There’s much that’s good about the United States of America.
I’ve been there several times now spending time in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway through Monterey, Salinas and Carmel. I’ve traveled through Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. I’ve traveled around Florida and stayed in Miami and Clearwater.
In general American people are kind, welcoming and generous of spirit. Most have very good manners, are polite to strangers and curious to know you better. Most also have a strong belief in justice and hate to see injustice either at home or abroad. They tend to be idealistic, wishing to see people be free, the way they see themselves as being free, to speak freely and act without fear of oppression from the state. They are proud of their country and when they think of the men who founded their country and the laws they set in place they are grateful to them and for their wisdom.
I have liked Americans since I was very young and met my first few. They seemed to have bigger characters than my fellow countrymen and women, more interesting and interested somehow, and had something to say, they engaged you with warmth and curiosity, they tended to smile and laugh a lot. I liked them.
So, let me get one thing straight. In my view Americans represent some of the very best people on the planet.
All that being said, something is very rotten at the political core of the United States. There are several cancerous factors which are causing all other positive elements to be affected.
These factors stand in great contrast to all else that is so positive within the United States.
THE NATIVE POPULATION
This is one factor I start with that surprisingly perhaps does not feature highly. The reason is that the native population was reduced to such a low level and in such low circumstances that it has minimal power and almost all potential for fight back expired centuries ago. In pockets there is resistance. There was the massive protest at Wounded Knee and more recently at Standing Rock, North Dakota and there have been other protests by Native Americans over the years but the level of support though great, is not great enough to make the issues involved to the level needed for fundamental change.
SLAVERY
The widespread use of slavery to jump start the American experiment is one of those factors and specifically the failure, after all the years since its abolition to fully cleanse the American society of its stain. There are still a minority of people who continue to value the men who in part fought a war to defend the right to have slaves, although the American Civil War was about much more than one issue. However, a certain mythology continuing elements of race hatred still exist among too many.
INEQUALITY
From all I have gathered there was once a time of relative equality in the United States. I am sure the continuing economic and social effects of slavery on the prospects of people of color were just as pronounced as now, however, among the vast majority in the United States there were jobs and good prospects, decent pay and those generally in higher positions were not SO much more wealthy than those they employed. This has changed out of all recognition.
POLITICS
The founding fathers of the United States, though many of them were slave owners, did collectively produce some of the most enlightened laws and rules of governance seen across the globe and across time. In the constitution of the United States we see great wisdom and compassion, a dedication to the rule of law and order within a just society where freedom of speech, assembly and belief are sacrosanct. These men knew the history of oppression that had brought many of the first people fleeing to their country and were determined that they would create rules that obviated the possibility that such oppression would happen in their new land.
So where’s the problem with politics as I will point to this factor as being the most fundamental factor spoiling the myriad positives within U.S. society.
As I see it the problem is the intimate relationship between commerce and politics, between big business, the hugely wealthy and powerful mega-corporations and individual politicians.
This relationship I believe corrupts virtually the entirety of U.S. politics and has the net effect of destroying the system of democracy the founding fathers so carefully put in place. Of course there was a long history previous to the time of the founding fathers when only landowners had a vote and landowners were invariably men who had a business of some kind, even if it was only in farming. These latter of course owned slaves. So the tendency for businessmen to also be politicians or intimately connected to politics through having the power to vote and interest in gaining advantage for their businesses was strong.
It is a rare person indeed who ignores his own self-interest, seeking only to benefit all others even if his own prospects are reduced somewhat in the process. So, the American system of political life grew from an intimate mingling of business and politics. And in many instances where it is clear the gainful employment of all Americans was a vital goal changes to laws to make this easier and more advantageous to business seemed common sense and for the good of all.
Where politics has arrived at now comes from this relationship with enterprise and business as the primary engine for the good of all. Lobbyists influence politicians with advice where politicians cannot possibly understand the nuts and bolts of any industry they havn’t worked in themselves. It’s logical they would need expert advice and this is where the serried ranks of specialists and lobbyists come in. And those who pay them are almost always the largest businesses within those industries affected by changes in policy.
