How To Know Your Empire's Crumbling
You know your empire's crumbling when you're spending tens of billions of dollars you don't own on new nuclear warheads and space weapons that don't work, to be used against an enemy you don't have. You know your empire's crumbling when one of your cities drowns and your government does next to nothing before, during and after. You know your empire's crumbling when your political leaders start to be chosen by dynastic rules of succession. You know your empire's crumbling when you're spending your grandchildren's money like a drunken sailor, and letting your soon-to-be rivals finance your little splurge (i.e., letting them own your country). You know your empire's crumbling when it's considered an achievement to pretend that you've halved the rate at which you're adding to the massive mountain of debt you've already accumulated. You know your empire's crumbling when you weaken your currency until it looks as anemic as a Paris runway model, and you're still setting record trade deficits. (Hint: Because you're not making anything anymore.) You know your empire's crumbling when "the little brown ones" (thank you George H.W. Bush certainly not me for that lovely expression) in country after country of "your backyard" blow you off and proudly elect anti-imperialist leftist governments. You know your empire's crumbling when you can't topple those governments and replace them with nice puppet regimes like in the good old days even if you wanted to. And you badly want to. You know your empire's crumbling when one of their leaders comes to the United Nations and makes fun of your emperor, calling him the devil, and joking about smelling sulphur where he just stood. And though a few folks cringe, everybody laughs. You know your empire's crumbling when just about your entire military land force is tied up in a worse-than-useless war launched on the basis of complete fabrications, that every day is actually making you less not more secure from external threat. You know your empire's crumbling when almost half the soldiers in that war are high-paid mercenaries, and you don't dare institute a draft. You know your empire's crumbling when you trade your prior moral leadership on human rights issues for global disgust at your torture, `extraordinary rendition' (a.k.a. kidnapping for torture) and the dismantling of nine centuries worth of civil liberties progress. You know your empire's crumbling when you blow off international law that you once helped create, and undermine the institutions of international governance that you once helped build. You know your empire's crumbling when opinion polls confirm that every month you're more and more despised throughout the world. You know your empire's crumbling when you're the richest country in the world, but nearly 50 million of your people don't have basic health care coverage. You know your empire's crumbling when the World Health Organization ranks your healthcare system 37th `best' in the world, just above Slovenia, and just below Costa Rica. (And far below Colombia, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.) You know your empire's crumbling when instead of making it easier for citizens to obtain a higher education, you're making it harder and more expensive. You know your empire's crumbling when your government gives tax breaks to industries as a reward for exporting your jobs elsewhere. You know your empire's crumbling when your emperor is warned by a CIA briefer of an imminent terrorist attack of vast proportions, and responds by remaining on vacation and dismissing the briefer with the words: "All right. You've covered your ass, now." You know your empire's crumbling when the same emperor drops everything to fly across the country from his vacation home in order to sign a bill intervening on the wrong side of a personal medical drama involving a single family. You know your empire's crumbling when gays and immigrants are used as diversionary issues to keep people from thinking about the pillaging of their country and their wallets actually taking place. And it works. And you especially know your empire's crumbling when the most idiotic child of one of the least accomplished leaders in its history is not only crowned as the next emperor, but is even revered for a time by most of the public as a great one. Excerpted from: http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0202-26.htm --- In [email protected], "jim_flanegin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > While corporations have grown ever stronger in the US, they have > taken on the role of policy making through lobbyist and special > interest groups, funneling countless millions of dollars to elect > and re-elect those who will do their bidding. I am convinced the US > has now quietly become a fascist country. > > The Congress is all but impotent to stop this ongoing drumbeat for > continuous war. Look at