Danger from Within

Communist writers Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin wrote that the West, specifically the United States, would be brought down from within through a process called dialectical materialism, which postulated that material and economic forces would inexorably advance to replace capitalism with a classless communist society. It didn't work out that way as we know, but there are today other forces at work to bring down the classic American capitalist system and society.

I will no doubt be labeled a conspiracy nut by some of my faithful readers, but frankly I don't care. I have been through many administrations and many crises, including the "Great War" which we won at frightful cost and two more that we did not. The one we lost outright, Vietnam, was lost not due to superior military might but rather to political mismanagement by "smart" people in Washington who knew nothing about fighting a war. The same is true of the one--Korea--that non-ended in a murky stalemate.

The great one that we won, World War II, was won solely by the military. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt--FDR--wisely kept total hands-off the military in the conduct of the war, instead doing what politicians do best, making speeches and shmoozing allies. The greatest military operation in history, the D-Day invasion, was planned solely by the military under General Dwight Eisenhower, who made all the major decisions unencumbered by political considerations and interference. I know, I was here and remember. (I also remember the Holocaust, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad you idiot. The horrendous news photos of the piled bodies and skeletons, and the walking survivor-skeletons are forever burned into my memory.)

The sacking of General Stanley McChrystal, former military commander in Afghanistan, is widely reported as a colossal goof by the General and his staff in shooting off their mouths to Rolling Stone magazine, scathingly criticizing the Obama administration for interfering in the conduct of the war. Folks, this was no goof. These are experienced senior military officers, not turnip-truck dolts. This was planned and orchestrated by military men, specifically Gen. McChrystal, who could no longer stomach the micro-management and interference of know-nothing political hacks in the conduct of the war. The so-called rules of engagement I believe were the catalyst. The "shoot last and only if you see the whites of their eyes" policies effectively put our soldiers in unnecessary harm's way. The establishment of the "Courageous Restraint" medal by the Obama administration, called by some "the Obama Coward Award," rewarding soldiers for not shooting the enemy (or letting them shoot first), may have been the last straw. Expect lots of posthumous awards.

I think McChrystal sacrificed his career for his men, a truly courageous act. He felt he had to speak out in a public forum, since his criticisms certainly wouldn't see the light of day through official channels. Sadly, the compliant media have effectively downplayed his criticisms, obsessed with lauding his successor, General Petraeus ("Betray-us"--remember?), a consummate military politician who would certainly never criticize that military genius in the White House who was never even a Boy Scout.

I have reluctantly come to believe that this administration is actively working to accomplish what dialectical materialism failed to do. The disingeneous "concentration" on the war in Afghanistan while undercutting the military and setting a withdrawal deadline, regardless of caveats, thus painting a huge target for the Taliban to focus on, is setting us up for another humiliating defeat. Remember, the Taliban are indigenous Afghanis, one of several factions in that fractured, government-less country. The recent media label shift to "insurgent" for the Taliban fighters is disingenuous in the extreme. We are fighting Afghanis on their own land, perhaps the most rugged on earth. They will never be defeated, especially with that big, red "2011" goal post in view.

What will finally bring this country down is the breaking of the American spirit. Another major military debacle, coupled with the wholesale taking over of private institutions like the auto industry (yes, I know; we the public own it) and the controlling of entire industries like finance and health care, will create an abject dependency on government and a loss of self-reliance, an integral element of our spirit.

Economy in shambles, industry crippled by ridiculous carbon controls, taxes and regulation, dependent on government, military capability diminished, jobless, investments decimated by the second recessionary dip that is certainly coming, saddled with unmanageable debt and deficits; our spirit broken, we will be ready to relinquish our sovereignty to wiser world leadership. Thus, the obstacle of a single world superpower is eliminated. Liberal Utopia ascendant.

Oversimplification? Yes. Conspiracy nut theory? Sure sounds like it. I hope the inevitable critics of this piece are right and I have fallen out of my tree. All I ask is that you step back ten paces and take the wide-angle view. If you don't see it, or at least some of it, fine. Maybe I need new glasses. I certainly hope so. Nevertheless, I had to write this.

The tea-party folks, overwhelmingly ordinary citizens, I think are motivated by a visceral fear for their beloved country. They may not be able to articulate the specifics, but they just know that something very bad is happening. I feel the same way. This feeling has been growing in spite of my innate sane and rational skepticism for some time now. The voices of doubt have grown more faint with each succeeding government disaster.

Seventy years of experience and living shout to me that this great nation is in dire danger from within, more so than at any time in our history.

Karl Marx would be pleased.