Don't Support Your Own Oppression

By Hank Roth

"Sadly, it seems like only working and middle class citizens, veterans, and enlisted soldiers are making the sacrifices. It is not acceptable to me for the President to be passing on the cost of rebuilding Iraq to our children and our grandchildren by paying for this expenditure through deficit spending." (Rep. Bernie Sanders)

Unless you are lucky enough to have been born rich - or you are a thief like George Bush's friends at Enron you are like most of us, who were told that if you worked hard you would become rich. That has always been a lie. The secret to real wealth is having others work for you or stealing that wealth.

The wealthy (corporate class) with its enormous power will make things happen the way they want it to. George Bush represents that kind of wealth. This is the American way of life. George Bush (senior) declared his war on Iraq to preserve this "American way of life" and to "protect oil supplies" for the so-called "free" world, meaning - FREE TO WAGE OR FINANCE WARS FOR OIL.

"At the close of the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq's desperate economic situation made it difficult to continue financing its military machines. Washington, however, came to the rescue. In October 1989, President Bush (senior) signed top-secret National Security Directive NSD-26 calling for closer ties with Baghdad and permitting $1 billion in new aid. As late as the spring of 1990, the Bush administration allowed Saddam Hussein to buy U.S. "dual-use" technology---advanced equipment with both civilian and military applications." (Douglas Frantz and Murray Waas, "Bush Secret Effort Helped Iraq Build its War Machine," LAT, 23 Feb 1992, p A1; Douglas Franz and Murray Waas, "U.S. Loans Indirectly Financed Ira Military," LAT, 25 Feb. 1992, p A1. - referenced in Stephen Rosskamm Shalom, "Imperial Alibis, Rationalizing U.S. Intervention After the Cold War", South End Press, 1993)

Among the American working classes, there is a lack of class consciousness and class solidarity because the media is owned by the wealthy classes and the government is controlled by big business. They spin the news so it backs up their ideology. They invent false realities. And, most blue collar workers are ideological acolytes for the rich who daily steal billions of dollars in public subsidies while denying even basic necessities to those in need.

Racism, if not intentionally built into the system by the rich to divide and conquer the masses is a useful consequence of the American system of justice which does conveniently divide and build chauvinistic support for the means of oppression. American has been built on a solid foundation of racism as evidenced by the 500 year genocide of the native people on this continent and a century of slavery of Africans making America one of the most racist countries in the world.

Even today, after slavery has been abolished, native-Americans are still living on reservations where their land has been exploited and where jobs are non-existent. As pointed out by David McGowan in "Understanding the F-Word, American Fascism and the Politics of Illusion" (2001), Writers Club Press, that while the incidence of crime doesn't vary all that much by race, the incarceration rate is much greater for African-Americans than it is for whites.

"There is also the fact that Native Americans remain the most oppressed and victimized ethnic group in the US today, with by far the lowest living standards and the highest rates of victimization by crime, as well as incarceration rates even higher than that of black males." (McGowan, "Derailing Democracy," Chapter 11)

There is a system of "corporate welfare" for the rich in America while the right-wing masses are opposed to social welfare. The instrument of corporate welfare is a government of the rich, for the rich, and by the rich with the support of the masses indoctrinated by right wing propaganda. And it is the same big business government that drives the "out of control" military industrial complex which keeps the world safe for corporate governments like this one.

The rich also enjoys their billions in tax write-offs and tax credits. The right wing masses are controlled by the bosses of industry and repressive power of the national security state. Their political allegiance is with wealth, which they would also like to have, but never will. They give free reign to monopoly capital by supporting right wing republican government. They support the destruction of social reform because they are jealous of any advantages they imagine may fall to anyone else no matter how deserving.

Big government has been around for about 500 years. It came about in the 16th century to centralize the tax system and raise enough money to subsidize the NEW world-wide (a new world order) trading organizations, which were the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company. They were granted monopoly rights to trade goods and human beings (slaves) and bring the wealth back to their country of origin.

National states which were formed in the 1600s for the acquisition of greater wealth also needed to raise large armies and navies, just as the military continues to grow and expand today, to protect trade. Then a big part of that wealth accrued from the slave trade. Today, it is slave labor of a different kind; underpaid (underemployed) and no benefits. Big governments take what they want. George Bush eliminated the Taliban and installed a government in Afghanistan for the oil pipeline. The war against Iraq will also be for oil. Governments invent reasons which sound just but are hardly that, like Manifest Destiny, to acquire and settle land, like the U.S. did when it took all of the land from the Indians and much of the south west from Mexico. "Big Government" is beneficial to the wealthy and right wing support essential to it's preservation.

"Laws and governments may be considered in this and indeed in every case as a combination of the rich to oppress the poor, and preserve to themselves the inequality of the goods, which would otherwise be soon destroyed by the attacks of the poor, who if not hindered by the government would soon reduce the others to an equality with themselves by open violence." (Adam Smith)

George Bush (junior), who is without a doubt the least informed and misinformed of all presidents I have lived under says Americans are not educated enough about their history. I wonder what history he is referring to? I'm sure it is not the same history Michael Parenti refers to in "America Besieged", 1998, City Lights, wherein he states:

"The formal education most Americans get does little to rectify matters. Usually they are fed a pabulum version of American history and American society that dares not delve in any critical way into the exploitation that has been imposed upon labor, the oppression of minorities and women, the abuses perpetrated by corporate America at home and abroad, and the repression of dissent at home and of democratic forces in other countries and the destruction wrought by U.S. ruling elites abroad." (Parenti)

Those who foolishly align themselves with the rich governing classes; those who support republicans and right-wing democrats, are supporting their own oppression.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

Source: Hank Roth