William Hanna: The Reality of America’s “Superpower Democrazy”
The Reality of America’s “Superpower Democracy”
“We have the best government that money can buy.” Mark
Twain
Twain
Genuine democracy — a system of
government by representatives elected by all eligible citizens of a state — is
only possible through an active and knowledgable electorate so that those who
are uninformed or do not vote are deserving of the rotten and corrupt
government they get. The 36.4% (83 million) voter turnout in the recent U.S.
midterm elections — the most expensive yet with a spend of $3.7 billion or
almost $45 per vote — was the lowest since World War II when in 1942 most
Americans were preoccupied with more pressing requirements and only only 33.9%
of them exercised their right to vote in accordance with the Fifteenth
Amendment of the United States Constitution:
government by representatives elected by all eligible citizens of a state — is
only possible through an active and knowledgable electorate so that those who
are uninformed or do not vote are deserving of the rotten and corrupt
government they get. The 36.4% (83 million) voter turnout in the recent U.S.
midterm elections — the most expensive yet with a spend of $3.7 billion or
almost $45 per vote — was the lowest since World War II when in 1942 most
Americans were preoccupied with more pressing requirements and only only 33.9%
of them exercised their right to vote in accordance with the Fifteenth
Amendment of the United States Constitution:
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race,
colour, or previous condition of servitude.
denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race,
colour, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
appropriate legislation.
Even that 2014 voter statistic is
misleading because turnout is calculated as a proportion of registered voters
instead of those who are actually entitled to vote from a population of 317
million. Census numbers show that there are more than 70 million U.S. citizens
who are entitled to vote but are still not registered to do so. This apparent
lack of American voter interest and responsibility leaves the system open to
political corruption with economic and social exploitation that denies human
rights and justice to tens of millions of Americans including African Americans
who are systematically hampered by a dysfunctional educational apparatus and
obstacles to voter registration while also being denied economic opportunities
and basic civil and human rights that result with incarceration in brutal
prison-industrial-complexes by out of control racist and militarised police
forces with backing from an unjust judicial system.
misleading because turnout is calculated as a proportion of registered voters
instead of those who are actually entitled to vote from a population of 317
million. Census numbers show that there are more than 70 million U.S. citizens
who are entitled to vote but are still not registered to do so. This apparent
lack of American voter interest and responsibility leaves the system open to
political corruption with economic and social exploitation that denies human
rights and justice to tens of millions of Americans including African Americans
who are systematically hampered by a dysfunctional educational apparatus and
obstacles to voter registration while also being denied economic opportunities
and basic civil and human rights that result with incarceration in brutal
prison-industrial-complexes by out of control racist and militarised police
forces with backing from an unjust judicial system.
“America
will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
Abraham
Lincoln
Lincoln
Judicial injustice in this gun-crazy —
1.7 million kids live in homes with unlocked guns — police state can take many forms
including Civil Forfeiture laws which give police the unchecked authority to
seize items they suspect of being linked to a crime with no recourse for most
individuals who are unable to afford a lawyer to fight such unreasonable and
unjust forfeiture. When property has been seized — even when no link to a crime
has been established — it is extremely rare for the owners to get it back, and
even then only after years of legal wrangling. Civil Forfeiture is yet another
nail in the coffin of American democracy which U.S. TV political satirist John
Oliver, has described as being “really legalised robbery by law enforcement.”
1.7 million kids live in homes with unlocked guns — police state can take many forms
including Civil Forfeiture laws which give police the unchecked authority to
seize items they suspect of being linked to a crime with no recourse for most
individuals who are unable to afford a lawyer to fight such unreasonable and
unjust forfeiture. When property has been seized — even when no link to a crime
has been established — it is extremely rare for the owners to get it back, and
even then only after years of legal wrangling. Civil Forfeiture is yet another
nail in the coffin of American democracy which U.S. TV political satirist John
Oliver, has described as being “really legalised robbery by law enforcement.”