One of the largest industries of all if not the largest overall is that which is commonly referred to as the Military Industrial Complex.
And this is one of the primary entry points of rot begins.
Then there is the general pressure from the top hundred of Wall Street. Their influence is enormous in political circles. The oil industry. The pharmaceutical industry and so on.
To talk of democracy in anything approaching the ancient Greek practice of The Demos is to stretch credulity to its limits.
Politics in the USA is almost completely divorced from the people of the USA and their needs and wishes. yes, they get a chance once in every four years to vote for one of the two parties that Noam Chomsky has called the two factions of The Business Party... and in theory they could vote for independents... but in general they don’t. Why?
MAINSTREAM MEDIA
The USA has a mainstream media apart from PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) that is corporate owned and in at least one case, billionaire owned. They will claim to provide impartial news coverage but I cannot believe those with a relatively deep insight especially into world affairs can possibly agree with them on that. Mainstream media in the USA today adheres closely in general to the narratives of one or another of the main parties. In addition, and more significant to me in my argument here, they all adhere to the central myths concerning the views of America’s elites concerning their conduct in respect of interventions beyond America’s shores.
REGIME CHANGE
The USA has a mythology that states very clearly that it is special, exceptional, that it is the greatest society and the greatest nation state there has ever been with laws and a constitution that are second to none. There is also an incredibly strong Christian religious belief system that in many instances is extremely fundamentalist in its outlook. In recent years the exceptionalism of these religious beliefs has intertwined ever more closely with the general exceptionalism believed in by political figures. In total these beliefs form a mission that looks inward with pride at virtual perfection and outward at a world that looks woefully imperfect by comparison. This is where political posturing and ambition can entice breast-beating as a sign of patriotic fervor seeking to garner the power of the mythology of exceptionalism. Aggressively seeking change outside the USA can be made to seem to protect the USA as well as forward the desire to change the world to make it more like the USA and its “perfect” systems.
9/11
On 9/11 malign and deeply deluded religious extremists perpetrated one of the most horrendous terrorist acts ever seen.
On that and subsequent days the factors described immediately above got rocket boosters under them. It was decided that the borders of the USA were now across the entire planet. The commission report which was ultimately produced says this specifically. The concept of full spectrum dominance by the USA on land, sea and space was formed. In addition to the mission to bring the benefits of the “perfect” U.S. system to the world was now the absolute imperative that it MUST be done, not only that it would be ideal to be done.
ELITE DOMINANCE
This factor combines much of what has gone before and produces the overarching factor ensuring the continuance of the factors producing the constant rot with an otherwise positively-based nation of decent people. The elites of the USA now are far removed from the everyday lives of most Americans, they move in different circles entirely and are motivated and affected by issues almost entirely absent in the general population. And their powers are immense. They own the majority of politicians though they would never put it like this, they would talk of the necessity that they have the intimate relationship they do, that due to their rise to their elite positions only they and their peers can have the breadth of insight and know-how to run things well. They own virtually all press and media. This means the narratives broadcast in general dove-tail well with their interests. This is not done on a command basis but in reality everyone knows the score, from the editors to the lowliest clerk they know what the accepted narrative is and what areas to avoid. Criticism of state policies regarding regime change or pointing out the catastrophic effects of them or the criminal acts, lies or propaganda that enabled them are not areas for examination. The meme hear is that such discussion would “help our enemies” of which of course there is always a plentiful supply. The elite mandate in collective form through business and political figures now runs America as a thoroughly manipulated entity as regards the selective use of narratives with a view to making it as powerful as possible in its desire to control the world making it safe for American interests.
CONCLUSION
This, in my estimation is where we stand currently. With an edifice of power seeking de facto world dominance in one form or another, whether by political/diplomatic influence, through military bases, through a system of uninspected narratives that essentially comprise propaganda to the manipulation and destabilization of national leaders and institutions worldwide. For the benefit and safety of America (and the meme will always state, for the benefit of the entire “free world”).
