“National security” has been a bugaboo since the end of World War II. The “threat” to the United States was the Soviet Union and “international communism.” Successive administrations were urged to beef up our defense posture in order to prevent the “Commies” from taking over the world. We entered into various military alliances around the globe to present a “united front” to Russia and later China; we stockpiled our nuclear arsenal; and we sent spies, saboteurs, and assassins hither and yon to destabilize the “enemy.”
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union and China saw us as a threat to their existence, and whatever America did they attempted to do us one better. This arms race became the mother of all arms races in the whole history of the world. At one point, in 1963 in Cuba, Russia and the U.S. stood at the brink of nuclear war. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, but “national security” remained front and center.
In 1988, Russia went bankrupt and collapsed, and the “Cold War” ended (temporarily, however, with the rise of Vladimir Putin). Still, America’s desire for “national security” grew unchecked. Successive administrations had to keep the military-industrial complex solvent in order to prevent hundreds of thousands of workers from losing their jobs. Thus, a new “enemy” had to be created to justify the ballooning “defense” budget.
September 11, 2001, that “enemy” made itself known. Extreme religious groups in Southwest Asia provided the excuse by conducting acts of terrorism. Tired of the theft of their oil by the West and the West’s blind support of the illegal regime in Israel, these groups cried “Death to America!” The destruction of the World Trade Center led to the unleashing of America’s war machine, and we began walking down a dark and dangerous path again.
Are we still “secure,” dear reader?
Not very, I’m afraid.
Currently, the U.S. has 17 different “intelligence” agencies. At the top of the heap are the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Administration, both of which are notorious for spying on friend and foe alike, performing “black ‘ops,’” and torturing/assassinating “enemy agents.” Lately, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has expanded its scope to spy on Americans. Each of the military branches has its own “intelligence” wing, all of which is overseen by the Defense Intelligence Agency. At the Cabinet level, we have the Department of Homeland Security – America’s KGB — with its collection of sub-groups. Governing this octopus is the Director of National Security, the latest layer of bureaucracy in an already top-heavy infrastructure.
The damnable thing about this network is that none of them share information with each other but jealously guard their little fiefdoms, often at cross purposes. If something goes wrong, each is quick to blame the others. What unites them all, however, is an overweening desire to get a bigger piece of the pie and to refuse to provide any accountability of their funds whatsoever. And, of course, they all erode our civil liberties with reckless abandon.
George Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” lives!
Just a thought.
To be continued