I Have Seen The Enemy

© MMVIII v1.0.2

Behind the images that flash every second, the news stories that tell half-truths, at best, and the talking heads and columnists who create an impression which is the opposite of the truth, we in the "free world" hear the incessant drum beat of war. We are always at war.

We in the Anglo-American empire have been sending the troops off to slaughter our enemies for centuries. In the 20th century, the troops defended us from all these people: the Germans, the Austrians, the Turks, the Japanese, the Russians, the Soviets, the Chinese, the Koreans, the Vietnamese, the Laotians, the Cambodians, the Iraqis, the Syrians, the Afghans, the Egyptians, the Argentines. And goodness gracious, let's not forget the Boers, and the Guatemalans, and the Panamanians, and the Nicaraguans, and the Filipinos, and the Iranians, and the Cubans. There may actually be more who have been a threat to us: the world is a dangerous place. Sincere apologies to anyone who was overlooked.

Mexico. Who remembers the invasions of Mexico in 1914 and 1916? Mexicans might remember.

Al Qaeda was conjured after "9/11". It was an enemy that had no face, no country, nothing tangible. Defeating this new enemy would require perpetual war. War without end would be our future, as if it has not been our past.

Today we have to bomb and invade Iran so the world and democracy will be safe. We always say that. We used to have to defend Christianity and civilization, but we aren't asked to do that anymore. No one really thinks we are civilized, or Christians, I suppose. The only constant is us, and the military industrial complex we support.

Iran, North Korea, and all of our other enemies combined spend less than 2% of what we spend on war. They are a threat to us? Who are we kidding? How dumb are we anyway? Oh, here is the kicker: We have not won a war in 63 years, despite the trillions that have been spent. No matter. If we won the wars, "defence" workers would be out of work. War keeps the war economy humming.

He who is always at war likely is the cause of war.

- Morley