Hey, where’s those patriotic or, more accurately, jingoistic, ‘America is invincible, always right and graced by God’ songs nowadays?
It sure seems they disappeared not too long after the ‘schock and awe’ prime time show had its run. You know, the events viewed as just another gather-the-family-around-the-television benevolent fireworks shows.
So, come on Toby Keith, can we get a sequel to “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue”? Do you have a rewrite in you for:
“…Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
‘Cause we’ll put a boot in your ass
It’s the American way…”
Or how about Lee Greenwood and his puerile pap like “God Bless The USA”?
“From the lakes of Minnesota
to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas
from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston
and New York to L.A.,
well there’s pride in every American heart
and it’s time we stand and say:
that I’m proud to be an American
where at least I know I’m free,
And I won’t forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A”
I guessed I missed the news about Greenwood standing up, joining the military and shipping out to Iraq.
No I do not revel in the Iraq debacle. That would merely be imitating those who are being hoisted on their own visceral petard. I simply wish to present a clearer picture, an overall, balanced view. The United States and many of its citizens have done many wonderful things throughout the world but all has not been ‘certified’ by the imprimatur of God and certainly has not all been accomplished in conjunction with truth, justice, morality or divine guidance.
That is,unless good ol’ God blessed the murder of Salvador Allende, the supporting of the fiends who raped and killed American nuns, the Central America invasions on behalf of the United Fruit Company, Operation Ajax in Iran installing the Shah, etc.
In fact, here’s a litany, by no means exhaustive, of U.S. interventions abroad (thanks to Mark Rossenfelder and others). Imagine if the proverbial shoe was on the other foot? If America had faced numerous invasions and financial plundering by foreign entities?
1856 — First of five U.S. interventions in Panama to protect the Atlantic-Pacific railroad from Panamanian nationalists.
1898 — The US declares war on Spain and invades Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.
1903 — The US invades Columbia, cresting a new state of Panama, backed by the US Navy.
1905 — The US invades the Dominican Republic.
1905 — U.S. troops land in Honduras for the first of 5 times in next 20 years.
1908 — U.S. troops intervene in Panama for first of 4 times in next decade.
1909 — President José Santos Zelaya of Nicaragua proposes that American mining and banana companies pay taxes; he also appropriated church lands and legalized divorce, done business with European firms, and executed two Americans for participating in a rebellion. He was forced to resign via U.S. pressure. The new president, Adolfo Díaz, was the former treasurer of an American mining company.
1911 — The regime of Miguel Dávila in Honduras irks the State Department by being too friendly with Zelaya and by getting into debt with Britain. He is overthrown by former president Manuel Bonilla, aided by American banana tycoon Sam Zemurray and American mercenary Lee Christmas, who becomes commander-in-chief of the Honduran army.
1915 — Having sent warships into Haitian harbors 20 times from 1860 to 1915, the US invades Haiti
1917 — The US invades Cuba, and remains in occupation until 1922. The US also invades Costa Rica to secure American interests.
1920 — The US invades Guatemala to overthrow its government.
1926 — The US sends 25,000 Marines to invade Nicaragua (again), occupying it until 1933.
1931 — The US invades Guatemala (again), to establish a servile government.
1961 — CIA-backed coup overthrows elected Pres. J. M. Velasco Ibarra of Ecuador, because he has been too friendly with Cuba.
1963 — CIA-backed coup overthrows elected social democrat Juan Bosch in the Dominican Republic.
1964 — João Goulart of Brazil proposes agrarian reform, nationalization of oil. He’s ousted by U.S.-supported military coup.
1970 — Salvador Allende is elected in Chile. He suspends foreign loans and nationalizes foreign companies. For the phone system, Chile pays ITT the company’s minimized valuation for tax purposes. The CIA provides covert financial support for Allende’s opponents, both during and after his election.
1973 — U.S.-supported military coup kills Allende and brings Augusto Pinochet to power. Pinochet imprisons over a 100,000 Chileans, terminates civil liberties, abolishes unions, extends the work week to 48 hours, and reverses Allende’s land reforms.