Now more than ever we need independent media
The media in its attempt to appear fair and balanced as it continues its ‘primary job’ as the ward of the plutocracy, the ward of the military industrial complex, continue to give airtime to neocons. These neocons simply continue their modus operandi. They object to diplomacy in favor of war.
The military industrial complex must be fed. A war means more munitions to be built to replenish stockpiles. It means high profits from feeding the military overseas at a high prices to the taxpayer as slave labor is paid to those who feed our troops. It means overpriced contracts to rebuild that which our military blowup, that which our military destroys.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a man who should be on trial for war crimes, a man who is partially responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people throughout Iraq including thousands of our own soldiers, a man whose actions have maimed and destroyed many families abroad and at home, has been making the rounds on the networks spewing his lies and warmongering ways. Cheney is rarely challenged with fact based numbers. That is why it was surprising to watch non other than Fox News’ Chris Wallace challenge him with the fact that under the Bush/Cheney administration Iran went from zero centrifuges necessary to process the fuel for a nuclear bomb to over five thousand. What was Cheney’s response? He lied. He claimed wrongly that the it occurred under the Obama administration.
General Colin Powell’s former chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson did not mince words about Cheney. “I have been searching for a single word that would describe Dick Cheney,” Wilkerson said. “And I am afraid the only one that I can think of is ‘insanity’. It’s a deliberate, it’s a methodical, it’s a lucid, often lucid insanity. But it is insanity nonetheless. He can’t recognize reality. He can’t recognize the truth. The good thing Chris, for this country is that Independents, Republicans, and Democrats wish he would just go away now. He has almost no influence. You saw the influence he has virtually by numbers. Those at the AEI today that listened to his speech, that’s about it. … “Cheney is a millionaire now. So maybe I am assuming his insanity and maybe I am wrong. Maybe he sees this as a way, as a route to success and it turned out to be profitable. His personal finances now are quite well established. He is a multi-millionaire. This is a man who in 1998, Chris, said most forcefully as CEO of Halliburton, that sanctions were not working, that they wouldn’t work unless they were comprehensive and international. And he wanted to do deals with Iran. And so he was bashing sanctions up one wall and down the other. This is a man who’s lost his mind.”
Colin Powell and many other notables, Democrat and Republicans alike have come out in favor of the Iran deal. But it is not necessary for anyone to simply believe these notables. One can read the entire agreement for themselves. You can find the full text of the treaty here at my website. It is simple to understand and the lies from the Right are immediately apparent.
Americans must also ask probing questions. Does Israel have nuclear bombs. If they have the right to those bombs should their adversaries have that right as well? Is there a double standard? Is it not true that double standards in itself create conflicts?
Why does the traditional mainstream media continue to give Dick Cheney and his ilk airtime. Why does discredited warmongers that have been proving wrong time and time again continue to get airtime? It is simple. The traditional mainstream media is corporate owned. The military industrial complex always want to ensure that war is always an option. War is always plausible. They must keep Americans in that frame of mind. Building bombs and military equipment has fewer constraints than building highways, airports, water, and sewer systems.
Americans must continue to wake up to the geopolitical realities of the world. As countries mature they no longer feel the necessity to simply obey a superpower. That is where diplomacy becomes important. In that regards, we are lucky it was President Obama and not President McCain in the Oval Office.