Evidence of this sad superpower state of
affairs is cited in a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities
which concluded that American democracy no longer exists. Researchers Martin
Gilens and Benjamin I. Page — Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy
initiatives from 1981 to 2002 — contend that that during the past few decades
America’s political system has been slowly but surely transformed from a
democracy into an oligarchy where wealthy elites exercise most power. The
study, which will be taught at those universities, asserts that “The central
point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organised
groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on
U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens
have little or no independent influence.” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10769041/The-US-is-an-oligarchy-study-concludes.html)
affairs is cited in a new study from Princeton and Northwestern Universities
which concluded that American democracy no longer exists. Researchers Martin
Gilens and Benjamin I. Page — Using data drawn from over 1,800 different policy
initiatives from 1981 to 2002 — contend that that during the past few decades
America’s political system has been slowly but surely transformed from a
democracy into an oligarchy where wealthy elites exercise most power. The
study, which will be taught at those universities, asserts that “The central
point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organised
groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on
U.S. government policy, while mass-based interest groups and average citizens
have little or no independent influence.” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10769041/The-US-is-an-oligarchy-study-concludes.html)
“Nobody
will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American
people themselves and the only way they can do this is by not voting.”
will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American
people themselves and the only way they can do this is by not voting.”
Franklin
D. Roosevelt
D. Roosevelt
The disproportionate influence over
Congress by special interest groups — especially by the Zionist American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — was yet again recently
demonstrated in an article by Connie Bruck in the New Yorker magazine
about Jewish Lobby reactions when freshman El Paso Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke
cast one of only eight votes in Congress against special funding — another $225
million in addition to more than $3.6 billion per year in various forms of aid
that Israel gets from the U.S. — for Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defence system
during the recent Gaza war. The reactions included a mass emailing that labeled
O’Rourke as “an anti-Israel congressman” and the denunciation of his vote as
“shameful.” Critical local press coverage included a public comment by one of
his own Jewish donors to the El Paso Times that in voting as he did, O’Rourke
“chooses to side with the rocket launchers and terror tunnel builders” of
Hamas.
Congress by special interest groups — especially by the Zionist American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — was yet again recently
demonstrated in an article by Connie Bruck in the New Yorker magazine
about Jewish Lobby reactions when freshman El Paso Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke
cast one of only eight votes in Congress against special funding — another $225
million in addition to more than $3.6 billion per year in various forms of aid
that Israel gets from the U.S. — for Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defence system
during the recent Gaza war. The reactions included a mass emailing that labeled
O’Rourke as “an anti-Israel congressman” and the denunciation of his vote as
“shameful.” Critical local press coverage included a public comment by one of
his own Jewish donors to the El Paso Times that in voting as he did, O’Rourke
“chooses to side with the rocket launchers and terror tunnel builders” of
Hamas.
The unleashing of such wrathful Jewish
community hysteria was despite the fact that O’Rourke had no previous record of
criticising or voting against Israel and his opposition in this instance was
simply due to his reluctance to rush through the large appropriation without a
more considered debate in October following the return of congressmen from the
summer recess. AIPAC nonetheless had ensured that Congressional leaders forced
the vote onto the legislative schedule resulting in an overwhelming majority of
395 representatives for with only eight against — not an unusual result for
pro-Israel legislation especially for military assistance at a time of war (if
the unprovoked and deliberate genocide of a virtually unarmed and helpless
Palestinian people can be called a “war”).
community hysteria was despite the fact that O’Rourke had no previous record of
criticising or voting against Israel and his opposition in this instance was
simply due to his reluctance to rush through the large appropriation without a
more considered debate in October following the return of congressmen from the
summer recess. AIPAC nonetheless had ensured that Congressional leaders forced
the vote onto the legislative schedule resulting in an overwhelming majority of
395 representatives for with only eight against — not an unusual result for
pro-Israel legislation especially for military assistance at a time of war (if
the unprovoked and deliberate genocide of a virtually unarmed and helpless
Palestinian people can be called a “war”).
El Paso’s population of 862,000 is 70%
Hispanic with an estimated 4,000 Jewish community whose El Paso Jewish
federation sent out an alert to members with O’Rourke’s contact information
urging that action should be taken and a suggested sample letter. With a
substantial number of Jews on his donor list, O’Rourke immediately sought
damage control with the explanation that as he was one of the last to vote in
the roll call, when it was already clear the bill was cruising toward passage,
he consequently felt free to cast a vote on principle [but should he not have
done that anyway?] knowing it would not impact on the final outcome. In keeping
with its usual modus operandi, AIPAC quickly followed the stick with the carrot
so that in the spring, or sooner, O’Rourke will join a group of other lawmakers
on the annual junket (pilgrimage) to Israel arranged by an AIPAC-affiliated
organisation. Unfortunately, the 578,000 or more Hispanic majority have no
extravagant junkets with which to compete for Beto O’Rourke’s congressional
attention.
