Empire Destroying Wars Are Coming to America Under Trump – Part 2

WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

– Major General Smedley Butler, War is a Racket (1935)

Yesterday’s post, Empire Destroying Wars Are Coming to America Under Trump – Part 1, outlined my view that President Donald Trump, despite campaign slogans to focus on “America First,” is likely to entangle the nation in major new wars which will precipitate a chaotic and dangerous collapse of U.S. empire.

I base this view on his actions since coming into office, as well as the bloodthirsty war hawks he’s increasingly turning to for advice, with Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton being the most concerning of all. Today’s post will dig into how Trump will attempt to sell his wars, and will also address the role corporate media is likely to play in the legitimization of any future destructive conflagration.

To understand how Trump will attempt to rally his base to support another idiotic overseas conflict, all we have to do is look at his recent obsession with promoting fake patriotism via the NFL national anthem controversy. As I noted in the recent post, Thoughts on Trump, Fake Patriotism and ‘Taking a Knee’:

When I look at Trump’s commentary and tweets in aggregate one thing becomes crystal clear. Trump is trying to redefine America and what it means to be a patriot in superficial and jingoistic terms. He’s essentially grooming his supporters into thinking that worshipping a piece of fabric is what separates those who love this country from those who hate it and want to destroy it. By making this about a symbol as opposed to the ideas that this symbol represents, he allows his supporters to feel they are a part of “taking America back” while not even remotely comprehending what the country is actually all about. It’s like losing weight while eating whatever you want, all you have to do is vomit afterwards. Trump is essentially conditioning his supporters to follow him as he regurgitates all over the Constitution, because as long as they stay true to a piece of fabric or song, they honor the country. Patriotism made easy.

Which is why what Trump did here is the most dangerous thing he’s done since becoming President. He’s using an issue that existed and was already divisive as a way to redefine what patriotism means in America. It’s no longer about free speech, the right to privacy and the rest of it, but rather patriotism now revolves around a song and a flag. A societal embrace of this sort of fake patriotism is how horrible things happen, and I hope most Trump voters are wise enough to see this.

In case you haven’t noticed, Trump isn’t dropping the NFL thing, which makes me even more convinced I’m on to something. If he can convince his diehard supporters and other segments of the U.S. population that patriotism is as simple as flag worship versus adherence to our founding principles, he can surely convince them to support anther stupid war because it’d be unpatriotic not to.

This is precisely why I focused on the NFL issue a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think it’s a distraction at all, rather, I think it’s part of a much larger campaign to get his supporters to accept President Trump as the arbiter of what’s considered patriotic and what isn’t. Today it’s standing for the national anthem, tomorrow it’ll be whether or not you support a new crazy military adventure. He’s preemptively conditioning his groupies to follow him into cataclysm and cheer their own destruction along the way. Mike Pence was a willing participant in this manufacturing of fake patriotism over the weekend via his cheap stunt at the Colts game.

This will be Trump’s play. Given his clownish and undeniable betrayal when it comes to economic populism, he will increasingly focus on the culture war, and then ultimately, real war.

In order to successfully sell war, Trump’s will probably need one other thing in addition to a passive, slobbering base of fake patriots. He’ll also need the corporate media. I know, I know, the media hates Trump, right? There’s no way they’ll support a major war launched by Trump you say. On this, I unfortunately will have to disagree.

On the question of war, the corporate media has proven itself to be craven bloodthirsty sycophants to the foreign policy establishment irrespective of who resides in the Oval Office. I suspect the same will be true when it comes to Trump, especially if Iran becomes the key target of mindless imperial aggression.

In order to understand how shamelessly and dishonestly the corporate media gets behind war based on total fabrications, let’s take a look at some comments from Chris Hedges in a recent must read interview.

