[Grovenet] America in the Time of Empire

[Ed Davie]

Where have you been? What or where "less poverty" 
and what and where "less violence"?
I certainly haven't seen it in my 79 years!
Ed
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carol Morgan
  To: Forest Grove local interests list
  Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 11:51 PM
  Subject: Re: [Grovenet] America in the Time of 
Empire


  There are quite a few arguable statements here.

  But I am curious about a few things.  Does no 
one feel encouraged by less poverty and less 
violence in our country and wordwide decade over 
decade?

  Must pessimism get increasingly esoteric to 
withstand these current trends?


  ------ Original Message ------ 
  Received: 03:57 PM PST, 12/16/2007
  From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <ron at cobi.biz>
  To: "'Forest Grove local interests list'" 
<grovenet at rdrop.com>
  Subject: Re: [Grovenet] America in the Time of 
Empire


  Excellent piece, Geri!

  Some observations:

  "State and federal assistance programs have been 
slashed."

  This is one of the last acts of a government 
falling into bankruptcy, and it
  is usually the catalyst for revolt. The masses 
are kept submissive and quiet
  by huge infusions of money, either through 
direct payments or government
  subsidies. When the oligarchy can no longer 
maintain the expense, they face
  revolt.

  In order to provide those benefits to satisfy 
the masses, a government will,
  in the name of the people, launch into wars of 
expansion to take what they
  need from others. That's what England did in 
building her empire by
  negotiation, where possible, or through brutal 
conquest and subjugation of
  any who had what she wanted.

  That's what America did in taking over the areas 
west of the Mississippi in
  the early 1800's, by negotiation where we could 
(buying land from France) or
  by force were we couldn't (genocide and what 
today is called "ethnic
  cleansing" against the Indians) to make the 
historical lands of the native
  people open for exploitation.

  That's what Germany did in the years after WWI 
when their existence was
  threatened by the extreme demands of the Treaty 
of Versailles. (The fact
  that it was the Nazi party who rose to power is, 
I think, incidental. Either
  Germany was do die or someone would lead it to 
conquest.)

  And it's what I think America will do again in 
the years ahead, using
  nuclear arms if needed, to take what we need to 
avoid revolt at home.

  "It all amounts to a tacit complicity on the 
part of a passive population."

  The oligarchy will nuke others for our benefit 
because keeping us happy is
  required for their survival. Of course, if we 
are nuked too that will
  "prove" the others deserve our violence. 9/11 is 
a perfect example. The
  American outrage was because we were attacked. 
No one cared that those who
  attacked us were members of societies who had 
been subjugation and exploited
  by America for years. Many Americans still feel 
justified in doing anything
  we choose in retaliation.

  "It signals the twilight of our empire."

  "Twilight" suggests a quiet ending. If we let it 
get to that point I don't
  think there will be anything quiet about it. 
That's why so many nations are
  so afraid of what we might do.

  Ron D'Eau Claire






  -----Original Message----- 
  From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com 
[mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
  Behalf Of Geri
  Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 10:24 AM
  To: GroveNet
  Subject: [Grovenet] America in the Time of 
Empire


  G-Nuts,

  A friend passed this article on to us ...

  http://tinyurl.com/ywqwuc


  Geri
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