National Security State Vaules

Today I woke to the news that the US military has been spying on our citizens and infiltrating organizations of peace activists in the Washington state area.The lack of surprise I feel about this news does little to temper my outrage.
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The citizens of this country are not being served well by the legislative gangstas in D.C. I would go so far as to say that they are no longer leaders of our country but rulers. There is no accountability at the top levels of US government and responding to the will of the people is not an option if the will of the people is contrary to the interests of big business or the Military Industrial Complex.

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This brings me to the National Security State, with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947 the foundation had been laid for the US to become a National Security State dominated by a Military Industrial Complex. This is not to say those in Washington D.C. were unfamiliar with the profitability of war or the utility of the military in securing US economic interests abroad. The difference being the Military Industrial Complex would provide the justification for never before seen exponential growth in weapons procurement.
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Let's take a look at what makes a National Security State from the link above I will reproduce the 7 characteristics of such a state and lets see how the US holds up.
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"The first characteristic of a National Security State is that the military is the highest authority. In a National Security State the military not only guarantees the security of the state against all internal and external enemies, it has enough power to determine the overall direction of the society. In a National Security State the military exerts important influence over political, economic, as well as military affairs."
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US military leaders don't command civilian politicians directly, however spending on the military is not only out of control there is no option of reducing military budgets when there exists a perpetual state of war, which puts military considerations at the top of the political agenda. This begs the question is the dog walking its master?
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"A second defining feature of a National Security State is that political democracy and democratic elections are viewed with suspicion, contempt, or in terms of political expediency. National Security States often maintain an appearance of democracy. However, ultimate power rests with the military or within a broader National Security Establishment."
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Well I know I have considerable suspicion and contempt of our so called democratic elections. Note GWB and his 2 stolen elections or the amount of money lobbyists dump on our so called democratic leaders. While a majority of Americans support Single Payer Max Bauccus is #1 on the cash received from insurance companies and guess what he is point man on health care reform and Single Payer is being rejected out of hand and even trying to prevent any public option and proposing relieving business from the responsibility of insuring workers. Sounds like the appearance of democracy rather than the real thing.
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"A third characteristic of a National Security State is that the military and related sectors wield substantial political and economic power. They do so in the context of an ideology which stresses that 'freedom" and "development" are possible only when capital is concentrated in the hands of elites. "
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This is the neo-liberal agenda we have seen Washington pushing for more than 25yrs.
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"A fourth feature of a National Security State is its obsession with enemies. There are enemies of the state everywhere. Defending against external and/or internal enemies becomes a leading preoccupation of the state, a distorting factor in the economy, and a major source of national identity and purpose."
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Obsession with enemies...Choose your threat level, take off your slippers at the air port, watch the military spy on civilian peace activists.
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"A fifth ideological foundation of a National Security State is that the enemies of the state are cunning and ruthless. Therefore, any means used to destroy or control these enemies is justified."
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Torture, murder, sexual humiliation of prisoners by US "contractors" and soldiers approved at the highest levels of government. And no one from those top levels being prosecuted for the crimes.
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"A sixth characteristic of a National Security State is that it restricts public debate and limits popular participation through secrecy or intimidation. Authentic democracy depends on participation of the people. National Security States limit such participation in a number of ways: They sow fear and thereby narrow the range of public debate; they restrict and distort information; and they define policies in secret and implement those policies through covert channels and clandestine activities. The state justifies such actions through rhetorical pleas of "higher purpose" and vague appeals to "national security."
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Ok sowing fear; Iraq WMD's, color coded threat levels, spying on citizens, extra judicial detentions.
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"Finally, the church is expected to mobilize its financial, ideological, and theological resources in service to the National Security State. "
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The neo-con ranks are filled with Christian evangelicals both civilian and military. And try to get national office in this country with out stating you're a Christian.
When it comes to meeting the criteria of a National Security State the US is batting 1,000. Fascism is no longer a creeping menace it is swarming. As Obama appoints foxes to guard chickens, approves of indefinite extra-judicial detention, escalates the war in Afghanistan, subverts meaningful health care reform and continues to support the militaristic agenda of our corporate masters Americans find themselves faced with the worst economy in years multiple wars and a deteriorated industrial base. The empire is shaking and and the fall from this height is going to be painful.
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Please forgive the run on paragraphs the editing software shows my paragraphs then when I post they disapear.