I was on the investigative team at the New York Times during the lead-up to the Iraq War. I was based in Paris and covered Al Qaeda in Europe and the Middle East. Lewis Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney, Richard Perle and maybe somebody in an intelligence agency, would confirm whatever story the administration was attempting to pitch. Journalistic rules at the Times say you can’t go with a one-source story. But if you have three or four supposedly independent sources confirming the same narrative, then you can go with it, which is how they did it. The paper did not break any rules taught at Columbia journalism school, but everything they wrote was a lie.

The whole exercise was farcical. The White House would leak some bogus story to Judy Miller or Michael Gordon, and then go on the talk shows to say, ‘as the Times reported….’ It gave these lies the veneer of independence and reputable journalism. This was a massive institutional failing, and one the paper has never faced.

Have we seen any evidence that The New York Times or Washington Post have changed their ways? I say no, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them ultimately war-monger behind Trump on Iran. At the end of the day, they don’t dislike Trump’s policies so much as they dislike his personal style and demeanor. They prefer a slick marketer for the status quo like Barack Obama in the White House — a charismatic executioner, a man who calls Wall Street executives fat cats one day, then endorses trillions in no strings attached bailouts the next. The foreign policy establishment has been salivating about taking out Iran for decades, and if Trump goes there, I suspect corporate media will enthusiastically cheerlead him into battle.

Today’s post discussed how I think Trump will sell his wars, and explored the possibility that corporate media ultimately will get behind them. Tomorrow’s post will dig into why I think any major new wars under Trump will lead to an acceleration in U.S. imperial collapse. A decline we need to accept as both highly probable and dangerous, but also one that could provide once in a generation opportunities for meaningful positive change.

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In Liberty,
Michael Krieger

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17 thoughts on “Empire Destroying Wars Are Coming to America Under Trump – Part 2”

  1. I agree that the media will support Trump into war. Remember the coverage when he sent missiles into Iraq? It was the first (and perhaps only to date) positive media coverage of Trump.

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  2. Seems he’s training his ‘followers’ to ‘Sieg Hiel’ the flag. Interesting when you consider that the Nazis copied the American ‘Bellamy Salute’, which originated in 1892, to accompany the new ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ (in another era of anti-immigration agitation). But, with football players, rappers, and ?? standing up FOR the flag’s ‘message’…… ??

    Now if Democratic politcos would quote Eisenhower, Butler, FDR, (even Truman’s ’63 OpEd regretting his authorization of the CIA), instead of being ‘shocked… shocked!!’ at the Weinstein revelations….. but only Bernie would/will do that. Wouldn’t it be great if the war drums roused enough truly patriotic Americans, with memories, to oppose the Moron’s handlers?

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  3. As a reminder of what Trump really thinks about the flag and veterans:

    “He says, ‘You’re spittin’ in the face of vets who fought for us you bastards,’
    Unless you’re a POW who’s tortured and battered,
    ‘Cause to him, you’re zeros,
    ‘Cause he don’t like his war heroes captured.”
    – Eminem
    http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/10/11/eminem-trump-lyrics/753038001/

    A reminder of what he said about McCain (and has still yet to apologize for).

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  4. “They prefer a slick marketer for the status quo like Barack Obama in the White House — a charismatic executioner, a man who calls Wall Street executives fat cats one day, then endorses trillions in no strings attached bailouts the next.”

    Reagan = Corporatist

    Bush 1 = Corporatist

    Bill Clinton = Corporatist

    Bush 2 = Corporatist

    Obama = Corporatist

    Trump = Corporatist

    We now have a Corporatist State firmly in place. That is all that matters. All of the hand wringing over Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, or Conservatives is just a side show to keep the general populace occupied and divided. So it’s basically just a modern day version of bread and circus.

    The next step is to slowly establish a Fascist State by going to war. Preferably multiple wars on multiple fronts. Greasing the skids, so to speak.

    I’m now firmly convinced that the real underlying reason for antifa is to purposefully obscure and obfuscate the true definition of what constitutes true fascism and a true Fascist State.

