- Blaring its typical jarringly cacophonous
morning radio jabber, the suddenly welcome sound of my alarm rescued me
from the maelstrom of a nightmarish Neocon world spawned within my unconscious
mind. As consciousness flooded my being, I had an epiphany. My breed of
human being is a pariah in the American Empire. In the minds of the Regime's
loyal foot soldiers (the Neo-Tories of the Twenty First Century) American
society is waging a domestic war between those they define as liberals
and those they qualify as conservatives. Since 9/11, Fox News and the Bush
Regime have brain-washed them into believing that terrorists and their
sympathizers are lurking around every corner, poised to infect them with
a lethal virus, slice them with box cutters or obliterate them with a suicide
bomb. In the black and white perspective of the Neo-Tories, you are with
us or against us. If you do not fit into their narrow and misguided notion
of conservatism, you must be a "liberal". The American media/propaganda
machine (which the Empire's power moguls have brilliantly portrayed as
"liberal" to obfuscate the fact that six corporate conglomerates
own 90% of the mainstream media market) has sharply defined the "treasonous",
"ineffectual" nature of "liberals", portraying them
as soft on crime, sympathetic to those demonic terrorists, Socialists and
Communists, immoral, and militarily weak.
-
- Masters of delusion
-
- To their credit, Israel, AIPAC, the Bush
Regime, powerful families (with names like Koch), the numerous multi-millionaires
in Congress, powerful lobbyists, think tanks, major corporations, and the
1% of Americans who harbor 38% of the nation's wealth have done a phenomenal
job of convincing a majority of the poor and working class that they are
fortunate to have the privilege of fighting over the remaining crumbs of
the economic pie after the ruling elite gorge themselves. Despite the 13%
of Americans living in poverty, 46 million without health insurance, and
approximately 3 million homeless wandering our streets, the gallimaufry
ruling the United States according to the Golden Rule (he that hath the
gold maketh the rules) has artfully convinced "Main Street" that
it "doesn't get any better than this". The Empire's Neo-Tories
boast that capitalism and the free market are "kicking ass" while
Communism and Socialism have been relegated to the dustbin of history.
(Obviously they have not been paying much attention to South America lately).
With "free market" think tanks like Cato Institute (funded by
"humanitarian-environmentalists" like Charles Koch) to provide
the propaganda (sorry, I meant to say research), there is virtually no
end to the "evidence" supporting the "benefits" of
government deregulation of businesses and corporations.
-
- Unfortunately, I was born with a social
conscience and a powerful aversion to tyranny. My strong support of universal
human rights and dignity, social justice, equality, peace, and protection
of the environment has led me to dissent vehemently against the American
Empire. My strenuous objections to the widening wealth gap, the state terrorism
committed by the United States and Israel, corporate abuse of consumers,
employees and the environment, egregious violation of international law
by the US (including torture on a wide scale), obscene hypocrisy concerning
nuclear capacities, rapidly diminishing civil liberties, insane expenditure
of our tax dollars for military purposes, and the rapid consolidation of
power into the Executive Branch have earned me the brand of "liberal".
-
- Now is the time for the Neo-Tories to
make the sign of the cross, reach for their garlic, brandish their vile
of holy water, and invoke incantations from Ann Coulter. In so doing, they
are certain to vanquish the lot of us weaklings who stand in the way of
the true "progress" which will only occur once the Empire dedicates
itself fully to the concept of survival of the fittest. Remember, Hitler
eradicated the Socialist/Communist scourge as he rose to provide us with
a viable sociopolitical model encompassing gross intolerance, cruel injustice,
imperial conquest, genocide, and overt concentration of power in the hands
of the elites.
-
- In my poignant moment of clarity, I decided
it was time for me (and others like me) to surrender our fatuous devotion
to childish notions of fairness and equality. The Neocons and their Neo-Tory
bootlicks possess an unwavering commitment to domination that will enable
them to lead the American Empire (unfettered by weaknesses like compassion
and empathy) to its true destiny: global hegemony. How could I have been
so blind to the truth that the many must suffer so the few can prosper?
