post is kind of neutered without the music link, but i'm trying to follow some protocol here, so y'all don't think i have no concern for this place...
No Sale
We’re at war on terror. Let’s use another analogy for the purpose of understanding why so many Americans right now question if our true objective is a war of terror.
Let’s pretend we decided - like we did with drugs - that we wanted to declare and wage a war on the consumption of fossil fuel. As ridiculous as that might sound, let's imagine that our leaders came forward with a strategy for handling the world's energy and environmental concerns, by declaring war on the need for oil consumption.
We declare a war on the need for oil itself, not those who have. So we don't demonize those who have engaged in the industry up to that point, or even at that point. We don't demonize anyone for they’re past extravagances. We don't see the need nor view ourselves as having the time.
We open a new department of government designed to specifically attack the issue and bring together all of existing agencies who rely heavily on oil consumption - from Defense to HUD to Education - to focus on how to radically change this country from an oil consumer to a consumer of alternative, renewable and domestically produced fuel sources.
Would we, if motivated out of a severe mistrust of the organizations which up until now have pursued policies that have put us in the extreme situation we'd gotten to warrant such a change - appoint leadership for such a movement from the same pool of people who pursued those originally disastrous policies?
People who directly profit from that counter-productive activity? If almost everyone they know personally as their friends and family have been in those respective industries for generations, would we appoint those characteristics and take ourselves seriously?
Would we feel confident in such an exercise, if we were to adopt all manner of strong language that implied direct action, but then watched activity, which instead met the needs of an entirely different agenda with little appreciable gain on the issue?
I think analogies are useful and only dangerous when one gets locked down into the specifics of the analogy. So let us apply the same dynamic to another analogy to be clear that the specifics are not important...
Let’s say we declare war on Golf. We discover that people who can afford to play the game above a certain level ($200-300 per week, with a $50k-$600k buy-in investment) have a tendency to most of their business in that exclusive realm and thus exclude those without that ability, but more importantly studies draw a direct parallel between business investment and club accessibility, much more so than say, lung cancer and tobacco use. When the same studies show a similar parallel in the legal system nationally (where relationships between club membership and related business cases were resolved in favor of the business with personnel ties to the club). The more ridiculous the analogy, the more obvious should be the logic revealed...
If the above description were true, would we then put leaders in charge of the matter who had club memberships themselves for decades? Would we give them more power to obfuscate reality based on the notion they are best skilled to handle the problem?
The war on terror is hard for many to swallow. Collective results over time will always speak to someone's true orientation to things. If one really is pursuing a war, ideologically, literally, whatever, they will be proven true in the end by a series of collective results which either show success or failure within that desire, or instead reveal a different agenda which may resemble the stated results, but which do not suggest this was ever the true motivation.
This is not a dig at the lack of results in relation to the terror war. If you are realistic about what stage we're at as a globe on the issue, you can develop a lot of patience. Rather, this is a real concern that what is coming up results-wise is suggestive of an alternative agenda.
What seems obvious to me that i really don’t hear many people talking about is a cognoscente on the one hand of where this particular form of terror is derived from, and a lack of willingness in American leadership to even probe that reality, on the other.
Sure, some things we'll make noise about, e.g. the bagging of any perceived financial instruments that terrorists of the day might be known to enjoy. But that's so obvious that anyone with a stated agenda against terrorism would be a fool to not make some straight-forward attempt, if for any reason because their incompetence would be so easily spotted. As soon as this reality is enacted, it merely redirects terror's machinations, and does little to attack its foundations.
I think what most of the world sees in America’s collective behavior is a clear disinterest in fighting terror, and a much bigger concern of protecting it's corporations, property value and it's historically-unparalleled, unfettered access to the world's resources.
We say one thing, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations. We say another thing, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations. We transform politically from one side of the American political spectrum to the other, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations. We walk into conflict after conflict as global policeman, claiming all the while we don't want to, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations. We radically overhaul our system of healthcare, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations. We radically overhaul our system of education, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations. We radically overhaul our basic civil liberties, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations.
We talk about a war on terrorism, and then do the thing that benefits our corporations.
I can't buy into this.
another day. (sans the free mp3 to avoid the appearance of spam, which is a lot of fun. someday soon it'll get posted)
to work we go off, and on with the show
what other way is, when that's all we know?
traffic's all hectic, and the air's gone septic
and everyone's a critic or some dirty skeptic
while the radio's cold with advertising
and breakfast seems less appetizing
when ours is more about us and less about you
when the gold diggers and campers are all through
we got the message, you've said all you can
and it really doesn't matter what we say
you're driving SUVs because you can
just another day in the USA
this talk of coming together and working it through
quite frankly this important issue doesn't suit you
and yet we're constrained by what you do
and what it is you would have us believe to be true
we got the message, you've said all you can
and it really doesn't matter what we say
you're driving SUVs because you can
cause its just another day in the USA
well, we're getting there, half century of discussion
but no gain on those dreaded repercussions
but take heart and let me finish this rant
the only way you won't, is if you damn well can't
we got the message, you've said all you can
and it really doesn't matter what we say
you're driving SUVs because you can
just another sheep in the USA |