Hispanic with an estimated 4,000 Jewish community whose El Paso Jewish
federation sent out an alert to members with O’Rourke’s contact information
urging that action should be taken and a suggested sample letter. With a
substantial number of Jews on his donor list, O’Rourke immediately sought
damage control with the explanation that as he was one of the last to vote in
the roll call, when it was already clear the bill was cruising toward passage,
he consequently felt free to cast a vote on principle [but should he not have
done that anyway?] knowing it would not impact on the final outcome. In keeping
with its usual modus operandi, AIPAC quickly followed the stick with the carrot
so that in the spring, or sooner, O’Rourke will join a group of other lawmakers
on the annual junket (pilgrimage) to Israel arranged by an AIPAC-affiliated
organisation. Unfortunately, the 578,000 or more Hispanic majority have no
extravagant junkets with which to compete for Beto O’Rourke’s congressional
attention.
“Every time we do something you tell me Americans will do this
and will do that. I want to tell you something very clear, don’t worry about American
pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans
know it.”
and will do that. I want to tell you something very clear, don’t worry about American
pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans
know it.”
Ariel Sharon, October 2001
Even those americans wishing to be
knowledgable and active participants in their democracy are disadvantaged by
the fact that only six corporations — consolidated from some 50 companies back
in 1983 — now control 90% of the media in America and purvey the illusion of
choice.
knowledgable and active participants in their democracy are disadvantaged by
the fact that only six corporations — consolidated from some 50 companies back
in 1983 — now control 90% of the media in America and purvey the illusion of
choice.
“In
America, the criminally insane rule and the rest of us, or the vast majority of
the rest of us, either do not care, do not know, or are distracted and properly
brainwashed into acquiescence.”
America, the criminally insane rule and the rest of us, or the vast majority of
the rest of us, either do not care, do not know, or are distracted and properly
brainwashed into acquiescence.”
Kurt Nimmo
This consolidation of media outlets has
consistently disseminated disinformation promoting the war agendas of the very
institutions of power that keep them in business. Deceptive media reports
have repeatedly advocated war agenda policies that have sent Western nations
headlong into illegitimate, illegal, and immoral wars in Yugoslavia, Iraq,
Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria with Iran being the next Israeli-instigated
target.
consistently disseminated disinformation promoting the war agendas of the very
institutions of power that keep them in business. Deceptive media reports
have repeatedly advocated war agenda policies that have sent Western nations
headlong into illegitimate, illegal, and immoral wars in Yugoslavia, Iraq,
Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria with Iran being the next Israeli-instigated
target.
“ . .
. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of
unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial
complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and
will persist . . . ”
. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of
unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial
complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and
will persist . . . ”
President
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell
Address 1961
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Farewell
Address 1961
It was the pernicious programming of people as happened
following the tragic events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks when the media
provoked fear, paranoia, and outrage that the brainwashed American people
willingly surrendered their freedoms by allowing Congress to pass the Patriot
Act and create the Department of Homeland [Fatherland?] Security that led to
the NSA spying on all Americans with the recording of their phone calls, webcam
videos, mobile device texts and financial transactions without warrants and in
contravention of the law. Another consequence of the orchestrated media
hysteria following 9/11 was the U.S. Border Patrol’s growth from only 9,000
border agents to the current 46,000 with an annual budget of $12.4 billion. It
is therefore no surprise that results of a just released poll by Pew Research
shows that Americans are now more paranoid of electronic surveillance than ever
before with 80% of adults saying Americans should be concerned about the
government’s monitoring of phone calls and internet communications and only 18%
disagreeing.
