March 6, 2008 -
Issue 267 |
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The
End of the American Empire: Rotting From Within and Without Color of Law By David A. Love, JD BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board |
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The day of the dollar is over. The
euro is in, and the world is making it increasingly clear that it will
no longer participate in propping up And European and Canadian tourists
visit the The idea of an It seems fitting that we have Bush himself to thank for precipitating this decline. In seven years, through his antidemocratic policies, a crippling and senseless war in Iraq, and the human rights abuse commonly known as the war on terror, he has single-handedly accomplished what no other before him has done: bring down the U.S. before the eyes of the world. As is the case with all declining
empires, the rot is both internal and external. In ancient As the self-described world police
officer, snooping into other people’s business with over 700
overseas military bases in over 130 countries, Today, with corporations given free rein through a deliberate policy of tax breaks, deregulation and upward wealth transfer - not to mention the job outsourcing and downward push on wages brought about by globalization – bestow economic benefits for a few robber barons and empty hands for the rest of us are the logical result. Americans always were told that
they lived in the greatest country on Earth, a model egalitarian society.
But a report by The
Pew Charitable Trusts sheds light on the fallacy of the so-called
American Dream. According to the report, Not surprisingly, as the proverbial canary in the coalmine, African Americans are particularly vulnerable. Only 31 percent of Blacks born to middle-income parents make more than their parents, compared with 68 percent of Whites. And nearly half of Blacks whose parents were middle income end up in poverty, compared with 16 percent of Whites. And as the Children’s
Defense Fund recently reported, prison is the only universally guaranteed
program for youth, as the U.S. prepares its poor children, disproportionately
Black and Brown boys, for a life behind bars. With a cut-rate education
system, few opportunities and an environment of violence and deprivation,
many children are programmed for a cradle to prison pipeline. One child
in six lives in poverty, and over 9.4 million children are without health
insurance. One-third of Latino babies and one-half of Black
babies are born into poverty, and one-quarter of Latino children and
one-third of Black children are poor. With $100 billion spent on the Iraq War each year,
a total of $450 billion so far, a mere $75 billion a year would eradicate
poverty in Instead of focusing on the real
problems, we allow the distractions to drive the debate. Rather than
point the finger at a predatory economic system that is eating its people
alive - and causing millions to lose their jobs and homes - many find
convenient scapegoats, including Mexican immigrants, the LGBT community,
beneficiaries of affirmative action and the Muslim world. The scapegoat
industry is a full employment program for such caustic talking heads
as Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and other standard
bearers for intolerance and hatred. What if the Angry White Men, for
once in their lives, actually acted in the true interests of all and
broke bread with the rest of us, including the angry people of color
who also want a better life, and know that something is wrong with Nothing will or should save the
American empire, but perhaps Americans can save themselves and make
the nation something it never was - fair and just, truly equal, and
respectful of the world. What we need is Dr. King’s “radical revolution
of values,” in which the BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member David A. Love, JD is a lawyer
and prisoners’ rights advocate based in
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