The American Empire

The Road Ahead...

Tough Choices

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, released on April 26, 2007, some 78 percent of Americans believe their country to be headed in the wrong direction. Even though large numbers of voters vaguely suspect that the failings of the political system itself led the country into its current crisis, most evidently expect the system to correct itself in due time.

The recent economic downturn and the continual military quagmire we face overseas should be a wake up call! We are on the brink of losing our democracy for the sake of keeping our empire. Once a nation starts down that path, the dynamics that apply to all empires come into play—isolation, overstretch, the uniting of local and global forces opposed to imperialism, and in the end: bankruptcy.

U.S. TankThe combination of
  • huge standing armies
  • almost continuous wars
  • an ever growing economic dependence on the military-industrial complex and the making of weaponry, and ruinous military expenses
  • a vast, bloated "defense" budget

...has been destroying our county and the democratic principles that the founders of our country wrote into the Constitution: the separation of powers and the elaborate checks and balances as the main bulwarks against dictatorship and tyranny.

The American political system failed to prevent this combination from developing—and may now be incapable of correcting it.

So the question is what can be done...
  • to abolish secret government?
  • to bring the CIA and other government-sponsored illegal spying operations and private armies out of the closet of clandestine "unaccountability" and into the scrutinizing light of the public eye?
  • to break the hold of the military-industrial complex and to limit or abolish the invisible "black budgets" of our military?

Bushed, Broke and Bankrupt...
Sadly, the present system offers the military high command so much—in funds, prestige, and future employment via the famed "revolving door" of the military-industrial complex—that a thorough re-examination and overhaul of the inherent collusion is desperately needed.

capital BldgWhatever future developments may prove to be, it is probable that the U.S. will continue to maintain a façade of Constitutional government and drift along until financial bankruptcy overtakes it.

Of course, bankruptcy will not mean the literal end of the U.S. any more than it did for Germany in 1923, China in 1948, or Argentina in 2001-2002. It might, in fact, open the way for an unexpected restoration of the American system--or for military rule, revolution, or simply some new development we cannot yet imagine...

Certainly, such a bankruptcy would mean a drastic lowering of our standard of living, a further loss of control over international affairs, a sudden need to adjust to the rise of other powers, including China and India, and a further discrediting of the notion that the United States is somehow exceptional compared to other nations. We will have to learn what it means to be a far poorer country—and the attitudes and manners that go with it.

From the present vantage point, it certainly seems a daunting challenge for any president (or Congress) from either party even to begin the task of dismantling the military-industrial complex, ending the pall of "national security" secrecy and the "black budgets" that make public oversight of what our government does impossible, and bringing the president's secret army—the CIA, under democratic control.

A New Commitment to Change

("Grass Roots" localism—inspired by the work of James Howard Kunstler)

Directing our economc interests inward is the necessary first step in stunting the growth of our military-industrial complex. The network of economic and political interests our military has forged in a thousand different ways to American corporations, universities, and economic livelihoods of many of our communities must be shifted to less energy-intensive locally-bred activities.

Our government—although it is the last to admit it—is all too aware of the emerging global energy shortages and unforeseen havoc that will be wrought by climate change. As outlined in this site, most of the overt and covert activities the U.S. government has been engaged in are rooted in "keeping the pipelines flowing." Much of the blowback that resulted stems from our unwelcome presence overseas; guarding, maintaining and controlling these "intercontinental pipelines" (oil wells, refineries, shipping lanes, etc.).

gardeningReadjusting our economy and energy "dependencies" to a more regional or even local level will allow us to become more self-reliant and conserve energy. We are faced with the necessity to downscale, re-scale, right-size, and reorganize all the fundamental activities of daily life including the size, shape, and scale of our towns and cities. Buying locally grown food and shopping at "Mom and Pop" stores in the neighborhood are evolutionary activities that will help wean us away from national big box retailers dependent on cheap overseas labor and the energy-guzzling twelve-thousand-mile merchandise supply chain required.

Rebuilding the railroad system and mandating increased fuel efficiency standards in our automobiles would be logical first step in realistically facing an energy-scarce future. Reviving manufacturing in our "homeland" would also lessen our tragic reliance on foreign trade and gradually whittle down the power of multinational corporations.

As economic and political power devolves to the local and regional level, the state and federal governments with their enormous bureaucracies will be increasingly scrutinized and black budgets and overseas shenanigans would/should inevitably be reduced if not curtailed.

Final Thoughts...
We will have to do what circumstances require of us. As Americans, we live in a beautiful country with vibrant towns and cities, and a gorgeous, productive rural landscape. There are no magic remedies for what we face, but there are intelligent responses that we can marshal individually and collectively. Our founding fathers had a vision. For our collective future, we must see and act with equal clarity and resolve.

 
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