, something we know they CANNOT do with any consistency, because to do so would cause the entire economic system (based as it is functionally upon unsustainable and exploitative activities) to implode. We never demand that they do the right thing. And we certainly never "force" them to do the right thing. And God forbid we actually cause the right thing to be done using our own power. That would be too scary. So we beg them ........ ".
"If one wants a sane, just, and sustainable system for ALL living beings (all of life), our only hope is to take direct action with millions of other ordinary citizens to tear down the fraudulent and immoral institutions, and create new ones that express the values of decency, dignity, love, compassion, peace, etc "
Could you be a little more specific, please?
What exactly is this 'direct action' that we should take?
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"Direct actions" refers to a number of tactics that mass social movements use to in effect force establishment authorities into making significant concessions concerning the the laws and policies that govern society. They can include all sorts of actions involving noncooperation, civil disobedience, and obstruction, etc., such as blockades, occupations, strikes, boycotts, sit-ins, etc., and should include highly sensitive targets, like key BAU infrastructure, important buildings, etc., anything that makes maintaining elite governing authority and business operations increasingly untenable. Being successful at this will take years of active organizing in communities throughout the country, and building a very large and active base of activists that collaborate in solidarity around an agreed upon set of overarching goals and objectives. We can only win the battle against elite forces with LARGE numbers. People power is our main potential advantage, and we must exploit it to the best of our abilities.
Thank you for the reply, cdresearch, which very competently and straightforwardly answers my question.
We can expect the young to participate as you prescribe, but what about the older population? About half of them are so thoroughly indoctrinated by the right that they are not only useless for the purposes you propose, but they actively work against them. And much of the other half, those who realize the extent to which the people are being exploited (progressive/liberal), are apathetic to any participation in the activities you mention.
With full realization of the manipulation and corruption rampant in the electoral system, I see no way of involving these older progressives/liberals in the revolution other than at the polls, by providing them with a strong progressive third party for which to vote. This party could work in parallel with those doing the occupations, strikes etc to bring about the changes we would like to see. I don't see how this thrust would prejudice your activities in any way.
port_lookout,
this is a hypothetical discussion.
if i remember correctly during the resistance to US militarism in central america in the 1980's (when bodies were found at the landfills daily), everyone had a role to play. i truly enjoyed the disturbing film 'Pan's Labyrinth' which illustrated how people living in a spanish village in the mountains responded to franco's oppression. everyone has a role to play. that's self evident.
many people who were arrested this past fall have impending court dates on the docket this winter. court solidarity and raising consciousness in your community about the accelerated erosion of civil liberties (and the ascension of empire) is critical, especially when the govt decides too invoke its new congressional sanctioned powers of detention w/out judicial oversight.
it sounds grandiose doesn't it. almost revolutionary. children, their parents and their grandparents all working collectively to subvert a perverted monstrous military beast that now will be working the beat w/ our cops, on the street, in our communities looking for "terrorists" (after obama signs the defense authorization bill).
but, as you pointed out, the electoral process in america is not reflecting (or benefiting) THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMON PERSON, so what is to be done ?
shall we run about like chicken little, or develop bonds in our communities that are capable of resisting - military intervention, the rule of any number of federal alphabet soup agencies DHS,DEA,FBI....
reading and scribbling is instructive, it's social - but ultimately each community in america will experience the repression differently, as the police forces responded differently to each occupy site in america. i suspect over the past few years there have been many 'direct actions' that resulted in property damage, that were not reported in the MSM. i seriously wonder what has been happening across america that has been redefined (constructed) by media (insert... imagination... here ???).
voting: the act of voting in the US, on the federal level, has become a humorless farce.
...peace...
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It's understandable, the pull to try and beat the system at its own game. Nobody likes the uncertainty represented by the prospects of uprooting the current system, and building a new one partially from scratch. It's unsettling, even scary. Unfortunately, if we want the opportunity to experience a fundamentally more sane, just, and sustainable world, and leave something of value for posterity, we simply must tear down and then transform the existing political body because it is cancerous. That is the reality that as many people as possible need to fully come to terms with as soon as possible. And the fact is, a third party represents a false cure for a political body that has already undergone metastasis. The cure itself would become infected or die within the existing political body.
I do agree that creating a large enough, and diverse enough active movement for radical change that can succeed will be difficult to accomplish within the time frame that we have to work with (before mass chaos ensues over the next couple of decades). And you're right in that a decent percentage of older people need to actively participate. This movement will have to be multi-generational more than any other movement in American history. But just keep in mind, many in the 60+ crowd have some previous exposure through experiencing the feminist and anti-war movements of the late 60's, early 70's. We need to awaken these people, many of whom have late career job-market issues, lost homes, and whose health and retirement plans are at increasing risk, and find roles for them in the movement. And these roles can be more supportive, instead of being on the front lines.
In short, I think our ONLY chance is to grow a strong mass movement as fast as it is possible. And we should not allow ANYTHING to distract us from that mission, including the diversion of 3rd parties, however well-intended.
"And we should not allow ANYTHING to distract us from that mission, including the diversion 3rd parties, however well-intended."
