The Poet's Eye
commentary by Lightning Rod
The Poets' Eye is skeptical without being cynical, innocent without being naive and critical without being judgemental.
Empire Stretched
(posted 02-20-04)
America has reached a point in it’s imperial progress where even our vast resources are being stretched thin. Since the Bush administration has decided to declare hegemony in the Middle East, and since their military adventures have placed us in occupation of two foreign countries, we are about to experience the expense of being in a quagmire.
Colonialism has never proved very successful over the longhaul. People tend to chaffe when a foreign power occupies their land for the purpose of extracting their natural resources. If Iraqi or Afghan soldiers were securing the oilfields of Texas, we would feel the same way about it. Soon every Brownie troop would become a cell of resistance, and that’s what will happen in Iraq. Every mosque will become a chapter of harrassment. A culture will grow up around the common desire to eject the invaders and we will see sniping after bombing after ambush. They have time. They can pick us off one by one.
Administration officials announced today that the presence of American forces will be required long after ‘sovereignty’ is transferred. Hello. This is because ‘sovereignty’ is not going to be transferred. There is only going to be a ceremonial puppet democracy show-biz governmet in place that will consist of what the populace will rightly recognize as collaborators with portfolios of Halliburton stock. Certainly American military might will be required to prop up such a government.
With the cloak of patriotism and ‘terrorist threats’ wearing thin for the Bushies, they are going to have to start explaining the daily death tolls on our soldiers and the avalanches of money that this government wants to spend to secure the profits of its cronies.
So, we’ll march the patsy from Enron around in handcuffs for the cameras and publicly rape Martha Stewart just to convince you that this is not a society of privilege. Public sacrifices, a circus to distract you from the real theft.
The Poet’s Eye sees that corporate/imperial interests are running foreign policy for their own profit and at the expense of the American people. If the Republicans can buy or steal the next election, it’s all over but the crying.
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