'Liberty Groped' Anthony Freda Art

Activist Post

Good and evil doesn't have a grey zone.  Killing and stealing is bad.  Violence is never "good" or necessary unless it is used to defend against killers and thieves. Indeed, that is the morality behind the "just war" principle as defined by international laws and treaties.

Yet, this simple concept of right and wrong gets muddled by differing ideas about religion, patriotism, economics and many other divisions.  The "just war" rule has crumbled under the ambitions of empires throughout history.  The American-led Anglo Saxon empire is no different.

This empire has been brutally conquering and colonizing territory since the fall of Rome.  However, it has only gained an American face in the last century.  The United States quickly emerged as the world's "superpower" primarily through its economic might.  For some time, many believed the U.S. to be a shining example of economic freedom for other nations to emulate.  Indeed, America was eager to promote "economic freedom" globally to open new markets for U.S.-based corporations.

When foreign leaders refused to allow these corporate interests into their country, those leaders were replaced through a variety of covert actions.  The form of government that would be installed did not matter to the empire makers so long as the corporate interests were served.  In most cases these nations simply surrendered to the seemingly unlimited power of the almighty dollar, thus camouflaging the traditional method of forceful empire building.

However, some nations, especially in the last two decades, remained stubborn and have refused to alter their banking systems while also shunning Western companies.  Despite the empire's best efforts to diplomatically bribe or sanction them into submission, they ultimately required an iron military fist to force their compliance.  Until recently, military action remained the last resort.  But now, preemptive military action seems to have become the preferred, and perhaps necessary, method to conquer the last resource-rich nations out of their grasp.

The empire's populations cheered this strategy out of fear of being attacked by these rogue nations who never attacked or even threatened to attack them.  In the fog of fear, killing and stealing became acceptable. In fact, detention without charges and even torture became acceptable in the former capital of freedom. America has determined that the means justifies the end -- which is more power.

As with all empires, these "means" have become increasingly violent and destructive in the face of resistance.  Yet, only a few more dominoes are left to knock over for America to complete a plan set in motion well before they were one of the colonies.  That is unless, of course, other world powers break ranks and attempt to stop the conquerors, which could lead to a large scale conflict.

Regardless, when the dust settles and moral history is written, America and her Western cohorts will likely be viewed as the most brutal empire in history.  Here are ten reasons why this is already the case:

Rumsfeld with Saddam Hussein 1983

1. Support of Dictators: For all the happy talk of spreading Democracy and protecting human rights, the empire has repeatedly not only supported dictators, but in many cases overthrew popularly elected leaders and replaced them with puppet tyrants.  Examples range from secretly funding the Nazis, to installing the Shah in Iran, Pinochet in Chile, supporting Musharraf in Pakistan, and their everlasting love affair with the brutal Saudi royal family, to name a few.  Actions speak louder than words to those who can navigate the storm of propaganda with a moral compass set to recognize good from evil.  Dictators and freedom cannot coexist.
2. Preemptive Wars of Aggression:  It could be said that all wars are preemptive in nature because so many entities benefit from war.  Yet, even before America's latest crusades, they covertly and surgically attacked countries that never threatened them.  This allowed them to maintain the moral high road in the public's eye while constructing the foundation of their empire.  That was until the Bush Doctrine; the use of preemptive military action to confront possible threats was unofficially adopted to be the new foreign policy for combating terror.  Since then, America has become the violent aggressors, having officially invaded two countries -- Afghanistan and Iraq -- without legitimate provocation.  Violent aggressors have always been judged by history as evil. But it gets worse....

Dees Illustration

3. Torture: Torture has never been acceptable by those promoting a high moral standing in the global community.  Nazis and Japanese soldiers were convicted and executed for engaging in the exact same torture techniques that America has redefined as 'enhanced interrogation'.  "I was just following orders," was not a justifiable excuse for such inhumane behavior, much like it wasn't a good enough defense for the low-ranking patsies who took the heat for the sinister Abu Ghraib torture scandal even though their actions were approved at the highest levels.  Can state-sanctioned torture of prisoners held without charges ever be viewed as anything less than brutal?