Don't Go Quietly

Health care reform is taking center stage in Washington DC and we can not afford to remain quiet. Americans have waited long enough for a national health care system. Finally, Single Payer is on the table thanx to Dennis Kucinich, he has steeped up to the plate and a house committee recently approved his amendment that would allow states to adopt Single Payer.

Now that Single Payer has made it to the 'potential' legislative agenda Americans must speak up. Health care is worth a couple minutes to send an email to your Senators and Representatives . I would ask that you join with me in petitioning our "leaders" to deliver us a health care system that will protect Americans from medical bankruptcy's and insure the health and welfare of our citizens, we need Single Payer. Tonight I will email two friends asking them to not only contact their Senators and Representative asking them to support Single Payer, but also if they would ask two of their friends to do the same.

I would like to leave you with the words of Frederick Douglass;

"Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reforms. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions, yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.

This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."

Single Payer and Wall Street

The long debated concept of Single Payer Health Care in the US is beginning to boil. Recently Wendell Potter has spoken to Amy Goodman from Democracy Now and to Bill Moyers. Wendell Potter was head of corporate communications at CIGNA. He gives us some insight as to how insurance companies do business, and how what you hear from detractors of Single Payer are often slogans given birth to in insurance company board rooms. He explains how the industry and he personally crafted campaigns to scare the public away from a clear view of public health issues.

While Mr. Potters revelations will come as little surprise to the politically jaded, there is deeper substance to what he has told us. He speaks of the way the industry manages PR surrounding legislative reform, this is an insight into the workings of the machine. Capital interests control the political process. America has been sold to the highest bidder.


Note Max Bauccus point man on health care reform; who wont consider Single Payer an option, Max is a stellar example of the best government money can buy, Max is #1 when it comes to taking insurance company money.


Now lets take a look at the who's who of Obama contributors, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup ect ... Hmm Bank bailouts, insurance company bailouts, rising health care costs, insurance execs taking huge salary and bonuses, government officials taking large sums of money from insurance companies , Goldman Sachs backing an insurance firm. We are being taken to the cleaners by our government, insurance companies and Wall Street Bankers.


As Potter explains in his interview with Goodman " Back when Bill Clinton was president and he and Hillary Clinton were trying to reform the health care system, back in 1993, 95—on the average, 95 cents of every premium dollar was being spent to pay claims. Last year, it was down to just around 80 cents." Insurance companies know that the battle is on and they have been fighting hard to restrict the coming reforms to the industry. They are spending money in Washington to buy legislation and their executives are looting companies while they can, because they know the clock is ticking on their reign. Anything less than Single Payer is a fixed fight. There is a public mandate that is being ignored. Raise some hell.

Will The Eric Holder Do His Job

It seems that our leader at the Just-is Department is actually considering doing his job. Now we all know its not likley that he will, but it is reassuring to know that he is giving it consideration.
Torture, is a war crime and crime against humanity. Yet for some time now the crimes commited by the Bush administration have been debated but not investigated, well its about time. Only when Presidents are not considered above the law can we expect to see these type of barbaric actions come to an end. You go get 'em Eric! http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/13/headlines#1

Change We Can Deceive In

The Obama administration came to office with a compelling mandate for change yet little seems to have changed in Washington D.C. The administration has reserved the right to detain prisoners without trial indefinitely, they have refused to hold former White House officials accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity, they have refused to consider Single Payer and they have spent our tax dollars on bailing out criminal CEO’s and their failing companies.

As usual Americans are faced with a choice, we can maintain our silence or we can speak out. Now, some Americans have formed Teabag parties and treated the new administration as some unique manifestation of deceit. This is clearly partisan BS, the betrayals of the Obama administration are nothing new. GOP supporters finding themselves in the cold have become more radicalized in their approach to partisan politics. But it’s still just partisan wrangling.
The change we can believe in must come from within us all. We can not look to our leaders for guidance we must guide our leaders. That old adage rings true “when the people will lead the leaders will follow”. US citizens must become informed, educated and active, we must learn our history, stay abreast of current events and take action to hold our government to accountable to our will. We must demand of our government the services we all need. And we must be ever vigilant in seeing that they deliver those services to all of our citizens.
Only active and engaged citizens can control their government. Either we control our government or our government will control us.