Today, we are celebrating anniversary of the day when Indians saved the
pilgrims from starvation, by providing the newcomers with a feast of
turkey. We know this because it is mentioned in our history books and
textbooks, and it is repeated by the media each year. However, the original
Thanksgiving day of 1621 had a different purpose, and today’s celebration is a
harvest day proposed by Lincoln and Washington. Some historians attached the
two events, and even the arrival of Mayflower in 1620 and Indians welcoming the
newcomers by offerings, as the origins of Thanksgiving Day. So, why is the
history we are reading or hearing today is so much different from the truth?
There are records of historians of ancient empires describing victorious
wars, in addition to the heroic acts of emperors. The same emperor’s defeats
(if any) were never recorded, and our knowledge of such defeats is documented by
other historians in the employment of the adversaries, in this case the
victorious army. Even if the loss of one’s own emperor was recorded,
it was painted as a natural defeat due to factors outside of the emperor’s
knowledge or ability, and not because of his weakness. Fabricating reasons for
a war, in addition to its result, has always benefited the policy of perpetual
war in order to keep citizens obedient, and neighboring countries constantly on
the edge. On the other hand and as far as ordinary people are concerned, wars
have always been recorded along with other disasters such as flood, tornado,
hurricane, and epidemic diseases. Therefore, people consider wars as avoidable calamities,
and they do not like to participate in a war, even if the theater of the war
happens to be outside of their territories. In order to change such attitudes,
historical data are either fabricated or they are not mentioned at all. Aligned
with that, nationalism is promoted and reciting national anthem is enforced
from kindergarten age and on. The history we read in our textbooks are all about
our greatness, and there is no mention (or justified, if mentioned) of the
government’s imperialistic expansions or regime changes in
Mexico, Philippines, Cuba, Guatemala, Iran, Chile, and numerous other
countries. The question at this point is whether we benefit from the empire’s
expansion into other lands, in order to access free material and cheap labor.
We certainly do! However, such policies are undertaken mainly for benefiting Multinational
Corporations. American industrial products of the fifties, sixties, and
seventies have gradually been moved to other countries by
multi-national conglomerates which have expanded horizontally and
vertically in many directions. They own auto manufacturing, household
items, entertainment industries, food chains, media, and financial services,
all under one establishment. The only industries left in the US are military
and military related products and services. The government creates wars, and military
industrial complex sells arms to both sides of the conflict. These industries have
their tentacles stretched all over the world. They are so big that
Western governments with billions and trillions of annual budget cannot regulate
them, and so they are in bed them. In fact, not only these corporations elect
government officials, they are the government.
Government, Inc. has the power to fabricate history and even change the
current factual events to meet its own ends. Government,
Inc. controls the major established media. With the control of
the media by the government, people receive only government propaganda. For instance,
everyone is made to believe that the war in Arab nations is a religious war
among themselves, and the West is trying to democratize those uncivilized
nations. We are not told that after the mayhem created by the West in
Arab nations, directly or indirectly through Israel, such nations have become
fertile grounds for growing resentment against Western countries. Such
resentment coupled with lack of work and hunger turns them into mercenaries
fighting under the religious doctrines of their employers,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Emirates. Also, without the revelation of a
Turkish newspaper we would never know that Turkey provides terrorists with
arms, under the pretense of supplying humanitarian food, medicine and clothing.
Losers in these wars are not only the people living in the areas
where mayhem and looting is taking place, but others with
their complacent attitudes, or with their faith in the empire. Even for those
who do not subscribe to the propaganda of the government, Inc., their consent
is manufactured by the establishment, as Noam Chomsky appropriately termed it.
Since greed is the only thing Government, Inc. can understand, and safety,
environment, and future of humanity are not their concerns, the terror perpetrated
by the West would not subside, but expand. It also follows the old plan of American
hegemony as the super power in the world (The New American Century), by
destroying governments who do not allow one of the 800 American bases in their
territories. It all started with the occupation of Afghanistan and installment
of a puppet regime. Iraq was next in line, and the plan continued with Libya
and Syria. Although, such incursions have resulted disastrous results
so far, Iran and Lebanon are still targeted next in line, after
the selected religious group takes over the regime in Syria.
Aligned with the ambition of global hegemony, NATO has stretched its areas
of domain all the way to Russian borders (although Gorbachev was promised before
Yeltsin’s cup-de-tat to dismantle NATO as Warsaw Treaty was taken apart).
Ukraine was the last episode of such expansions by Western powers, through assisting
a Fascist government to rein at the expense of a civil war and dividing the
country into pieces. US policy keeps the world on the hinge of a world war, a
fear of which is constantly updated and upgraded, even in rhetoric. People
react irrationally when they are consumed with fear, and they tend to
accept any condition that would diminish their constant fear. American
people remember the daily threat of communist menace, instilled into
every aspect of the society for about fifty years. In schools, after a
daily pledge to the flag of the United States, drills of various kinds were
performed, some of which were exercised in order to protect individuals from a
Soviet nuclear attack! The state still considers us so susceptible to such
cheap tactics that warns us of a terrorist attack during the holidays. However,
the policy is going much further and the situation created because of this
policy is much more dangerous today. With the downing of a Russian fighter by
Turkish government and the attack on Russian journalists by so-called moderate
Syrian rebels, a tense condition is created, the outcome of which is not clear,
though worrying. A court in Spain has issued an arrest for Netanyahu, which
gives people hope that there is justice somewhere in the planet, which may
be used to indict other war criminals. As it was mentioned before, people have
always been for peace, and in spite of governments’ propaganda in protecting
the mother land, everyone knows that wars are tools of corporations in
acquiring more land and natural reserves, in addition to employing cheap labor.
People are coming out in mass, whether for “Black Life Matters”, environment,
or other worthy causes. A demonstration of people power, such as the one before
the Gulf War, should give the leaders of Western governments a message that
corporate games are becoming very dangerous and complacency of majority of
people cannot be achieved, no matter how strong the propaganda machine is. A world
war III, which will definitely turn into a nuclear showdown, ought to be
prevented by any means possible, starting with a cessation of the expansionist
policies of the Government, Inc.
