Happy New Year and Row on You Galley Slaves !
Chances are that this year too fear will continue to be necessary, merit useless, intellect dangerous and blind obedience vital to the autocratic powers imposing themselves upon the global citizenry
By Anwaar Hussain
The year 2008 has just dawned. The world continues to lurch from crisis to crisis. Towards the close of the last year, the Supreme Commander of the most heavily armed country in the world shot off the words ‘Third World War’ with an arrogant contempt, and an oafish ease, for the destinies of global citizens. Perhaps he fails to realize that a Third World War is synonymous with the extinction of a developed human civilization from the face of planet earth. Or then perhaps he does not care.
So how does 2008 look up? Will this be a more peaceful year than the last one, is a grim question riding the minds of all thinking citizens of this planet.
Let us look for clues.
A little known report has quietly slipped into the fringe media; that of America’s military spending. Global Security has prepared a new chart from the Fiscal Year 2008 U.S. budget. Illustrative of the warlike nature of America, the report highlights some other alarming facts too.
It is clear to see that with US $ 623 billion, America’s military spending exceeds the rest of the world’s combined spending on arms. Not only that, America spends almost 10 times that of the second-placed country, China. And that “only” about $150 billion of the total U.S. amount is attributable to the two active wars America is engaged, in Iraq and Afghanistan. What takes the cake is that the US military budget is almost 29 times as large as the combined spending of the six “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) that spent $14.65 billion.
Now here is another interesting site that shows that for the period of this astronomical increase in America’s military spending i.e. the last ten years, the undisturbed profits of the American corporate sector rose from US $ 217 billion in 1997 to US $ 542 billion in 2006– an increase of about US $ 325 billion. Simple arithmetic tells us that for the period involved, the increase in America’s corporate profit is almost exactly the same as the rise in America’s military expenditure. Coincidences, coincidences.
Now combine this fact with yet another little fact that since 1979 income gains among America’s high-income households, the ivory castles in which America’s decision makers dwell, have dwarfed those of middle- and low-income households. Consider the following;
The average after-tax income of the top one percent of the American population nearly tripled, rising from $314,000 to nearly $868,000-for a total increase of $554,000, or 176 percent. By contrast, the average after-tax income of the middle fifth of the population rose a relatively modest 21 percent, or $8,500, reaching $48,400 in 2004. The average after-tax income of the poorest fifth of the population rose just 6 percent, or $800, during this period, reaching $14,700 in 2004.
Furthermore, legislation enacted under George W. Bush since 2001 has provided taxpayers with about $1 trillion in tax cuts over the past six years. These large tax reductions have made the distribution of after-tax income even more unequal by further concentrating income at the top of the income range.
For these decision makers, war is a bonanza, manna from heaven. They would be out of their minds to make 2008 any different than the past so many years. For the corporate Leviathan, wherein reside the core decision makers addicted to unlimited wealth and unmatched power, the six billion denizens of planet earth are either producers or consumers, not human beings. Profit is the only motive that drives them and in this quest, we are the slaves, they the slave masters.
In their focused pursuit of wealth and power, therefore, they will stop at nothing. They will employ all means to achieve their goals, exploiting, subjugating, manipulating and enchaining us, controlling the instruments by which to command society, decimating the environment, steering us directly towards the gates of corporatism.
While below deck the galley slaves of the American economic slave ship row on with ebbing strength, above deck the race is on for the election of yet another slave master. And because they also know how profitable a venture war is, the Presidential frontrunners from both parties are vowing to increase the size of the military if elected as commander in chief.
Not a single candidate has expressed unequivocally his revulsion to the ideas of war, domination and conquest. Not one of them vows to conduct the affairs of this most powerful of the states with morality and justice and to make these the foundation on which to structure all laws, civil, political, fiscal and international. None have denounced war for profit as a heinous crime, as heinous as a highway robbery. None have declared the usurpation of sovereign power as a punishable felony. None have pledged sincerely to make the peoples truly the arbiters of their own destinies, to uphold laws, to destroy undue privilege, to break the stranglehold of corporate power.
So how does the year of the Lord 2008 look up?
Chances are fear will continue to be necessary, merit useless, intellect dangerous and blind obedience vital to the autocratic powers imposing themselves upon the global citizenry. Chances are, the oppressors will continue to oppress in the name of duty, religion and nationalism. Chances are in this year too we will see the battle ships continuing to be fuelled and rowed on by the muscle power of us galley slaves. Chances are, the slave masters, with whips at the ready, will continue to manipulate us through our sentiments, passions and prejudices towards their single predefined goal–the goal of PROFIT.
