Beyond Mere Survival in the American Dystopia

Shed Your Addiction: Beyond Mere Survival inthe American Dystopia By JasonMiller civillibertarian.blogspot.com

1984 has cometo pass, both chronologically and in the Orwellian sense.Americans are "liberators" in Iraq. Opponents of this "peaceinitiative" are "doubleplusungood". Unchecked by thejudiciary, the NSA electronically trolls for perpetrators of"crimethink". Pundits and the "liberal media" (owned by ahandful of monolithic corporations despised by people withthe values which many define as liberal) have become theMinistry of Truth for the Party.

I recently witnessedBill O Reilly as he delivered a blistering verbalcastigation to his "guest" because the man opposed America simperial occupations and war crimes in the Middle East. Inthe next breath, O Reilly expressed his sympathy andcompassion for the victims of 9/11. Ironically, the victimof O Reilly s abusive tirade had lost his father in thecollapse of the WTC. Outfoxed, the source of this nauseatingdisplay of hatred and hypocrisy, has indeed portrayed anextremely dangerous entity. What truly scares me is that FoxNews is only a symptom of a much greater malignancy.

ViaFox, the Bush Regime streams steady doses of its "opiate tothe masses" via a distribution network reaching 85 millioncable subscribers. Fox and most other mainstream mediaentities are the syringes mainlining the mind-altering,psychosis-inducing propaganda munificently showered uponAmericans by the Party. Social Darwinists comprising theParty, including major corporate shareholders andexecutives, Israeli interests, the military industrialcomplex, plutocrats, the power players of the ReligiousRight, and intellectual elites hold the Great Beast (us"commoners") at bay with a powerfully addictive state ofbeing called the American Dream.

It is indeed a Brave New World. As many Americanssomnambulate through their existence, they are virtuallyoblivious and indifferent to the profound human misery whichmust occur in order for a tiny fraction of humanity toexperience the American Dream. When (or if) their Soma fixfinally wears off, I suspect they will be ready to chew offtheir own arms to escape the disease-ridden whores with whomthey have unwittingly climbed into bed. Mirroring Hitler sGermany, this nation of "decent, God-fearing" people ispledging allegiance to a murderous regime. Are the comfortof conformity and the safety of loyalty to the Empire worththe price of one s soul?

America s ruling class hascreated a scintillating facade to hide its dystopia,assuring the Great Beast that we all have the right and themeans to attain the looks of a Victoria's Secret model, themoney of a Donald Trump, and the athletic ability of aMichael Vick. Infomercials, work from home schemes, plasticsurgery, hypnosis, and myriad other avenues to instantsuccess and immediate gratification abound amongst thevirtually infinite number of hollow pursuits littering thespiritually barren landscape of the United States. Those whofall short of the "American ideal" simply need to continueupping their dose American Soma. If that fails and they fallvictim to the ravages of unbridled addiction, spiritualemptiness, poverty, despair, self-hatred, or anorexia, theycan simply end their misery with a drug overdose or ashotgun blast to the face. America s predator class, thepushers of the opiate of the masses, is not concerned withthe suffering they inflict. In their zeal to appease thetriumvirate they worship (power, money, and narcissisticdesires), the "chosen ones" of our society do not hesitateto sacrifice the rights, dignity, sanity and even lives ofhundreds of millions of innocent human beings. After all, ifthey come from amongst the rabble of the Great Beast, howcan they be truly human and why would their anguish or deathmatter?

Huxley s Soma had "all the advantages ofChristianity and alcohol; none of their defects." The Somadispensed by the ruling class in the United States is anoxious concoction comprised of many ingredients, includingChristianity and alcohol. From birth, Americans beginreceiving daily hits of Ameri-Soma from their parents,teachers, Scoutmasters, pastors, and other adults who havethemselves been seduced by the alluring power of theAmerican Illusion. Pledging allegiance to the flag, prayingto the "one true god" of Christianity, and genuflecting toembodiments of "real men" like John Wayne, Americans aresocially conditioned to believe in the righteousness oftheir masters cause. Our nobles desperately need themajority of their serfs to believe that the United Statesmanifests the human pinnacle of democratic ideals, morality,courage, and leadership. And to deal with external skeptics(internal doubters will likely be in the cross-hairs soon),the power brokers of America spend $600 billion a year tomaintain a military force bristling with sufficient weaponryto destroy the Earth many times over. Plutocrats and Neoconsare not interested in humanitarian spending or saddlingthemselves with the mere mortal constraint of living withintheir means. Global hegemony for themselves (and theirmasters in Israel) is their ultimate goal, regardless of thecost in lives or public money.

Further insulatingAmerica s ruling elites from the conflagration which wouldignite were the masses to awaken is the insatiable Americancompulsion to shop and consume conspicuously. With theadvent of easy credit, ubiquitous super stores open 24hours, and pay day loans, "buy now and pay later" has becomeas American as baseball and apple pie.

