Silencing The Critics

In 2010 the FBI invaded the homes of peace activists in several states and seized personal possessions in what the FBI–the lead orchestrator of fake “terrorist plots”–called an investigation of “activities concerning the material support of terrorism.”

Subpoenas were issued to compel antiwar protestors to testify before grand juries as prosecutors set about building their case that opposing Washington’s wars of aggression constitutes giving aid and comfort to terrorists. The purpose of the raids and grand jury subpoenas was to chill the anti-war movement into inaction.

Last week in one fell swoop the last two remaining critics of Washington/Tel Aviv imperialism were removed from the mainstream media. Judge Napolitano’s popular program, Freedom Watch, was cancelled by Fox TV, and Pat Buchanan was fired by MSNBC. Both pundits had wide followings and were appreciated for speaking frankly.

Many suspect that the Israel Lobby used its clout with TV advertisers to silence critics of the Israeli government’s efforts to lead Washington to war with Iran. Regardless, the point before us is that the voice of the mainstream media is now uniform. Americans hear one voice, one message, and the message is propaganda. Dissent is tolerated only on such issues as to whether employer-paid health benefits should pay for contraceptive devices. Constitutional rights have been replaced with rights to free condoms.

The western media demonizes those at whom Washington points a finger. The lies pour forth to justify Washington’s naked aggression: the Taliban are conflated with al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, Gaddafi is a terrorist and, even worse, fortified his troops with Viagra in order to commit mass rape against Libyan women.

President Obama and members of Congress along with Tel Aviv continue to assert that Iran is making a nuclear weapon despite public contradiction by the US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and the CIA’s National Intelligence Estimate. According to news reports, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta told members of the House of Representatives on February 16 that “Tehran has not made a decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon.” http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_19978801?source=rss However, in Washington facts don’t count. Only the material interests of powerful interest groups matter.

At the moment the american Ministry of Truth is splitting its time between lying about Iran and lying about Syria. Recently, there were some explosions in far away Thailand, and the explosions were blamed on Iran. Last October the FBI announced that the bureau had uncovered an Iranian plot to pay a used car salesman to hire a Mexican drug gang to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the US. The White House idiot professed to believe the unbelievable plot and declared that he had “strong evidence,” but no evidence was ever released. The purpose for announcing the non-existent plot was to justify Obama’s sanctions, which amount to an embargo–an act of war–against Iran for developing nuclear energy.

As a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty, Iran has the right to develop nuclear energy. IAEA inspectors are permanently in Iran and report no diversion of nuclear material to a weapons program.

In other words, according to the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the US National Intelligence Estimate, and the current Secretary of Defense, there is no evidence that Iran has nukes or is making nukes. Yet, Obama has placed illegal sanctions on Iran and continues to threaten Iran with military attack on the basis of an accusation that is contradicted by all known evidence.

How can such a thing happen? It can happen because there is no Helen Thomas, who also was eliminated by the Israel Lobby, to question, as a member of the White House press, President Obama why he placed war-like sanctions on Iran when his own CIA and his own Secretary of Defense, along with the IAEA, report that there is no basis for the sanctions.

The idea that the US is a democracy when it most definitely does not have a free watchdog press is laughable. But the media is not laughing. It is lying. Just like the government, every time the US mainstream media opens its mouth or writes one word, it is lying. Indeed, its corporate masters pay its employees to tell lies. That is their job. Tell the truth, and you are history like Buchanan and Napolitano and Helen Thomas.

What the Ministry of Truth calls “peaceful protesters brutalized by Assad’s military” are in fact rebels armed and financed by Washington. Washington has fomented a civil war. Washington claims its intention is to rescue the oppressed and abused Syrian people from Assad, just as Washington rescued the oppressed and abused Libyan people from Gaddafi. Today “liberated” Libya is a shell of its former self terrorized by clashing militias. Thanks to Obama, another country has been destroyed.

Reports of atrocities committed against Syrian civilians by the military could be true, but the reports come from the rebels who desire Western intervention to put them into power. Moreover, how would these civilian casualties differ from the ones inflicted on Bahraini civilians by the US supported Bahraini government, the military of which was fortified by Saudi Arabian troops? There is no outcry in the western press about Washington’s blind eye to civilian atrocities committed by its puppet states.

How do the Syrian atrocities, if they are real, differ from Washington’s atrocities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo prison, and secret CIA prison sites? Why is the american Ministry of Truth silent about these massive, unprecedented, violations of human rights?