It is an inescapable aspect of the human condition. Only 250,000 Iraqi
civilian have died for the noble cause of spreading freedom and democracy
(wink, wink; nudge, nudge). In the process, we have also taught those filthy
Middle Easterners that we will not tolerate them selling their oil for
Euros and we have established the 52nd state of the union (to complement
the 51st state formed through the genocide of the Palestinians). Never
mind that the Machiavellian and illegitimate Bush Regime has reduced the
value of the Constitution to that of toilet paper (albeit it would probably
be too rough even for that purpose).
-
- Bury the efforts and sacrifices of Women's
Suffragists, Populists, Progressives, organized labor and civil rights
activists! Join the Neo-Tories in a Twenty First Century renewal of fealty
to King George! William Kristol, Robert Kagan and the Empire-building signatories
of the PNAC had the cajones to announce America's intentions to dominate
the world. We owe it to them to make their wet dream a reality....
-
- Imagine a nation unfettered by the silly
constraints of conscience, the rule of law (over the whims of individual
rulers), humanity, and justice! My mind is reeling in orgasmic delight
at the virtually infinite array of possibilities. America has the potential
to become an empire like no other. Envision endless hedonistic orgies,
mountains of blood-drenched cash harvested from the Neo-colonies, uninhibited
rape and plunder of the world's resources, obscene exploitation of the
billions of human beings not fortunate enough to inhabit the "Empire
proper", and military domination by air, sea, land and space. Sign
me up to help make it happen!
-
- In the wake of my startling realizations,
I finally began seeing the light as I envisioned the American Empire as
it should be. Thankfully, I have come to my senses and will cease my frivolous
pursuit of inane ideals that don't create wealth, advance technology, dominate
other human beings, provide immediate gratification, or satiate carnal
desires.
-
- This is America, baby! Shut up and swear
allegiance to the Flag, the Dollar, the Corporatocracy, and to the Regime.
-
- Taking off the mask (and the gloves)
-
- It has become too cumbersome to carry
on the charade of democracy. Staging two consecutive fraudulent presidential
elections, maintaining a Congress which has evolved into a rubber-stamp
for the Regime, and giving the populace access to a court system packed
with ideologues who eagerly await the opportunity to endorse the Empire's
edicts have effectively enabled tyranny under the guise of democracy. However,
these unnecessary hindrances have become obsolete. Besides, if we are to
rescue Scott McClellan from eternity in Malebolge, it is time that the
Bush Regime comes out of the closet and simply issues its own version of
the Enabling Act.
-
- As President-elect George Bush stated
on 12/18/00:
-
- "If this were a dictatorship, it'd
be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."
-
- Let's not keep him waiting any longer!
Stop haranguing him about wire-tapping without FISA approval. Implement
Patriot Act II. Embrace torture as an acceptable and necessary means of
expanding the Empire by breaking its alleged enemies and dissenters. Habeas
corpus and Posse Comitatus are antiquated impediments to domestic tranquility.
They must be eliminated.
-
- One of my co-workers recently asserted
that everyone who disagrees with the policies of the Regime needs to be
rounded up and shot. I agree. We need to implement a nation-wide dragnet
to capture subversives, dissidents, liberals, war protesters, and the remaining
scum whose treasonous activities retard the Empire's progress. A bullet
is a hell of a lot cheaper than a prison cell. We have plenty of bullets;
let's put them to use.
-
- The Business of America is Business
-
- Calvin Coolidge, a visionary president
who recognized the necessity of laissez-faire economic policies, knew what
America was about. It is time we got back to our roots by removing quaint
ethical, legal, and moral constraints on businesses. American society reached
the peak of its evolution during the Gilded Age. Let's reclaim that glory.
-
- Corporations and business magnates have
been hamstrung by archaic laws long enough. Let's truly free the free market.