Alcohol, gambling,cigarettes, and pornography are but a few of the legal andreadily available vehicles Americans use to self-medicate.For those wanting something more intense, a plethora ofstreet drugs are within easy reach, providing the rulingclass the opportunity to keep the black male population incheck and to perpetuate their increasingly profitable prisonindustrial complex.

Television is the portal into whichthe Great Beast can gaze to experience the American Dreamvicariously without lifting a finger (beyond the onechanging the channels). Twenty four hour entertainment,"companionship", and "news" from the Ministry of Truth arereadily at our disposal. A marvel of modern technology hasbecome the nexus of the components of Ameri-Soma, theuber-drug that keeps the Great Beast submissive, tame, andintellectually stunted.

Perhaps it is human nature for afew to hoard power and resources to the detriment of themany. Once can witness a consistent pattern of such behaviorthroughout history, at least in the "more advanced"cultures. Yet as Scott Peck so aptly noted in The Road Less Traveled, defecating inone's pants and the absence of dental hygiene are aspects ofhuman nature at birth, but most people learn the unnaturalacts of utilizing toilets and toothbrushes. One of the mostbeautiful aspects of humanity is that unlike animals, peopleare not enslaved by their nature. Human beings can evolve.However, most of humanity has chosen to readily accept theshackles of the ruling class. Historically, the Great Beasthas been domesticated, tamed and manipulated in a variety ofways. Brute military force, manipulation by religiousentities and institutions, propaganda, and carefulrestriction of knowledge are but a few of the tacticsemployed by monarchies, tyrants, Popes, and generalsthroughout history.

At first blush, the United Statesappears to be the haven for freedom and human rightsportrayed in legend, lore, and the propaganda of its schooltextbooks and media. However, if one can awaken from thedrunken stupor induced by America-Soma, or if one happens tobe a resident of another nation besides Israel or GreatBritain (the only two nations still deluded enough to trulyally themselves with the United States), the many headedhydra of the American Dystopia reveals its truly abhorrentnature. Lord Acton conveyed truth when he wrote that "powertends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."Despite its cleverly constructed image of a benevolentsuper-power, those ruling the United States are more corruptthan the power elite of any nation, including those inBush's alleged "Axis of Evil". Due to its power, militarymight, and rogue leadership, the United States has alsobecome the world's most significant threat to theperpetuation of life on Earth.

Most Americans still donot realize that they are enslaved to the ruling elite, agroup with a savage, relentless devotion to avarice, theblind pursuit of money, and the domination of Earth's peopleand resources. Under the Bush Regime, the mask of civility,morality, and democracy has slipped to the point that thehideous visage of raw capitalism and imperialistic ambitionis almost completely exposed. Yet somehow, as over a hundredthousand lie dead in Iraq, the Patriot Act strips our civilliberties, the wealth gap widens to a chasm, Big Brother hasbeen caught watching (and is unrepentant), billions ofdollars are wasted on occupations of sovereign nations,habeas corpus disappears, America engages in tortureregularly, property rights precede human rights, and a majorcity lays in ruins due to the willful neglect of agovernment charged by the Constitution with promoting thegeneral welfare, many Americans still cannot, or will not,dare to even glimpse at the lurid countenance of evilleering at them from Washington.

Like a swarm of locusts,Social Darwinists have descended upon our nation and arerapidly devouring the fruits of our labor. Resemblingleeches, these parasites drain the life-blood of America andreturn nothing. Acting as virulent strains of previouslyundiscovered illnesses, these pathogens have infected anation filled with the promise and potential envisioned byThomas Paine. The resulting disease has reduced the UnitedStates to a wheezing, gasping tyrant nearly on economic lifesupport. This once admirable nation flails almost blindly asit wields the only real power it has left like a bludgeon,dispatching its awesome military on imperial errands andacts of revenge (against the wrong people) under thepretense of humanitarian intervention. Employing quick soundbites, propaganda packaged as gospel, tantalizingdistractions, the lure of easy money, and a highly insularenvironment, these sociopathic plunderers have hijackedAmerica. Their reckless piloting is destined to result in adisaster of Biblical proportions. America s rulers view theworld as their playground. Recess is in session and theschoolyard bullies have seized control. They kidnapped theschool-yard monitor, have stolen the lunch money, aretaunting and beating the weak, and are playing kickball withthe class misfit s head.

This doesn t have to stand.America has exhibited true greatness in the past. Think ofthe American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence,and the Constitution. This is the nation that spawned theAbolitionist Movement. The powerful Labor Movement arose inthe Twentieth Century and claimed unprecedented rights andprotections for the working class. The Civil Rights Movementmade powerful gains for minorities and the oppressed. Womenwon the right to vote. Populists made strides for farmersand the working class. Anti-war protestors broke the will ofthe military industrial complex to continue their genocidal"pacification" of the Vietnamese. Progressives have been asignificant force for social changes to benefit humanitysince the 1890 s. There are still champions for theoppressed in America and spiritually enlightened values arewoven into the fabric of our culture.

