Independence is a myth.
1-2-06:
As Americans we are taught early and we assume often that our nation's 'independent' laws are capable of ensuring both our freedoms and our security. This is a simple yet unrecognized mass illusion. Simply put, a national form of insanity.
The real world is entirely interdependent. The most obvious example is our nation's 'war' on terrorism. It has consequences that go far beyond our traditional military security. The good news is that because of our ‘dependence’ on oil Middle-East turmoil has forced us to examine our energy policy.
Osama Bin Ladin is clearly an evil, maniacal mass murder but even US military leaders have called him a tactical genius. His two overarching goals are to break us economically and divide us politically. He may be dead, crushed by an earthquake in Pakistan, or quietly fleeting between caves in Afghanistan, but he is winning on both these fronts.
Our individual and national security is increasingly threatened by war, terrorism, pandemics, economic instability, environmental degradation, international crime, genocidal maniacs and natural disasters. Even these threats can’t be viewed as independent. International criminals knowingly assist terrorists and unwillingly the spread of infectious diseases. Both war and poverty increases the risk of global pandemics, terrorist training camps and environmental destruction.
There isn't enough money in the federal budget to effectively secure our borders, maintain our military, wage war in Iraq, slow WMD proliferation, improve intelligence gathering, and effectively prepare for (or respond to) pandemics, natural disasters, or bioterrorists acts, while improving our education, healthcare, employment and environmental protection efforts, only to name a few.
Most of the threats we face come from global factors that fall outside the effective realm of existing US federal policies or United Nations capabilities. This MUST change if we plan to build a safer world for our children.
Nearly every week we learn of a new threat to our freedoms. Not from terrorism. But from our own government’s attempt to 'protect' us from terrorism. The House recently renewed the Patriot Act. The Senate will likely follow. Another attack against our homeland will result in even more limits to American freedoms and privacy. The Patriot Act is only the beginning salvo in our decline of freedoms.
Only with new and bold initiatives based on the reality of our global interdependence can we begin to effectively prevent threats (and prepare for those we cannot prevent) without losing our most cherished freedoms and all the rights inalienable to all the souls that share this planet's thin biosphere with us.
Future blogs will put relate this simple yet profoundly ignored reality to the events of the day and highlight other important people, legislation, institutions and trends that are bringing us closer to heaven on earth or Armageddon.
As Americans we are taught early and we assume often that our nation's 'independent' laws are capable of ensuring both our freedoms and our security. This is a simple yet unrecognized mass illusion. Simply put, a national form of insanity.
The real world is entirely interdependent. The most obvious example is our nation's 'war' on terrorism. It has consequences that go far beyond our traditional military security. The good news is that because of our ‘dependence’ on oil Middle-East turmoil has forced us to examine our energy policy.
Osama Bin Ladin is clearly an evil, maniacal mass murder but even US military leaders have called him a tactical genius. His two overarching goals are to break us economically and divide us politically. He may be dead, crushed by an earthquake in Pakistan, or quietly fleeting between caves in Afghanistan, but he is winning on both these fronts.
Our individual and national security is increasingly threatened by war, terrorism, pandemics, economic instability, environmental degradation, international crime, genocidal maniacs and natural disasters. Even these threats can’t be viewed as independent. International criminals knowingly assist terrorists and unwillingly the spread of infectious diseases. Both war and poverty increases the risk of global pandemics, terrorist training camps and environmental destruction.
There isn't enough money in the federal budget to effectively secure our borders, maintain our military, wage war in Iraq, slow WMD proliferation, improve intelligence gathering, and effectively prepare for (or respond to) pandemics, natural disasters, or bioterrorists acts, while improving our education, healthcare, employment and environmental protection efforts, only to name a few.
Most of the threats we face come from global factors that fall outside the effective realm of existing US federal policies or United Nations capabilities. This MUST change if we plan to build a safer world for our children.
Nearly every week we learn of a new threat to our freedoms. Not from terrorism. But from our own government’s attempt to 'protect' us from terrorism. The House recently renewed the Patriot Act. The Senate will likely follow. Another attack against our homeland will result in even more limits to American freedoms and privacy. The Patriot Act is only the beginning salvo in our decline of freedoms.
Only with new and bold initiatives based on the reality of our global interdependence can we begin to effectively prevent threats (and prepare for those we cannot prevent) without losing our most cherished freedoms and all the rights inalienable to all the souls that share this planet's thin biosphere with us.
Future blogs will put relate this simple yet profoundly ignored reality to the events of the day and highlight other important people, legislation, institutions and trends that are bringing us closer to heaven on earth or Armageddon.
posted by Chuck Woolery at 3:58 AM
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