following the tragic events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks when the media
provoked fear, paranoia, and outrage that the brainwashed American people
willingly surrendered their freedoms by allowing Congress to pass the Patriot
Act and create the Department of Homeland [Fatherland?] Security that led to
the NSA spying on all Americans with the recording of their phone calls, webcam
videos, mobile device texts and financial transactions without warrants and in
contravention of the law. Another consequence of the orchestrated media
hysteria following 9/11 was the U.S. Border Patrol’s growth from only 9,000
border agents to the current 46,000 with an annual budget of $12.4 billion. It
is therefore no surprise that results of a just released poll by Pew Research
shows that Americans are now more paranoid of electronic surveillance than ever
before with 80% of adults saying Americans should be concerned about the
government’s monitoring of phone calls and internet communications and only 18%
disagreeing.
While Americans are deliberately deprived of the true
facts by the mainstream media, their elected representatives on Capitol Hill
continue with barefaced impunity to place the Interests of the Zionist
Apartheid state of Israel above and beyond those of their own country and
people. Mark Twain’s quote was true then and is even truer now as witnessed by
several events starting with the Republican Jewish Conference in Las Vegas in
late March of this year where hopefuls for the 2016 presidential campaign such
as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Governor Chris Christie, Governor John
Kasich, and Governor Scott Walker turned up to court big spenders including
Jewish casino mogul Sheldon Adelson who in the 2012 election spent $100 million
of which $20 million was wasted on the losing Republican primary candidate Newt
“and I think that we’ve invented the Palestinian people” Gingrich.
facts by the mainstream media, their elected representatives on Capitol Hill
continue with barefaced impunity to place the Interests of the Zionist
Apartheid state of Israel above and beyond those of their own country and
people. Mark Twain’s quote was true then and is even truer now as witnessed by
several events starting with the Republican Jewish Conference in Las Vegas in
late March of this year where hopefuls for the 2016 presidential campaign such
as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Governor Chris Christie, Governor John
Kasich, and Governor Scott Walker turned up to court big spenders including
Jewish casino mogul Sheldon Adelson who in the 2012 election spent $100 million
of which $20 million was wasted on the losing Republican primary candidate Newt
“and I think that we’ve invented the Palestinian people” Gingrich.
“ . .
. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe
me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly
awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the
most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must
be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be
avoided, instead of a defence against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign
nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see
danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of
influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the
favourite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes
usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests .
. . ”
. Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe
me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly
awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the
most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must
be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be
avoided, instead of a defence against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign
nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see
danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of
influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the
favourite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes
usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests .
. . ”
President
George Washington’s Farewell Address
1796
George Washington’s Farewell Address
1796
A few days later at the beginning of April, the U.S.
Supreme Court struck down limits on individual campaign contributions, ruling
that federal caps on combined donations to candidates, parties and political
action committees are an unconstitutional infringement on free speech. In other
words, the very rich like Adelson — who to date had donated some $180 million
to the Birthright Israel Foundation that makes available a 10-day Birthright
Israel educational trip to every Jewish young adult — and the Kock brothers
(sons of Fred C. Kock, founder of Kock industries, the second largest privately
held company in the U.S.) can go shopping for political candidates over whom
they will subsequently have complete control.
Supreme Court struck down limits on individual campaign contributions, ruling
that federal caps on combined donations to candidates, parties and political
action committees are an unconstitutional infringement on free speech. In other
words, the very rich like Adelson — who to date had donated some $180 million
to the Birthright Israel Foundation that makes available a 10-day Birthright
Israel educational trip to every Jewish young adult — and the Kock brothers
(sons of Fred C. Kock, founder of Kock industries, the second largest privately
held company in the U.S.) can go shopping for political candidates over whom
they will subsequently have complete control.