Unshackle the movers and shakers of our capitalist economy and the American
Empire will blow the doors off the rest of the world. We are only consuming
25% of the world's resources now. America needs to buckle down and significantly
increase its share of the world's bounty. Since the other 97% of the world's
population is comprised of terrorists, savages, Socialists, non-Christians,
and non-Caucasians, they need to yield to the moral imperative of the Christian
God and further enrich the American Empire.
-
- Minimum wages, Child Labor Laws, mandatory
extra pay for so-called "overtime", legislation prohibiting discriminatory
hiring practices and sexual harassment, and ridiculous protections for
the disabled need to go. Our children have too much free time on their
hands; idle hands do the work of the devil. Blacks and other minorities
need to buck up and deal with it if Whites feel uncomfortable hiring them.
Women need to develop a thicker skin and realize that sometimes keeping
their job requires a little "extra effort". If someone is blind
or wheelchair-bound, we have no obligation to accommodate their weaknesses.
-
- Clean air and water are luxuries Americans
can no longer afford. Endangered species need to go the way of the Dodo
if they can't hack it anymore. The Bible clearly defines man's dominion
over this planet. If Mother Earth has a problem with the way we are treating
her, she can take it up with the Man Upstairs.
-
- End the Gravy Train
-
- Entitlements are a waste of our precious
resources. Medicare, Medicaid, WIC, food stamps and the rest of those nauseating
Socialistic programs must go. If someone doesn't have money, it is time
they got a job. Those of us who work and pay taxes owe the lazy and weak
nothing. Can't find a job or the money you need for basic necessities?
Tough. If God had intended for you to survive, he would have given you
the attributes and resources to do so.
-
- Shedding our puerile concerns for the
plight of the poor, the elderly, and the disabled will enable us to focus
more of our resources where they belong. The $600 billion a year we spend
on defense represents a mere 60% of world military expenditures. What self-respecting
imperial entity would settle for such a miniscule piece of the pie? Exempting
the military, the Department of Homeland Security, and the other offices
of the Executive Branch necessary to rule the Empire, it is time to follow
Grover Norquist's brilliant advice and start running the bath water.
-
- Like the one in Jericho, this wall must
come down...
-
- A crucial aspect the American Empire
lacks is the marriage of church and state. A tyrannical Bush Regime wedded
with the powerful elements of the Religious Right and Dominionists would
empower the "iron men" to rid our society of harlots and sinners
like Hester Prynne.
-
- We are a Christian nation. Muslims, Hindus,
Wiccans and other followers of unenlightened religions need to convert
or face harsh consequences, including crucifixion, stoning, or if we are
feeling lenient, simple expulsion from our nation. Homosexuality, prostitution,
abortion, and atheism will be punishable by death. Blasphemy will result
in surgical removal of the tongue. Adultery will be grounds for severe
torture involving the genitals. Women and children will again subjugate
themselves to the masters of our nation, their husbands and fathers.
-
- Religion will return to the public square.
Those who refuse to say Merry Christmas will be flogged until they lose
consciousness. Prayer will be mandatory at all public events and non-participants
will receive severe beatings. Failure to attend church on a consistent
basis will result in assignment to re-education centers. A government entity
analogous to the IRS will oversee the collection of mandatory tithes. Those
caught cheating the Church will have their hands severed. A Ministry of
Decency will monitor all forms of media and stage mass public bonfires
to eliminate profane, pornographic, and blasphemous materials.
-
- The Church of the Empire will be jointly
administered by members of the Bush Regime and such Christian luminaries
as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, and Tim LaHaye. To prevent
the Empire's bounty from going to waste in a heavily tithed society with
Puritanical laws, the segments of the populace comprising the ruling elite
(including the Church leadership) will be exempt from their own edicts.
"Do as I say and not as I do" will be the order of the day.
-
- It is time for the "Culture of Life"
to prevail in the United States.
