War: What is it Good For? Privatization!

I need to write about something. I haven't been able to sit down and think. Actually, I have been avoiding it lately. There is so much going on and so little concern, so what is the point? Most of the major blogs bore me in their coverage of the same things over and over while ignoring other things that have been completely overlooked by almost everyone. Nothing seems to be changing. No one seems to care anymore about the fact that we are torturing people. No one cares about the mercenary groups of Blackwater and the like who not only work around the globe but have camps set up in America. No one seems to care that it is looking like we are never leaving Iraq. There was nearly no coverage of the protests on the anniversary of the "war". I understand that politically motivated firings of Attorneys is an issue that needs covering, but is there no room for a mention of other problems here and there?

The Walter Reed seemed to come and go. Seems it was replaced by the new scandal of the week. All the reporting was, of course, on how "incompetence" was to blame for all of this. However, what should have been the focus is that this is exactly what should have been expected. The most important aspect of this story should have been the privatization of Walter Reed and how it fits neatly into a trend that goes back since Bush took office. It is NOT incompetence. Their intention is to privatize everything: the military, social security, schools, etc. They want all of these institutions out of the hands of the government and into the hands of the private sector because then there will be no oversight and regulation of these institutions, and profit reigns over public interest. Think about it. The perfect military would be one that is beholden, not to protecting America, but to protecting the bottom line. Schools, when privatized, will no longer have to treat everyone equally. They can have their god in school (and while we're at it, why not bring back segregation?) Social security of our citizens would be at the whims of corporations. It is the ultimate goal. It is the complete destruction of the new deal that has been a stated goal all along.

And with this, there will be a permanent lower class of Americans. We will be back to no social nets, rampant poverty, etc. But they don't care. The corporations will have thick wallets and the religious right will have their god in school. Fuck everyone else. That is what complete privatization is really about. Helping the few at the expense of the rest.

Right now, we see the test run. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan. We have more mercenary forces working in more theaters of warfare than we have ever had in our history. The plan is to expand on this theme. More mercenaries and less military. If this is achieved, then the war mongers will not be beholden to the American people. We as citizens will not be able to put to a stop unjust wars. We are already seeing this. We have people fighting mini "wars" in over 60 countries around the world. Some of these are with mercenary troops only. Most people think we are only in two countries. Can we really say we have a democracy when we are waging wars in over 60 countries, some classified, and the majority of our country not even know about it? If we do not know that it is going on, there can't be any oversight. That is the point.

When we are told that we are living in a post 911 era, they mean it. Not because things inherently changed after that date, but since that date they have decided that they are going to fundamentally change America. And not for the good. They have found an excuse for permanent war. They have found something even better than the long running cold war: a never ending hot war.