SO WHY TALK OF REVOLUTION AGAINST ALL THAT’S ROTTEN?
I titled this piece ‘Revolution Against All That’s Rotten’ because I believe that the present protests generally headed under the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter’ are much more than that and likely to be much more long-lasting than previous protest movements such as the ‘Occupy’ protest movement. I believe the killing of George Floyd was simply the very last straw which broke the camel’s back and that all the disgust at the many areas of rot within the USA stretching back to its founding are finding voice in a sizeable number of the U.S. population which is now mirroring the phrase used by the character Howard Beale in the 1976 film ‘Network’, “I'm Mad As Hell and I'm Not Gonna Take This Anymore!”
The present ongoing protests which appear to be building and garnering more support not less and from a wider section of the public such as Moms and military vets are about more than one issue I believe, they are about a revulsion concerning the issues above and more such as the handling of the pandemic, the imminent possibility of bankruptcy through loss of jobs and health insurance, the imminent loss of homes, the lack of prospects, the degeneration of infrastructure, the diminution of life chances due to myriad factors... all as politicians awarded more and more billions to its Wall Street partners and the military industrial complex.
A great many Americans have simply come to the end of their tether, they see how wrong the direction they have been taken has been, they see politicians who are completely out of touch with the wishes and needs of the people and who seem focused continually on the needs of the super-rich. It appears a great many Americans have reached the limit of their endurance and with that the end of their tolerance and have decided they are not going to take this any more.
It is about more than Trump and Black Lives Matter in my view, more than about police brutality and the weaponization of an increasing number of factors mitigating against the freedoms expressed in the constitution by the founding fathers.
I believe it is a combined generalized revulsion against every last rotten aspect that is destroying a country they know can indeed be great, magnanimous and a leader in the advancement of humankind... but is being reduced to a kind of legalized fascism due to the factors producing increasing rot as listed above.
Here is the fictional Howard Beale played in brilliantly dramatic and memorable style by Peter Finch. This, from 1976 typifies for me what motivates the masses in Portland, Seattle and other American cities now.
I’ve been there several times now spending time in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway through Monterey, Salinas and Carmel. I’ve traveled through Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. I’ve traveled around Florida and stayed in Miami and Clearwater.
In general American people are kind, welcoming and generous of spirit. Most have very good manners, are polite to strangers and curious to know you better. Most also have a strong belief in justice and hate to see injustice either at home or abroad. They tend to be idealistic, wishing to see people be free, the way they see themselves as being free, to speak freely and act without fear of oppression from the state. They are proud of their country and when they think of the men who founded their country and the laws they set in place they are grateful to them and for their wisdom.
I have liked Americans since I was very young and met my first few. They seemed to have bigger characters than my fellow countrymen and women, more interesting and interested somehow, and had something to say, they engaged you with warmth and curiosity, they tended to smile and laugh a lot. I liked them.
So, let me get one thing straight. In my view Americans represent some of the very best people on the planet.
All that being said, something is very rotten at the political core of the United States. There are several cancerous factors which are causing all other positive elements to be affected.
These factors stand in great contrast to all else that is so positive within the United States.
THE NATIVE POPULATION
This is one factor I start with that surprisingly perhaps does not feature highly. The reason is that the native population was reduced to such a low level and in such low circumstances that it has minimal power and almost all potential for fight back expired centuries ago. In pockets there is resistance. There was the massive protest at Wounded Knee and more recently at Standing Rock, North Dakota and there have been other protests by Native Americans over the years but the level of support though great, is not great enough to make the issues involved to the level needed for fundamental change.
SLAVERY
The widespread use of slavery to jump start the American experiment is one of those factors and specifically the failure, after all the years since its abolition to fully cleanse the American society of its stain. There are still a minority of people who continue to value the men who in part fought a war to defend the right to have slaves, although the American Civil War was about much more than one issue. However, a certain mythology continuing elements of race hatred still exist among too many.