Remember also the reports of Serbian atrocities in Kosovo that Washington and Germany used to justify NATO and US bombing of Serbian civilians, including the Chinese consulate, dismissed as another collateral damage. Now 13 years later, a prominent German TV program has revealed that the photographs that ignited the atrocity campaign were grossly misrepresented and were not photographs of atrocities committed by Serbs, but of Albanian separatists killed in a firefight between armed Albanians and Serbians. Serbian casualties were not shown. http://www.freenations.freeuk.com/news-2012-02-19.html

The problem that truth faces is that the western media continually lies. On the rare instances when the lies are corrected, it is always long after the event and, therefore, the crimes enabled by the media have been accomplished.

Washington set its puppet Arab League upon Syria in order to establish Syria’s isolation among its own kind, the better to attack Syria. Assad forestalled Washington’s set-up of Syria for destruction by calling a nationwide referendum on February 26 to establish a new constitution that would extend the prospect of rule beyond the Ba’athists (Assad’s party).

One might think that, if Washington and its Ministry of Truth really wanted democracy in Syria, Washington would get behind this gesture of good will by the ruling party and endorse the referendum. But Washington does not want a democratic Syrian government. Washington wants a puppet state. Washington’s response is that the dastardly Assad has outwitted Washington by taking steps toward Syrian democracy before Washington can obliterate Syria and install a puppet.

Here is Obama’s response to Assad’s move toward democracy: “It’s actually quite laughable–it makes a mockery of the Syrian revolution,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Obama, the neoconservatives, and Tel Aviv are really pissed. If Washington and Tel Aviv can figure out how to get around Russia and China and overthrow Assad, Washington and Tel Aviv will put Assad on trial as a war criminal for proposing a democratic referendum.

Assad was an eye doctor in England until his father died, and he was called back to head the troubled government. Washington and Tel Aviv have demonized Assad for refusing to be their puppet. Another sore point is the Russian naval base at Tartus. Washington is desperate to evict the Russians from their only Mediterranean base in order to make the Mediterranean an american lake. Washington, inculcated with neocon visions of world empire, wants its own mare nostrum.

If the Soviet Union were still extant, Washington’s designs on Tartus would be suicidal. However, Russia is politically and militarily weaker than the Soviet Union. Washington has infiltrated Russia with NGOs that work against Russia’s interests and will disrupt the upcoming elections. Moreover, Washington-funded “color revolutions” have turned former constituent parts of the Soviet Union into Washington’s puppet states. Shorn of communist ideology, Washington does not expect Russia to push the nuclear button. Thus, Russia is there for the taking.

China is a more difficult problem. Washington’s plan is to cut China off from independent sources of energy. China’s oil investment in eastern Libya is the reason
Gaddafi was overthrown, and oil is one of the main reasons that Washington has targeted Iran. China has large oil investments in Iran and gets 20% of its oil from Iran. Closing down Iran, or converting it into Washington’s puppet state, closes down 20% of the Chinese economy.

Russia and China are slow learners. However, when Washington and its NATO puppets abused the “no-fly” UN resolution concerning Libya and violated the UN resolution by turning it into armed military aggression against Libya’s armed forces, which had every right to put down a CIA sponsored rebellion, Russia and China finally got the message that Washington could not be trusted.

This time Russia and China did not fall into Washington’s trap. They vetoed the UN Security Council’s set-up of Syria for military attack. Now Washington and Tel Aviv (it is not always clear which is the puppet and which is the puppet master) have to decide whether to proceed in the face of Russian and Chinese opposition.

The risks for Washington have multiplied. If Washington proceeds, the information that is conveyed to Russia and China is that they are next in line after Iran. Therefore, Russia and China, both being well-armed with nuclear weapons, are likely to put their foot down more firmly at the line drawn over Iran. If the crazed warmongers in Washington and Tel Aviv, with veins running strong with hubris and arrogance, again override Russian and Chinese opposition, the risk of a dangerous confrontation rises.

Why isn’t the american media raising questions about these risks? Is it worth blowing up the world in order to stop Iran from having a nuclear energy program or even a nuclear weapon? Does Washington think China is unaware that Washington is taking aim at its energy supply? Does Washington think Russia is unaware that it is being encircled by hostile military bases?

