REVOLUTION WITHIN TO COUNTER MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

By Diana Lee
August 20, 2010

 

Like all complex adaptive systems, empires function in apparent equilibrium for some extended period and then succumb to - not slow or gradual - but swift and sudden collapse. Entrenched in imperial overstretch, perpetual wars, and insolvency, the U.S. empire has already begun the process of self-destruction.

You know the United States is on its way to collapse when you see signs of economic meltdown, rampant political corruption and social decay spreading across the land.

Let’s look at some disturbing facts on the domestic front:

• state and local budget cuts - reducing many transit systems service, switching off city streetlights, replacing paved roads with gravel or other rough surfaces, shutting down public libraries, and shortening public school days.

• housing crisis - more than 2.8 million homes foreclosed or repossessed by banks in 2009, adding to millions of lost homes of the previous years and fueling the dramatic growth of tent cities everywhere.

• unemployment - over 17 million people left jobless and millions more on part-time work instead of full-time; unemployment rate hovering around 10%.

• bailouts for the rich - trillions of people’s tax money used in bailouts for  big corporations and financial institutes while Wall Street awarded itself bonuses over $20 billion in 2009.

• corrupt judicial system - the U.S. Supreme Court granted corporations constitutional right to pour money into elections; the Department of Justice protected its own lawyers who authorized illegal torture.

• political corruption -13,739 registered lobbyists in 2009, about 35 lobbyists for every single member of the Senate and House of Representatives. Democrats and Republicans are so similar nowadays - both parties selling out to big business.

• big brother watching - wide-spread of illegal surveillance through cameras in public and private places, airport searches with harmful body scans, computer access, phone intercepts, and tracking records from credit card purchases.

• prison nation - the highest percentage of people imprisoned in the world:
  over 2.3 million prisoners, about one in every hundred Americans behind bars.

• poor educational achievement - ranked 12^th among developed nations for people with college degrees, falling behind Canada, South Korea, Russia, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Israel, France, Belgium and Australia.

• poor health care system - the most expensive in the world but ranked dead last in performance in comparison to six other developed countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom. The U.S. health system came in last in accessibility, patient safety, coordination, efficiency, and equity.

MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

The purpose of war throughout the history of Western Civilization and up to the present moment has been to conquer people and rob their resources. You could throw in “fight for their way of life”, geopolitical standing, religion, “terrorism,” or whatever reason the proponents of war could conjure up - the bottom line is still for overpowering other nations and stealing their resources.  Such is the nature of many past and present Western global leaders, who have turned their own nations into megalomania - driving for power, wealth and omnipotence all over the world under the dark forces of military-industry-complex.

When wars are fought for profit, the danger arises from mixing the greed of corporations with the power for world dominance of the military. The Military Industrial Complex in the U.S. is a strong alliance of corrupt politicians, the militarists, and defense contractors that perpetuates the vicious cycle of creating, producing and deploying weapons on a large scale for current and future wars.

The insidious trio relies on each other for legal, financial and military support to carry out extermination, expansion and exploitation of other countries - thus, becoming a formidable force for global destruction.

Let’s look at some of the facts on the funding and related expenses of the military and the emerging, menacing presence of the Pentagon in the government:

• U.S. defense budget climbed from $298.9 billion in 1991 to $447.4  billion in 2006, not including $100 billion spent in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  For 2011, the U.S. defense budget nearly doubling to $708 billion.

• spending $700 billion directly on military per year - almost half the military spending of the entire world.

• responsible for 865 bases in more than 40 countries and overseas U.S. territories, according to 2008 Pentagon inventory.

• over 446,000 active troops deployed in 46 countries and territories; 1,470,000 troops deployed in 150 countries and over  1,460,000 reserve forces.

• increasing influence of the Pentagon over intelligence community, national security and foreign policies of the U.S.

• 70% of the intelligence budget going to private contracts; nearly 25% of the federal budget going to contracts in the private sector under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security and Office of National Intelligence.

• increasing incompetence and unreliability of the President’s private army, CIA, as it turns over many of its functions to the private sector.

Make no mistake, military-industrial complex has no interest or place for Peace. The driving factor for military-industrial complex to thrive is the continuation of wars and creating more wars.

It’s not surprising that the U.S. military has extended its war plans into outer space with the creation of nuclear powered space laser weapons, known as “the National Missile Defense System” which is nothing more than a PR ploy for setting a stage for future space warfare.

WHAT COULD AMERICANS DO?

Without a doubt, the government is no longer working for Americans but for big businesses. Without a doubt, the overstretched military wild spending and fighting ongoing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and “war on terror”, has bankrupted America. Without a doubt, the “change” President Obama had promised is nothing more than empty rhetoric, but the continuation of King Bush’s “despot reign.”

The 1776 Declaration of Independence declared that it is OUR RIGHT AND DUTY to carry out a revolution -

"But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

Often we don't realize the power we have within for change. We wait for others to guide us or wait for events to hit home before taking any action. Standing alone won’t bring any results, but standing together will bring about a sweeping change and a transformation that is sorely needed at this time in history.

The most effective way is to have a revolution within the system. 

By being employed or working with the military industrial complex, you're PART OF THE PROBLEM. The blame doesn’t just fall on corporate leaders, defense contractors, mercenaries, and corrupt politicians, but also on the people of the workforce that carried out their dirty work!

If you work for defense contractors, big pharmacies, intelligence agencies, security companies, or corporate media, whether in designing, engineering, manufacturing, propagandizing, distributing, delivering, or any position related to those entities listed above, WALK OUT OF YOUR JOB!!!

Imagine 30% of defense workers walked out, what would most likely happen? The corrupt Congress might be persuaded to listen to the people for a change by not passing any more bills for defense contracts. The huge loss of profits and human resources for defense contractors will lead to less defense contracts. The wars will wind down as American troops are withdrawn due to lack of military equipment, weapons and funds. And bases around the world will shut down as troops and money become less available for operation and maintenance. 

Imagine every defense contractor, big pharmacy, intelligence agency, security company, corporate media, suffers the same! Every single one has to change to survive or be extinguished. They need us to be compliant to prosper! If we don't work for them, buy their products, or cooperate with their demands, then WE  WOULD BE THE ONES running the country!    

Of course, giving up an income for now is painful, but it'll be more painful when the collapse hits the nation when everyone suffers permanently! Forget about security for you and your family in the future! Reality bites: there isn't any. All signs point to an empire collapse if things continue the way they are. We need to CHANGE THE FUTURE COURSE OF EVENTS!

This is the time to consolidate your assets with all your members in the family and friends.

This is the time to rely on local communities to help one another and give financial and emotional support to members. It is essential to join grassroots organizations or revolutionary groups to fight the overwhelming oppression with well-planned demonstrations and petitions for a radical change in our government. When the momentum picks up, the mass protests can be mobilized and can forward the people's movement to oust the corrupt politicians.

This is a defining moment for Americans to take action - exercise our given rights engraved in the Constitution, defend our sacred freedom and justice, and restore our government to the people, by the people and for the people!!!

Be the revolutionary that the founders of our nation meant us to be!!!