We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, February 13, 2012

450 Bases and It’s Not Over Yet

Click here to access article by Nick Turse from TomDispatch. (Note: you will need to scroll down to the article.)

The author gives us the scoop on how our tax dollars will continue to be spent in Afghanistan under the Pentagon's leaner budget plans, instead of for our schools, libraries, and health care.
This is exactly what you would expect of an occupation force looking to scale back its “footprint” and end major combat operations while maintaining an on-going presence in Afghanistan.  Given the U.S. military’s projected retreat to its giant bases and an increased reliance on kill/capture black-ops as well as unmanned air missions, it’s also no surprise that its signature projects for 2012 include a new special operations forces compound, clandestine drone facilities, and a brand new military prison.
This will no doubt benefit the so-called "defense industries", the manufacturers of killing machines. The savings will be in expenses for "boots" on the ground. See this article entitled, "Obama’s new Pentagon strategy: strip benefits and buy more weapons", for all the details.

Instead of the US merely "scaling back" military operations, Tom Engelhardt in his piece entitled, "Offshore Everywhere", sees this as part of a new global military strategy to increase Empire hegemony. As capitalists always seek to increase profits, the symbiotic military always plans to extend its power over the rest of the world.