Of the nine Supreme Court Justices three are Jewish
while none are Christian Protestant (the largest religious group in the US) or
Muslim (Muslim-Americans are about equal in number to Jewish-Americans) which
again suggests that money can buy disproportionate representation. While it is
rare for sitting Supreme Court justices to serve on boards — with most
resigning from such board memberships to at least give the appearance of
nonpartisanship — Justice Stephen C. Breyer is an active serving member on the
International Advisory Board of the Israel Democracy Institute which conducts
policy research of uncompromising quality on issues critical to the future of
Israeli democracy — not U.S. democracy
while none are Christian Protestant (the largest religious group in the US) or
Muslim (Muslim-Americans are about equal in number to Jewish-Americans) which
again suggests that money can buy disproportionate representation. While it is
rare for sitting Supreme Court justices to serve on boards — with most
resigning from such board memberships to at least give the appearance of
nonpartisanship — Justice Stephen C. Breyer is an active serving member on the
International Advisory Board of the Israel Democracy Institute which conducts
policy research of uncompromising quality on issues critical to the future of
Israeli democracy — not U.S. democracy
Just a few days ago two of the most notorious Jewish
war-mongering billionaire power brokers in America made a joint appearance
before a new group calling itself the Israeli American Council (IAC). Media
mogul Haim Saban, 70, a major sugar daddy to Hillary Clinton (a potential
presidential candidate), criticised President Obama’s dealings with Iran by
stating “we’ve shown too many carrots and a very small stick” and fantasised
about bombing Iran. Sheldon Adelson, 81, who spent $400 million supporting
various Republican presidential candidates in 2014 — with nothing as yet to
show for it, told IAC that “Everyone in this room — whether you’re a
Republican, a Democrat or Independent . . . when it comes to Israel, we’re on
the same side.” Adelson, not content with just owning American politicians,
also plans to buy the already Israel-biased New York Times even though
it is not for sale. When asked how this would be achieved, Adelson replied
“There’s only one way to buy it — Money.” It was also generally agreed that
President Obama has not done enough to protect Israel [help annihilate the
Palestinian people].
war-mongering billionaire power brokers in America made a joint appearance
before a new group calling itself the Israeli American Council (IAC). Media
mogul Haim Saban, 70, a major sugar daddy to Hillary Clinton (a potential
presidential candidate), criticised President Obama’s dealings with Iran by
stating “we’ve shown too many carrots and a very small stick” and fantasised
about bombing Iran. Sheldon Adelson, 81, who spent $400 million supporting
various Republican presidential candidates in 2014 — with nothing as yet to
show for it, told IAC that “Everyone in this room — whether you’re a
Republican, a Democrat or Independent . . . when it comes to Israel, we’re on
the same side.” Adelson, not content with just owning American politicians,
also plans to buy the already Israel-biased New York Times even though
it is not for sale. When asked how this would be achieved, Adelson replied
“There’s only one way to buy it — Money.” It was also generally agreed that
President Obama has not done enough to protect Israel [help annihilate the
Palestinian people].
“Pointing
fingers at the world for its indifference to the genocide of the Jews, while
busy using the Holocaust for political gains at the expense of the
Palestinians, Zionists have a lot to hide about their indifference, even
collaboration, with the Nazis and the Fascists, as their fellow Jews were being
sent to concentration camps. It seems that this finger-pointing by the Zionists
is nothing more than a smoke screen to hide their dark past of allowing
other Jews to die, while the Zionists were lobbying to rob Palestinians of
their country.” Two highly recommended books on the topic are Zionism in
the Age of the Dictators by Lenni Brenner and The Seventh Million
by Tom Segev; (both authors are Jews).
fingers at the world for its indifference to the genocide of the Jews, while
busy using the Holocaust for political gains at the expense of the
Palestinians, Zionists have a lot to hide about their indifference, even
collaboration, with the Nazis and the Fascists, as their fellow Jews were being
sent to concentration camps. It seems that this finger-pointing by the Zionists
is nothing more than a smoke screen to hide their dark past of allowing
other Jews to die, while the Zionists were lobbying to rob Palestinians of
their country.” Two highly recommended books on the topic are Zionism in
the Age of the Dictators by Lenni Brenner and The Seventh Million
by Tom Segev; (both authors are Jews).
