Facing a crisis of Orwellian proportions

Expansion of power by fanning the flames

The monolithic goals of the military industrial complex

By: Scott Patrick Humphrey

President Obama unveiled his military objectives for Afghanistan this week and the whole world praised his anti-war policy, and commitment to bring the troops home as he campaigned he would. Oh wait a minute, that’s right; he is expanding the war. Huh?

First off I should state clearly that I too was a supporter of Barack Obama. I was glued to the tube for every speech, every soaring note of hope and change. I truly felt this man was special and would bring a much needed compassionate and discerning approach to the Presidency. This is not to say that he is none of those things; in fact he seems to be a genuinely good person. We all know that looks can be deceiving, yet it is harder to accept that this man would be following an agenda that goes contrary to all he has stated his values and ideals to be. It was only after I began to research history and the sources of the problems we face, rather than be caught up in concern for the symptoms, that I started to see systemic patterns emerging. The first being actions taken in the name of National Security that instigate and perpetuate war.

Since the creation of the Office of Strategic Services the intelligence community has been manipulating foreign affairs to inflame destabilization of countries that either had resources we needed or presented an opportunity for the military industrial complex to reap immense profits. In the case of Iraq and Afghanistan both of these elements are present. I am absolutely fascinated by the interchangeable relationship between big business and Government. Heads of major corporations move back and forth between their C.E.O. positions and high positions in Government. Usually these positions involve the ability to directly affect policy in their given area. For example: Dick Cheney was the C.E.O of Halliburton which is probably the largest oil related construction and project management corporation in the world. We all know about the billions in no bid contracts they have been awarded in Afghanistan and Iraq. Let’s not forget the producers and manufacturers of our military armaments, like Lockheed Martin who also reap billions from the advent of war. I can not forget to mention the largest profiteers in every war; the private central banks of the world that loan money to both sides of every conflict and grow rich through the destruction of humanity. The push for the war in Iraq was a careful manipulation of public opinion to attach some legitimacy to their cause. Even White house press secretary Scott McClellan stated this fact in his memoir. All of this to prevent the urgent threat posed to our National Security by Saddam Hussein. And to their credit, at the time, we bought it.

Now we stand at a unique moment in history, a moment where we can seize the opportunity for real change in American foreign and domestic policy. I had you going there for a minute didn’t I? The truth is President Obama has not changed any fundamental aspect of the policies President Bush had put in place. He campaigned as an anti-war candidate that would bring our troops home immediately, were he elected. He told us that he would end the cowboy mentality of military strikes without diplomacy and regain America’s integrity as a beacon of hope. Most importantly he vowed to eliminate lobbying interest in Washington so that policy would not be influenced by corporate ideology. I am sad to say that none of this has happened.

His policy towards our war efforts is to re-arrange the troop deployments, not to bring them home. Our presence in Afghanistan is not quelling fanatical sentiment, it is aggressively inciting it. News reports show increased attacks by the Taliban as well as increased numbers on their side. The common sentiment is that for these reasons we need to step up our efforts. What is happening is exactly what is needed to continue the war efforts. Our meddling in other countries affairs has always brought about disruption. It should also be noted that heroin production has increased five fold in Afghanistan since the initial invasion in 2001. How can there be more anti American violence and increased large scale criminal activity as a result of our presence there? It is simple, that is the objective. Since Obama has taken office he has increased bombings in Pakistan to a daily event, killing hundreds. This is a continuation of a policy enacted by President Bush. He does not intend to put in place a precise timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, in fact he does intend to leave thousands of troops there indefinitely in a so-called “training capacity”. The objectives of the military industrial complex are expanding, not contracting. Under the guise of National Security our Government can justify almost any action it chooses. I understand this is not a common or particularly easy pill to swallow, but it really does not matter who occupies the Oval Office, the outcomes will most certainly follow a similar path. As far as diplomacy being our foremost tactic when dealing with nations, this I am torn on. He has reached out to Iran in a respectful way to initiate talks, yet at the same time he keeps up the rhetoric claiming Iran to be a serious nuclear threat. This nothing more than confusing double speak that leaves open an enormous impetus for military engagement down the road. .