Many activists in the US, during the 60's and 70's, argued for people power and against involvement in electoral politics. It was flower power and back-to-the earth that they wanted. No progressive advances of consequence were made. The movement was easily dismantled by the powers, and today we are in worse condition than they were then.
Fifteen years ago, 0% of South America was goverened for the benefit of the people. Today, 80% of South America is goverened for the benefit of the people. This was accomplished partially by demonstrations, but finally at the polls, through intelligent cooperation by all parties and all other elements of the left. And the governments that were ousted were every bit as corrupt and oppressive as that of the US today.
For these reasons, though I like what you advocate and are doing, I have no confidence that your methods alone can non-violently change the way the US is governed. I see political power for progressives as an absolute necessity, the absence of which will guarantee failure of the movement, as it did in the 70s.
As a former hippie-chick and member of "the older population", I suggest you decline from making estimates on generational support. There should be No issues that divide humanity - certainly not age!
The mature pop, in general, have a few advantages as well, e.g. not tied to survival needs of young family; willing to read/ analyze issues without distraction of tech gadgets; time to stand up for beneficial causes; life experiences that we wish others to enjoy.
Derrick Jensen would have us go back to the hunter- gatherer days, that might be alright but would require a massive die off of humans. That might be alright too, as long as it's your descendants , not mine.
It took me a long time to get back into his book " A Language Other Than Words' after reading that a coyote was eating his chickens and he asked the coyote to go away and he did. I said to myself, Self , what happened to the coyote, did he starve to death? did he eat someone else's chickens? is either of these outcomes ethical or fair to the coyote or the neighbor whose chickens he might of ate?
So much for the decency, dignity, love and compassion of Derrick Jensen.
His other book I read was " The Culture Of Make Believe" that is about 700 pages of bitching about all the evil humans do. without any remedy except go back to the hunter -gathering days
You'll be pleased to know, genicon, that the coyote did not starve to death. He took up vegetarianism and now lives on a strict diet of purple turnips. And to ensure that his progeny will never harass or eat a chicken, he has sworn to celibacy. He hunts no more, he only gathers. He who says there is no ethics or fairness in the coyote community, lies. Derrick Jensen would be well advised to adopt this coyote as a role model.
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Thanks for the coyote story, but it's entirely irrelevant to the discussion at hand. I mentioned one excerpt from Jensen at the very end of my post, and it had to do with the perils of relying on the few elite "authority figures" to do the bidding of the vast majority of ordinary citizens. I don't agree with everything Jensen says, nor did my post suggest otherwise. So, how about answering the main points from my comment?
That said, Jensen wants to stop the industrial civilization that is killing life on this planet. That does not mean that we have to revert all the way back to "hunter-gatherer" times. It means that we have to localize and power-down. It means that we have to respect and value ALL of life with our actions (including human life, but not just human life). Jensen would agree with that, and he's absolutely correct that humans are by far the species most responsible for almost all of the violence and destruction done on this earth. I don't agree with some of the strategies and tactics that he favors to address the problems we face, but he does in fact propose them. I suggest that you read "Deep Green Resistance" if you're interested in hearing what he advocates in terms of actions. But Jensen should not just be casually dismissed as some bitter extremist full of complaints, yet empty on ideas for meaningful action. Indeed, that would be a mistake.
cdresearch, you have a point there.
And it comports with the old Frederick Douglass quote that, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
The downside, not too mildly, as you put it, is existential or extinction, as I often mention.
But I love your term, "omnicidal" (which I never knew until you mentioned it), and which better projects the sense of human (or inhumane) agency, rather than the broad and vaguely indirect sense of 'existential' or even 'extinction'. I concur, and I'll borrow your word, if you don't mind.
Yes, cdresearch, I suppose that you cut to the chase, as they say.
In fact, you remind me of one of my favorite film scenes in Sydney Pollack's great 1990 "Havana", where Redford asks the revolutionary doctor, Raul Julia, why they must fight the Batista fascist regime working for US banking and gambling interests, and he replies, "But they will not leave by asking nicely."
One hopes that if an informed populace, or the masses of the "Multitude" (as Hardt and Negri would say), massively confronts the empire non-violently, that it might carry the day.
But you may be right, cdresearch, that this deadly cancer of empire that has been ignored in America for far too long, and in the world for even longer, may not be treatable without more invasive and aggressive measures.
Cancer is not often cured without extreme surgery, except in those rare cases of an unexplained and unexpected miracle.
Best,
Alan
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Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your writing, Alan, and you often make some very good points. I also like that you tend to reference history in your comments. Indeed, part of our problem is that we don't like to confront our mistakes from the past and learn by them.
And yes, the cancer metaphor is one I often use to describe the insidious nature of our predicament. We need to call on the innate healing powers of the political body by attracting a swarm of cancer-cell-fighting-antibodies (people power) to kill the disease because, as with cancer, it is systemic in nature, and in this case, it has metastasized. Thus, the virulent part cannot be isolated to allow for a clean extraction (surgery), and the cancer cannot be poisoned to death (radiation/chemotherapy) without also killing the patient.
