Whose Independence Is Being Taken by Who?

In 1773 some residents of Boston dumped tea from a ship into the harbor.  In a sense they were objecting to the special treatment being given to a large corporation by the British government.  Among the many grievances that the residents of the Colonies had was they had no representation in setting this corporate give-away.

Not fully understanding the situation 3,000 miles away, Parliament kept making matters worse with more restrictive laws and sending more troops to defend British (East India Company) interests.  In 1775 the Colonists fought back, often against great odds.  In 1776, the Continental Congress, a collection of insurgents, wrote their Declaration of Independence.  We celebrate the anniversary of its signing this weekend.

In addition to not providing all the promised independence to residents of the former colonies, women and slaves, the new government kept taking away the independence of the people who had lived for centuries to the west.  Some called it Manifest Destiny, that is, a God-given right to do so.

One would think this government would be satisfied when its territory went from coast to coast. In 1887 whites in Hawaii forced a constitution upon King Kalakaua.  After his death his sister Lili’uokalani became queen.  In 1893 she was overthrown and replaced by the American Committee of Safety. On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaii began with Sanford B. Dole as president.  Dole, isn’t that the name of a large corporation?  Didn’t the colonists of 1773 resist the influence of a large corporation?

This kind of dominance was not invented in the 18th century.  Groups all around the world have been using arms or other means to influence other groups or take away their independence.

Egypt and Babylon fought each other to control the land between them.  Alexander pushed all the way into Afghanistan and India.  The Romans conquered people from the Middle East to Britain.  The Turks pushed into Constantinople and farther west.  The Mongols pushed as far west as the gates of Moscow and Vienna.

The Celts moved out of central Europe in every direction starting with the Iron Age.  Did the people of Ireland that they pushed out become the fairies and leprechauns?  Then the Anglo-Saxons pushed the Celts out of Britain.  Then the Scandinavians invaded Britain and Ireland and became assimilated.  This also led to the Scandinavians who ruled in France (the Normans) claiming title to the kingship of England.

In the Western hemisphere the Incas, the Mayans, and the Aztecs ruled over large areas.  In “The Last of the Mohicans”, James Fenimore Cooper had one of the characters being proud that the Lenni-Lenape fought others eastward until they reached the Atlantic.  By the way, Lenni may mean “genuine, pure, real, or original”.  Hm!  That sounds like an early version of “Manifest Destiny”.

In Central America American fruit companies began exploiting the cheap labor in banana plantations.  The first load was bought in Jamaica and sold in Boston in 1870 at a 1,000 percent profit, eleven times what the shipper paid for them!  Even then, a dozen bananas sold for the price of two apples.  American companies manipulated land-use laws in Central America, bought large tracts of land, and exploited the dispossessed local farmers. The mercenary army of the Cuyamel Fruit Company overthrew the elected president of Honduras in 1911-1912.  The U.S. didn’t intercede because the elected president was too liberal and had too many debts to Great Britain.

How many politicians in the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July and didn’t see the “beam in their own eye” of the American corporations taking away the independence of countries rich in various resources?

This still goes on.  Overthrow the elected government of Peru because it is “socialistic” and install a general.  Overthrow the elected government of Iran because of an oil price dispute and install an unelected Shah, and then get mad when the people declare their independence from the Shah.  Send thousands and thousands of troops to Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq to support corrupt governments.  Send military trainers to get government troops to fight insurgents.  But who is training the lightly-armed insurgents?  The insurgents are far more motivated to overthrow the government than the government troops are to support the government.  And nobody knows how many government troops are insurgents biding their time.

Until the British called in the Hessians, they did have the advantage of speaking the same language as the insurgents.  How many U.S. troops speak Arabic or the many languages of Afghanistan?

How did we get to this situation where we have lost our independence to large corporations funding elections as if they were persons?

We do need corporations for many of our goods and services.  What would we do if Ford Motors stopped producing cars when Henry Ford died?  Would we continue to have new Apple products when Steve Jobs died?  One purpose of a corporation is to have an organization outlast its founders.  A second is to have a large number of owners so that more capital can be raised.  A third is to protect these owners from liability so they do not lose more money than they invested.

