This Can't Be Happening In America

America, the land I love, a beacon of freedom and compassion to people all over the world could not possibly be doing these things:

1) At war in 3 nations, each of which it attacked and 2 of which it occupies.

2) Runs secret torture cells on some of its distant military bases and contracts out other torture, while it also runs "kill teams" where it chooses. It even has a private army of highly paid "contractors," little of which it discloses to the American people.

3) Seizes people it deems terrorists, those it doesn't kill, and locks them up indefinitely, in many cases no charges, no trials, no rule of law.

4) Censors its wars from the American people, many of whom are indifferent to the suffering our beloved nation is causing. U.S. news media often cooperates with the government but not WikiLeaks nor Aljazeera but most Americans ignore it. No military draft, no interest.

5) Censors even the horrors its wars cause its own soldiers and their families. Once again, the U.S. news media often cooperates telling few stories or sharing few pictures, making these people largely invisible, left to bear their pain in silence and in a cloak of secrecy.

6) Once the greatest manufacturing powerhouse the world had ever seen, most U.S. manufacturing has been shipped overseas. But there still is a sizable amount of U.S. manufacturing as the government contracts with manufacturers to build weapons of mass destruction and deadly delivery systems such as jet fighters and drones in most Congressional Districts across America. All at taxpayer's expense.

7) Because of reckless government spending and huge trade deficits, the U.S. dollar which was long the gold standard of currencies is now so weak, many investors prefer gold or even other currencies as the dollar sinks in value.

8) Once the U.S. ran the greatest financial surpluses since the British Empire was at its peak. Now it is the world's biggest debtor nation running a borrowing and printing Ponzi Scheme to pay its bills.

9) Standard & Poor's, a globally respected credit rating agency threatened to downgrade the U.S.'s debt securities, the first step at what could lead in stages to having it declared "Junk." That would send interest rates through the stratosphere, making it cost prohibitive for home mortgages and small business borrowing and destroying the value left in the dollar. Newport Beach, CA based Pimco, the world's largest bond investor has already sold off its holdings in U.S. government debt.

10) To sustain and expand its military machine, the U.S. government would sacrifice Medicare, Medicaid, its educational system, its police and fire protection and other programs that bring quality of life to its citizens and protect its children and its poor and frail.

These things could not be happening to America for if they were, its citizens would unite and rise up and do something about it. Not sit by and let what was once one of the greatest nations in history implode in their silence. And as people of conscience, any nonviolent uprising would surely begin with you and me.

Dick