While Abraham Lincoln may have said
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from
the Earth,” the fact remains that such exemplary governance, if it ever
actually existed in the United States, has certainly now perished with half of
Americans living below or near the poverty line and a record 47 million of them
— 13 million more than when the President Obama assumed office — receiving food
stamps. Census figures released in September 2013 reveal that in any given
month, some 1.7 million households are living on a cash income of less
than $2 per person per day, with the prevalence of the kind of deep poverty
commonly associated with developing nations increasing in the U.S. since the
mid-1990s; One out of seven people in the U.S. are living in poverty; Almost
one out of sixteen people in the U.S. are living in deep poverty; Racial and
ethnic minorities, women, children, and families headed by single women are
particularly vulnerable to poverty and deep poverty; Blacks and Hispanics are
more likely than whites to be poor, and to be in poverty and deep poverty;
Children represent more than one-third of the people living in poverty and deep
poverty; Poverty is a women’s issue with female-headed families being more
likely to be poor; and over one-fourth of adults with a disability live in
poverty.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from
the Earth,” the fact remains that such exemplary governance, if it ever
actually existed in the United States, has certainly now perished with half of
Americans living below or near the poverty line and a record 47 million of them
— 13 million more than when the President Obama assumed office — receiving food
stamps. Census figures released in September 2013 reveal that in any given
month, some 1.7 million households are living on a cash income of less
than $2 per person per day, with the prevalence of the kind of deep poverty
commonly associated with developing nations increasing in the U.S. since the
mid-1990s; One out of seven people in the U.S. are living in poverty; Almost
one out of sixteen people in the U.S. are living in deep poverty; Racial and
ethnic minorities, women, children, and families headed by single women are
particularly vulnerable to poverty and deep poverty; Blacks and Hispanics are
more likely than whites to be poor, and to be in poverty and deep poverty;
Children represent more than one-third of the people living in poverty and deep
poverty; Poverty is a women’s issue with female-headed families being more
likely to be poor; and over one-fourth of adults with a disability live in
poverty.
Despite so much poverty and social
injustice the U.S. military
budget is $756.4 billion for the year 2015. This includes $495.6 billion for the base budget of the
Department of Defence(DOD); $85.4 billion for Overseas Contingency Funds for
the wind-down of the War in Afghanistan; $175.4 billion for
defence-related agencies and functions including the Veterans
Administration ($65.3 billion), the State Department ($42.6 billion), Homeland
Security ($38.2 billion), FBI and Cybersecurity in the Department of
Justice ($17.6 billion), and the National Nuclear Security
Administration in the Department of Energy ($11.7 billion).
injustice the U.S. military
budget is $756.4 billion for the year 2015. This includes $495.6 billion for the base budget of the
Department of Defence(DOD); $85.4 billion for Overseas Contingency Funds for
the wind-down of the War in Afghanistan; $175.4 billion for
defence-related agencies and functions including the Veterans
Administration ($65.3 billion), the State Department ($42.6 billion), Homeland
Security ($38.2 billion), FBI and Cybersecurity in the Department of
Justice ($17.6 billion), and the National Nuclear Security
Administration in the Department of Energy ($11.7 billion).
That means that military spending is the
second largest Federal government expenditure after Social Security
($896 billion). Though military spending has dropped thanks to
sequestration and the end of the War in Iraq in 2011, it is still greater
than Medicare ($529 billion), Medicaid ($331 billion), or the
interest payment on the debt ($251 billion). It is also more than the three
next largest departments combined: Health and Human Services
($73.1 billion), Education ($68.6 billion) and Housing and Urban
Development ($32.6 billion). If all military spending were somehow
safely eliminated, there would be a budget surplus of $174.8 billion, instead
of a $564 billion deficit.
second largest Federal government expenditure after Social Security
($896 billion). Though military spending has dropped thanks to
sequestration and the end of the War in Iraq in 2011, it is still greater
than Medicare ($529 billion), Medicaid ($331 billion), or the
interest payment on the debt ($251 billion). It is also more than the three
next largest departments combined: Health and Human Services
($73.1 billion), Education ($68.6 billion) and Housing and Urban
Development ($32.6 billion). If all military spending were somehow
safely eliminated, there would be a budget surplus of $174.8 billion, instead
of a $564 billion deficit.
