Begin forwarded message:
From: Scheck Richard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: July 10, 2008 10:18:18 AM PDT
To: kris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: The Current Crisis Deepens (draft)
La Costa, CA
July 10, 2008
The Current Crisis Deepens
by Richard Scheck
For those honest enough to get beyond denial, the picture emerging
from the
current election cycle is truly bleak.
Anyone supporting Barack Obama as the lesser of 2 evils must grasp
the fact
that he is as evil as Bush or McCain.
His vote to support FISA, his stated intention to fine tune his Iraq
war position
and his many flip-flops on issues like NAFTA and public financing
should
make clear that he represents merely cultural (racial) and
generational change
(post-baby-boom) and little else.
For some that may be enough.
For those seeking an end to war, the restoration of Constitutional
government,
revitalization of our economy and an end to America's hegemonic
behavior, Obama represents the continuation of failed policies
rather than the radical departure many
of us have wanted for decades.
Scholars like Chalmers Johnson, Peter Dale Scott and Joseph Stiglitz
have
documented the drift away from the sane policies of the past towards
imperial
designs that virtually guarantee the political and economic collapse
of our
civilization unless a dramatic shift is undertaken.
The FISA vote and the up-coming approval of House Resolution 362
supporting
increased sanctions against Iran indicate clearlly that the major
parties have
learned nothing from previous failures and constitute two wings of
one war party.
The time is long past for a co-ordinated response from the left and
right in unison
against the manipulations and oppressive measures coming from their
elected
government officials.
The latest glimmering of hope in this possibility is called
Accountability Now--
a focused project to punish FISA supporting Democrats.
It is doubtful this effort will be sufficient to ignite the needed
shift towards the
formation of a much needed new party but it represents another baby-
step in
that direction.
We are in a pre-revolutionary mode now in which a long train of
abuses and
failures to respond to grievances are forth-coming from a unitary
executive and
complicit Congress (the latest outrage exemplified by former Senator
and McCain
economic advisor, Phil Gramm, telling the American people to stop
whining).
The feeble but well-meaning attempts at impeachment constitute too
little and
too late to side-track the American Leviathan that has emerged out
of WWII
and the Cold War with its penchant for global supremacy thru full-
spectrum
dominance, shock and awe tactics and violations of international law.
Ike warned of us of the dangers of the military-industrial complex
which is now
triumphant in America and has created a quasi-Orwellian landscape
run by
Homeland Security with excessive surveillence and police state
tactics.
Under the delusion of American exceptionalism which serves the same
function
today as Manifest Destiny did for us in the 19th Century, our
leaders continue to
posture and threaten other nations thru pre-emptive techniques
designed to
intimidate them into compliance with our policies.
McCain is a clear proponent of such Bushian tactics and Obama is as
well,
even if in a less obvious or more sophisticated fashion.
His embrace of AIPAC, acceptance of exaggerated claims of an Iranian
threat
and willingness to attack Pakistan are clear indications that the
progressive
internationalism of the Democrats is just a different version of US
imperialism
from the Republican neocons' militarism.
These foreign policy positions which have been used to evicerate our
civil liberties
here at home would be destined for failure even if the US economic
situation were
significantly stronger.
In the face of serious financial set-backs; a collapsing dollar;
huge debt; as well
as spiking food, oil and commodity prices our ability to accompish
such foolish
designs remains remote.
The rest of the planet is watching our behavior as well and has
begun organizing
to resist our excesses with such groups as the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization,
the newly formed alliance of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China),
the already
existing OPEC along with regional groupings that have noticed our
weakening
condition and our taking action to protect their interests.
The solution remains clear although elusive: we must give up our
pretensions
of superiority and return to the humble foreign policy our Founders
promoted
along with sound money and economics revitalization.
A new party led by brave folks such as Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich and
Ralph
Nader needs to form out of the ashes that will soon be all that is
left of our
American Empire.
The prospects for that happening are remote; the necessity of it
being done
is imperative!
Richard Scheck is a 1971 graduate of Harvard Law School