On this sunny note the scribe ends this piece and from one slave to the rest, “Happy New Year and row on you galley slaves.”
Copyrights : Anwaar Hussain, eagleeye@emirates.net.ae
Thoughtful article, Anwaar. Your ongoing efforts to enlighten us are greatly appreciated.
We the People have the right and the obligation to rebel against misguided authority. One-by-one, we can break away from the herd and begin to think for ourselves. Leaders have no power without followers.
There have always been wars on this planet and there will always be wars on this planet, until the last soldier lays down his weapon and refuses to fight.
January 5th, 2008 at 6:09 pmQuote from your article, Anwaar:
“Not a single candidate has expressed unequivocally his revulsion to the ideas of war, domination and conquest. Not one of them vows to conduct the affairs of this most powerful of the states with morality and justice and to make these the foundation on which to structure all laws, civil, political, fiscal and international. None have denounced war for profit as heinous a crime as a highway robbery. None have declared the usurpation of sovereign power as a punishable felony. None have pledged sincerely to make the peoples truly the arbiters of their own destinies, to uphold laws, to destroy undue privilege, to break the stranglehold of corporate power.Not a single candidate has expressed unequivocally his revulsion to the ideas of war, domination and conquest. Not one of them vows to conduct the affairs of this most powerful of the states with morality and justice and to make these the foundation on which to structure all laws, civil, political, fiscal and international. None have denounced war for profit as heinous a crime as a highway robbery. None have declared the usurpation of sovereign power as a punishable felony. None have pledged sincerely to make the peoples truly the arbiters of their own destinies, to uphold laws, to destroy undue privilege, to break the stranglehold of corporate power.â€
Honestly, I don’t know why you continue to discredit and ignore Dennis Kucinich, Anwaar. He did NOT vote For War. How about his legislation to IMPEACH CHENEY?
Supporting Documents for H Res 333 http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/documents.htm
How about his legislation for a Department of PEACE? http://www.thepeacealliance.org/content/view/84/111/
Kucinich introduced legislation, HR 950, to abolish all nuclear weapons. The Kucinich resolution states: “That the House of Representatives calls upon the President to initiate multilateral negotiations for the abolition of nuclear weapons.â€
The liberal, anti-war Ohio congressman said he was inspired to run because he disagrees with the way some of his fellow Democrats are handling the war, including approval of a proposal to spend $160 billion more on the conflict. “Democrats were swept into power on Nov. 7 because of widespread voter discontent with the war in Iraq,†said Kucinich, 60. “Instead of heeding those concerns and responding with a strong and immediate change in policies and direction, the Democratic congressional leadership seems inclined to continue funding the perpetuation of the war.â€
He is the candidate whom you say doesn’t exist! He is NOT out of the race!! You write him off as well as the media tries to. I cannot understand why you don’t publicly support him in your column. You could have helped him get notice and FUNDS from the American people who really need to hear his message since he has been constantly demonized and censored by the media…but I guess he doesn’t sell well here either:
Reported on page 6 of Kucinich for President http://tinyurl.com/35gpyh
Re: Kucinich for President!
« Reply #88 on Today at 8:10am »
See posts above on this too…M
ABC violates public interests, endorsing chosen candidates
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Kucinich for President campaign late today filed an emergency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission claiming that the ABC television network “is violating its obligation to operate in the public interest†by excluding Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich from tomorrow night’s scheduled debate in Manchester, NH.
Further, the complaint charges, the televised event “is not a true presidential primary debate without including all credible candidates, but instead is effectively an endorsement of the candidates selected by ABC.†The filing also notes that ABC “is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walt Disney, Co., whose executives have contributed heavily to other Democratic presidential primary candidates, including Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, former Senator John Edwards, and Governor Bill Richardson.â€And, the filing points out, Kucinich “is the only Democratic presidential candidate who has qualified for Federal matching funds who is being excluded by ABC.†(Full FCC complaint.) CLIP
Note:Coverage of the occasional successes of Dennis Kucinich in the 2004 Democratic primary campaign were clearly suppressed. When Kucinich took second place in Hawaii with 26% of the vote, almost twice the 14% of John Edwards, most major media gave Edwards name, but didn’t even mention Kucinich, saying only that a “third candidate†took second place. The media seems not to like anti-war candidates.
SEE: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/primaries/pages/states/HI/
From an early post at Kucinich for President; http://tinyurl.com/yusn6b
Why should you support Dennis Kucinich? How about these reasons:
Because early on he struggled and voted against the Bush war. Dennis Kucinich is leading the fight against war with Iran. Dennis is also leading the fight to end the war in Iraq and he is opposing the funding that is keeping the war going.