INEQUALITY
From all I have gathered there was once a time of relative equality in the United States. I am sure the continuing economic and social effects of slavery on the prospects of people of color were just as pronounced as now, however, among the vast majority in the United States there were jobs and good prospects, decent pay and those generally in higher positions were not SO much more wealthy than those they employed. This has changed out of all recognition.
POLITICS
The founding fathers of the United States, though many of them were slave owners, did collectively produce some of the most enlightened laws and rules of governance seen across the globe and across time. In the constitution of the United States we see great wisdom and compassion, a dedication to the rule of law and order within a just society where freedom of speech, assembly and belief are sacrosanct. These men knew the history of oppression that had brought many of the first people fleeing to their country and were determined that they would create rules that obviated the possibility that such oppression would happen in their new land.
So where’s the problem with politics as I will point to this factor as being the most fundamental factor spoiling the myriad positives within U.S. society.
As I see it the problem is the intimate relationship between commerce and politics, between big business, the hugely wealthy and powerful mega-corporations and individual politicians.
This relationship I believe corrupts virtually the entirety of U.S. politics and has the net effect of destroying the system of democracy the founding fathers so carefully put in place. Of course there was a long history previous to the time of the founding fathers when only landowners had a vote and landowners were invariably men who had a business of some kind, even if it was only in farming. These latter of course owned slaves. So the tendency for businessmen to also be politicians or intimately connected to politics through having the power to vote and interest in gaining advantage for their businesses was strong.
It is a rare person indeed who ignores his own self-interest, seeking only to benefit all others even if his own prospects are reduced somewhat in the process. So, the American system of political life grew from an intimate mingling of business and politics. And in many instances where it is clear the gainful employment of all Americans was a vital goal changes to laws to make this easier and more advantageous to business seemed common sense and for the good of all.
Where politics has arrived at now comes from this relationship with enterprise and business as the primary engine for the good of all. Lobbyists influence politicians with advice where politicians cannot possibly understand the nuts and bolts of any industry they havn’t worked in themselves. It’s logical they would need expert advice and this is where the serried ranks of specialists and lobbyists come in. And those who pay them are almost always the largest businesses within those industries affected by changes in policy.
One of the largest industries of all if not the largest overall is that which is commonly referred to as the Military Industrial Complex.
And this is one of the primary entry points of rot begins.
Then there is the general pressure from the top hundred of Wall Street. Their influence is enormous in political circles. The oil industry. The pharmaceutical industry and so on.
To talk of democracy in anything approaching the ancient Greek practice of The Demos is to stretch credulity to its limits.
Politics in the USA is almost completely divorced from the people of the USA and their needs and wishes. yes, they get a chance once in every four years to vote for one of the two parties that Noam Chomsky has called the two factions of The Business Party... and in theory they could vote for independents... but in general they don’t. Why?
MAINSTREAM MEDIA
The USA has a mainstream media apart from PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) that is corporate owned and in at least one case, billionaire owned. They will claim to provide impartial news coverage but I cannot believe those with a relatively deep insight especially into world affairs can possibly agree with them on that. Mainstream media in the USA today adheres closely in general to the narratives of one or another of the main parties. In addition, and more significant to me in my argument here, they all adhere to the central myths concerning the views of America’s elites concerning their conduct in respect of interventions beyond America’s shores.
REGIME CHANGE
The USA has a mythology that states very clearly that it is special, exceptional, that it is the greatest society and the greatest nation state there has ever been with laws and a constitution that are second to none. There is also an incredibly strong Christian religious belief system that in many instances is extremely fundamentalist in its outlook. In recent years the exceptionalism of these religious beliefs has intertwined ever more closely with the general exceptionalism believed in by political figures. In total these beliefs form a mission that looks inward with pride at virtual perfection and outward at a world that looks woefully imperfect by comparison. This is where political posturing and ambition can entice breast-beating as a sign of patriotic fervor seeking to garner the power of the mythology of exceptionalism. Aggressively seeking change outside the USA can be made to seem to protect the USA as well as forward the desire to change the world to make it more like the USA and its “perfect” systems.
