What Have We Wrought?

It’s a failed experiment, this thing called democracy.  

As so chillingly foretold by a multitude of Native American Indian spokesmen in the days of westward expansion and nation building by our unwelcome forefather immigrants, conquest by force would never result in fairness or justice, not for the conquered and most assuredly not for the conquerors.  

Americans sometimes complain bitterly that Indian culture and tradition has been hopelessly romanticized by myth, claiming that until the superior white culture overran and conquered the pagan savages, they wallowed in pitiful ignorance and depravity. Never mind the fact that such ignorant claims are themselves, pitiful.  

In fact, American Indians lived in a spiritual harmony with the one true God, often referred to simply as Grandfather, which is virtually unknown beneath the cold steel steeples of civilization. They practiced real democracy to a degree that would shock most Americans wherein, without coercion, all able-bodied men employed their abilities to contribute to the well-being of their families and by extension, the entire community. Women were included in decision-making on matters both great and small, children were cherished and nourished, rather than smothered daily in cramped authoritarian indoctrination camps called schools and elders were honored for their great life wisdom, rather than being warehoused and neglected in old folks homes.

Before the invaders brought this thing called democracy to those they called savages, democracy flourished in the natural world, which served as both home and school for the First Americans and although they weren't graded by their ability to scratch out complicated formulas on SAT tests, most could add, subtract, multiply and divide in their heads faster than today's college graduate can tap out equations on a calculator. This is supported by U.S. Army documents reporting that officers and enlisted personnel were surprised to discover that Apaches were quicker in math, than U. S. Army clerks, using pen and paper.

There was great competition to excel both among and within the American tribes, but not for the sake of lording it over the less successful, nor to attain a maximum debt limit on yet another credit card, but as an outgrowth of community and as a necessity for the survival of the whole. That, my friend, is democracy at work, with laws unwritten, unchanging and understood by all.

But that was then and the invaders whooped ‘em good, didn’t they? So now you claim the invasion and nation-builders did those wild Injuns a good turn by civilizing and democratizing them, (and it is a fact that the descendents of the survivors who managed to get to the reservations in one piece do get to vote out a corrupt BIA official now and then).  

Two centuries later and we’re still at it. Now its civilizing, democratizing and nation building a new Iraq, which will serve as a convenient springboard to conquer the rest of the Middle East for democracy.  Even though caught red handed in murderous lies, America’s esteemed leaders refuse to admit their complete moral bankruptcy in initiating this unwarranted pre-emptive war and accept defeat. If they must kill additional thousands of natives and relegate survivors to reservations to make the world safe for democracy, American style, they will do it. After all, those Ay-rabs are just pagan savages, wallowing in pitiful ignorance and depravity. Now, where have I heard that line before?  

Of course, in the aftermath, the surviving Iraqis will be allowed to vote for their very own corrupt BIA (Bureau of Iraqi Affairs), although their choices will be limited to the invading administration’s choices, since they haven’t learned how democracy really works yet.  

Stop a moment and wipe the smog from your eyes.  What do you have that is so darned good that you’d want to spread it around?  Maybe it would be good to take a breather from the Clear Channel war games and ponder what favors spreading democracy has wrought for us, the conquerors?  

Are you equal yet?

Are you free yet?  

Are you happy yet?  

Well, of course not. But it’s a war, baby. Get with the program. Pay your share. Make somebody suffer. War is hell, (of course, that’s not exactly true if you happen to be a contractor who’s in the business of building weapons of mass destruction for the US Department of Pre-Emptive Defense, AKA, US DOPED, then it’s just good business sense).  

So, in the wake of the United States being universally sullied by now exposed war-making liars, in the wake of thousands of dead and wounded American sons and fathers, tens of thousands of dead and wounded Iraqis, debt piling on top of un-payable debt, please define pitiful ignorance for me one more time. Define civilized. Define savage and depraved.  

Could someone please direct me to the nearest Reservation?