Guantanamo, Exceptionalism, Neoliberals, and the Feds

In 1898, our Gov't stole Guantanamo at gunpoint.  That was during the time when "we" were "saving" various parts of the world from............................ Spain.  In 1903, Cuba essentially was forced (at gunpoint) to sign a perpetual lease, one of the terms being that our Gov't was to pay Cuba $2,000 a year... in gold.  I wonder if the USA held up that end of the bargain.  That also was during the time when Mark Twain became a founding member of the American Anti-Imperialist League.

The USA no longer engages in Imperialism.  Our Gov't (which hasn't represented We the People for quite some time) now engages in NeoImperialism.  That's so much better... one doesn't have to occupy a country in order to essentially control it.  Simply surround it with some of the almost 1,000 military bases the US has around the world.  The warships help, too.  Waging financial and economic war (or threatening to) is a big help as well.  Oh, and then there's the NSA spying...............on our allies.  None of them, of course, are permitted to spy on us; that's a crime.  When our Feds do it to others, that's okay.  [We the People did not delegate the power to the Fed Gov't to do any of that insanity.  The Constitution ENUMERATES all legitimate powers delegated to the Feds.  That document must be legally changed in order to add any new powers.  Interpreting it differently will not suffice.]

1898 was a banner year.  The Fed Gov't also "saved" Guam and the Philippines... and "annexed" Hawaii.  ["Annexed"--- that's Gov't-Speak for stole.]  When other countries do similar things, that's wrong... even a crime in many cases.  When the Fed Gov't does it, it's just, moral, ethical, and helpful.  That's because of American Exceptionalism---the concept that the USA is, you know, special (that's Gov't-Speak for "better").  "We" are exceptional because... well, just because.  [Usually promoters of American Exceptionalism say that it's because we have so many freedoms here (and value them so).  What they leave out is this:  those freedoms must conform to certain moral (not ethical) standards.  Other freedoms, even if they do NOT infringe on anyone's genuine rights or property, are not permitted.  So, for example, if one wishes to possess & imbibe a plant substance in the privacy of one's own home, behind locked doors, that is a crime.  There's nothing ethically wrong with it, but it doesn't meet certain moral standards.  Morality is subjective and varies from person to person and group to group.  Ethics are objective, carved in stone, and do not vary at all...ever.  Ethics are based on the science of Logic.  Doing the same with America's drug of choice (booze), of course, is okay, not a crime.  Hypocrisy abounds.]

Nowadays, and for some time, our Gov't is so special that it gets to be the World Police.  On what authority?  Well, you know.......................... none.  It's just that we're so exceptional.  That's it.  For example, when our Gov't kills children, that's NOT terrorism; when others kill children, it IS terrorism.  When our Gov't bombs civilians, that's NOT terrorism; when others do it, it IS terrorism.  Why?  Well, you know, our Fed Gov't is exceptional.  It does almost nothing wrong.  When it does do something wrong, it rarely holds anyone accountable for that wrongdoing... except for some low-level, unfortunate person.  As Obama recently said (paraphrased) in relation to the Senate torture report:  yes, some things were done wrong, but I prefer to move forward rather than dwell on the past.  It's a familiar refrain from those at the highest levels of our Outlaw Fed Gov't.

Don't misunderstand me.  I love this Land and its People.  At the same time, though, I pretty much dislike the highest levels of our Fed Gov't, the political Oligarchs.  Why?
1.  We no longer have a representative government in this country.  According to the respected, late historian, Carroll Quigley (Bill Clinton's mentor at Georgetown U.), we haven't had one since well before the 1960s.  The overwhelming majority of national political candidates are selected, groomed, and financed by the rich & powerful... and dance to their tune... at the expense of the rest of us.
2.  The Neoliberals (both Democrats and Republicans) at the highest levels have killed the Republic by trashing the Constitution of the United States.
3.  The Neoliberals (Democrats and Republicans) in Gov't, the Corporate Media, educational institutions, and mega corporations have been inundating this Land with Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid for decades.  The highest levels of the nonrepresentative Fed Gov't are the worst offenders in that regard.
4.  The Neoliberals (Democrats and Republicans) at the highest levels in the Fed Gov't are grossly hypocritical when it comes to spying (especially spying on allies), pre-emptive invasions, exposing wrongdoing (as in the cases of whistleblowers), complying with International Law (e.g., the Geneva Conventions), economic sanctions (sanctions are an act of war), etc., etc., ad nauseum.

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Not just my opinion.  Be Well