With the launch of the latest U.S.-led
war in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State (IS), the United States has now
engaged in aggressive military
action in at least 13
countries in the Greater Middle East since 1980 during
which time every American president — egged on by AIPAC on behalf of Israel —
has invaded, occupied, bombed, or gone to war in at least one country in the
region. Such illegal invasions, socially destructive occupations, barbaric
bombing operations, extrajudicial drone assassinations, and war crime cruise
missile attacks, have become part of a permanent U.S. infrastructure for
disastrous wars in the Middle East which require access to and the use of an
unprecedented number of military bases. The Middle East bases occupy a region
with the world’s largest concentration of oil and natural gas reserves that are
considered to be the most geopolitically
important on the planet. Since 1980, the U.S.
military has gradually garrisoned the Greater Middle East in a manner matched
only by the Cold War garrisoning of Western Europe or, in terms of numbers, by
the bases built to wage past wars of interference in Korea and Vietnam.
war in Iraq and Syria against the Islamic State (IS), the United States has now
engaged in aggressive military
action in at least 13
countries in the Greater Middle East since 1980 during
which time every American president — egged on by AIPAC on behalf of Israel —
has invaded, occupied, bombed, or gone to war in at least one country in the
region. Such illegal invasions, socially destructive occupations, barbaric
bombing operations, extrajudicial drone assassinations, and war crime cruise
missile attacks, have become part of a permanent U.S. infrastructure for
disastrous wars in the Middle East which require access to and the use of an
unprecedented number of military bases. The Middle East bases occupy a region
with the world’s largest concentration of oil and natural gas reserves that are
considered to be the most geopolitically
important on the planet. Since 1980, the U.S.
military has gradually garrisoned the Greater Middle East in a manner matched
only by the Cold War garrisoning of Western Europe or, in terms of numbers, by
the bases built to wage past wars of interference in Korea and Vietnam.
“We
have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the world — bullies and bastards who
would rather kill than live peacefully. We are whores for power and oil with
hate and fear in our hearts.”
have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the world — bullies and bastards who
would rather kill than live peacefully. We are whores for power and oil with
hate and fear in our hearts.”
Hunter
S. Thompson (1937-2005) American
journalist and author.
S. Thompson (1937-2005) American
journalist and author.
Not content with financing its own
unnecessary and illegal global military aggression, the U.S. each day
provides Israel with $8.5 million in military aid while giving the Palestinians
zero dollars in military aid. Yet despite this overwhelming provision of
military aid to Israel that defies any comparison, Israeli-inspired Western
propaganda in the mainstream media will have us believe that it is the Israelis
— and not the blockaded Palestinian victims of ethnic cleansing — who are in
need of “defend themselves.”
unnecessary and illegal global military aggression, the U.S. each day
provides Israel with $8.5 million in military aid while giving the Palestinians
zero dollars in military aid. Yet despite this overwhelming provision of
military aid to Israel that defies any comparison, Israeli-inspired Western
propaganda in the mainstream media will have us believe that it is the Israelis
— and not the blockaded Palestinian victims of ethnic cleansing — who are in
need of “defend themselves.”
“Since the October War in 1973,
Washington has provided Israel with a level of support dwarfing the amounts
provided to any other state. It has been the largest annual recipient of direct
U.S. economic and military assistance since 1976 and the largest total
recipient since World War ll. Total direct U.S. aid to Israel amounts to well
over $140 billion in 2003 dollars. Israel receives about $3 billion in direct
foreign assistance each year, which is roughly one-fifth of America’s entire
foreign aid budget. In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a
direct subsidy worth about $500 per year. This largesse is especially striking
when one realises that Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per
capita income roughly equal to South Korea or Spain.”
Washington has provided Israel with a level of support dwarfing the amounts
provided to any other state. It has been the largest annual recipient of direct
U.S. economic and military assistance since 1976 and the largest total
recipient since World War ll. Total direct U.S. aid to Israel amounts to well
over $140 billion in 2003 dollars. Israel receives about $3 billion in direct
foreign assistance each year, which is roughly one-fifth of America’s entire
foreign aid budget. In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a
direct subsidy worth about $500 per year. This largesse is especially striking
when one realises that Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per
capita income roughly equal to South Korea or Spain.”
John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, The
Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.
Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.
