Why They War

The party in power at onset of war tell us the same lies; war for democracy, freedom, human rights, to "prevent" atrocities that may occur if they do not intervene. The party not in power happily goes along, minus the few necessary mandated detractors who demand the US not act as world policeman, shouldn't practice nation building, etc.The pols and ruling elite try to offer somewhat valid reasons for Joe Blow to die on foreign soil, justification to send our dollars and blood to war; all hollow reasons and all rerun, whether raising a flag on Iwo Jima or at Ground Zero. Wars are all beginning to look alike. Another "Pearl Harbor type event" didn't go quite as planned for the commanders of the new century. However, rest assured (or uneasily) they're arguing about it among themselves.

Reagan sent money and arms to Central America so the freedom fighters could save the ruling classes in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, the Contras, from commies. Ron saved American college students and the citizens of Grenada from Cuban influence. Poppy Bush played relentless rock music over loud speakers and saved Panamanians from Manuel Noriega. And of course, Pops saved the royal family of Kuwait and stopped Saddam in mid-air tossing of babies from incubators. And, the all time favored "preservation of our way of life" is a given.

Compared to past wars, WWI and II, it's obvious the minds of the ruling elite can no longer create the enemies and causes the masses will rush to die for (we are wising up, slowly).

Hitler was the epitome of the evil-doer, making even WWI's Kaiser Wilheim (Queen Victoria's grandson and the Beast of Berlin) less vile. If you stare at history long enough you might conclude Hitler was no more nor less, no worse than other blood and money mongering head of state. The Japanese at Nanking Massacre, Stalin's purges, Pol Pot, My Lai, El Salvador's Mazote massacre, General Custer, BushCo in Iraq, etc. Extermination is extermination, whether it's indigenous brown people, Injuns, Blacks, or Jews.

I've always thought it a handy little legacy Hitler bequeathed his fellow Anglo elites, when he renamed The German Workers' Party to include the term National Socialist, or National Socialist German Workers' Party, Nazi for short. Associating his evil with socialist; and the idea that thinking like a nationalist is wicked, has gone far in advancing Joe Blow's faith in the idea that socialist bad, capitalist good, nationalist bad, global good. Even the term "worker's party" has an antisocial ring to it. Corporate power and PR couldn't have done better and the Anglo-elite can thank Hitler for turning socialism and worker's party into dirty words in America. Hitler was well-scripted by his creators. But then so is boy Bush and we know who's behind him.

The experts and propagandists drone on and on about democracy, freedom, saving others, bringing the free market to the downtrodden and oppressed. They lecture on how philanthropic the wealthy, how much tax the wealthy willingly pay, how the wealthy want only the best for the world, and if that means outsourcing and offshoring your job – the wealthy will suck it up and do it. You're told the economy is taking a few hits from outside forces of evil who would bourse us to death, but not to worry, the captains of industry are holding things together (even as they file bankruptcy and order layoffs) and wisely use your tax dollars to fight those who would bring down the US economy. Those captains on the yachts will throw you an inflatable lifesaver, if the pentagon has funded enough to go around.

I remember the 1950s well. After WWII the elite had so much profit they didn't know what to do with it. Hemorrhaging profits; some had to trickle down. The 1950s was a period in the US that will not be repeated. Millions of Americans, like my uncles and aunts, worked in manufacturing, on loading docks, as mechanics, truck drivers and bricklayers, in mom-pop businesses. It was the era of Made in America; where an item made in Japan was an embarrassment, something to be ashamed of as it meant you were either cheap or poor, or both.

In the 1950s many American families purchased modest brick ranch homes on large lots for $15,000-20,000 with 20 year mortgages. They bought Rambler stationwagons, and had lots of kids. The scrawny sapling trees in the yards grew huge, patios were built and basketball hoops hung on the garage as the land and the families matured. Twenty years later (early 1970s) they were selling the homes for $150,000 to 250,000. Quite the reinvestment profit for working class stiffs like Joe Blow.

What happened to white Joe Blow in and after the 1950s is similar to the success of Black men and women after the Civil War. In the latter half of the 1800s great numbers of freed slaves quickly rose to form a middle class, opening successful businesses, schools, universities, creating wealthy townships. Then Jim Crowe, segregation, lynchings, burning down entire Black towns, denial of constitutional and civil rights, etc. The post WWII white Joe Blow got uppity too in the '50s and '60s; better educated, better employed, better off economically. And the elite brought him down. We all know we're seeing the first generation who will not do better economically than their parents before them.

What you seldom hear from the ruling class pundits, like Limbaugh, is how capitalism works. It must have PROFIT. And no other business generates profit like war. Afterall, you have to continuously buy/sell the goods that only war can consume faster than it can be produced. Energy, food, armament, clothing, materials, everything. Why build malls where most Americans can no longer afford to shop. Give them Wal-Mart. Give them a once a year tax reward credit of $1500 to 3900 for struggling to support families on working wages. They can buy Hilfiger brand, and pay off all those payday loans so they can begin again – hanging on until next year's EIC refund. Who needs schools? Folks have learned to feel uppity and rich once a year without education, in a new outfit or two, working low-pay deadend jobs.

Preventing atrocity is not why "they" war, humanitarianism is not why they war. Fighting tyranny is not why they war. Saving lives is not why they war. They war for one reason and one reason only. Profit. Investment. Capitalism. Capitalism must accumulate more and more profit and invest in more and more production in order to make more profit to invest and finance more capital. Nothing accomplishes this better than war. It is said capitalism began in Britain in the 1800s, but viewing all warring empires of history it's always been about profit, investment, expansion, profit, investment, expansion. Call it whatever 'ism' you like.

No war's aftermath will be forced to share the profits with the working class the way WWII did. And experts won't tell you the 1950s rise of America's working class to the middle class was unintentional; a byproduct of obscene war profits. WWII was the continuation of WWI and was masterminded by the elite of that era. But the growth of the '50s newly middle-classed and subsequent civil unrest of the '60s will not be allowed again. In the middle of the last century we witnessed the once and only vigorous growth of middle-class America, and it's rapid decline and destruction. These days folks believe just managing to pay the rent and utilities puts them in the middle-class.

The ruling elite continue attempts at imitating that post WWII profit margin - without sharing the plunder or launching the same scale of war (yet). But while the "rich get richer" the profits will be directed elsewhere, it will not lift the working class across the US as it did two generations ago. Contrary to myth – a rising tide will not lift all boats. Many little dinghies are going to sink, go under, take on water, with millions fighting over a limited number of rubber donuts on a rope the elite throw their way. Here's hoping you can tread water.