-
- Whoring girls and women who become pregnant
out of wedlock deserve to be butchered at the hands of back-alley abortionists.
And as for the abandoned or abused children arising from unwanted pregnancies,
they will provide a ready supply of cheap labor once we eliminate those
hopelessly idealistic Child Labor Laws.
-
- Perpetual war to expand our sphere of
influence is the only way to ensure American dominance over the rest of
the world. To hell with concern for the murder of innocent civilians. Those
individuals are merely "collateral damage" for which we cannot
be held responsible. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time. Better luck next time. Besides, when we murder, we are morally
and legally justified because our terrorism is committed in uniform and
for the cause of "freedom". Hopefully Hamas will not discover
our secret and start putting uniforms on their freedom fighters.
-
- The Empire's work in Iraq is only beginning.
Permanent military base completion, generous dispensation of depleted uranium
and white phosphorus, murder, mayhem, and environmental devastation will
keep us busy for a few more years. Once we have secured Iraq and the precious
oil, we can take a serious look at Iran. While there are several compelling
reasons to refrain from attacking Iran today, once we bring the nation
of Iraq to its knees (regardless of the cost), we can set our sights on
another member of the Axis of Evil. In the interim, we will further solidify
our strategic position in the Middle East through our unflinching support
of Israeli genocide against the malevolent Palestinians. They made their
bed by electing Hamas. Now they must lie in it. Unless Hamas quietly acquiesces
to the ongoing rape of its people, we will teach them obedience. We will
not rest until the vermin infesting the West Bank and Gaza are servile
or dead.
-
- We can stem the tide of the ongoing threat
from our subhuman black population by stepping up implementation of the
death penalty. Since public lynchings are no longer an option, state murders
need to become public events once again. We know that black males in particular
have natural criminal inclinations, so we need this powerful deterrent
to keep their savage tendencies in check.
-
- Embryonic stem cell research must not
take place. Blastocysts are human lives, whether they have been implanted
in a womb or not. We need to appropriate federal funding for funerals and
proper burials for those tiny human beings discarded by fertility clinics.
God mandates that we deter the murderers who want to use these precious
little children for their evil scientific experiments.
-
- Finally, to keep the citizens of the
Empire complacent and fulfilled, we will continue to burnish unbridled
consumption into their psyches. Alluring advertising from Madison Avenue,
easy credit, and the commercialization of virtually every aspect of our
culture (we will even have to desecrate our sacred Christianity a bit,
but such is the nature of an imperial dynasty) will prompt consumers to
power the engine of America's economy.
-
- Mirroring our spiritual bankruptcy, our
people and our government will revel in false riches derived from borrowed
money we can never hope to repay. But who will challenge the most powerful
nation on the planet? If China calls our notes due, we will simply incinerate
them with the space weapons we will have developed.
-
- You think the American Empire is hubristic,
xenophobic, cruel, avaricious, and murderous? You're right. As Aldous Huxley
wrote:
-
- "The propagandist's purpose is to
make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human."
-
- Many Americans forgot that many other
sets of people were human long ago. They checked their consciences at the
door and are building an empire. Join me in letting go of the delusional
belief that you can stop them. Resistance if futile. Accept your fate and
surrender gracefully.
-
- To the glory of Washington!
-
- Excuse me now while I wretch and vomit
profusely. Once I purge the toxins of imperial fantasy from my being, I
will resume my dissent. In spite of my tenacious efforts, I was unable
to divorce myself from my conscience. It looks like I won't be swearing
allegiance to the American Empire any time soon.
-
- Jason Miller is a 39-year-old activist
writer with a degree in liberal arts. When he is not spending time with
his wife and three sons, researching, or writing, he is working as a loan
counselor. He is a member of Amnesty International and an avid supporter
of Oxfam International and Human Rights Watch. He welcomes responses at
willpowerful@hotmail.com or comments on his blog, Thomas Paine's Corner.
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