One could say this situation began with a court reporter’s note on an a judgment against a railroad company about taxation.  The reporter added a note that corporations were persons and protected under the 14th amendment.  The reporter was a former railroad company president.  This didn’t make that judgment law, but it did set precedent.

Fortunately, courts like precedent because it gives them more to base their opinions on.  We would be unhappy if the interpretation of law changed with each new judge.  Bad precedent can eventually be overturned, but it would probably take a generation or two of judges.

How do we get our independence back from corporate rule?  We have to vote in each and every election.  Our votes only count if we cast them.

Also published in the Reader Weekly, 2015-07-02 at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2015/07/01/5567_whose_independence_is_being_taken_by_who

If the United States were a Christian nation…

…it would follow the "second greatest commandment", "do unto others as you would have them do to you."

We do not want other countries invading us.
We do not want other countries assassinating our leaders.
We do not want other countries stationing troops in our country.
We do not want other countries dictating our choice of leaders.
We do not want other countries to have nuclear weapons.
We do not want other countries having bigger or more powerful militaries than we do.

And then there is, "for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword".

We can only be considered a peace-loving nation when the State Department has a bigger budget than the War Department.

Iran - Questions for American hawks

First, a little history.  In 1914 the Archduke Frantz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia.  The Austrian government gave an ultimatum to Serbia, of which Serbia agreed to most terms except allowing Austrian police to participate in the investigation of the assassination.  Rather than negotiate, Austria attacked Serbia.  The consequences were as bad as all the participants believed they would be and worse.  We are still living with those consequences nearly a century later.

Now many demands are being made of Iran concerning its nuclear ambitions.  Many in the U.S. and Israel are ready to go to war against Iran if those demands aren't met.  Have these hawks considered ALL the possible effects of such a war?

Let's ask some "trivial" questions first.

Many of these hawks want low taxes.  If taxes are low and kept low, where is the money to come from to wage a new war?

Many of these hawks want low oil prices.  If Iran is attacked, what will happen to oil prices?

Many of these hawks want to protect the unborn.  If Iran is attacked, how many unborn children will die?  Do you really think only soldiers will die in any modern war?

Now let's look at some more global issues.

If Saudi Arabia feels threatened by Iranian nuclear ambitions, shouldn't Saudi Arabia be the country to act?  After all, the U.S. has sold them many, many advanced military aircraft.  Shouldn't Saudi pilots be able to operate these aircraft efficiently and effectively?  If not, why sell the aircraft to Saudi Arabia in the first place?

If the U.S. attacks Iran, this will be the third Muslim country the U.S. has invaded in a generation.  What will be the reaction be of many Muslims throughout the world?  Will there be a rush of Mujahideen to Iran?  What side will various Muslim governments take?

Will a U.S. attack on Iran bring about the fall of many pro-U.S. Muslim governments.  If so, which side will the new governments take?  If the government of an oil-producing nation falls, will the new government continue or cease oil deliveries to the U.S. or to European countries?

What will the reaction of Pakistan be to an attack on Iran?  Will the current generals do nothing?  Will they be replaced in a coup by more hawkish officers?  Officers who will be quite willing to aim nuclear weapons at U.S. forces or even U.S. territory?

There are more Muslims living in India than in Pakistan.  Would Indian Muslims stage a coup and join in resisting a U.S. attack on Iran?  India also has nuclear weapons.

What side will Russia and China take?

If Iran is attacked, what will North Korea's reaction be?  It has been unpredictable and is not known for acting in its long-term interests.

I think it is safe to say that if the U.S. (or Israel) attacks Iran, many people will die who have nothing to do with the current Iranian government or its nuclear programs.  Also, I think it is safe to say that the negative repercussions of an attack will last for at least two generations and maybe even a century.

Meanwhile, for over two generations the U.S. has called the largest offensive military force in the world "defense".  At the same time. those who have been the biggest proponents of the military have done their best to sabotage a true defense - energy independence.  They have opposed many efforts for alternative fuels and for greater energy efficiency.

"When will they ever learn?"  "The answer is blowin' in the wind."  They didn't.