Last but certainly not least is the influence of lobbyists in Washington. The appointments to his administration are full of Wall St. insiders. All of our economic policies are to benefit them, which is evidenced by the current administrations careful allowance and back door implementation of A.I.G. bonuses via Chris Dodd’s enthusiastically encouraged amendment to the stimulus bill. This was then followed by the feigned outrage we all saw, as if they had no idea the bonuses were going to happen. I mean come on, do they really expect us to believe this crap? The fact that no administration even addresses the corrupt policy of the Federal Reserve has bypassed conspiracy theory and gone straight to conspiracy. He is doing all this while expanding Government control over all industries and institutions. This coupled with the degradation of our civil liberties can produce frightening results. President Obama voted to renew not repeal the Patriot Act which gives the President unprecedented power to surveil and detain American citizens in the name of National Security and prevention of domestic terrorism. Along with the Patriot Act President Bush issued Executive Order 51 which grants the President dictatorial powers under a continuity of Government plan in the case of a “National Emergency”. Of course if there was a wide spread biological attack this type of procedure could be considered necessary. The problem with this directive is that it says the President can order a State of Emergency regardless of the location of the incident as long as he or she deems it a threat to National Security. So in the event of an economic collapse people could take to the streets in protest and martial law could be implemented. President Obama is not seeking to repeal these unconstitutional measures, or other unconstitutional practices such as rendition; which allows the President to designate someone an “enemy combatant” and have them shipped off to a third party nation to be tortured. In fact the focus on domestic terrorism has quietly become a major focus of our Government. We are being wiretapped illegally; our civil organizations are being infiltrated by local law enforcement even though no suspicious activity occurs. New directives in Missouri have stated that people, who support Ron Paul, carry a pocket Constitution, display bumper stickers, own gold, or are Libertarians are considered part of a “militia movement” labeled as domestic terrorists. I find this to mind boggling. These are things that happen to a society that is closing. Fear is manipulated, threats to National Security are invoked, and civil liberties are restricted. It starts with local police and ends with military policing. I work with a Global Studies teacher who was asked to be searched in a New York City subway because he was carrying a camera. He asked if they had a warrant to search his bag or any probable cause to do so. They responded by putting him in handcuffs and saying he could be a threat to National Security; he spent the rest of the night in Central booking.

The next phase in the expansion of the military industrial complex is military policing of U.S. citizens. This is where things start to get scary. After the civil war this country enacted the Posse Comitatus Act which prevents the military from policing our neighborhoods. This is for good reason; it would turn us into a communist style police state. This is why we have community based civilian police forces. President Bush secretly enacted H.R. 5122 giving him the power to declare a “public emergency” and station troops anywhere in the United States without consent from the Governor or local authorities. In fact there are already thousands of troops stationed at NorthCom to assist in defense of the homeland. The most unbelievable violations of our Constitutional rights are in the testing or training phase at this point. They need to be introduced slowly to get us used to them. The most innocent example of this concept happens to citizens of New York City everyday. Over the loud speaker we hear: “Attention for your protection, the New York City police department can search your bag at any time.” Well not according to the fourth amendment of the Constitution. This is nothing compared to the obedience training happening in Arizona and California. If you go to youtube.com and type in Checkpoint U.S.A. you will see videos of the U.S.border patrol and homeland security operating checkpoints forty miles above the border to ask people of what country they are a citizen. In this country we are supposed to have the right to move freely unimpeded by Government entities like homeland security or U.S. border patrol. I mean lets be real here; why are the not at the border, instead they are harassing U.S. citizens. Without probable cause or valid suspicion of illicit acts no one has any authority to impede your travels. Period.

The bottom line is that given all of these elements of closure in our society coupled with vast Government expansion we are facing a crisis. When you add to this the fact that President Obama has said he will continue to pursue the Security & Prosperity Partnership Act with Mexico and Canada to form a North American Union it becomes evident that we are in fact facing a crisis of Orwellian proportions.