Whose interests are being served by Washington’s endless and multi-trillion dollar wars? Certainly not the interests of the 50 million americans with no access to health care, nor the 1,500,000 american children who are homeless, living in cars, rundown motel rooms, tent cities, and the storm sewers under Las Vegas, while huge amounts of public funds are used to bail out banks and squandered in wars of hegemony. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suJCvkazrTc

The US has no independent print and TV media. It has presstitutes who are paid for the lies that they tell. The US government in its pursuit of its immoral aims has attained the status of the most corrupt government in human history. Yet Obama speaks as if Washington is the font of human morality.

The US government does not represent americans. It represents a few special interests and a foreign power. US citizens simply don’t count, and certainly Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans, Somalians, Yemenis, and Pakistanis don’t count. Washington regards truth, justice, and mercy as laughable values. Money, power, hegemony are all that count for Washington, the city upon the hill, the light unto nations, the example for the world.

About Dr. Paul Craig Roberts

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following.

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  1. avatar

    Dr. Roberts: As to Syria, thanks for mentioning the Russian port (actually Russia is upgrading an old port). Also for mentioning the Chinese connection in Iran and Libya; our plan is to starve China of resources. Oh well, better than an invasion!! All three ‘leaders (Iran, Iraq, Libya) were selling oil for other than US$; a death warrant! The goal is US$ and military hegemony!!

    Regards, Dave

    By: Dave Redick . February 29, 2012 . 8:37 am | Flag this comment

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  2. avatar

    The death toll in Syria is difficult at best to determine: The western backed gangs who were sent in by Clinton and her counterparts in Britain and France, have attacked and murdered civilians as well as Syrian military. The problem is the mainstream media in America lumps all the casualty figures together and then blames it all on Asad.
    There is a very good article on Veterans Today website concerning the death toll in Syria. The Red Crescent, as well as a number of other foreign observers discount the statement that all the civilians were killed by Asad’s army.
    There is a very smelly alliance between Turkey and israhell and with Syria in the gunsights of the U.S. State Dept., it could become the next Iraq. Clinton has shown herself to be nothing but a lying hypocrite and zionist prostitute. Nobody in their right mind should believe anything she says.
    Ron Paul has stated time and again that the U.S. has no business interfering in the sovereign states. Unfortunately so many Americans are led to falsely believe this is America’s mission: to be the world’s policeman.
    We here, all know the real truth behind the actions of the U.S. government. That’s why we read Mr. Robert’s editorials. That’s why we use other alternative news sites.
    It’s why we are not hypnotized by the tricksters, liars and cheats who infest both the government and MSM.

    By: JohnZ . March 1, 2012 . 9:00 am | Flag this comment

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    • avatar

      The Russian mass-media inform about detained by the governmental army in territory of Syria more than 100 French members of spetsnaz of oppositional separatists at war on the party. That is 100 French fighters were taken prisoner Bashar Asad in Homs. It is a good trump for negotiating with the West. Therefore Sarkozy is silent in a rag. And in the Russian mass-media hint at that that not only Frenchmen, but also some large stars-striped country has got in this trap. Not all Frenchmen and not all are guys will come back home. But after all them didn’t invite to Syria officially.

      By: Evgenia . March 3, 2012 . 8:47 am | Flag this comment

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  3. avatar

    May God forgive us.

    By: Barrt . March 1, 2012 . 5:28 pm | Flag this comment

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  4. avatar

    Re: “Why is Washington so determined to bring democracy to the Middle East (with the exception of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Emirates), Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, and China, but is hostile to constitutional rights in America?”

    As you say, democracy is a weapon of mass destruction. Our foreign policy is control of global resources.
    In America, the thrust is towards an oligarchic dictatorship. The powers that be are indifferent to the citizenry. The same is happening in Europe.

    As the Bible warns: no one will be able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast: that is, without being integrated into the “system”–as in fact most of us are. Those that aren’t get attacked and then integrated or plundered.

    By: John . March 2, 2012 . 2:30 pm | Flag this comment

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  5. avatar

    Naturally the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”

    By: bill derberg . March 2, 2012 . 5:39 pm | Flag this comment

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    • avatar

      Sounds familiar. Hermann Göring, natürlich.

      By: Ken Ashley . March 2, 2012 . 5:52 pm | Flag this comment

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  6. avatar

    For Christ’s sake, Dr. Roberts, the word “democracy” doesn’t appear in either the Declaration of Independence or the CONstitution. Why do you suppose that is? Get a f***in’ grip.

