What Goes Up, Must Come Down

The perpetual War on Terror, the Iraq War (based upon trumped up charges), the use of torture, the erosion of habeas corpus, inhibiting dissent, spying on citizens and others, excessive secrecy, along with the expansion of executive power, have all created the tapestry of our current culture as a country. I see it as not only speaking to who we are as a people, but where we are headed in the future.

Added to the milieu is the mercenary force of Blackwater. See Making a Killing. Despite all the obfuscation related to the latest massacre by Blackwater in Iraq, the initial reports are that Blackwater used excessive force in the shooting incident in Nisoor Square, killing and wounding a number of civilians. Blackwater Faulted In Military Reports From Shooting Scene.

But is it murder when there can be no charges brought, criminal or otherwise? After all, Blackwater, a private contractor, is sui generis -- apparently no laws apply to it.

To me, these are all signs that we witnessing which portend the decline of the US empire. I am not a historian, but one doesn't need to be to see the parallels. Last year, in Law of Unintended Consequences, I cited a discussion of the fall of the Roman Empire and the parallels of the situation in the United States today. And I am not alone in this vision.

Recently, in a piece on Blackwater, Mercenary territory, The Quaker Agitator remarked:

One of the sure signs of the decline of any powerful civilization or empire throughout history is its increased dependence on mercenary troops to carry out the dirty work of war. You can look it up. Once the king has to outsource killing and mayhem, collapse is almost sure to follow. It means that the people themselves can’t or won’t do the fighting for him anymore. He has to pay his hired killers to wage war for him.

Len Hart of The Existentialist Cowboy has written a chilling piece on Bush's Fascist, Private Army of Paid Cutthroats, Murderers and Mercenaries:

The Military/Industrial complex makes its "living" killing! This is true of "empire" in general. It was true of Rome. It's true of the US now. Outsourced enforcement thugs of Blackwater USA are symptomatic of the GOP quest to turn the US into a fascist dictatorship. Blackwater --like Rome's Praetorian Guard, like Hitler's Storm troopers --are but the inevitable result of fascism.

How Hitler came to power is the story of how the German people, shocked by back to back debacles, the loss of WWI, hyper-inflation, and depression, simply "lost their senses" and allowed a mad man to seize dictatorial powers.

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Empires are typically enforced through Blackwater-type brutality, murder, lawlessness and oppression.

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As will prove to be the case in America, the seeds of Rome's fall and destruction are found at the very birth of empire. Reasons cited for Rome's fall often sound very modern; there is simply no way to avoid making the analogy to the US militarism since WWII. Like the Bush regime today, the Roman system lacked budgetary controls and restraint; resources were wasted; near absolute power accrued to emperors. Bush actively seeks it out. He has failed to conceal or disguise his lust for power and overt trappings of empire.

I also think that as part of our culture where our lifestyle has speeded-up in so many ways, the decline of the empire will also occur at warp speed. And we've started the roller coaster ride.

And as you contemplate Blackwater's modus operandi, don't forget that they may coming to guard our streets as well, see Black & Muddy Waters.

For the best in the on-going news on Blackwater , see Kiko's House and Talking Points Memo.

Tags: News, Law, Blackwater, Iraq