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Today's topic: ARE WE AMERICANS, THAT UGLY?
By: Tony Altit.

I believe that most great nations, at the peak of their economic power, become arrogant, wage great world wars at great cost, wasting vast resources, taking on huge debt, and ultimately burning themselves out. To many of us, war is a force
that gives us meaning . . . a communal march against an enemy generates a warm,
unfamiliar bond with our neighbors, our community, our nation, wiping out
unsettling undercurrents of alienation and dislocation.

Why am I saying that?

Well, war intoxicates soldiers, politicians and ordinary citizens, . . .
with outbreaks of nationalism (comes) the wartime silencing of intellectuals and artists,(and) even a supposedly skeptical press glorifies the battlefield and other universal features of war.

America is becoming a culture of war. So many integral connections and webs of destruction intermingle with American thought. This ranges from private citizens owning multiple guns, to citizen militias, to all the little kids in the countryside wearing camouflage outfits learning how to kill from their weekend warrior parents.

War is an inevitability. We cannot stop war's seductive calling because it dominates the mind set of a large segment of the American population. Hatred is "in." Historically, the right wing's program for our country's economic woes has been cutting taxes for the wealthy and paying for it by cutting social programs. by increasing military spending and paying for it by printing money, and by waging war, paying for it with our kid's lives which become merely fodder for Wall Street gamblers. As soon as a Republican takes office again, Iran will be bombed kicking off WW III.

This is one of the quote I gather as I was putting my article together:

"Bomb, bomb, bomb . . . bomb, bomb Iran." - John McCain.

War begins inside each of our heads. Not big wars, but little wars that we fight daily. When someone disagreed with us in the past, we would merely shrug it off as their loss. But not now. Now we have to change their minds, or at least "dis" them (disrespect them) in some way, or diminish them or defame their credentials. This is hatred, this is war. No concessions, no backing down - just winning with force at all costs. When our country is failing economically because of our own greed and stupidity, we can't accept that, we can't admit that it was our fault and totally our fault. Instead we blame someone else, usually some weak, hapless country who's ass we know we can kick so that we can get our mojo back, and get our economy moving again.

No longer will we surrender or yield. Compromise is looked upon as cowardice and capitulation. Our egos have become so bloated that winning is now everything and losing unthinkable. We are right all of the time and they are wrong all of the time. What kind of logic is that? It's not logical at all, it's insane, and that is why war is inevitable. It takes this kind of insanity to fuel the fires of war.Hatred is therefore becoming rampant in America. Hatred is the new heroics, and those who hate the best are the most admired. Just look at talk radio, or cable news. And with the current economic depression, war is inevitable, and the only possible escape from poverty. We did the samething in WW II. Yes it did help our economy, but the problem is, that our advanced wepon these days aren't what they were during WWII. Our weapon today can destroy us all. Because what we have they (The Enemy) so call, can and will attain as well.

Now extrapolate this hatred based idealism - that we hate anything that is not American - into the war machine that America has become. First of all, certain religions tout that Armageddon is upon us and we must kill all of the unbelievers before they kill us. We are insecure and must prove ourselves as the top dog constantly, and with an arsenal built up during the Cold War that sits rusting, begging to be tested, and America's prestige going to hell in a hand basket because of our greed and borrowing, So as a business man and as a father to two beautiful girls, I am asking, how much more of a hair trigger do we need?

Armaments have been very profitable to America, arguably the country with almost a monopoly on weapons sales and development. Won't all these weapons be used regardless of the nonsensical argument that "they are only for defense?" Isn't the fact of preparing for war a direct indication of what will happen when we can't stand it any longer and the national hatred spills over into actually seeing how good our weapons are in action?

Similar to the pronouncement in the movie Wall Street that "Greed is good;" war is considered good as well - admirable, and justified. Why else would we spend twenty times more on our military than any other country? We firmly believe that we are the good guys and everyone else is bad, which corresponds nicely to our religion where our truth is the only truth, and everyone else sucks. With that kind of attitude, wouldn't war be inevitable, as we try to straighten out the rest of the world?

And of course there is the entertainment aspect of war, where we can sit in our recliners and watch the "terrible" war from our living rooms. We love war. It's boring without an active war going on, and we know that we are the best at war, and have no doubt that we will prevail. This is akin to gleefully watching our favorite sports team wipe out a weak competitor. We have also become isolated and distant from the realities of war. We even ban coverage of coffins coming back from the front. Did you know that?

Part of the problem might be that war has become too easy, too technical, isolating us from the realities of war. But will the bottom line always be that we prevail and others surrender? Historically one country has never prevailed for long. Someone eventually kicked its butt. Just look at Rome? it's laying in ruins....

Our country is but a few hundred years old. How much longer can we expect to dominate the world? Economically not long. We are being challenged by China, the sleeping giant (Napoleon). Before China's billion plus people develop into an economic power where their military might will dwarf ours, America's hatred will be directed to their communistic success as we lose our jobs and standard of living. It's inevitable, as inevitable as the coming strike against Iran. And it's all happening RIGHT now.

We will strike China, either by some trumped up excuse to nuke them before they can get an advantage with increased military hardware, or maybe they will react to the Iran strike, which would be playing right into our hands. And we will dominate again, even if it means the end of planet earth. Because anything less than this insanity is now considered:

"Un-American."

And what the hell, a little collateral damage, such as ending life on earth as we know it, will be well worth winning our point.
Whatever that was.

Conclusion:
Naturally the common people don't want war, neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany.That is understood.But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. We can change this, if each of us start caring more about our fellow friend, and neighbor. We need to submit petitions to congress and speak up. We need to get together...WE..WE..THE PEOPLE!!!

T'll next time...
Tony Altit.

“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.” - Albert Einstein

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will
be fought with sticks and stones.” - Albert Einstein

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" THE ECONOMY OF OUR TIME"