    By: Big M . March 2, 2012 . 10:32 pm | Flag this comment

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    • avatar

      I would like to assume you are just giving Dr. Roberts a hard time in jest.

      If you are not then I would like to point out that the terms “Separation of Church and State” and “Fair Trail” also are not included in the constitution. However, absence of the terms does not mean absence of the idea. It is widely accepted that the constitution sets up conditions through which such terms are realized.

      By: KAS . March 3, 2012 . 3:13 am | Flag this comment

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    • avatar

      Apparently, they taught you how to read and write…just not comprehend what you are reading or convey an original thought.

      By: Russ L. Smith . March 3, 2012 . 11:58 am | Flag this comment

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      • avatar

        Ok, I have to apologize. After researching his site, Roberts seems to be somewhat of a Democratic ideologue. Democracy has it’s place within the confines of a libertarian republic, but I don’t actually see the nuances of that argument conveyed on this site.

        By: Russ L. Smith . March 3, 2012 . 12:17 pm | Flag this comment

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  7. avatar

    The United States was never meant to be a “democracy”. After all it is nothing more than mob rule. That is 51% get to make life hell for the other 49%.
    The founding fathers wanted a constitutional republic but never a democracy.
    AS it stands right now, America is neither,it is instead, a police state ruled by the 1% and a zionist-jewish cabal of marxists. America has been undone.
    If what the Russian press is true and I suspect it may be, then it is all too clear what the entire affair is about and that the mainstream media will do it utmost to lie, distort and misdirect the events in accordance with the obomber administration.
    If there are U.S troops involved then it’s too bad but they knew what they were getting into. Nobody should feel sorrow at their being captured, certainly I don’t. Frankly I don’t care if the Syrian government executes the lot of them. I do not support the government in D.C. and that also includes the military. I support the veterans whom the government in Washington doesn’t give a rats ass damn. I don’t support the corrupt, DOD some of whom are involved with drug trafficking, human sex slave trafficking and murder. Some are involved with pedophilia rings which involve many other members of the government. Your congress critter is financing his or her re- election with money from drug cartels.
    Washington is a cesspool of corruption, perversion and self serving hypocrites. This government is destroying itself, but not before it destroys many others in the process.
    There is little time left for America. Same for israhell. Both are doomed . They have sealed their fate and are about to realize the results of arrogance, greed, ignorance, sloth and denial.
    When that day arrives, their will be a great wailing that will rise up just before chaos claims its due.

    By: JohnZ . March 3, 2012 . 9:57 am | Flag this comment

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  8. avatar

    As a friend of mine put it recently:
    Basically we don’t just have “corruption” in this country, but our Masters have gone way beyond that and created an expansive false reality for us to live in. And that false reality has now become a cartoonish nightmare where everything is perverse and morally inverted. That’s why the murderous fraud Obama, can sit in his office and judge foreign rulers like Gaddafi or Assad or (insert you favorite ruler du jour here), while being completely illegitimate himself.

    By: Harold Smith . March 3, 2012 . 9:58 am | Flag this comment

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    • avatar

      Harold Smith, you are absolutely right. It is the world thought up and inspired the American by means of a full education system, mass-media, corporate charters. I attentively read all comments, thoughts of visitors of this forum are very interesting to me. Certainly I am not strong in an internal political situation before elections in the USA. But I think that it is impossible to have right conclusions and reasonings on present foreign policy, on a possible future political mode of your country because many people don’t know a reality or know it very restrictedly. It is impossible to accept the right decision without having all truth about a situation. Though it is necessary to recognize fairly that in any country of the world there is no truth. Somewhere truths are less, somewhere is more. But at the majority of Americans simply thick curtains hang before eyes. But I can’t repeat these words about this forum. Here remarkable adequate people.
      Tomorrow in Russia presidential elections. Wish us and Putin good luck. Very much I hope that after elections Russia gradually leaves “system” of World Owners.
      Can be reasonable the American it is necessary to move to Russia on a constant residence? :) At us much more freedom, at us it is interesting to live. To us really many Americans, Frenchmen and other Europeans already move for ever. It is necessary to think yet late and for the present there is such possibility. The Iron Curtain in the USA will soon fall. And camp which are under construction at you on all country will be filled dissatisfied with the power. Leave somewhere, don’t wait for the worst events. Or I am not right?

      By: Evgenia . March 3, 2012 . 10:49 am | Flag this comment

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    • avatar

      Look at this video for an illustration of my statement that Americans know nothing about that that really occurs in the world. http://oko-planet.su/first/politik/newsda y/105391-miting-za-putina-manezhnaya-ploschad-onlayn.html. This video is removed in Moscow on the area near to the Kremlin. On video are shown about 200 thousand supporters of Putin. All streets and the areas have been around filled by these people. All of them have gone out of doors to celebrate Putin’s victory. On the second video Putin’s performance before the people. And its tears in the face of for pleasure such in such heavy struggle under the pressure of own rotten opposition and the western false mass-media. You never will see these shots in own sources of the information. For this reason I want them to lay out here. It also is the naked truth.

      By: Evgenia . March 5, 2012 . 1:46 am | Flag this comment

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  9. avatar

    The U.S. foreign policy towards Russia and Putin in particular is being driven by the zionist neo-cons. They hate Putin for driving out the jews from the Russian government. They hate Putin for his nationalism, for reinstating the Russian Orthodox Church back to its former position. Of course Hitlery and her cohorts despise Putin. He stands in the way of the zionist-jew’s attempts to overthrow Russia and convert it to another people under one world government. Putin represents all that our government does not: a concern for the welfare and well being of its people, a threat to the CIA drug trafficking throughout that part of the world, and an opposition to the west’s attempts to forcibly bring the middle eastern states into the zionist controlled western sphere of not just influence but total control. The lives of those people will be no better than before and most likely be for the worse.
    As long as the government continues to lie and deceive through the zionist owned mainstream media, the majority of the sheeple will remain ignorant and all too willing to support the aggressive and violent acts of those in Washington.

    By: JohnZ . March 5, 2012 . 10:10 am | Flag this comment

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  10. avatar

    Just testing if I could post… Take time and listen to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r8rFNDh9WQ&feature=relmfu

    Dr. Roberts, you do yourself a disservice by appearing on this clown’s show… Cooper was Breitbarted shortly after he began to become critical of Jones. And he was on the same “Genesis” network…

    By: Weevil . March 5, 2012 . 2:12 pm | Flag this comment

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  11. avatar

    As long as wars can’t be stopped by people protests after they’ve started, there’s no hope in trying to change these destructive policies, since elected ‘leaders of the civilized world’ can do anything they like to other countries under false pretexts. I’m from Libya and I would really like to have more information on why John McCain and Joe Lieberman, 2 U.S congressmen, were so viciously pushing for war on Libya? Do they own arms manufacturing industries or what?

    By: Z. Taher . March 6, 2012 . 6:11 am | Flag this comment

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  12. avatar

    “Do they own arms manufacturing industries or what?”
    Hah! That would be much too obvious but no doubt they have invested in them via their stock portfolios…. What is more likely is that that are compromised in some way and are being blackmailed by the Israeli government to support a bombing campaign.

    By: Weevil . March 6, 2012 . 9:00 am | Flag this comment

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  13. avatar

    Thank you Dr. Roberts for telling as it really is. I am thankful for the few people we have who are not for sale and have the courage to speak-out. And, the 2 or 3 in politics who do the same. So, how do we fix the problem? How can we get a class of men and women of principal into political leadership? What we need are people motivated to serve our country rather than themselves. Is it even possible? From what were getting now, we would be better off with lotteries than elections. Somehow I envision retired people (and such) who want to serve and don’t need or want a paycheck. They serve, we reimburse their expenses, and they go home. Any ideas?

    By: David Cameron . March 6, 2012 . 9:56 am | Flag this comment

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  14. avatar

    If Dr. Roberts was running for president, I’d vote for him. I have been following him on Counter Punch for years and telling friends to read his postings. We need more people like him, and we need more people to listen to him.

    By: Marc Gunyon . March 6, 2012 . 2:14 pm | Flag this comment

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  15. avatar

    I must be psychic. Following is an article I wrote and sent to a publisher. Oddly enough I never received confirmation it was received. Perhaps you readers may enjoy it.

    Best regards,

    The religion of corporate serfdom
    By: John Stewart B.A.

    Multinational corporations enjoy the freedom to pillage sovereign countries economies with impunity. The most they suffer are miniscule fines that they pass onto consumers in the form of price increases. Our form of government encourages their behavior because they pay for the legislators that do their bidding and pass laws to protect them and exploit the underclass public. See John Perkins work: “Confessions of an economic hit man.”