Because he’s a principled person who wants to serve the people, and serve the cause of peace for all people.
Because Kucinich is the leader who will stand up to the corporate forces.
Because he has strong moral character and the guts to speak truth to power.
Because Dennis Kucinich is the only member of Congress with a perfect voting record. He is the one person who can always be counted on to vote his conscience.
Because most members of Congress have sold out on the free trade issue. They get money from corporations to allow those corporations to fire American workers and hire underpaid foreign workers (often children) who work in inhumane conditions. Dennis Kucinich always stands up to and opposes these free trade bills.
Because last year and the year before, the vast majority of members of Congress voted for a bill that funds Yucca Mountain, a dangerous project that threatens California’s food and water supply. Yet, Dennis Kucinich, half way across the country, voted against these nuclear bills. Pelosi voted for them and against the interests of the people of her own state.
Because Dennis represents what we have never before seen in public politics, a principled man of integrity; precisely the kind of leadership desperately needed in this country, and the kind of leadership now sorely lacking.
Below, Joshua Scheer at Truthdig has posted an interview, newspaper articles and TV news stories which show the great courage it took for the then 32 year old Mayor, Dennis Kucinich, to save Cleveland’s public power system.
The city went into default, because the banks would only accept the public utility as payment on the city’s debt. Nothing else would do. Then-Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich in 1978, when he was under siege by Cleveland’s business community, its media and many local private interest groups—all of which were pushing him to sell the city’s publicly owned municipal power plant. His principled refusal to do so kept him out of public office for the next 20 years. He now serves as a U.S. congressman from Ohio.
The story exposes the very real issues of corporate greed, media manipulation and corruption all of which were overcome when the people were supported by the very courageous Mayor, Dennis Kucinich.
Please support Dennis’s work by making a contribution at http://tinyurl.com/37u6lx
Michelle
January 5th, 2008 at 6:57 pmMichelle,
I was taking a pause to see if someone else would take you up on your post. It looks like it was a mistake to post the article on a weekend. I forgot that readers tend to take a break–or so it seems.
Now as to my ignoring Dennis Kucinich.
Not that it matters but we the world have had enough of American Presidents, the aspirants for the job and their tall claims. There were high sounding candidates before Kucinich and there will always be after him. The only constant is that when elected, the slaughter continues. Why else would America be at continuous war at some place on planet earth since its inception? You think there never was a visionary before him in America’s presidential history? I am tired of this whole ball game, to say the least.
And please note that, despite his many positives, he is also the gent who voted to authorize President GWB’s broad war making powers in the days following 9/11. To be exact, I think it was the House Joint Resolution 64, also known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Terrorists. This particular resolution has been cited by the Bush Administration in its justification for suspension of Habeas Corpus in Guantanamo Bay and its wiretapping of American citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Kucinich voted along with 419 of his House colleagues in favor of this resolution, while only one Congresswoman opposed, Representative Barbara Lee.
Having said that, Kucinich does look like the best of the lot that is running for the slot, I concede that much. However, he has pledged nothing of the kind that I wrote in my article and you quoted. Promising to undo the Iraq mistake comes nowhere close to my idea of an American Pres.
Your call.
January 6th, 2008 at 9:03 pmAnwaar, your quote:
“And please note that, despite his many positives, he is also the gent who voted to authorize President GWB’s broad war making powers in the days following 9/11. To be exact, I think it was the House Joint Resolution 64, also known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Terrorists. This particular resolution has been cited by the Bush Administration in its justification for suspension of Habeas Corpus in Guantanamo Bay and its wiretapping of American citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Kucinich voted along with 419 of his House colleagues in favor of this resolution, while only one Congresswoman opposed, Representative Barbara Lee.”
Please note below that this bill was passed 3 DAYS AFTER 9/11 ATTACKS and it was to be used against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States. Anything wrong there?
H.J.RES.64
Title: To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States.
Sponsor: Rep Armey, Richard K. [TX-26] (introduced 9/14/2001) Cosponsors (1)
Related Bills: S.J.RES.23
Latest Major Action: 9/14/2001 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 420 – 1 (Roll no. 342).
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HJ00064:
Also please note:
http://www.aclu.org :
Just weeks after the attacks of September 11th of 2001, a petrified Congress was confronted by a chops-licking bloodhound (Bush) whose taste for blood and power was then and now remains insatiable. He pushed a 132-page bill in front of Congress, giving them 48 hours to vote for it blind, telling them that if they did not pass it sight unseen, he would publicly dub them as “soft on terrorâ€. Anthrax was circulating around Congress at that very moment, somehow or other managing to target Democrats in office. (Even the ACLU which is very image-conscious, mentions the anthrax in Congress being timed with the matter I am talking about here).
