The situation in Libya. what we have to avoid.
As I write this, Uk and US forces are attacking Gaddaffi's positions in Libya.
The UN has passed a resolution to stop Gaddaffi from killing the civilians who want him deposed.
I will edit this with news footage if I can.
The Libyans have made it clear that they don't want the Ukk, or the US , or anyone else to invade Libya and take out Gaddaffi for them, thank you. They have asked the international community to tackle his airforce though.
And that brings up the question of foriegn intervention.
The fact is that the USA is not welcome in Iraq these days, even after bringing down Saddam.
So, why not, you may ask ?
the answer is that wherever the US army goes, the corporate interests are not far behind.
listen to this -
There is nothing new under the sun. Wars have been fought from time immemorial, and more often than not, for reasons other than those stated by the kings, and emperors and presidents who fight them. The United States has engaged in wars and "military actions" for many years, including many in Latin America. While the public has been told these wars were to protect "freedom" and "democracy", the truth is that these wars have often been fought to protect profits and interests of American corporations. And often America's wars have stymied democracy and freedom of local peoples in order the U.S. corporations could dominate the natural resource extraction of foreign resources. Often these wars have resulted in massacres of indigenous peoples, impoverishment, displacement and denial of basic human rights for the benefit of America's wealthy elite.
Major General Smedley Butler of the U.S. Marine Corps had an illustrious career in the early years of the twentieth century. He fought in a number of those campaigns. He won, not one, but two Congressional Medals of Honor for combat heroism. Major General Butler was a real warrior. During his military career, he followed orders, he did his job, and he did not question why he was called on to fight in those wars.
But after his retirement from the Marines, Major General Smedley Butler had more opportunity to give serious thought to his career and to the proper role of the military in U.S. affairs. He wrote an essay, which is copied below, and is well worth considering, because the issues involved, of U.S. military use in furtherance of corporate issues are very much alive today. The U.S. government is now seeking, even more than ever, to dominate the world by use of the American military for the purposes of America's strategic (corporate) interests, as revealed by policy papers written by key members of the Bush administration under the Project of the New American Century, and other policy advisory groups.
Smedley Butler on Interventionism -- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.
"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.
There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.
It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."
Sorry it took up so much space, but that is what we have to avoid.
As far as possible, we, the western powers, should get in , get out and leave the Libyans to run their own country from then on - not use it to secure our own business interests.
if the Libyan rebels want International airstrikes, and a no fly zone so they can nail gaddaffi, then lets do it. but let's not expect them to sell us cheap oil, or accept a western puppet government in return. Just because you take a woman out to dinner, that doesn't mean she owes you anything in return. Either we believe in self determination , freedom and democracy and all that stuff or we don't.
And if we really believe in that stuff, we should be going after military dictators everywhere, not just places that have lots of oil. we should be taking the situation in dafur to the floor in the UN, we should be resolved to stop trading with places like China till they clean up their record and get their act together on humna Rights. And even someone like me, who isn't a professional pundit, has noticed that we don't!
What we need to see in Libya is a Democratic Government to emerge. Whether the rebel forces can sit down after deposing Gaddaffi and form a proper government, or will split up into warring tribal factions remains to be seen. but at least let it be said that this time, we dd the right thing . Let it be said that we helped the Libyans on the terms they wanted, and not the terms that suited us. above all , let it be said that our intervention actually made an improvement possible, and that they had every chance to make a better life for themselves when it was over, if it ever gets that far.
What we have to avoid is doing what we did in Afghanistan and Iraq all over again. We cannot go about building nations for other people. We, the westen powers, handed Germany back to the Germans after deposing Hitler, and I hope that we can hand back Libya to the Libyans once they oust Gaddaffi.
The UN has passed a resolution to stop Gaddaffi from killing the civilians who want him deposed.
I will edit this with news footage if I can.
The Libyans have made it clear that they don't want the Ukk, or the US , or anyone else to invade Libya and take out Gaddaffi for them, thank you. They have asked the international community to tackle his airforce though.
And that brings up the question of foriegn intervention.
The fact is that the USA is not welcome in Iraq these days, even after bringing down Saddam.
So, why not, you may ask ?
the answer is that wherever the US army goes, the corporate interests are not far behind.
listen to this -
There is nothing new under the sun. Wars have been fought from time immemorial, and more often than not, for reasons other than those stated by the kings, and emperors and presidents who fight them. The United States has engaged in wars and "military actions" for many years, including many in Latin America. While the public has been told these wars were to protect "freedom" and "democracy", the truth is that these wars have often been fought to protect profits and interests of American corporations. And often America's wars have stymied democracy and freedom of local peoples in order the U.S. corporations could dominate the natural resource extraction of foreign resources. Often these wars have resulted in massacres of indigenous peoples, impoverishment, displacement and denial of basic human rights for the benefit of America's wealthy elite.
Major General Smedley Butler of the U.S. Marine Corps had an illustrious career in the early years of the twentieth century. He fought in a number of those campaigns. He won, not one, but two Congressional Medals of Honor for combat heroism. Major General Butler was a real warrior. During his military career, he followed orders, he did his job, and he did not question why he was called on to fight in those wars.
But after his retirement from the Marines, Major General Smedley Butler had more opportunity to give serious thought to his career and to the proper role of the military in U.S. affairs. He wrote an essay, which is copied below, and is well worth considering, because the issues involved, of U.S. military use in furtherance of corporate issues are very much alive today. The U.S. government is now seeking, even more than ever, to dominate the world by use of the American military for the purposes of America's strategic (corporate) interests, as revealed by policy papers written by key members of the Bush administration under the Project of the New American Century, and other policy advisory groups.
Smedley Butler on Interventionism -- Excerpt from a speech delivered in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.
"War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.
There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.
It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."
Sorry it took up so much space, but that is what we have to avoid.
As far as possible, we, the western powers, should get in , get out and leave the Libyans to run their own country from then on - not use it to secure our own business interests.
if the Libyan rebels want International airstrikes, and a no fly zone so they can nail gaddaffi, then lets do it. but let's not expect them to sell us cheap oil, or accept a western puppet government in return. Just because you take a woman out to dinner, that doesn't mean she owes you anything in return. Either we believe in self determination , freedom and democracy and all that stuff or we don't.
And if we really believe in that stuff, we should be going after military dictators everywhere, not just places that have lots of oil. we should be taking the situation in dafur to the floor in the UN, we should be resolved to stop trading with places like China till they clean up their record and get their act together on humna Rights. And even someone like me, who isn't a professional pundit, has noticed that we don't!
What we need to see in Libya is a Democratic Government to emerge. Whether the rebel forces can sit down after deposing Gaddaffi and form a proper government, or will split up into warring tribal factions remains to be seen. but at least let it be said that this time, we dd the right thing . Let it be said that we helped the Libyans on the terms they wanted, and not the terms that suited us. above all , let it be said that our intervention actually made an improvement possible, and that they had every chance to make a better life for themselves when it was over, if it ever gets that far.
What we have to avoid is doing what we did in Afghanistan and Iraq all over again. We cannot go about building nations for other people. We, the westen powers, handed Germany back to the Germans after deposing Hitler, and I hope that we can hand back Libya to the Libyans once they oust Gaddaffi.