    In India, Ghandi protested against the British Empire that exploited their country and countrymen with the excuse of moral superiority. In our country and indeed throughout the world people are being exploited by the wealthy for their own ends without concern for those who produce their wealth. How is this different from serfdom and kingdoms of the Middle Ages? Taxing the poor to build their empires while stifling the growth of the middle class so that they will have complete control over their subjects.

    Today we are witnessing the revival of the middle ages with wealthy oligarchs willfully breaking all manner of decency and human dignity for their benefit. Creation of a second class citizenry by employing “current” full time employees with full benefits, while a policy of hiring new employees as second class temporary workers with “optional benefits and lower pay” are becoming the industry standard. We are witnessing a modern day dilemma of a reversion to middle age Aristocrats and Oligarchs wealth begetting power and enslavement of mankind by means of excessive taxation without representation. Our political system encourages buying and selling of our collective will to the highest bidder, especially in the form of our so called representative government of republican and democratic parties. A great majority of our congress and senate are bought and paid for by big money special interests. The will of the people is usurped on a regular basis by those that have a nefarious agenda not in the interest of the common man, but unfettered greed.

    Multinational corporate power and money dominate all aspects of human endeavor as long as we allow it. Laws are passed at the behest of corporate lobbyists to protect the wealthy corporate elite at the expense of the weak and poor. Economics skewed in favor of this premise support this form of legislated tyranny. In our present circumstance Multinationals have the wealth, power and immunity from prosecution to do whatever they wish without meaningful redress from governments throughout the world. Fines by governments for corporate misconduct are considered by the corporations as the cost of doing business. The cost of misconduct is passed onto the consumer in higher prices. No harm is incurred by the corporations by decree of our so called government policies. Therefore, they are encouraged to continue to break the law with impunity.

    One solution: Corporate upper management should be held accountable to any proven misdeeds that have harmed it’s citizenry by a “fair and equitable” legal system. Prison time and or, stripping of all wealth should be applied to corporate officers in order to restrain their callous disregard for human decency and values that make a civilization fair and equitable to those at the top of the pyramid and those at the bottom.

    Unless there is real and measureable progress to allow the elevation of human decency above the corporate oligarchy, then our government is not acting as our democratic institutions have led us to believe. In the common interest the U.S. Constitution and bill of rights were designed to protect the common man against from foreign and domestic tyranny and that that these truths shall not be infringed by law. Wall Street seems to have trumped our laws. The onslaught of this belligerent evil against our way of life may not survive much longer. The only way to correct this injustice is campaign finance reform.

    Beware: the slowly boiling water that the 99% are placed, like the frog. The wealthy and powerful will just turn up the heat until we boil.

    Perhaps if public opinion becomes too burdensome the oligarchs may start another war to divert our attention away from current events if enough public outrage is perceived by the corporate oligarchy. I am sure the corporate news media will go along for the ride, as usual. Remember Iraq and Afghanistan. Syria has no oil, so it won’t attract the attention of oligarchs. Iran, on the other hand is a major player in the oil market. Iran is next I am afraid.

    God help us.

    By: John Stewart . March 7, 2012 . 7:20 pm | Flag this comment

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  16. avatar

    Very well written and I suspect it reflects the attitudes of most of us here. I have stated to others that America more resembles a Latin American police state that operates for the benefit of the wealthy oligarchs at the expense of the rest. Yes, I agree that this is a new form of serfdom.
    I will however add that fines and prison time should not be the only punishment….public hanging of a few of these gangsters would be a good place to start.
    However, nothing will be done as long as those who call themselves representatives of the people are called to task and face the same consequences of their actions as their money masters.
    Yes, I favor hanging a few of them. The rest need to be turned out without pensions and health care at the public expense nor should they be allowed to ever run for a national office again.

    By: JohnZ . March 8, 2012 . 7:53 pm | Flag this comment

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  17. avatar

    “We have men of science, too few men of God. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner.”
    Omar Bradley 5 star General of the United States Army Armistice Day speech (11 November 1948)

    By: JC . March 8, 2012 . 10:24 pm | Flag this comment

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  18. avatar

    War is a racket.

    By: JohnZ . March 9, 2012 . 12:59 pm | Flag this comment

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