The Bastards Never Die (Joe Bageant)

[Tace]

Joe Bageant at the Royal Tavern, Winchester, Va.

A short history of why we eat oil, can't smoke pot, and why assault weapons are so expensive in our hour of need

Joe Bageant -- World News Trust

(With running commentary by THE SCREAMING MAN)

Aug. 4, 2009 -- Well, for starters, the above title is a damned lie, since this little screed is not a history. It's just rumination on the tilting point at which Americans started the slide into the deepest sort of cultivated consumer consciousness -- which is to say our corporate managed engorgement and swinedom at the service of the rich.

Very rich families and corporatists, to whom, as in earlier articles, we shall refer to as "The Bastards," have always been with us. Even Tom Jefferson thought periodic revolution against wealth and authority was desirable to keep these bastards in check. Which implies that he figured they would inevitably get us by the throat down on the floor from time to time.

But the bastards scared the hell out of later presidents too. Abe Lincoln feared the large corporations born of business profiteering during the U.S. Civil War -- the military industrial complex of the day -- easily constituted the greatest threat to the American republic. Being president and all, he couldn't call them what they were, and settled for the term "money power," and predicted that, "money power will … work upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

And as everyone knows, Dwight Eisenhower famously feared the same military-industrial complex was busy taking over the nation. What we never hear about though, is that Eisenhower's definition of the complex included among the bastards, not only the military defense industry corporations, but also right alongside them the news media and the university and private research establishments.

more

http://www.worldnewstrust.com/component/content/article/90/3550-the-bastards-never-die-joe-bageant

[Wetzelbill]

1. nice post Tace

K and R.

[Tace]

2. Hey Wetzelbill

I always love posting Bageant stuff. Thanks and cheers

[bvar22]

3. In Eisenhower's first draft of this fameous speech.

...the term he used was "Military Industrial Congressional Complex".

"But, it is said, that the president chose to strike the word "congressional" in order to placate members of the legislative branch of the federal government."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-industrial_complex

It is clear even Eisenhower recognized who the worst scoundrels were.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Tace.:thumbsup:

[bertman]

5. Joe and the SCREAMING MAN. Two of my favorites. Excellent. This should be required

reading for American middle-schoolers. After reading this they'd at least understand WHY we teach history.

Recommend.

P.S. Tace, thanks for reminding me about Joe. I have not been to his site for months until yesterday.