On May 9th, 1970, in the predawn hours, President Richard Nixon decided to visit students protesting the Vietnam War at the Lincoln Memorial… with but his butler in hand. Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters were camped out that night in conjunction with an anti-war movement that today’s anti-war folks could learn from. Nixon obviously was haunted by the fervor of this ever steady mindset that became a blight upon his administration. A troubled president walked amongst the students at the memorial, doing his best PR by offering conversation on the easiest topic for him: football. “Where do you go to school?” he asked one student, who replied “Syracuse.” “Oh”, Nixon offered,” Great football program. Too bad that star running back, what was his name, oh yes Ernie Davis, had to die so young…” and on and on. Then, a young woman, perhaps 19, challenged him with “Why don’t you stop the war? ” Nixon began to offer a soliloquy as to how difficult it is to just stop it. He then made the famous reference to the system , comparing it to a Beast … and the young student interrupted Nixon with the equally as famous line: “You can’t stop it even if you wanted to!” Before his handlers rushed into the memorial to quickly spirit him out, Richard Nixon was in the middle of doing his best to explain just how difficult it is, to paraphrase, ‘Dance with the Beast.’
This is what we have become in this nation of ours: Dancers with the beast of empire. Our politicians and mainstream media lead the way to influence a normally compliant and apathetic public. Sadly, most of us are so addicted to the narcotic of consumerism that we have no time to actually study the facts. This empire diverts and subverts us from truth each and every day. Take the Flint water crisis, which once again is back in the mainstream news… for but a ‘politicized while’. The blame game by this two party con job makes great theater, but fails to even come near to truth. Yes, the government officials who oversaw the crisis failed. Yet, what really was the reprehensible hidden cause of Flint having lousy water pipes and polluted drinking water? Well, in the old days our federal government would send a percentage of taxes collected from the cities and states BACK to those places in the form of Revenue sharing AKA Block Grants. This money could be used by local municipalities for things like… DUH replacing faulty water pipes and purchasing healthy drinking water. NO Mas! You see, when over 50% of our federal taxes goes for military spending replete with phony wars and occupations and overkill weapons and systems, Uncle Sam cannot send any funds to stop the bleeding… the Beast of Empire needs to keep bleeding us dry!
A sad moment for this writer was when Mr. Khizr Khan, a Muslim American father of a US captain, killed in Iraq, addressed the Democratic Convention. The mainstream media, and even the Democratic Party controlled alternative media, reported that not a dry eye could be seen after he spoke. Well, Mr. Khan, anyone who hears that a father and mother lose their son, especially in a war zone (or actually a ‘Zone of illegal and immoral US occupation) has to feel empathy… and this writer does. However, Mr. Khan, you were being used by the Beast of Empire that controls both of these corrupt and disgraceful political parties! You were going on and on, and rightfully so, about the hideous nature of Mr. Trump and what he stands for. Yet, not one thought as to the woman who your address was aiding and abetting. You see, Mr. Khan, ‘Killary Clinton’ is called that for justifiable reasons. She voted to support the Bush gang going into Iraq! She said and did nothing while millions throughout the world protested that illegal and immoral attack and occupation of Iraq…a place where the son you loved so much had NO business being sent to! Perhaps if you were a Muslim of Libyan ancestry, and had family there in 2011, or even now. What if they, like your son, were killed by either our carpet bombing or in the aftermath of the chaos now engulfing Libya? On Thursday evening you would be blasting ‘Killary Clinton’ and not helping to get her elected. Your rightful place, to give such an address Mr. Khan, would be at the upcoming Green Party convention. Food for thought sir.
The Beast of Empire that Nixon alluded to in May of 1970 is still alive and more powerful than ever. It hides within the breast of a controlled government and media. To paraphrase : Its finest trick is to persuade you that it does not exist!
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