Congress caved.
Only one brave Senator, Russ Feingold, howled his lone “Noooo!†into the eerily silent echoes of the Congressional space. Approximately one third of the House also stood firm and said “Nooooâ€, among whom was Dennis Kucinich.
With life and career image at stake, these were no small acts of bravery on the part of all who stood firm.
The Act being “voted†for blind was the Patriot Act.
Its contents are what retired FBI agent Ted Gunderson called “a giant step toward a police stateâ€. It grants FBI agents individually the power to arrest people without court review, warrant, or probable cause. It set the warrantless wiretapping mechanism in motion on a “legal” level (even if the program already was in operation prior). FBI agents gained new powers to subpoena private records of “terrorists” based on “an authorized investigation” which, lacking judicial review, was basically self-certified by the FBI agents individually at their own whims. Using a loose definition of “Terrorism†to sweep up activists and religious groups in its definition, it obviously was designed to silence war resisters. The fact that Greenpeace has been dubbed a “terrorist†organization along with what (as a pattern) has turned out to be peace groups, is a sign that the Act was intended to silence anybody who stood in the way of oil and war profiteering. Interestingly enough, the ACLU reports that pro-Bush crowds are allowed to frequent the areas where Bush drives through, yet Bush protestors are corralled into areas far away from the media. According to the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation’s statistics, mostly innocent Americans have been targeted as “Terrorists†by the FBI since the passage of the Patriot Act, not merely muslims, among which almost none were terrorists: http://www.rightsmatter.org/multimedia/
In fact, former FBI agent Mike German reported to ACLU members that only one terrorist has been caught since 9-11 as a result of the National Security Letters (the FBI subpoenas) under the Patriot Act. The Red Cross estimates that more than 70% of Guantanamo detainees are innocent.
Kucinich not only “Just said No†to the Patriot Act. He has warned people on the 2007 campaign trail that the rights to due process of law are at stake under the current Administration. Obviously concerned, he filed articles of impeachment for Cheney and Bush (is the death of his brother coincidental timing with those articles of impeachment, or is it legitimate? It’s all speculation for now. Only time will tell).
Knowing exactly what mentality he is up against in filing those articles of impeachment, once again he has exhibited no small courage. He is a man small in stature but with the courage of a lion.
Showing great foresight, smarts and ethic alike, Kucinich voted “no” for the Iraq War and continues to vote against funding it.
Kucinich also got funding for the war veterans at a time when Congress was neglecting them.
As a young rookie in his 30s, he as mayor of Cleveland blocked the sale of the local utility company (which was providing significantly lower rates than the bank-sponsored entities which were poised to replace it) and thus, 15 years later, he was credited by Cleveland for saving the taxpayers millions of dollars in utility bills. That’s no small feat for any politician at any age, let alone for one so young. Kucinich obviously is not dumb. Maybe he’d even be the one to reduce our national debt. CLIP
January 7th, 2008 at 1:35 amFrom: http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/print_friendly.php?p=opedne_kathryn__071229_endorsement_3a_a_man_w.htm
Michelle,
Three days or three hundred days after the attack, what is recorded for historical fact is that Dennis has voted for a resolution that has been quoted as a justification for suspension of Habeas Corpus in Guantanamo Bay and wiretapping of American citizens under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
But that was the least noteworthy part of my post to which you responded since I conceded that, despite the black little spot, he seems to be the best of the lot.
What part of my comment you should have responded to was;
“Not that it matters but we the world have had enough of American Presidents, the aspirants for the job and their tall claims. There were high sounding candidates before Kucinich and there will always be after him. The only constant is that when elected, the slaughter continues. Why else would America be at continuous war at some place on planet earth since its inception? You think there never was a visionary before him in America’s presidential history? I am tired of this whole ball game, to say the least.”
You conveniently ignored that.
From my side, enough said on the subject.
January 7th, 2008 at 4:06 amThanks Anwaar for another thoughtful, informative and insightful article. Yours is a refreshing point of view that is seldom heard here in the u s.
Seems Rep. Kucinich is sincerely anti-war and pro-human unfortunately he is also mostly a member of the Democratic Party. He would not be allowed to become the Democratic Nominee for President. should he win the Presidency by a miracle of a “write-in” victory the masters would not allow him to become President.
Anwaar, you write,
“Chances are fear will continue to be necessary, merit useless, intellect dangerous and blind obedience vital to the autocratic powers imposing themselves upon the global citizenry. Chances are, the oppressors will continue to oppress in the name of duty, religion and nationalism.”
A possible solution to “our” problem is for us consumers to stop consuming. I know much of the rest of the world doesn’t have a problem of over consuming. but those of us that do can take action to stop the insidious us/uk/eu take over. I don’t think it is too late and I am making every effort to not purchase ANYTHING that is not absolutely necessary for me to survive these hateful, murderous, chaotic times.
Anyway, thanks for the fine articles and I look forward to the next.
January 7th, 2008 at 7:19 amAnwaar: In regard to your statement that I conveniently ignored the part of your comment which I should have responded to was: “Not that it matters but we the world have had enough of American Presidents, the aspirants for the job and their tall claims. There were high sounding candidates before Kucinich and there will always be after him. The only constant is that when elected, the slaughter continues. Why else would America be at continuous war at some place on planet earth since its inception? You think there never was a visionary before him in America’s presidential history? I am tired of this whole ball game, to say the least.â€
Forgive me for not knowing what you wanted me to respond to. The Philadelphia Inquirer http://tinyurl.com/3byj6r has quoted Kucinich on the following; he is the only candidate who speaks on this:
He rails against his party’s refusal to end the war, blaming the Democrats’ decision to continue funding the war on “an implicit understanding of the power of those interests that profit from war and the power of war as an idea.”
Kucinich has not received any corporate money for his campaign: “His lack of corporate money has seen his campaign subsist on $2 million while Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama each raised $100 million in 2007 for their presidential bids.”
He also continues to live in a small house he bought 30 years ago….Check out the lifestyles of the other candidates now and before. Anwaar, you say you are tired of the whole game….your frustration couldn’t measure half of what we in the U.S. are feeling. I am not so gullible as to buy all hook line and sinker….I looked and looked at Dennis, in case he was too good to be true…He walks the talk…nobody else does to the extent that Kucinich does.
To joed [thank-you for your commitment to zero waste!], The Inquirer also stated the following:
“And so – to be sure that this year my vote goes to someone who does more than pay lip service to the moral and physical deterioration of the nation – I will pull the lever for Dennis Kucinich.
I can hear the collective groan. He won’t win. He has no real following. It is a wasted vote.
But this is the groan of the comfortable, those who have health insurance and a decent job. This is the groan of those who can send their kids to expensive colleges and probably went to one. The groans of the poor in this country, including the increasingly impoverished working class, are no longer audible to most of us. Their lives have been rendered invisible, of little interest to the advertisers who sell us products on television or take out full-page color ads in the newspapers and glossy magazines. And when the corporations write you off in America, everyone else does, too.”
Here is how Dennis ranked in various polls…seems to me he’s not to be taken lightly. One also has to wonder why the media continues to block him from televised debates….What are they afraid of?
Kucinich has been the winner in national online polls conducted by Democracy for America (receiving almost 50,000 votes while the closest competitor only received 38,000), Virginia State Democratic Party (receiving 30% of the Democratic vote while the closest competitor received 27%), Independent Voters (75% of the Democratic vote out of 80,000 online voters), as well as polls by Progressive Democrats of America and the Nation. In an ABC News poll, Complainant Kucinich received the most support from 42,487 voters (garnering 35% of the vote to 22% for the next closest candidate) who were asked who won the Democratic presidential primary debate on August 19, 2007.â€
He has also built an alliance with Independent Voters. I wouldn’t write him off so easily.
http://www.independentvoice.org/blog_details.asp?id=91
Enough said by me too! Thank you for permitting my comments, Anwaar; it takes a big man to give space for constructive criticism and opposing thoughts. To do less would be like Bush and his surrounding himself with Yes Men. On that note, I remain….
Yours in Service,
January 7th, 2008 at 2:06 pmMichelle
Thanks Michelle.
Now let us get back to the subject of the article i.e. the prospects of the year 2008 for us galley slaves.
January 7th, 2008 at 3:43 pmAnwaar,You’ve got things nailed down pretty good.
Great to the point writing. Sooner or later the wage-slave class will awaken and the Capitalist class will be sent the way of the kings of old. Not to be replaced by another privileged, parasitic, ruling class this time around.
Workers the world over are beginning to stir under the glaring light of day and opening their eyes to the reality of their situation recognizing their common interest with the working-class has in ridding the world of the system that divides us and impoverishes the useful sector of society. While enriching the useless Capitalist parasites who squander earths resources and our labor on insane destructive activities like war and genocide. While personally living outrageous consuming life styles that each could satisfy the needs of hundreds even thousands of people.
Your efforts are appreciated and I’m sure are bearing fruit. Once people get a solid understanding of reality it can only lead to rational solutions.
Keep up the good work.
January 7th, 2008 at 7:09 pmregards Bill