We the People havea choice. We can bend to the will of the hectors who havestolen the soul of our nation or we can follow the exampleof our predecessors and work vigorously to reclaim ourhumanity. Borrowing the words of a blue blood of Americanaristocrats, Nancy Reagan, I say it is time to "just say no"to Ameri-Soma. Actually, Lady Nancy s statement was grosslyover-simplified. In addition to saying no, one also needs toreplace the behaviors associated with the addiction. Might Ibe so bold as to make some suggestions to counter theeffects of withdrawal from this powerful drug, and topropose some means of coping with the loss of the falsefeeling of security it imbues?

Join or support an NGO likethe Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International. Boycottdehumanizing corporations like Wal-Mart. Conserve resources,recycle, and drive as economical a car as you can afford.Support and vote for individuals who have genuine concernfor humanity, like Lynn Woolsey, John Conyers, Ralph Naderand Dennis Kucinich (assuming they do not die under"mysterious circumstances" like Paul Wellstone). If youchoose to support a specific political party, explore thoseoutside the corrupt Duopoly, both of which represent theinterests of the ruling class. Refuse to enable the rulingelite s addiction to war by declining to join the military,hence depriving them of additional cannon fodder.

Embodythe Golden Rule to the extent that it is humanly possible.Embrace cultural, racial, sexual, and religious diversity.Read some books by Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn to cleanseyour mind of the elite s polluted version of historical,social and political issues. Educate yourself and yourchildren beyond the warped world perspective portrayed bythe media and our public education system. Participate inyour child s education by teaching them to think criticallyand dig far beneath the surface. Live within your means andavoid credit card debt like the plague. Demand and supportjustice for the oppressed; peace will follow justice. Donateyour time and money to truly compassionate and humane causes(as much and as often as you are able). Take personalresponsibility and act as honestly as humanly possible inyour affairs. Through non-violent action, press for socialjustice, human rights, dignity and peace.

In the end, theprognostications of martial law, "re-education" camps fordissidents, the collapse of the American economy triggeredby crushing debt and the Iranian oil bourse, massiveunemployment, the successful elimination of the remains ofour Constitutional republic, and the relegation of the GreatBeast in the United States to Third World conditions mayring true. So as you pour sugar in the tank of the enginepowering the American Empire by refusing your daily dose ofAmeri-Soma, do not relinquish your Second Amendment rights.Someday, the members of the Great Beast may need to exerciseour inalienable right to self preservation. If it comes tothis, there will be activity in the streets, but it will notbe dancing.

In the future, I may be writing to you frombehind concertina wire, or I might meet you there. Who cantruly predict? However, if we happen to meet under thosecircumstances, at least our souls will be at rest knowingthat we pursued social justice and human rights in the faceof abject evil.

*************

Jason Miller is a 39-year-old activist writerwith a degree in liberal arts. When he is not spending timewith his wife and three sons, researching, or writing, he isworking as a loan counselor. He is a member of AmnestyInternational and an avid supporter of Oxfam Internationaland Human Rights Watch. He welcomes responses atwillpowerful@hotmail.com or comments on his blog, Thomas Paine'sCorner.

THIS ISSUE Lead NZ News NZ Politics World News FeaturesComment & Opinion Gregory Fortuin on Cartoons and Drawing Lessons - There is no such thing as an unbiased view. Our opinions are mostly formed by our values, our experiences and our exposures. I am unashamed of my faith in God and my often stumbling desire to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. This belief system informs my opinion. See... Gregory Fortuin: Cartoons -- 5 Lessons To Draw ALSO:John Chuckman: Cartoons And Bombs

Richard S. Ehrlich: Background to the New Terror Plot - When CIA and Thai authorities caught Hambali in Thailand in 2003, nothing was said publicly about his involvement in a 9/11-style plot to fly an airplane into a skyscraper in Los Angeles. Shaving off his beard, Hambali, then aged 40, had bounced around incognito in neighboring Cambodia, while staying in a cheap hotel among international backpackers, before allegedly using a Spanish passport to hide in Thailand's ancient Buddhist town of Ayutthaya, 50 miles (85 kilometers) north of Bangkok. See... Bush Recalls The Capture Of Hambali In Thailand ALSO:Marjorie Cohn: Spinning Fear

MORE COMMENTARY:Public Address 14/02/06 - Enemy Mine Public Address - The Bright Side Of InsurgencyThe Letter -- Monday, 13 February 2006Stateside With Rosalea: Here Be Dragons!William Fisher: Rising Above PrincipleJohn Pilger: The Next War - Crossing the RubiconWho Will Blow the Whistle Before We Attack Iran? Swanson: Debating Impeachment Among Democrats Jason Miller: Beyond Mere Survival in the American Dystopia UQ Wire: Porter Goss's 'Ignoturn per Ignotius!' Siddhi B. Ranjitkar: Taliban Tears Down Buddha Statues Uri Avnery: The Secret of Kadima Sol Salbe: Knowing What We Don't Know

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