    That is not to say that 99% of the useful idiots in antifa are any more aware of that reality, than they are of the actual definition of fascism. But that doesn’t matter in the least, because the end result is still achieved.

    The best thing that any of the people who are aware of this reality can do is to try to make as many people as you know aware of that reality.

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    • Dear Genaro I totally agree with you. It reminds me of Emperor Nero.
      Why was Nero so famous?
      “The last ruler of what historians call the “Julio-Claudian” dynasty, he ruled until he committed suicide in June, A.D. 68. Famously known for the apocryphal story that he fiddled while Rome burned in a great fire, Nero has become one of the most infamous men who ever lived.”
      Well I hope you are not forecasting such an event to repeat. Accusing Iraq and Libya of having WMD OR Syria of using chemical weapons is just like accusing the Christians of burning Rome. Well accusing Iran can just be the same. Don’t forget we are living in a global village like a miniature Rome for Trump.We can accuse Kim also.
      God knows best what He has hidden in Biblical eschatology via the Book of Revelation.

      “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

      Fires in California and Portugal this October 2017.

      [8] And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
      [9] And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
      [10] And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
      [11] And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
      [12] And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”
      Mysterious and unpredictable events have happened since 9/11 that I am really very pessimistic.

  5. Trump is not redefining America and patriotism in superficial and jingoistic terms. In the minds of the masses, it has always been that. That’s what Trump was indoctrinated with as a child, and he is incapable of growing beyond that. As so many others have said, he is not the problem or the cause of future problems. He is merely a symptom.

    The only way we can recover from this disease is to speak out against it. Refuse the pledge. Do not stand for the national anthem. When people ask you why, explain. Maybe you will stimulate some thought.

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  6. It seems to me that the actions of kneeling were not planned by Trump. If these actions never happened, it would be a moot issue. He reacted to it just like he often does. The notion that it is part of a scheme seems absurd. This is like back testing stock picks or horse wagers to fit an outcome. If we got into war, it has nothing to do with what he weighed in on with the kneeling.

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  7. If you are right that it was his intention to link the two, you are wrong that it will work. I think you underestimate his supporters. Take me. I judge each thing he says or does separately. I agreed that the protesting on the field was inappropriate. But, I am against the foreign interventions.

    The problem is there is no anti-war political movement. It used to be from the Left. If it exists at all, it comes from the Right.

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  8. Also, I believe you give Trump too much credit for him to think that far ahead. He reacts without much thought. That is what he was doing with the NFL. I believe it will help him politically in general, but not make people support his wars.

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  9. Trump is a shabbos goyim for Israel’s conquest of the world, which includes having America destroyed. Have you read Netanyahu’s Fink’s Bar Diatribe? He speaks openly and clearly of Israel’s intentions for America.

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  10. The stage for making aggressive war is permanently set in America due to the total indoctrination of the public, from the first day at school onward, with a meaning of patriotism that supports the blind following of the ruling leadership who are the keepers and controllers of all the national symbols. It will require little effort after another massive false flag event to have the rubes signing up for a war against Iran and her Allies. This war if not avoided will be America’s downfall. This war is being instigated and will be fought for Israel largely by AIPAC and the ‘Israel First’ Zio-cons who infest and control the American federal government foreign policy and more..

    As an aside Hedges should know about the NYT’s cheer leading the war against Iraq and her people as he himself by lined an article in support of that coming war on November 8, 2001 titled “Defectors Cite Iraq Training for Terrorism”. This after listening to two ‘defectors’ who were being paraded around the media, under the auspices of the CIA, with a false story for propaganda effect for getting the public onside the coming war.

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    • The common citizen be he or she be a Democrat or Republican does not have time or brain to analyse such unfolding events. It is up to the forces of peace to wage a campaign of truth worldwide to stop that hate to spread.Hate brings hate.Violence brings violence. The two world wars are witnesses.

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