Closing Ranks against the US Militarism

Encirclement has begun. Encirclement is the policy of singling out a nation that has become a major international problem. The US has been a Rogue State for years. William Blum author, historian and former member of the US State Department titled one of his books, Rogue State. Experts have predicted that the US bombing of Iraq back in 1991 would eventually lead to the encirclement of the US. Encirclement is comparable to shunning — the shunning of a nation.

Chalmers Johnson reports that the US has 700+ bases in 130 foreign countries. Most of these bases were granted “permission” by the leaders of the sovereign nations to locate within their borders. Dirty deals were worked out with the foreign leaders, usually at the expense of the native population. When backroom diplomacy fails, bullying and bribery usually succeed.

The case of Diego Garcia is different. It is even more damning. The US, with the collusion of Great Britain, emptied the island of the people who had lived there for generations. The US has never paid fair compensation to the Chaggosian people who have been locked in a legal battle for justice for years. The expulsion of the native population by the US was an obvious case of genocide. The people who were living on Diego Garcia were forcibly expelled by the US military. When they refused to leave, US personnel killed the pets of the native population. The message was clear: either leave or you will be the next in the gun sights.

The message has been heard around the world — what the US wants, the US gets. It has just been a matter of time before the victims of US expansionism would begin to fight back. The most recent hero to stand against the US is Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.

Ecuador’s leftist President Rafael Correa said Washington must let him open a military base in Miami if the United States wants to keep using an air base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

Correa has refused to renew Washington’s lease on the Manta air base, set to expire in 2009. U.S. officials say it is vital for counter-narcotics surveillance operations on Pacific drug-running routes.

“We’ll renew the base on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami — an Ecuadorean base,” Correa said in an interview during a trip to Italy.

“If there’s no problem having foreign soldiers on a country’s soil, surely they’ll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States.

The political will of the citizens of the US has been paralyzed by propaganda and a false sense of patriotism. If the rest of the world wants to be saved from US expansionism, outside intervention will be required. How many others will step up and close ranks with President Rafael Correa?

Rosemarie Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in Vermont. Read other articles by Rosemarie.

6 comments on this article so far ...

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  1. joe said on October 29th, 2007 at 9:01am #

    The populary used word ’empire’ is really barbaric brutality by an uncivilized government enabled by hugely unaware citizens.

  2. gerald spezio said on October 29th, 2007 at 10:19am #

    If the Ecuadorns get to open a military base in Miami, will they get to mount most of the local ladies?
    Do the Ecuadorans have female troopers, and what access to the locals for them?
    Any gay troops. What access for their biological needs?
    It looks like we will have to have some creative lawyering!
    It has to be legal.
    Lawyers? Have we got lawyers!
    Hillary, Bill, Joe Lieberman, Joe Biden, Puddy Guiliani, Romney, Obama, Thompsom …

    Or will there be no law NOT covering such behavior, as in Blackwater mercenaries doing mercenary and necessary murder in Iraq.

  3. rosemarie jackowski said on October 29th, 2007 at 12:51pm #

    joe…Thanks for the comment. I agree that “empire” is a symptom of the lack of humanity.
    gerald…Blackwater – another symptom of the lack of humanity. It would help if we, all of us, stopped the hero-worshiping of the troops, all of the troops. Being opposed to war, means being opposed to all segments of the war machine – not only the guns but also those who fire the guns.

  4. dan elliott said on October 29th, 2007 at 4:30pm #

    Thursday at an “antiwar” event at Sac State my booktable found itself next to one manned by “Military Families Against The War”, an outfit myself and Steve Pearcy have a little history with? So yesterday I got to musing a little:
    —–Original Message—–
    From: cuibono [mailto:moc.picrnull@181.ser]
    Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 3:57 PM
    To: Stephen Pearcy
    Cc: cuibono
    Subject: “Military Families”:

    “Military Families” — what an obscene phrase. Let’s deconstruct it, see what meaning(s) it contains?

