InfoClearinghouse: American government heading for collapse?

American Government: Heading Toward Disintegration and Collapse

By Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.

02/26/06 "ICH" -- -- In several of his writings and interviews, former U. S. President Jimmy Carter stated that he is very much concerned at the direction the United States is moving. He said emphatically that this is not the United States he always knew. Many are increasingly beginning to convince themselves that the present United States government could be viewed as the worst in the history of the American nation. Democracy has ceased to exist for all practical purposes and we have a situation today where the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.

Government Deterioration

Several scholars and organizations are becoming increasingly worried as they see their government deteriorating from day to day. They feel upset as they watch the American government openly spying on the public, especially on those with peaceful reputation. Besides, they are taken by surprise to see the great curtailing of free speech and the increasing of censorship of the news media covering the radio, press and television. Peaceful dissenters are being punished and at times put in jail, even if they were religious women and clergymen.

Moreover, to turn insult into injury, the press at times is secretly paid to write articles that would justify governmental actions even if they constitute blatant violations of human rights, as it has been found even with the foreign press reporters. The waging of an ongoing war in both Iraq and Afghanistan has now drained the financial assets of the U.S. government to the very detriment of the American people. As a result, millions of Americans suffer from lack of health care benefits, while their health deteriorates even to the point of death.

The destruction of the infrastructure of Iraq along with the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent civilian Iraqis, amounting to women, children, the elderly and the sick, along with pregnant women as well, has been minimized. The lies told to the American people on how the Iraqis have been “liberated” from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, need to be challenged. A national referendum in Iraq needs to be conducted and all Iraqis from age of 15 to 95 must be allowed to participate under proper international supervision.

This referendum should consist of one question: Do you feel you were better off under Saddam Hussein when you still had your own homes, enjoyed the presence of your parents, spouses and children as well as friends? ……... Or, do you feel you are better off now under American domination with your homes destroyed, your parents, spouses and/or children killed or maimed, as well as with several of your friends killed or maimed for life? The whole world would be interested to hear directly what the Iraqis themselves have to say without any interference or manipulation from the outside.

Belligerent and Dangerous Policies

Very often the same questions are raised over and over again: When is the United States going to learn that in a war every one is a loser and no one a winner? Was not the Vietnam War experience enough? Is American diplomacy going to be always one based on guns, bullets, military involvements and wars instead of healthy dialogues and respect for others? It is very obvious that the United States would not hesitate to wage a war against Iran unless it brings this Asian nation under American political control. Why should the USA demand Iran not to have one nuclear weapon when this American nation has already more than 70,000 nuclear weapons and it is still manufacturing more?

In accordance with the philosophy of this American government, the United States can launch a pre-emptive strike against any nation on earth even without warning. Would it not then be natural for every country to equip itself with the most devastating weapons possible as way of counteraction against the United States? Moreover, since the United States manufactures and sells more weapons than all the nations of the world combined, it means that this American nation pollutes our air and water very badly with toxic wastes that is causing two millions of people incur cancer every year in the USA alone. Why is it that when the whole world wanted to take drastic action to curb air and water pollution from our planet, the USA was virtually the only dissenter?

It is very obvious that this capitalistic nation is concerned merely with the financial interests of big corporations and nothing else matters, not even the very health and life of the American people. Its top priority is to cater to special interests. This explains why the present U.S. government especially continues to cut significantly the budget on health care and education as to spend more and more money on corporate interests, generally headed by the weapons industry, the construction companies and the oil enterprises. In fact, every year the budget for the military and the waging of wars keeps on going higher and higher, while the budget on the vital needs of the people keeps on going lower and lower.

All of this explains why the American people in general and of the whole world at large tend to feel overwhelmed and powerless. But there is always hope. We learn from history that when good and evil struggle against each other, initially evil tends to take the upper hand until all of a sudden it disintegrates and collapses. Regardless of the vicious governments nations might have had, people always ended up getting what they viewed as positive and constructive. Like U.S. President Eisenhower said in his farewell address to the U.S. Congress, “all people of all countries want peace, only their government wants war.”

Looking for a Hopeful Future

We should look with hope into a positive and constructive future where people could live together peacefully, where education and health care will be available for every human being, and where the protection of the environment will become a top governmental priority. People everywhere need to unite in generating positive and constructive energy until peace, as well as harmony, respect and justice will become a tangible reality for everyone. We need to become more involved in public affairs. We must do our best to replace every single politician by a statesman. Some historians described a politician as one who takes interest in one group to the exclusion of others, while they described a statesman as one who takes interest in all people without exception.

The current belligerent American government will one day be replaced. The question is when. It may still take quite a time until the change is effected and by then only God knows how many people, both American and non American alike, would have suffered unnecessarily. The present turmoil in so many global areas is bound to continue as long as the USA and other major powers continue to use violence to solve some of the crucial problems the world faces. We know that violence begets violence and more violence begets more violence. The military, by its very nature, is structured merely for destructive purposes, even though once in a while it might have been used to help in some natural disasters for a very brief period.

At this stage of history, which has become characterized by so much violence, suffering and death, the United States needs a president that has the mind, the courage, the determination, the wisdom, the understanding, the compassion, and the common sense of both U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the sooner the better. The nation and the whole world, as a matter of fact, need a new direction where the vital needs of the people will occupy top priority in every governmental endeavor.

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D., President International Association of Educators for World Peace. Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament. Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University.