And I love the movie, Havana! Redford, Olin, and Julia were great in that story of revolution. I'm humbled and flattered that my writing, even for an instance, made you think of Julia's character in the film. I wish I could make more of a difference myself, but at least I'm not done yet. And I will keep trying. That you can count on, for as long as I can breathe.
Take care,
CD
P.S. I cant take credit for the word "omnicidal". That's a Derrick Jensen word.
What does the record of human history show?
Every civilization that has ever existed has ultimately collapsed. The decline of the American Empire is explained in the books refered above, I for one am glad to see it.
An economy larger than all other countries combined. Two percent of Americans have a economy larger than all the rest of the world combined is the truth. The American people are being screwed just like the rest of the world. As for Ron Paul, doing away with the dept of education closing public schools and using my property tax to pay the expenses for a for profit charter school so only rich kids can get an education is ridiculous, but then lke Wisconsin when the teachers are minimum wage people fresh out of the fast food industry it may not matter. Close Social Security and Medicare? Put those old people back in poverty there's no profit in old people. Capitalism at it's best, vote republican. WTF why not, the Tea party theory no government at all!
While it is clear and well documented that the relative hegemonic position of the US has declined slowly in the last decades, the US still remains the "hyperpuissance" in the world.
This is due primarily to the role of the US Dollar as key currency (reserve currency, numeraire currency) in world financial and commodities markets. Oil, gold, foodstuffs are priced in USD. For this reason, the US punches well above its weight. Deficit spending actually increases US power - floods foreign Central Banks with dollars and forcing them to buy Treasuries or dollar-demominated equities (or in some cases like Saudi, US armaments) etc.
In short deficit spending (which is synonymous with military and related spending) is largely financed by foreign cenral banks. The US simply rolls the debts over and has no intention of paying off the debt. The US has had a free lunch for decades.
For many reasons this is not sustainable, but until another intl. currency system is devised, the US will enjoy huge powers of the dollar system and the military that backs it up with violence.
(Saddam Hussein was taken out largely for selling oil in Euros; Chavez was almost taken out, Ghaddafi was taken out for his Gold Dinar idea and an oil bourse that would not use dollars.
Similar things can be said for Iran for daring to create an oil bourse not priced in dollars, they will be taken out for this reason and others of course
The big question remains, how will America give up it's empire, with a bang or a whimper?
Judging by the militarization of the police , the Patriot act, the NDAA act, the expanded use of DHS to harass American citizens, It looks like it will not go quietly.
The violence and repression used against OWS will soon be common everyday practice against any who dissent. When that happens the Myth Of America,( home of the brave and land of the free ) will be exposed for all the world to see. The hypocrisy and lies, in plain sight, may be enough to bring the Empire crashing down
The failing of America will bring down the World. We are much too selfish to go quietly.
amerika cannot give up its empire because amerika IS an empire...
genicon, you are correct in saying that, "The violence and repression used against OWS will soon be common everyday practice.... When that happens the Myth Of America, (home of the brave and land of the free ) will be exposed for all the world to see. ... in plain sight".
But this Empire, unlike the Nazis, will be smart enough to only send the tow-trucks with wire-rope nooses out at night --- or just use drones from 25,000 feet.
As iowablackbird questions, non-violence becomes a tough call with drones and NDAA and when "at some point in the not so distant future, people we know and people we admire will be tossed into jail" and 'disappeared'.
Best,
Alan
Overseas Civics Class
Dateline: Friday, December 30, 2011, the “International’ page (pg.A4), New York Times, David Kirkpatrick & Steven Myers (authors).
“Egyptian Forces Raid and Shut Civic Groups, Drawing Sharp U.S. Response”
Okay, now you folks really have my attention. You are trying to get me to believe that the United States is justified, once again, in openly complaining that another, sovereign Country, Egypt in this case, has absolute no leg to stand on when it exercises its right of self-determination.
Really? Please, not again. Didn’t you folks at the New York Times and you folks at the State Department get the memo?
I can not believe that, in this day and time, our Nation still feels it is our God given right to spread our unique style of democracy all over the globe. My only conclusion is that our Government and some of our mainstream media still think that it is perfectly all right to smother other Societies with our “brand”. I think what really gets under the skin of other People is the clandestine, almost cloak and dagger, means by which we try to accomplish the goal of westernization. Oh, of course, I forgot they call these exercises “civic” involvement by “civic” groups. Do they really expect the American Public, the 99%, to buy into this type of behavior anymore?
The State Department, the New York Times, and these two Authors are going to have to explain to me, and the rest of “We The People”, why it is this Country keeps throwing money away by pursuing such ridiculous actions. We have plenty of “civic” programs right here at home to spend this money on. We do not need to be funding a program that has a proven record of failure, and one that other Societies simply reject. This article wants me to be sympathetic to those wonderful, democracy-spreading folks who just want to help the down trodden of the World. If the New York Times, our Government, and these two Authors are expecting my sympathy vote, they are all going to their graves without it. I sincerely hope that the rest of America is of like mind, and will not stand for this kind of international behavior anymore.