By B. R. GOWANI
Source/Arthur B. Kennickell, “Ponds and Streams: Wealth and Income in the U.S., 1989 to 2007,” Federal Reserve Board Working Paper, January 7, 2009, Figure A3a, p. 63/Extreme Inequality.
“To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a desert and call it peace”.
Gaius Tacitus (56–117)
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1903-1950)
“I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace.” President George W. Bush
“Look to Iraq, where nearly 100,000 of our brave men and women have left with their heads held high…. America’s commitment has been kept. The Iraq war is coming to an end.” President Barack Obama‘s State of the Union address.
The news media in the US is quite skilled at creating drama as witnessed during the recent days when it was abuzz with speculations of the content of President Obama’s State of the Union speech. The pundits had taken over their respective positions on the field and were working to justify the high salaries they get paid.
One of the media pundits told Wolf Blitzer of CNN that for Bill Clinton’s State of the Union address, they had started preparing six months earlier. But when the time came, the papers for nine and a half minutes of the speech were missing and so Clinton adlibbed for ten minutes without the papers. One wonders then why so much time is wasted on something that is mostly articulated untruths and is part of the politicians’ job.
One has to admit that Obama’s speech delivery was top notch and the words were inspiring. But beyond that, it was all an exercise in PR. Obama laid out long term plans and alluded to the “Sputnik moment.” The problem is funding the plans. When President John F. Kennedy announced the plan to put a man on the Moon in the early 1960s, in the wake of the then Soviet Union’s launching of the first human-made satellite Sputnik, the US was at its zenith: economically and militarily. Things are totally different today–the US is in a very bad shape economically. Subtly, Obama acknowledged the waning of the US power by mentioning India and China: the two rising Asian powers.
Foreign wars and domestic violence
Roman historian and senator Tacitus noted: When the destruction is total and the place is turned into a desert, it is called peace. Or as Orwell’s Newspeak in the novel 1984 states: War is Peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
So when the title of this article says “dead normal,” it means the gradual deterioration that has been going on in the US Empire, from within and without, is continuing unhindered and following the normal course, that is, normal according to the leaders— because otherwise, they would have tried to change the course.
Now when war is considered peace then it becomes a holy duty on part of the rulers to work diligently and religiously to make that peace a permanent one. And how do they achieve a permanent peace? By being at perpetual war because only then can they assure the people that the country is at peace.
The date for total withdrawal of US forces from Iraq is set for the end of 2011, but many remain skeptical if this will indeed happen. The rise of the Islamic militants in the wake of the US War against Iraq is now the Iraqi problem, and so is the Shia/Sunni conflict. And if the things get worse, the US bases are ever present to enable reoccupation.
It should be noted that not only did the “roadmap” to peace for solving the Israeli/Palestinian problem disappear, but Obama didn’t even see it fit to mention the Palestinian people who are the victims of illegal and atrocious Israeli occupation.
Obama said the war in Pakistan and Afghanistan will continue because the battle is not yet won. He shrewdly omitted mention of the drone victims, nor was the withdrawal date of US troops from Afghanistan clearly specified. But the war on Pakistan will continue.
Iran and North Korea will stay under the US watch for their nuclear programs.
The Tunisian people found out that Obama after all loves them, by applauding their efforts and giving them an honorable mention: “The will of the people proved more powerful than the writ of a dictator [Zine El Abidine Ben Ali].” This love affair will last until a new US-friendly dictator is found.
It was more than ten hours after the first riots began in Egypt by the time Obama gave the speech but there was no mention of either the riots or of that country’s dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Inside the US, the sale of weapons continues unabashedly. On January 8, the 22 year-old Jared Loughner shot to death six people and wounded thirteen, including House Representative Gabrielle Giffords, in Tucson, Arizona. Giffords was in ICU but is now out of danger. A few days following the shooting, there was a gun show and one of the big TV network reporters observed that the “mood was somber.” That was all. No interviews were conducted asking people on the destruction of life caused due to the guns, no discussion for or against, nothing. Although he did honor Giffords, Obama refrained from mentioning anything on the gun lobby, the NRA (National Rifles Association).
This month alone, 14 police officers have been murdered in the US but still no stirrings on legislation restricting or banning guns for the general public.
Gays and lesbians
Obama said: “Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love.” He ingeniously also immediately asked the US colleges to open their campuses to the military recruiters so that they can lure the students into the army and prepare them for killing or getting killed on the “enemy” front.
The wealth disparity
That 40% of the people at the bottom own almost 0% of the wealth–many of them own no assets but have “negative net wealth” was not stated. On the other hand, 85% of the wealth is in the hands of 20% of individuals. According to Edward Wolff of New York University, the gulf between the poorest and the richest has widened so much that it is “bigger than at any time since the 1920s — just before the Depression.”
The money for the social programs
Money can always be made available, if the will of the people who can make a difference is strong. The will to help the struggling poor is absent. If the defense budget is ruthlessly slashed, many programs can be implemented that would tremendously ease people’s burdens. The power wielded by the armed forces can be gauged by the fact that when Obama mentioned the military, all the people in the hall stood up and applauded in what seemed to be the longest applause of the evening. The armed forces don’t rule the US but their power and that of the defense lobby is immense.
Budget deficit can be eliminated
If Obama is truly interested in the welfare of the people and if he wants to leave a great legacy, he should order the wealthiest one per cent of Americans to help their country in writing off the current US budget deficit. The projected US budget deficit for 2011 is $1.5 trillion and the combined wealth of the Forbes 400 richest persons in the US is $1.57 trillion. Obama should, in return, give each of them a US flag made of Chinese silk with his personal autograph, as a sign of great patriotism. Thus the United States can start anew.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com