America is ran by traitors, thieves, and liars. It shouldn't sound so ridiculous, but it does because corruption in Washington is not talked about in this matter in public discourse. The murderous conspirators have not went undetected, but they have escaped public attention for the most part, because of the nature of American democracy, the obedient ways of the American press, and the psychological inability on the part of many Americans to face ugly truths.
The overthrow of America's constitutional republic didn't happen in a flash. During the Great Depression, the fascist plot against FDR failed thanks to the vigilance and integrity General Smedley Butler. But, a generation later, the plot was re-hatched, and successfully executed against President John F. Kennedy. Both events were connected, and supported by the same financial, and military interests. They are two acts in the story of how American democracy was sabotaged from within. And the Bush family had a hand in both coups.
Why don't we know this history? Because when treason prospers, as the saying goes, none dare call it treason. And treason in America has prospered magnificently. In some ways, it is an intoxicating feeling to know just how much the dark side has gained control of America. It really is a remarkable fact. America was overthrown from the inside. Overthrown. Nothing else is worth considering. The criminal wars, and the financial con on Wall Street are both the effects of a government gone bad. And if you're moved by dark instincts, and love darkness more than light, then America today is paradise for you, because its government is possessed by a pack of tricksters and devils.
It is public knowledge that American democracy is not functioning according to the interests of the American people, but the loyalty of American leaders, and of the American elite, is never questioned. There is a general understanding about the many CIA coups around the world that first began in Iran in 1953, but not about the CIA coup that has the most historical significance for us today, which is the CIA engineered coup in America in 1963. Awareness of this historical fact is tough to accept, however, that is slowly changing. There is a mass political awakening occurring in America. Millions of Americans are finding out that their government was hijacked by the CIA, the military-industrial-complex, big banks on Wall Street, and other special interest groups like AIPAC.
In 2010, the term "conspiracy theory" is losing its hypnotic power to silence the questioning of what happened to JFK, and subsequently to American democracy. Instead, the term "state crimes against democracy" is entering the popular lexicon to explain the assassination of JFK, and the criminal cover-up of 9/11, and it is due to the tremendous work done by Peter Dale Scott, Lance deHaven-Smith, David Ray Griffin, Laurie A. Manwell, and other individuals.
Where do we go from here, once we have knowledge of the treason? We must spread it, as many of us are doing. Discovering that there are traitors in the highest levels of government and society is a bewildering experience, and tough to combat, but the solutions is simple: education. Alex Jones has done heroic work to educate the public about the real nature of the National Security State, and so have writers like Russ Baker, James Bamford, Garry Wills, Arthur Silber, Chris Floyd, Glenn Greenwald, and many others.
Treason, is Thy Name Holy, or Wicked?
Very few people want to talk about the subject of treason, let alone raise the question if it is taking place in their government. A traitor is kind of like the mythic character of the devil, he is the fallen angel of politics. In our times, when democracy is considered God, subverting the democratic process and denying the people's will is akin to stabbing God in the back, to Satan renouncing the creator. So there is a divine as well as a political dimension to treason. Betraying the order of things to institute a new order was Satan's crime, and it is the crime of all traitors. But am I being too simplistic? Sometimes, the order of things need to be changed, so what's the difference between traitors, and founders of a new political community? I don't know. I'm not smart enough to answer that. But I can tell apart right from wrong, and telling so-called noble lies is wrong. Then again, it is often said that treason is in the eye of the beholder.
Before we can judge treason, we must first define it. What is treason, exactly? Carl J. Friedrich, one of the most influential political thinkers in the 20th century, provides a good definition of treason in his book, "The Pathology of Politics: Violence, Betrayal, Corruption, Secrecy, and Propaganda." The definition he gives is by German writer Margret Boveri: "When I create the impression of being something which I am not: a friend, a democrat, a nationalist, a Communist, a loyal citizen, a fighter for an idea, an obedient soldier, a sectarian, and then I act contrary to this impression, I am a traitor," (1).
There is no feeling like being betrayed by your political leaders. Treason is a dirty word. In times of trial, we have conflicting loyalties, and different opinions about what it means to be a patriot, and a traitor. The unsettling feeling of who to trust, and who to follow, is experienced more intensely in the military and police headquarters than in the public because of the status of soldiers and officers as the enforcers of government orders, and guardians of the law. American soldiers are in a better position to resist illegal government orders than soldiers in other countries because they take an oath to protect the constitution, as opposed to a particular regime, military superiors, or the President. But they're also told to follow orders, and respect the chain of command, so what does a soldier do if the orders he/she is given are contradictory to the principles of the constitution, and immoral in nature?
Bradley Manning was accused of being a traitor for leaking sensitive documents to WikiLeaks, but in his defense, public knowledge of the wars that are bankrupting America, and that were based on lies, is a higher priority for most citizens than the secret execution of government policy in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, so he is a hero.
The basis of a free and democratic society is not the right to vote, but the right to be informed of the activities of one's government. If Bradley Manning's heroic actions are duplicated then the era of American treason could end very soon.
Professor Lawrence Davidson wrote an excellent article about WikiLeaks, and its role in helping inform public life, called "Shield Laws, WikiLeaks and the Public's Right to Know." Davidson wrote:
It is a sign of the superficiality of our politicians and the vested-interest orientation of American news organizations and their journalists that they have seriously misinterpreted the importance of the WikiLeaks affair. This is not about who is or who is not a "real" journalist. It is about the status and future of what is supposed to be an "open" society, wherein people are accurately informed about decisions and policies that actually, or potentially, impact their lives. It is about the right to know and the right not to be misled.Americans deserve the right to know, and more. They deserve justice. A country's freedoms can't survive when there is a profound betrayal of public trust, and a lack of accountability at the very top. We must work vigilantly to bring justice into being. We need to dissect the U.S. government's lies like a pig in science class, and shove our hands through its institutional intestines, in order to understand how much of a monster it has become. I'm sure there will be lots of debate about when American democracy was sabotaged, and killed, how the conspirators succeeded, and why the public was kept in the dark for so long.
November 22, 1963, and September 11, 2001 are not the only significant dates to understanding the history of American treason, and government deception. The usurpation of America's free republic was a slow process. It began in December 23, 1913, with the passage of the Federal Reserve Act, which put the creation of the nation's credit into the hands of private banking establishments, and financial con artists, thereby putting the country in bondage.
It is clear how our generation can make history. Freedom must be won again in America, and the West. Presently, Americans are not standing on the land of liberty, but drowning in the muddy waters of ignorance. The way back to shore for America is through public knowledge of all the facts. Once on new ground, the country can take another giant leap forward for mankind.
"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." - John F. Kennedy
"Perhaps it is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad." - James Madison
Notes:
1. Friedrich, Carl Joachim. (1972). The Pathology of Politics: Violence, Betrayal, Corruption, Secrecy, and Propaganda. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers. Pg. 117.