what little they are doing to withdraw from > Iraq; quibbling over a toothless, non-binding resolution against the > planned surge of nearly 50,000 troops into Iraq. Nothing said about > the proposed $700 Billion 2007 defense budget, paid for with > domestic spending cuts. > > The Democrats who were so recently elected into a majority in both > houses of Congress have done nothing to de-escalate the war, because > war is good for business- it results in almost instant obsolescence > of products, which then must be replaced, the armies must be fed, > sheltered and clothed, and the arms race results in ever more > complex and expensive weaponry. > > And every last congress person is now bought off, by corporations > who can make or break them, depending on how much re-election cash > they provide to those running for election. > > --- In [email protected], "nablusos108" > <nablusos108@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Fra: http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0204-23.htm > > > > > > > > > Published on Sunday, February 4, 2007 by the Toronto Sun / Canada > > > Fight Against Iran Too Familiar > > > by Eric Margolis > > > > > > While the Bush/Cheney administration seems hell-bent on > provoking > > war with > > > Iran, Americans appear far more alarmed by the dangers of global > > warming. > > > Many of them must regret not voting for "Ecological Al" Gore in > > 2000. > > > > > > While icebergs melt, the U.S.-Iran confrontation is getting very > > > dangerous. > > > The heaviest concentration of U.S. naval strike forces since the > > 2003 war > > > against Iraq is concentrating off Iran. > > > > > > In a disturbing replay of that conflict, CIA drones and U.S. Air > > Force > > > recon > > > aircraft -- along with U.S. and British Special Forces -- are > > overflying > > > Iran and probing its nuclear and military installations. CIA and > > Britain's > > > MI6 are stirring unrest among Iran's Kurds and Azerbaijanis, and > > arming > > > Iranian Marxist and royalist exiles. > > > > > > A belligerent President George Bush ordered U.S. forces in Iraq > > to "kill" > > > Iranian agents or diplomats who appear threatening. > > > > > > U.S. troops in northern Iraq broke into an Iranian liaison > office > > and > > > arrested its military staff. Bush unblushingly warns Iran, not > > to "meddle" > > > in neighbouring Iraq. > > > > > > Pentagon sources accused Iran of smuggling weapons and > explosives to > > > "Iraqi > > > insurgents;" though the "insurgents" are in fact Shia militiamen > > allied to > > > the U.S.-installed Baghdad regime. Half of the 21,000 additional > > U.S. > > > troops > > > headed to Iraq are being positioned to cover the Iranian border > and > > block > > > an > > > Iranian threat to the main U.S. -Kuwait-Baghdad supply line. > > > > > > New contingents of U.S. Air Force personnel and warplanes are > > arriving at > > > key forward air bases in Bulgaria and Romania that link the U.S. > to > > the > > > Mideast and Central Asia. U.S. bases in Britain, Germany, Diego > > Garcia, > > > the > > > Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and Pakistan are reported on > heightened > > alert. > > > Turkey is being pressed to allow U.S. and Israeli strike > aircraft > > to use > > > its > > > air space to attack northern Iran. > > > > > > The Pentagon's latest strike plan against Iran includes more > than > > 2,300 > > > "high value" targets such as its dispersed nuclear > infrastructure > > and, > > > worryingly, operating reactors, air and naval bases, ports, > > > telecommunications, air defences, military factories, energy > > networks and > > > government buildings. > > > > > > Iran's water and sewage systems, bridges, food storage, and bomb > > shelters > > > could also be targeted, as were Iraq's in 2001. > > > > > > The U.S. Treasury has mounted a highly effective campaign to > > strangle Iran > > > financially, seriously hurting its foreign banking connections, > > retarding > > > industrial growth and energy production, and impeding foreign > > investment. > > > > > > The Bush administration and close ally Israel have sharply > > intensified > > > their > > > war of words against Iran, claiming, implausibly, it poses a > nuclear > > > threat > > > to the entire world. > > > > > > Israeli threats > > > > > > Politicians in Israel are in dangerous emotional overdrive and > > making open > > > threats to attack Iran. They claim Iran is a new Nazi Germany > and > > Israel > > > faces a second Holocaust -- in spite of its powerful triad of > > nuclear > > > forces > > > that can survive any surprise attack. > > > > > > Though UN inspectors find no evidence Iran is producing nuclear > > weapons, > > > Tehran, like Saddam's Iraq, is being told to prove an impossible > > > negative -- > > > that it has no nuclear weapons. > > > > > > With disturbing deja vu, the U.S. Congress and media are > swallowing > > the > > > administration's torrent of unproven allegations against Iran > > precisely > > > the > > > way they lapped up its grotesque lies about Iraq. > > > > > > Intelligence analysts would conclude either: Washington is > trying > > to bluff > > > Tehran to abandon its entirely legal but worrisome civilian > nuclear > > power > > > program and thus claim a major victory after so many defeats. > Or, > > the > > > cornered Bush/Cheney administration is trying to provoke an air > and > > naval > > > war against Iran as a last desperate, ideologically driven > assault > > against > > > the Muslim world, and divert attention from its Iraq debacle. > > > > > > 'Not very dangerous' > > > > > > Amid growing war fever, this week France's President Jacques > Chirac > > > sensibly > > > observed, off the record, that even if Iran had a few nuclear > > weapons for > > > self-defence, "it is not very dangerous." > > > > > > Iran would be obliterated by U.S. and Israeli nuclear > > counterstrikes if it > > > ever used its nukes against Israel, noted Chirac, and is > unlikely to > > > commit > > > national suicide. > > > > > > After his comments became public, Chirac retracted them when > > Washington's > > > French-haters went apoplectic. But, as he did before Bush's 2003 > war > > > against > > > Iraq, Chirac spoke with logic and good sense. > > > > > > margolis@ > > > > > > > > > Fra http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0131-28.htm > > > > > > Published on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 by Consortium News > > > Iran Clock Is Ticking > > > by Robert Parry > > > > > > While congressional Democrats test how far they should go in > > challenging > > > George W. Bush's war powers, the time may be running out to stop > > Bush from > > > ordering a major escalation of the Middle East conflict by > > attacking Iran. > > > > > > Military and intelligence sources continue to tell me that > > preparations > > > are > > > advancing for a war with Iran starting possibly as early as mid- > to- > > late > > > February. The sources offer some differences of opinion over > > whether Bush > > > might cite a provocation from Iran or whether Israel will take > the > > lead in > > > launching air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. > > > > > > But there is growing alarm among military and intelligence > experts > > that > > > Bush > > > already has decided to attack and simply is waiting for a second > > aircraft > > > carrier strike force to arrive in the region - and for a > propaganda > > blitz > > > to > > > stir up some pro-war sentiment at home. > > > > > > One well-informed U.S. military source called me in a fury after > > > consulting > > > with Pentagon associates and discovering how far along the war > > > preparations > > > are. He said the plans call for extensive aerial attacks on Iran, > > > including > > > use of powerful bunker-busting ordnance. > > > > > > Another source with a pipeline into Israeli thinking said the > Iran > > war > > > plan > > > has expanded over the past several weeks. Earlier thinking had > been > > that > > > Israeli warplanes would hit Iranian nuclear targets with U.S. > > forces in > > > reserve in case of Iranian retaliation, but now the strategy > > anticipates a > > > major U.S. military follow-up to an Israeli attack, the source > said. > > > > > > Both sources used the same word "crazy" in describing the plan > to > > expand > > > the > > > war to Iran. The two sources, like others I have interviewed, > said > > that > > > attacking Iran could touch off a regional - and possibly global - > > > conflagration. > > > > > > "It will be like the TV show '24'," the American military source > > said, > > > citing the likelihood of Islamic retaliation reaching directly > into > > the > > > United States. > > > > > > Though Bush insists that no decision has been made on attacking > > Iran, he > > > offered similar assurances of his commitment to peace in the > months > > before > > > invading Iraq in 2003. Yet leaked documents from London made > clear > > that he > > > had set a course for war nine months to a year before the Iraq > > invasion. > > > > > > In other words, Bush's statements that he has no plans > to "invade" > > Iran > > > and > > > that he's still committed to settle differences with Iran over > its > > nuclear > > > program diplomatically should be taken with a grain of salt. > > > > > > There is, of course, the possibility that the war preparations > are > > a game > > > of > > > chicken to pressure Iran to accept outside controls on its > nuclear > > program > > > and to trim back its regional ambitions. But sometimes such high- > > stakes > > > gambles lead to miscalculations or set in motion dynamics that > > can't be > > > controlled. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > > > Version: 7.1.411 / Virus Database: 268.17.27/671 - Release Date: > > 2/5/2007 > > > > > >
