printELEVEN YEARS OF TERRORIZING OURSELVES – BY MYRON PAULI*
In the early 20th Century, the “Great Powers” played a reckless game of imperialism, competing to control the globe – Germans in Windhoek, French in Zhanjiang, Brits in Lusaka, Turks in Mosul, Italians in Asmara, and Austrians in Sarajevo and Russians in Lushunkuo.
As part of this recklessness, the Russian “intelligence services” helped the Serbian Black Hand who assassinated Serbian King Alexander and Queen Draga (born September 11) in 1903. Later on, the Black Hand assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand that set up the orgy of bloodletting known as World War I. During that war, the German “intelligence services” sent Lenin to Russia to start another orgy of bloodletting. The term “blowback” often describes the whirlwind unleashed by these “intelligence services.”
Following Britain’s World War I “victory,” they decided to control the Arab world with hand-picked corrupt monarchs with names like Farouk and Feisal. After World War Two, the Soviet Empire countered with “secular nationalists” like Gamal Nasser, Assad, and Hussein.
In 1979, America decided to counter the Soviets by backing militant Moslems in Afghanistan and throughout the Moslem world. In this, America was assisted by the Saudis, Pakistanis, and Israelis. The Soviets got suckered into invading Afghanistan which only increased American support of Mujahedin hotheads.
When the Soviets left, the Americans moved in– and became the new target of the hotheads. The ultimate blowback came on 9/11/01. Added to this was the anthrax attacks from some disgruntled Army employee and the “DC Sniper” and you have all the domestic “terrorism” visited on America. I am not counting semi-manufactured “foiled attempts,” where FBI provocateurs find (typically) low-IQ minority misfits to “agree” to do nonsense like shooting fighter planes with Stinger missiles as a real attack on the USA – nor pathetic plots like shoe-bombers, “liquid-mixing”-bombers and underpants-bombers whose nuttiness was only exceeded by the even-nuttier response.
Total damage is a little over 3000 people and a couple of ugly buildings – most assuredly a tragedy. A greater number of lives could be saved by following Mayor Bloomberg’s dietary advice. The money we have wasted since could have built hundreds of buildings. Far greater than the damage caused by “terrorists” in the US has been the response.
The greatest expense have been the idiotic wars (beyond that of just chasing Al Qaeda out of Afghanistan performed by Special Ops working with the “Northern Alliance” in 2001) in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan which have left refugees (tomorrow’s terrorists) and instability.
Next comes generally bloated military spending – the favorite of the “Republikeynsians” (bragged about in TV ads throughout Virginia in 2012). But as bad as a wasted aircraft carrier or a gold-plated golf course in Germany might be, even worse is the damage we are doing to our souls.
Far worse is the paranoid surveillance state that we are imposing – first on the rest of the world but also on ourselves. Due process of law, a concept that goes back to the Magna Carta, is utterly discarded. Incarceration without trial, death by drone, Patriot Acts, NDAA, a government that considers the lives of its people to be completely public; but its own machinations to be completely secret; self-serving leaks of lies to increase war fever, groping grandmas at bus stations …. – the list goes on and on ad infinitum.
A new Department, “Homeland Security” – gives billions to arm local police to the hilt. I remember when people debated whether American police should carry guns or be disarmed like the British Bobbies. Now, the police, BATF, DEA and SWAT teams are often armed for a D-Day invasion on your house.
Tasers are routinely used at traffic stops. Laws multiply and their enforcement becomes increasingly arbitrary. Urban neighborhoods and our southern border are devastated by the idiotic “war on drugs” that continues regardless of the evidence of its insanity.
In the hands of an Obama, Bush, or Romney, these powers are frightening enough; should the US suffer bankruptcy, I shudder to think of what USA Fuhrer might arise to abuse such power. The subsequent abuses might make 9/11/01 as forgotten as Queen Draga’s birthday!
As Ben Franklin forewarned, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
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Barely a Blog (BAB) contributor Myron Pauli grew up in Sunnyside Queens, went off to college in Cleveland and then spent time in a mental institution in Cambridge MA (MIT) with Benjamin Netanyahu (did not know him), and others until he was released with the “hostages” and Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1981, having defended his dissertation in nuclear physics. Most of the time since, he has worked on infrared sensors, mainly at Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. He was NOT named after Ron Paul but is distantly related to physicist Wolftgang Pauli; unfortunately, only the “good looks” were handed down and not the brains. He writes assorted song lyrics and essays reflecting his cynicism and classical liberalism. Click on the “BAB’s A List” category to access the Pauli archive.