printEnding the warfare state is the only ray of hope for down-and-out, indebted America. With laser-like precision, Pat Buchanan zeroes in on the tack the tea party must take if it is to tackle the federal-induced “deficit-debt crisis, a national debt nearing 100 percent of gross domestic product and a deficit of 10 percent of GDP.” There is only “one place where a bipartisan majority may be found for major spending cuts: defense and the empire, the warfare state.”
“After Iraq and Afghanistan,” writes Buchanan, in “Tea Party vs. War Party?”, “the American people are not going to give the establishment and War Party a free hand in foreign policy. Every patriot will do what is necessary and pay what is needed to defend his country. But national security is one thing, empire security another.”
There is another matter I have raised in “Statism Starts With You!” and other recent columns, and it is “America’s fondness for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which combined, account for close to half of the federal government’s budget.” “Only 7 percent of the country will consider slashing the first two welfare programs. And a mere eleven percent of those living in the ‘Land of the Free’ are prepared to pare down Medicaid. Keep the government out of my Medicare!”
For a lack of any other viable option for stalling State spending, the Tea Party must position itself in opposition to Obama’s volitional and inherited wars; ignore Mr. Hannity’s nagging about “Empire security,” and preach and proselytize about the end of Empire.
If ever there was a religious cause, ending America’s military forays abroad is it.
UPDATE: Abu Ghraib à la Afghanistan. You remember the pornographic pictorials from Abu Ghraib prison, starring some sadistic and slutty servicemen and women? Well, GI JOE and GI HO have relocated. And they will continue to do their thing until the US government stops unleashing them in other countries. (Place them on the US-Mexico border where they can scare some gangsters their own size—drug cartel members—if that’s not posse comitatus.)
Those who have seen the photos say they are grisly: soldiers beside newly killed bodies, decaying corpses and severed fingers.
The dozens of photos, described in interviews and in e-mails and military documents obtained by The Associated Press, were seized by Army investigators and are a crucial part of the case against five soldiers accused of killing three Afghan civilians earlier this year.
The Religious Right has to get over this absurd devotion to the US military. Dropping bombs and sending in the Marines is not the answer to every problem. Short of an imminent invasion, it isn’t the answer to ANY problem.
I don’t know what it will take for Christian fundamentalists to understand our imperial overreach is bankrupting us. Maybe when the dollar is completely worthless and they find themselves destitute, the hard facts will begin to sink in. Until then, you can count on them electing every warmonger the Republican Party trots out.
The thought of Palin, Gingrich, or Romney as our next president is simply too depressing to contemplate.
I don’t know what it will take for Christian fundamentalists to understand our imperial overreach is bankrupting us.
I don’t think it fair to blame the Christians on this one. Your implication is that since the Christians supported the Iraq War, I assume, the Republicans were given the green light to start it.
The US is engaged in empire building because the elites, both democrats and republicans, want it.
What the Christians want is immaterial. After all, the Christians want to overturn Roe and bring back prayer in school. They also want an amendment defining marriage. And I am sure they would like their children to be given time off for Christmas, not winter, break. I don’t see the Christians having much success on those issues.
I think most Christians believe our wars are part and parcel of defending this country. They don’t get all the details, but somehow defending ourselves against a very tangible threat such as what occured on 9/11 is what they’re thinking, and I don’t believe they at all understand the idea that this is about empire building.
All that said, this is becoming culpable ignorance. The old paradigms are and need to shift. For this Christian, I had to ask myself if we’re truly serious about defending ourselves, then why are our folks being deployed half way ’round the world, when virtually nothing is being done on our borders, about the Islamic threat in our midst?
On our parts as Christian, it’s a great deal of ignorance; for the elites, it’s empire.
Great column from Buchanan. As far as the update, is anyone surprised by this? And we wonder why many people around the world hate us. And Mr. Hogan, your comments regarding Christians is right on. I am a Christian and far too many blindly support the President when he decides to invade another country. Get ready for a warmonger to head the Republican ticket in 2012. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is Palin. Ron Paul should head the ticket but we all know why that won’t be happening.
Both DEREK and STEVE are correct in their evaluations of Christians. When I mentioned that we should not be fighting in the Middle East or have bases everywhere because the Constitution states that the US Military is only to be activated to defend our borders or insurrection, I was advised that the Constitution should be revised. Other Christian’s side with me, so one can’t rate them as being of one mind.
However, history reflects that in war, civilization always gets hammered by some parts of the military. The French Indian war described atrocities on both sides, More than one book I have on the Civil war describes the atrocities of US soldiers against Southern Civilians. The atrocities by the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan receive short shift in the news, if ever mentioned. American soldiers captured by the enemy come back in pieces, I understand; but their pictures are censored. The longer we stay involved, the more atrocities will occur on both sides.
We cannot afford to keep up the insanity of computer generating fiat money for every “Nobel cause” be it charity or war.
Derek,
The blog specifically addresses the Tea Party movement’s support for the war. The faction favoring our hyperactive foreign interventions is predominantly, if not exclusively, populated by Christian conservatives.
These people understand that something is very wrong and that changes are desperately needed. They realize that spending is out of control, but they insist on maintaining the empire.
We can have our liberties or we can have an empire. We can’t have both. The pro-war Tea Partiers haven’t figured that out yet.
“America’s fondness for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — which combined, account for close to half of the federal government’s budget.”
It all boils down to… Which Statism programs are you willing to give up
To reclaim your individual freedom
I am a Christian and a member of a fundamedalist church that’s about as fundamental as it can get. The “radical Christian right” is dead set against the direction of our country culturally and politically. It’s not my experience that the Christian right is hot to invade other countries. They do support the United States and support the military because they support the soldiers. Perhaps not sophisticated but when the hippo dung hits the fan and the country is facing something really nasty the Christion right will be there to stand for the United States. Don’t look around and expect much help from the political and literary “in crowd”.
American troops behave better in war than those of most other nations – but that says little because atrocities are part of war just like sunburn is part of hot summer days. It is bad enough to have atrocities in a war that is unavoidable but to start a war out of the blue (like Iraq) or to enlarge one (like Af-Pak) is obscene.
The tea party appears to me as an incoherent assortment of religious Christians, angry small businessmen, hyped-up Republicans, libertarians, etc. who do not like Obama but the “Tea Party” lacks a real platform with any coherent philosophy. Media clowns like Beck, Hannity, O’ Reilly, Limbaugh are sometimes “on the money” but they live for ratings, not for philosophical coherence. Palin is a bloviating rightist hack.
The forces of Big Government are extremely powerful – they have the media, the military, academia, unions, organized “retirees”, and most big business and most financial institutions as well. What is “in it” for a politician to oppose a new attack submarine or withdraw troops from Italy or oppose “education”? And why balance the budget – those who will pay the bill in 2050 aren’t yet voting or possibly even alive?
Why single out Christians as war mongers?
“If ever there was a religious cause, ending America’s military forays abroad is it.” “Why single out Christians as war mongers?”
Though other groups may be responsible for invading Iraq somewhat- Bush does claim to be a Christian for what that’s worth. The majority of the TEA party and its supporters are self professed Christians. They may not be responsible for getting us in; but, without their support, we are surely not going to get out.