The decline of U.S. moral authority,
respect for justice, and the loss of democratic principles unfortunately
impacts not only on the United States of America, but also on the rest of the
world. Every time the U.S. sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold. This
American malady is not a new phenomenon, but one that was diagnosed and warned
against back in the mid-sixties by a true American patriot, as opposed to the
lowlifes that now “represent” the American people:
respect for justice, and the loss of democratic principles unfortunately
impacts not only on the United States of America, but also on the rest of the
world. Every time the U.S. sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold. This
American malady is not a new phenomenon, but one that was diagnosed and warned
against back in the mid-sixties by a true American patriot, as opposed to the
lowlifes that now “represent” the American people:
“. . .
America is now at that historical point at which a great nation is in danger of
losing its perspective on what exactly is within the realm of its power and
what is beyond it. Other great nations, reaching this critical juncture, have
aspired to too much, and by overextension of effort have declined and then
fallen . . .
America is now at that historical point at which a great nation is in danger of
losing its perspective on what exactly is within the realm of its power and
what is beyond it. Other great nations, reaching this critical juncture, have
aspired to too much, and by overextension of effort have declined and then
fallen . . .
“If
America has a service to perform in the world and I believe it has it is in
large part the service of its own example. In our excessive involvement in the
affairs of other countries, we are not only living off our assets and denying
our own people the proper enjoyment of their resources; we are also denying the
world the example of a free society enjoying its freedom to the fullest. This
is regrettable indeed for a nation that aspires to teach democracy to other
nations, because, as Burke said, “Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other.”
America has a service to perform in the world and I believe it has it is in
large part the service of its own example. In our excessive involvement in the
affairs of other countries, we are not only living off our assets and denying
our own people the proper enjoyment of their resources; we are also denying the
world the example of a free society enjoying its freedom to the fullest. This
is regrettable indeed for a nation that aspires to teach democracy to other
nations, because, as Burke said, “Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other.”
“There
are many respects in which America, if it can bring itself to act with the
magnanimity and the empathy appropriate to its size and power, can be an
intelligent example to the world. We have the opportunity to set an example of
generous understanding in our relations with China, of practical cooperation for
peace in our relations with Russia, of reliable and respectful partnership in
our relations with Western Europe, of material helpfulness without moral
presumption in our relations with the developing nations, of abstention from
the temptations of hegemony in our relations with Latin America, and of the
all-around advantages of minding one’s own business in our relations with
everybody. Most of all, we have the opportunity to serve as an example of
democracy to the world by the way in which we run our own society; America, in
the words of John Quincy Adams, should be ‘the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all’ but ‘the
champion and vindicator only of her own.’
are many respects in which America, if it can bring itself to act with the
magnanimity and the empathy appropriate to its size and power, can be an
intelligent example to the world. We have the opportunity to set an example of
generous understanding in our relations with China, of practical cooperation for
peace in our relations with Russia, of reliable and respectful partnership in
our relations with Western Europe, of material helpfulness without moral
presumption in our relations with the developing nations, of abstention from
the temptations of hegemony in our relations with Latin America, and of the
all-around advantages of minding one’s own business in our relations with
everybody. Most of all, we have the opportunity to serve as an example of
democracy to the world by the way in which we run our own society; America, in
the words of John Quincy Adams, should be ‘the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all’ but ‘the
champion and vindicator only of her own.’
“If we
can bring ourselves so to act, we will have overcome the dangers of the arrogance
of power. It will involve, no doubt, the loss of certain glories, but that
seems a price worth paying for the probable rewards, which are the happiness of
America and the peace of the world.”
can bring ourselves so to act, we will have overcome the dangers of the arrogance
of power. It will involve, no doubt, the loss of certain glories, but that
seems a price worth paying for the probable rewards, which are the happiness of
America and the peace of the world.”
Senator William J. Fulbright, The Arrogance of
Power, Random House, 1966.
Power, Random House, 1966.
Illustrations by (http://www.deesillustration.com/index.asp)
William Hanna is a freelance writer with
a recently published book the Hiramic Brotherhood of the Third Temple. Sample
chapter, other articles, and contact details at: (http://www.hiramicbrotherhood.com/)
a recently published book the Hiramic Brotherhood of the Third Temple. Sample
chapter, other articles, and contact details at: (http://www.hiramicbrotherhood.com/)
Recently he published his new article collection entitled “The Tragedy of Palestine and its Children”, in collaboration with ProMosaik e.V. – Here you can read the review:
http://www.promosaik.com/cms/?p=2801&cat=26
