National Insecurity : Anxiety in America
As we near the Christmas season, a time of giving, a time of family get-togethers and a time of thankfulness, nothing we are witnessing in the political landscape leaves one with a warm and fuzzy feeling about the future.
It has become very difficult to watch and understand the last ten years of diminishing returns as experienced by the people of this once great nation. While corporations are buying-up legislators and writing their own regulatory standards, the ideas which once made us a nation most respected, a guiding light in a sea of corruption and a pillar of strength and democracy are crumbling around our feet.
Who, among us, can feel respect for our leaders, when it has been demonstrated time and again, that most are in positions of power without a clue to the responsibilities of public office. How can anyone, with open eyes and a discerning mind feel comfortable and secure after reviewing the past 30-years of legislative misconduct and the effects of special-interest and corruption forced upon the society. Those who follow the concepts of neoconservatism and wish to eliminate the programs made by Democratic administrations with progressive vision are the most insecure of us all.
I, for one, do not wish to go back to a time of Jim Crow segregation, a time of brutal conflicts between African Americans and the White folks which held the power. That's behind us. The conscience of America was soothed by civil-rights, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, Welfare and food stamp programs, all of which brought about a sense of security for the working American. Today, and in the near future, these programs are on the chopping block, as ways to balance the national deficit, a deficit created by endless wars. Anxiety persists for millions of Americans, awaiting the outcome from a government gone astray. I cannot feel secure about the future, as it has become the great unknown. Will I need to move in with my children in order to survive ? And what do I tell them about this once-great nation, where the American Dream was such a driving force about the time they were born ? Have I let them down somehow ?
The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, standing on it's own island at the harbor in New York was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States as a symbol of freedom and democracy dedicated in 1886 and restored 100-years later, but does her light still shine ? Ellis Island was where my grandmother disembarked in 1888, reaching the shores of America and escaping the horrors of her Austrian-Hungarian heritage and the devastating effects of a totalitarian regime. Today, both are national parks, symbols of a time long passed. The United States no longer welcomes refugees, we put them in detention camps and deport those less desirable.
The truth about freedom is that it requires eternal vigilance. We must always be watching for those who seek to take it away. But, how is it possible to feel any sense of security if we must be eternally vigilant ? We can not. While the illusion of security still remains, we are told that we must give up our liberties in order to preserve our security. We are told that we can no longer live by the Constitution, we must sacrifice the provisions found in the Bill of Rights in order to endure. The Bush-Cheney administration insisted that we forgo the Constitution, as it was not in their interest. We have sacrificed free speech, habeas corpus, and the rule of law in order to survive in a time of the Global War on Terrorism. A concept manufactured by the elites for the special interests of corporations. We call it American Foreign Policy, but it is corporate welfare, just the same. Is this a government with whom I place my trust ?
Once we were free to board airplanes and travel freely about the country, now we must undergo pat-downs and full body scanners while the contents of the cargo and baggage compartments remains un-searched. The TSA is training the American public to stand in lines, to follow orders without question and preparing us for the fascist times ahead. How can we feel secure, knowing that our bodies will be searched in public display, fondled and groped. This can only be done if we deny our Constitutional right, and allow unwarranted search and seizure. We give it away too freely, because we don't want to miss a connecting flight somewhere. Stripping Americans of their rights has become all too easy, yet the illusion of freedom lives on, even with the Gestapo tactics.
Anxiety is being pumped into our consciousness with corporate owned media, 24/7. How can I sleep at night, with the knowledge that our government is supplying $60Billion worth of arms, jet fighters and weapons to the government of Saudi Arabia; a country where most of the financing for insurgent activities against America originates ? Why does it bother me that Israel seems to be dictating the direction of our country's policies ? Why are the countries of the Middle East calling for the United States to invade Iran, even though intelligence agencies all know full-well that they are not developing nuclear weapons ? Why do I toss and turn all night knowing that America is spending taxpayer money on fruitless endeavors in foreign lands, financing both the American war machine and the enemies we are trying to overcome ? Maybe it is because I know that it is all corporate welfare, not the will of the American people, but the actions of narcissistic politicians trying to access power and wealth by deluding the public into believing that they are free, and freedom has a price which we must pay.
It is the insecurity; the unknown which binds our minds into thinking that the worst is about to happen, and profiteering war-hawks want to be certain that nobody sleeps well at night. We are instructed to report anyone and anything suspicious to authorities. With that, we become suspicious of even our friends. Scared and humiliated, the general population will follow orders, even if they come from pseudo-authorities such as the TSA. What kind of freedom can be had if we are constantly vigilant, untrusting and demoralized ? None at al.
How can I trust my government to do what is best for Americans, when it is corrupted by money and foreign interests ? How can I believe in their leadership when deals are made behind closed doors, laws are passed without reading or debate in Congress, and when compromise means never standing up for your true beliefs and being financially rewarded to disregard your conscience ? What can I believe is true from the blathering dis-information being pumped from my television set, radio and newspapers ? How can I find serenity in a world where I might wake up tomorrow and learn that we have invaded North Korea, and more tax-money will be needed, and taken, from the working people to support corporate special interests ? I can not.
Am I the only one who doesn't sleep at night ?
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