Empires come and then they go, they rise and then they
fall; but not one of the many empires that existed in the history of the world
has ever survived. And now the world watches the beginning of the end of the
American empire. This empire, created and developed over many decades since
World War II by the military-industrial complex and its many Washington facilitators, has seen its day
and now will go the way of all past empires.
The world has witnessed numerous empires rise up and
dominate the world. Here are some of the most powerful empires that once made
their mark on this planet and then fell: The Macedonian Empire, founded under
Alexander the Great, the Mongol Empire, the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire,
the Spanish Empire, and the British Empire, which was known as the "empire on
which the sun never sets" however, it most certainly did.
America is just
the latest empire to exert a massive control over a large portion of the world.
The war-enabling powers that control our government and our military have the
mistaken impression that this empire will go on forever, that no one and
nothing can challenge its supremacy and domination. They know all other empires
eventually ended but, in their misguided, power-hungry minds they fantasize
that America
is unique in all of history and its empire will exist infinitely.
However, they could not be more mistaken. It is utterly
ludicrous, actually mind-boggling, to think that the more than 750 military
installations around the world can be maintained when America is
virtually bankrupt, the majority of states are approaching insolvency, and our
infrastructure and our education system are badly in need of restoration. President
Barack Obama and his advisers have to be delusionary to think that America can
continue spending hundreds of billions and, yes, trillions, on this empire and
two totally nonsensical wars.
You would have to be mathematically illiterate not to
understand that these policies and actions are leading to a financial collapse;
that this fragile house of cards is going to fall apart. Too bad President
Obama is a constitutional scholar rather than a math major because if he uses
simple math in this scenario he will arrive at this answer: we do not have the
money, our national bank is nearing receivership, and we continue to be the
largest debtor nation in the world. Soon the overheated printing presses in the
Treasury Department will grind to a halt as the value of the dollar completely
collapses. To think that this massive empire can continue, and even be
expanded, is pure folly.
When enlightened, knowledgeable writers and analysts continually
warn of the impending end of the empire, their words largely fall on deaf ears.
This president continues to defer to the military leaders who give no credence
to such negative assessments; they remain steadfastly committed to expanding
the military reach ever further (it's called riding a dead horse) even with the
great risks involved.
Once the world respected and stood in awe of America, its
creativity, its supposed ideals and principles, its economic power and
leadership in world affairs. Even when it took on the responsibility of being
the world's policeman, it was acceptable because the world felt safer. But then
as this nation became more aggressive and militant, that view turned to one of apprehension
about its real intentions. In these stressful times the nations of the world are
becoming very uneasy and concerned, actually very fearful, about the further expansion
of the U.S.
military empire.
President Obama's popularity and job performance have been
steadily dropping in polls; so what's primarily behind it? Of course, the
continued economic crisis has a lot to do with it because people are suffering
and millions needs jobs that are not materializing. But, in the face of these staggering
domestic problems, I believe that he is making a monumental mistake in
continuing and even expanding the current raging wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In a recent poll his
approval rating was around 40%, meaning that about 60% of Americans are not
happy with his policies and actions.
Now, when polls are taken that ask questions about America's wars, fully 60% think that we should
end the war in Afghanistan
and that it is a mistake. If 60% of Americans are now becoming disillusioned
with this president and 60% also are now against our military directions, then
I think that indicates a direct connection.
People are beginning to awaken to the fact that Mr. Obama's emphasis and
concentration on these wars, at the expense of our domestic crises, is having a
detrimental effect on the stability of our nation and our economy. They have done
the math.
President Obama seems to be completely ignoring these apparent
trends and opinions of the people, to his own detriment. He continues to try to
make a faulted case that the Afghan war is a critical mission against the
insurgents, i.e., the Taliban, that want us out of their country. As many
expert analysts have said numerous times, the terrorist threat in that region
and others can be addressed with strategic Special Forces operations rather
than with a massive, costly army. He must reconsider the direction he has taken
because it is out of step with the majority of Americans who want it reversed.
He is attempting to maintain an empire that has severe cracks in its foundation
and has become an economic albatross around the neck of America.
But the most disturbing element of this issue is that the
president, the military, the Congress, and the corporate-controlled media know
exactly what this bloated empire is doing to the financial foundation of our
nation; and yet there is no serious discussion or debate about it. There is constant
talk about reducing our massive deficits, to scale back Social Security, Medicare
and other services; states are cutting
out essential programs but no one dares to talk about cutting military
spending, the area that contains the greatest potential for reducing our
deficits.
The generals, admirals and military advisers around him
have no intention whatsoever of scaling back the military outreach of America. In
numerous media appearances, General Patraeus gives every impression that his
intentions relative to the Afghan/Pakistan war versus that of the president are
quite different. Far more ominous than that is the statement that Defense
Secretary Gates was said to have made during a dinner hosted by Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton for Afghan President Hamid Karzai in May, He was quoted
as saying, "We're not leaving Afghanistan prematurely,"
Gates said. "In fact, we're not ever
leaving at all."
This is a highly troubling situation in which the control
of our military by the executive branch of our government is being directly
challenged. The president says one thing and the military leaders countermand
it. Who exactly is now in charge of America's military policy? If this authority
is usurped by the military, then America will enter an era like no
other in our history.
Every empire eventually comes to an end and this American
empire will be no exception. Exactly when it will happen and how it will happen
is open to speculation; but happen it will in order to preserve this democracy
and ensure a stable future for generations to come. There is a body of opinion
that says that the Afghan/Pakistan War will be the turning point at which the
American empire will begin its descent; and that just might prove to be the
case since Afghanistan
is famous for being the "graveyard of empires." This is more than just a mere
coincidence, it is history repeating itself.
And this is for certain; if this massive, incredibly
costly empire remains intact and is not significantly scaled back to
reasonable, but still effective, strategically sound levels it will, without a
doubt, take down America
as it falls.
Michael Payne
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