9/11
On 9/11 malign and deeply deluded religious extremists perpetrated one of the most horrendous terrorist acts ever seen.
On that and subsequent days the factors described immediately above got rocket boosters under them. It was decided that the borders of the USA were now across the entire planet. The commission report which was ultimately produced says this specifically. The concept of full spectrum dominance by the USA on land, sea and space was formed. In addition to the mission to bring the benefits of the “perfect” U.S. system to the world was now the absolute imperative that it MUST be done, not only that it would be ideal to be done.
ELITE DOMINANCE
This factor combines much of what has gone before and produces the overarching factor ensuring the continuance of the factors producing the constant rot with an otherwise positively-based nation of decent people. The elites of the USA now are far removed from the everyday lives of most Americans, they move in different circles entirely and are motivated and affected by issues almost entirely absent in the general population. And their powers are immense. They own the majority of politicians though they would never put it like this, they would talk of the necessity that they have the intimate relationship they do, that due to their rise to their elite positions only they and their peers can have the breadth of insight and know-how to run things well. They own virtually all press and media. This means the narratives broadcast in general dove-tail well with their interests. This is not done on a command basis but in reality everyone knows the score, from the editors to the lowliest clerk they know what the accepted narrative is and what areas to avoid. Criticism of state policies regarding regime change or pointing out the catastrophic effects of them or the criminal acts, lies or propaganda that enabled them are not areas for examination. The meme hear is that such discussion would “help our enemies” of which of course there is always a plentiful supply. The elite mandate in collective form through business and political figures now runs America as a thoroughly manipulated entity as regards the selective use of narratives with a view to making it as powerful as possible in its desire to control the world making it safe for American interests.
CONCLUSION
This, in my estimation is where we stand currently. With an edifice of power seeking de facto world dominance in one form or another, whether by political/diplomatic influence, through military bases, through a system of uninspected narratives that essentially comprise propaganda to the manipulation and destabilization of national leaders and institutions worldwide. For the benefit and safety of America (and the meme will always state, for the benefit of the entire “free world”).
SO WHY TALK OF REVOLUTION AGAINST ALL THAT’S ROTTEN?
I titled this piece ‘Revolution Against All That’s Rotten’ because I believe that the present protests generally headed under the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter’ are much more than that and likely to be much more long-lasting than previous protest movements such as the ‘Occupy’ protest movement. I believe the killing of George Floyd was simply the very last straw which broke the camel’s back and that all the disgust at the many areas of rot within the USA stretching back to its founding are finding voice in a sizeable number of the U.S. population which is now mirroring the phrase used by the character Howard Beale in the 1976 film ‘Network’, “I'm Mad As Hell and I'm Not Gonna Take This Anymore!”
The present ongoing protests which appear to be building and garnering more support not less and from a wider section of the public such as Moms and military vets are about more than one issue I believe, they are about a revulsion concerning the issues above and more such as the handling of the pandemic, the imminent possibility of bankruptcy through loss of jobs and health insurance, the imminent loss of homes, the lack of prospects, the degeneration of infrastructure, the diminution of life chances due to myriad factors... all as politicians awarded more and more billions to its Wall Street partners and the military industrial complex.
A great many Americans have simply come to the end of their tether, they see how wrong the direction they have been taken has been, they see politicians who are completely out of touch with the wishes and needs of the people and who seem focused continually on the needs of the super-rich. It appears a great many Americans have reached the limit of their endurance and with that the end of their tolerance and have decided they are not going to take this any more.
It is about more than Trump and Black Lives Matter in my view, more than about police brutality and the weaponization of an increasing number of factors mitigating against the freedoms expressed in the constitution by the founding fathers.
I believe it is a combined generalized revulsion against every last rotten aspect that is destroying a country they know can indeed be great, magnanimous and a leader in the advancement of humankind... but is being reduced to a kind of legalized fascism due to the factors producing increasing rot as listed above.
Here is the fictional Howard Beale played in brilliantly dramatic and memorable style by Peter Finch. This, from 1976 typifies for me what motivates the masses in Portland, Seattle and other American cities now.
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