As a species, humanity is the world’s most spectacular creation.  Whether shaped by evolution or divinity, its complexity is unparalleled, and progress unchallenged.  Man is supposed to be a benign, social creature, and throughout my life, I have met hundreds of amazing people.  Unfortunately, its cumulative history states otherwise.  That is why I have always been particularly obsessed with the concept of WAR over the past two decades.

My interest in WAR was initially piqued by literature – and film – about one of the most tragic wastes of life of the 20th Century – Vietnam.  Everything about this horrific event is deplorable, including:

1. The misguided reasons it was conceived

2. Fraudulent catalysts for its launch

3. 1.5 million deaths

4. Tens of billions of wasted capital

5. The appalling treatment of war veterans

But America’s “leaders” thought it a wise idea, not 20 years following World War II and 50 after World War I.  A combined 75 million were killed and 150 million injured – not including the other, myriad consequences of global conflagration, with little to show for it.

Before Vietnam, the U.S. was viewed as a human rights “protector,” itself a misnomer given the large amount of questionable wars it participated in during its first 150 years of existence –  many in conquest of native Indian lands.

List of Wars involving the United States – Wikipedia

However, for the most part that description fit well, and even Vietnam – misguided or not – had an element of brainwashed belief that the Vietnamese were somehow being protected by our presence.  Unfortunately, as America’s economic and political POWER increased, so did the size of its government, ego, and ambition.  Moreover, it should be no surprise this “triumvirate of evil” exponentially expanded when the gold standard was abandoned in 1971, a direct result of the Vietnam War.  With money comes ego, and with ego ambition, as Yoda might say.

Regardless of the real story behind 9/11 – you know my view – it was incredible to see America, just 27 years after Vietnam ended, invading another large nation under questionable auspices.  In this case, the President didn’t even ask for a Constitutionally-required war declaration, and Congress could care less.  Hence, another decade-long WAR for no apparent reason, killing another 1.5 million people – although all you’ll ever hear about are the 6,300 U.S. soldiers.  And let’s not even go into the injuries, mental trauma, property destruction, and economic collapse caused by the war.  You know, things that don’t matter to Americans, so long as the government sends its “free lunch.”

Just Foreign Policy – Iraq Deaths

The Iraqi War “ended” just two months ago – while the still more ridiculous Afghanistan campaign rages on – and already the troops, thinned out and traumatized, have been deployed to the Persian Gulf to prepare for our next incursion, World War III.

Even to the casual observer, there can be no doubt America and Israel desperately want WAR, as they could not be more OVERT with their statements, actions, and plans.  Heck, we have not only sanctioned Iran to the point that it is on cusp of hyperinflation and economic collapse, but have threatened our ALLIES if they don’t sanction Iran as well.  We continue to speak of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, which obviously we know as little about as we did of Iraq’s supposed “Weapons of Massive Destruction.”  Not to mention, the since disproven allegations that Saddam Hussein funded 9/11.

As we speak, GLOBAL gasoline prices are at all-time highs – with the heavily populated Northern Hemisphere not yet in its summer driving season – amidst an expanding global recession that will deteriorate dramatically if an Iranian military confrontation commences.

So WHY on Earth are we doing this?   WHAT positive outcome can be achieved?  And WHO will benefit?

To explain this conundrum, go no further than the last question – WHO will benefit.  There is no simpler question than WHO will benefit, nor WHO has benefitted from essentially ALL the catastrophic decisions that led to the demise of the global economy.  And that answer is thus – the Military-Industrial Complex, and the true “axis of evil” – Washington, Wall Street, and the Main Stream Media.

I would love to find a deeper psychological or philosophical meaning behind man’s actions, but have unfortunately been jaded by four decades of observation.  And sadly, what I’ve learned is the quest for POWER and – particularly – MONEY, is man’s tragic flaw.  For millennia, cultures have annihilated each other in the quest for POWER and MONEY, although such MONEY was not “dollars” but PHYSICAL gold and silver.  Millions of good people will live until this inevitably occurs, and many will fall victim to this same tragic flaw.  Eventually, mankind will be destroyed by the Earth, aliens, or its own hand, but until that time, expect nothing less than what it has always achieved – MASS DESTRUCTION.