On the Road to Hell

I've written this blog as a true believer in America as a Democracy. I've worked harder for the Obama Administration than any other. I began as a activist for JFK in 1960. I am a progressive populist working within the framework of the Democratic Party. I feel more betrayed than ever.

Ignoring the past, as Americans and their politicians do, has its perils. With a change in political administrations we all shared the hope that history would not prove our current leaders will face condemnation for not acting on any number of evils in today's world. I fear that if Congress and the Obama Administration continue on their current course the answer will be Yes. Historic evils should be the fodder of debate and not a quest for political indulgences among our current and past political leaders. The problem with mining collective guilt for political gain is that while it feels good today, the finger pointing never stops, the wounds never heal and hollow gestures tend to be repeatedly mistaken for progress. I was taught that it was Martin Luther and not Martin Luther King who originated the expression: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Regardless of origin, it is clear we are well down the road to hell.

It’s all about inequity and the myth we daily rub against our collective noses: that all men are created equal. If so, that equality does not extend beyond the creation point. The inequity is such that if we error by oversight or circumstances, our lives are ruined, even if we can only live by the rules. Our “leaders” destroy the lives of hundreds of millions, and they are rewarded by lavish pensions, parachutes, and secret service for life. The same rewards are lavished by public debt to those creating and maintaining the crisis. The world is betrayed by American hegemony and Empire building and war backed by empty promises of change.

Are we really safe today from terrorism, piracy and crime? What are the root causes? Clearly it is getting worse because the root causes are not addressed: First, over-consumption and the accumulation of wealth at the expense of those less fortunate. Second: power and hegemony. The third issue concerns the USA's perceived intentions: empire at the expense of its own; citizen soldiers are expendable resources. The political basis for the perception of the USA's hegemony does not stop there. By its failure to support international agreements devised for global good because they infringed its national interests, it is seen as sinking further into isolationism. One could, of course, discuss how far these perceptions are justified. Other countries, including the UK, are nearly as bad. And maybe the perceptions are engendered by jealousy. But jealousy is not an immediate or root cause. This is how the West is perceived, and the USA is acting in a way to exacerbate the situation. The root causes of terrorism will never be addressed so long as national governments are motivated solely by self-interest or guided by the self-righteous belief that their way is the right way and must be imposed on others. The plea that we should not ignore the fact that we live in a seething discontented world must be met by assessing our own role in causing that discontent and certainly not met with mere lip service and apology. There is a major disconnect between our words and deeds.

US action always addresses its problems in a provocative manner which intensifies the situation and makes it worse: military or police response; building more prisons; develop more secret concentration camps. By US actions, the new world order can only be seen as oppressive, elitist and a conspiracy against humanity. How can we imagine this as change we can believe in? Change is something beyond good oratory.