Opinion: Pro-War vs. Anti-War

Looking back at history, at least in the last 2500 years, nothing has really changed. Empire's do indeed rise and fall, some last longer than others, depending on the circumstance, even the weather has changed the course of history between empires. Our technology, particularly, over the last century, has evolved in sudden leaps and bounds. Our medical knowledge and treatment of illness has lowered the infant deaths, and people, generally live longer. We have the technology in agriculture to feed the world's population, but in the richest country in the world, the US., poverty and homelessness is growing in all the major cities. 

Most western countries around the planet are facing the same problems: poverty, homelessness, suicides and hunger. If we have advanced as a civilisation in food production, medicine and education, why is there so much suffering, so many poor, and world-wide poverty? The short answer is extreme ideology, antiquated religious beliefs, and a economic system that reward the privileged, and punishes the minority, and the disadvantaged . The central reason for a world suffering is the promotion and execution of war.

Rather than a analysis of the history of war, we must look at present time. Granted many of the same justifications for death and destruction are the same as the United States, as it was for the Roman Empire. These reasons are power and resources, leading to lurid wealth for the few. But my question is how and why war continues, building great economies, and the greater population, since WW1, has time and again, gone along with it. We should have learned after WWI, that it was a battle between the industrialists and royalty. The industrialists won that war, and the planet's royalty virtually disappeared. But in the end, nothing changed for the common working person. The blue bloods were cast aside, replaced by fat, cigar smoking bullies, using workers for their own greedy ends. To be sure, nothing has changed. The corporations' and their knowing and unknowing slaves, believed the American/Western dream, that a man could work hard, have a family and live a good life. For a small time period this was true. But the corporations became greedier, ignoring the worker, and hoarding all the profits. “But what can we do with the “plebs”, the mass amount of people we have used and discarded? How bout we build greater weapons, sell them to our allies, and engage in perpetual war?” America economically grew from WWII, and became wealthier, so let's continue this ruse, that war works.” And so it goes.

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The United States' imperialistic intentions and its many acquisitions since the 19th century: most students of history are aware of these early wars, starting with the Spanish American War, and shortly there after, the brutal conquering of the Philippines. These wars were justified with jingoistic rhetoric; at times rationalised in unadulterated propaganda to the American people, and then played down after the colony was established.

For war to continue, there must always be a common enemy. After WWII, with the instigation of NSA 68, the power for national security was given to a slew of un-elected autocrats, that Dwight D. Eisenhower described as the military industrial complex. This complex is a un-holy alliance between corporations, media, weapon manufactures, the entertainment industry, and bribed US politicians. Together, war is always linked to our so-called American values. What are these “American values?”

One can categorise these “values” under the 'banner head' of American Exceptionalism. It was the Reagan administration that brought American exceptionalism into the forefront of our minds. “The beacon of light on the hill”, represents: freedom, democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and a country that is run under the Rule of Law. An American citizen is sworn by way of the constitution, when elected to public office, to fight all enemies both foreign and domestic. To the American mind, the US leads the way, and is an example of these values. So much so, these values and ideals have been used to denigrate other countries, justifying regime change and war.

Aside from out-right false flag operations, (Vietnam, Syria) this ingrained superiority that Americans have had beaten into them since birth, has justified a moral high ground, and their expertise to recognise a common enemy that their allies, really, has only been more than willing, to go along and follow the US into war.

War is also justified by simple lies. Telling the people one thing, when the opposite is true.

The latest Washington Post revelations concerning the Afghanistan War is a prime example how our government lies and lies to us, and to countries to fool the people, in order to expand their oligarchical intentions, where always, money and profit is the bottom line.

War is a racket, designed to forward corporate interests. Afghanistan is a prime example. Why else would the American government and its military continue a 18 year old war, when there has been nothing gained? Thousands of lives have been lost, our young people, who come back, are mentally influenced to the extent that one in five commit suicide on a daily basis. The corporate interests appear obvious: minerals and the Poppy trade. This is a disgrace upon humanity.

The only reason for war is profit for the oligarchy, and anything else we are told is a blatant lie.

Since Obama, it seems the antiwar activists have gone into hiding. Obama was a smooth operator, who tempered down our antiwar sentiments, by and while destroying the middle class. People are more concerned about the welfare of their families, their health care and essentially keeping a roof over their heads, and as a result, in there minds, these foreign wars have become secondary.

The US war budget dwarfs the rest of the world. They spend more than the ten top ten democratic countries combined. This begs the question, why? Who is the enemy? Who has invaded us? The right-wing response is the battle against 'terrorism'. I'm sorry, this doesn't not hold up to close scrutiny anymore. Thousands upon thousands of people have been murdered since the declared war on terror began 18 years ago. For certain, if nothing else, this 'war on terror' as made the planet more dangerous than anytime before 2001.

While the oligarchy gives more money to the weapon manufactures, and the MSM continue to push war in unabashed warmonger fashion, people will continue to believe the lies.

That said, more people can see the elite lying to them. That there has been no benefits for them in this 'war on terror'. The only way to prevent more unnecessary wars is a grassroots movement, revealing the oligarchical lies.

War can never be justified, particularly, when the whole thing is a racket, a money-making exercise for the few.