Manifest destiny was a term from the 1800s mainly concerning the right and duty of Anglo-Saxons in America to do whatever it took to foist their values on the North American continent. Those "in the way" of such progress - such as Native Americans and others living in harmony before European colonization - were systematically eliminated. A series of broken treaties, land confiscation, removal of rights, removal of property, removal of sources of nourishment (read: buffaloes) and demolishment of the land itself were the subject of great celebration as America established its new general borders. Any attempt by native Americans to preserve what once was theirs was met with overwhelming force. Completely crushed.
The typical American has now been placed in the role of the Plains Indian. Manifest Destiny has returned - but it is no longer in the form of geological expansion. Rather it is the ever expanding concentration of power and political influence afforded to the Big Banks and Wall Street. What remains of the middle class and 98% of Americans is in the process of being wiped out - annihilated.
Any attempt we might make to also preserve what was once ours is similar folly. Our land is run by Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner and all the foul specimens that pathologically press their needs on them like maggots infesting lobster remains on a ninety degree summer day. In terms of true finance, there is no difference between temporary occupants in our supposed two-party democratic system. Many of the unresolved problems germinated under the Clinton administration to later be exacerbated by the dunce George W. Bush. Both parties bear responsibility for the mess, so what's the difference? Presidents and Congress are clowns compared to the banking system, the military industrial complex, multi-national corporations, the health industry and the insurance industry. Buffoons .
Consider the appearance of the Big Bank execs at Congressional hearings. They merely allowed these pawns the opportunity to get their sound-bites in, while acting contrite and promoting their "what's good for the banks is good for America" spiel. We needed them to be made healthy for America to progress. Without them, our country simply could not function - it was a patriotic necessity. How could they have been expected to know that a financial emergency was coming? What would you give for chance to to trade a few hours of somewhat uncomfortable testimony in return for access to billions upon billions of almost free money in return for nebulous toxic assets? Especially when your testimony was the equivalent of moral perjury? (BTW, did you notice any minority or female representation in that rather august group of bankers? They are not beholden to the type of hiring and promotion criteria the rest of us deal with under law and basic social responsibility).
So Manifest Destiny has returned in a big way for 2% of our population. Instead of calvary troops slaughtering the former inhabinants or bringing new diseases to those without built up immunity, the elite have solidified the union of banks and state. Mere physical force pails in comparison. And we are powerless to intervene with two inept parties themselves led by members of the top 2%. We can't act against a federal reserve chairman and treasury secretary controlled by the financial elite in order to faithfully promote their interests against ours.
The native Americans who tried to withstand Manifest Destiny through the indian wars had it right. They simply never had a chance due to their drastically declining population. We have no such barrier to success. Our population out-matches the enemy by about 98%. What is our excuse? The concept of Manifest Destiny has been discredited with the passage of time. How can 2% of our population still successfully employ this arcane notion at the expense of the rest of us? We need Sitting Bull - not Obama and the rest of the elected enablers. Crazy Horse wasn't crazy - he just did the passionately honorable thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment