Another Serving?
U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld stated in an interview aired on Al-Arabiya television that he intended to continue serving. The question is: serving whom? He was responding to the recommendations from retired U.S. generals that he be replaced as steward of the Pentagon. And his president has affirmed that he has no intention of removing this man in favour of another, presumably more skilled, intelligent and amenable to reason.As Supreme Commander of the U.S. Armed Forces Dwight Eisenhower knew all about the military, its hold on government and its ties to private agencies. As President of the United States Mr. Eisenhower warned of a potential future where a potent mixture of government, the military and arms suppliers and manufacturers could conceivably have free rein to operate as they wished to fill their coffers. "Beware the military-industrial complex."
Little did even he ever dream of oil revenues, armaments manufacturers, friends in high, high places, and the military as a force to circumvent the normal operations of government. Which is to govern the state in a manner befitting the holder of its highest office, sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States, to bring prosperity to all its various parts, ensure economic opportunities for its citizens, to ensure safety and security at home, to uphold freedom of the person, of expression and association. Assuredly, that's the best of all possible worlds.
The thing of the matter is, the United States of America has the wherewithal to establish itself as the best of all possible worlds. That it has succeeded thus far in providing much in the way of safety, security, freedom of expression, economic opportunities for most of its people is no mean feat. That it has, when required, been a mighty shoulder to lean on for much of the world during critical world upheavals has always been to its credit.
That it has its darker side, where it has aided and abetted right-wing military dictatorships in other countries, that it has sent out its CIA tentacles to spy on and entangle itself to deleterious effect for countries not espousing its version of liberty and freedom has never brought credit to its shores. That it has spent countless billions of its own taxpayer monies abroad pursuing its questionable hegemonic agendas, while choosing not to see the plight of its own unprivileged citizens within its own borders does it no credit.
That the American electorate permitted the ascension of a complex of which a past president warned of, is a sad, sad commentary on its precoccupation with the materialistic overtaking the moral imperative, despite the huge numbers of church-attending, religion-abiding Americans who believe in their country and its positive role for world order. The U.S. has more than its share of individuals of outstanding accomplishments in science and philosophy, engineering and the arts. High intellectual achievement and technological advancement does not, sadly, always steer a country toward excellence.
That electorate must answer to itself for the presence of a man in the oval office not even the equal of his father before him as president (himself a confidant and personal friend of Arab oil interests). A man of questionable cerebral inheritance, but unquestioned business smarts, who arrogantly took it upon himself to embroil the world in deadly carnage even beyond the control of the vaunted American military. But the oil interests and the armaments manufacturers are content; beside themselves with happiness more likely.
The cabal of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and all their supporters hold the world to ransom. True, they did not create al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas, the insane hard-line Islamists in Iran and elsewhere whose sole reason for existence is an unvarnished goal of Islamic world domination. But one must wonder whether, while filling their coffers through the "war on terror" they are conversely, aiding, abetting and strengthening the Jihadist movement.
Short-sighted, unwilling, but pawns nonetheless.
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, April 16, 2006
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