    What would justify describing a human family as a “Military” one? Well, to me it suggests that first an Ancestor, probably a recent same, found “service” in the US armed forces to be rewarding, so rewarding that he/she encouraged his/her progeny to follow in her/his footsteps, hup two three, join up too. And this likely was repeated in succeeding generations, expanded to siblings, to nieces/nephews/cousins & or grand- same, to various degrees of consanguinity?

    So that Military Service becomes established as this group of relatives’ principal Mode of Survival? In other words, this bunch have allowed or caused themselves to become Professional Murderers, dependent for their Livelihood & Pursuit of Happiness on the misery & exploitation of others.

    It doesn’t stop there: these folks have convinced themselves, & want the rest of us to believe, to accept, that such behavior is Normal.

    So now we have these weirdos coming out to “antiwar” events, posing as “just peaceniks like everybody else”.

    Apparently some of these individuals have noted that the war in Iraq, besides being based on a pack of bs, is not going too well for the US side. So it seems some of them have enough sense to be disturbed by the thought that their son/brother/hubby/wife/daughter etc might encounter an IED & either not come home in one piece or maybe not at all. So this gives them a powerful motivation to take a public stance in opposition to this particular war at this time. But they still consider service in the US military to be an honorable and sensible Career Choice, one a young person might want to postpone to a later time, but certainly an option to consider once the “Troops” are “out”. ///

    To which Steve emailed back:

    This is a fantastic analysis and is certainly worthy of being expanded upon and broadly disseminated. Using the term “military families” without shame when referencing one’s own status is a bit weird and inconsistent if the real goal is to be critical of the military action about which the “military family” member is complaining. ///

    Thanks again, Rosemary:)

    Dan Elliott, Sacramento

  5. dan elliott said on October 29th, 2007 at 6:25pm #

    —– Original Message —–
    From: Stephen Pearcy
    To: cuibono
    Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 3:01 PM
    Subject: RE: Military Families

    This is a fantastic analysis and is certainly worthy of being expanded upon and broadly disseminated. Using the term “military families” without shame when referencing one’s own status is a bit weird and inconsistent if the real goal is to be critical of the military action about which the “military family” member is complaining.

    E.g., Laurie Loving, etc.
    —–Original Message—–
    From: cuibono [mailto:moc.picrnull@181.ser]
    Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 3:57 PM
    To: Stephen Pearcy
    Cc: cuibono
    Subject: Military Families

    Military Families — what an obscene phrase. Let’s deconstruct it, see what meaning(s) it contains?

    What would justify describing a human family as a “Military” one? Well, to me it suggests that first an Ancestor, probably a recent same, found “service” in the US armed forces to be rewarding, so rewarding that he/she encouraged his/her progeny to follow in her/his footsteps, hup two three, join up too. And this likely was repeated in succeeding generations, expanded to siblings, to nieces/nephews/cousins & or grand- same, to various degrees of consanguinity?

    So that Military Service becomes established as this group of relatives’ principal Mode of Survival? In other words, this bunch have allowed or caused themselves to become Professional Murderers, dependent for their Livelihood & Pursuit of Happiness on the misery & exploitation of others.

    It doesn’t stop there: these folks have convinced themselves, & want the rest of us to believe, to accept, that such behavior is Normal.

    So now we have these weirdos coming out to “antiwar” events, posing as “just peaceniks like everybody else”.

    Apparently some of these individuals have noted that the war in Iraq, besides being based on a pack of bs, is not going too well for the US side. So it seems some of them have enough sense to be disturbed by the thought that their son/brother/hubby/wife/daughter etc might encounter an IED & either not come home in one piece or maybe not at all. So this gives them a powerful motivation to take a public stance in opposition to this particular war at this time. But they still consider service in the US military to be an honorable and sensible Career Choice, one a young person might want to postpone to a later time, but certainly an option to consider once the “Troops” are “out”.

    Okay, break over, back to “rehearsing”:)

  6. dan elliott said on October 29th, 2007 at 6:27pm #

    Thanks again, Rosemary!