All American eyes on the economy not turmoil in Middle East
The US economy is coming apart at the seams, warns Randall Doyle
ON April 13, the US, Great Britain and France launched air strikes on Syrian research, storage and military targets.
The attack was publicly justified due to the Syrian Government’s use of chemical weapons on its own citizens near Damascus, killing more than 40 people. This human rights violation by a “non-Western nation” could not be tolerated. Thus, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was duly punished by three major military powers in the West.
Afterwards, US President Donald Trump declared, “mission accomplished”. I am not kidding. Yes, that former No.1 hit song in America in 2003 sung by one-hit wonder President George W. Bush.
Ironically, President Trump had campaigned in 2016 by ridiculing President Bush’s decisions in the Iraq War. Nevertheless, Trump didn’t waste any time dusting off Bush’s golden oldie. The public was not impressed.
The corporate media did their lap-dog duty by reporting another Western strike for freedom and justice against an another Arab/Muslim nation. Like previous attacks on the Middle East over the past 15 years, it accomplished nothing.
Did anyone notice the three Western empires were careful not to kill Russians on the ground? The three nations took steps to ensure they did not create an accidental and larger military catastrophe in Syria. Why? The US, UK and France wanted to look militarily tough and morally superior. And, secondly, these three nations did not want to stumble into a real war. This probably explains why the Pentagon was circumspect about this attack. The media parroted statements made by high-ranking military officials in the military establishment. Many in the military believed the attack on Syrian facilities was dubious. Why? Because Syria is a shattered nation. Most of its cities and towns are destroyed or damaged. Most of the Syrian carnage lays at the doorstep of President Bashar al-Assad. But, the former Western colonial powers, including Russia, have blood on their hands as well. As a result, millions of Syrians have evacuated their homes in the past decade. Most will not return. And, due to the West’s reluctance in accepting them as refugees, many Syrians face the prospect of becoming the new Palestinians of the Middle East — another proud people without a legitimate home. This development is a recipe for increased instability in a region that can little afford it.
In America, no one really cares about the attack on Syria. The nation is consumed by domestic matters. In Michigan, my adopted home state, and Middle America atlarge, it has turned inward.
Millions are demanding decent paying jobs, decent healthcare, public schools that work, community water that is drinkable, and a government that can get things done. The air attack by the US, UK and France has no impact on them.
The American military and its interventions simply do not register with a vast majority of Americans. Without the common draft, the modernday volunteer who enters the US Armed Forces is simply
not a concern for Main Street America. What is important?
The US is $21 trillion and counting in public/private debt. We are bracing for annual budget deficits of $1 trillion or more. The US Congress has lost control of the nation’s finances. A quiet panic has descended on Washington. Plus, US credit card debt is now over $1 trillion. And, student loan debt is over $1 trillion. The stock market has become unstable. Huge fluctuations occur daily. Consumer spending has declined for the first three months of 2018. A growing number of financial and market analysts are fearful of another Great Recession in the very near future.
Within American society, mass shootings (four or more dead) happen almost daily (300 in 2017). Opioid deaths surpass gun deaths. Suicides among those aged 45 to 65 are rising alarmingly. Millions of in-debt college graduates are unemployed or working at minimum wage jobs.
Automation and other technology are the primary culprits for 88 per cent of job losses in manufacturing.
The US is in turmoil. The empire is unraveling. Tens of millions of Americans are fighting for their existence. The nation’s economic, political and social institutions are overwhelmed or ineffective in the face of this impending societal calamity.
My suspicion is the 2020 presidential race is going to be extremely volatile.
In the final and truthful analysis, the recent air attack on Syria is irrelevant in modern America. No one cares.
It is economics, not war, that occupies the minds of Americans in 2018.
The US is in turmoil. The empire is unraveling