Romneyland

I should be writing about the World Series, or the weather, or my grandson Xander. I would like to, but instead my mind keeps drifting toward a frightening image: what the world will look like when we all awaken from our slumbers two weeks from today, with Mitt Romney as President-elect. It could happen. I am still convinced that it will not happen, that President Obama will win re-election by a comfortable margin, both by popular vote and in the Electoral College. But two things have to happen for that result to occur. One, people have to come out and vote, and they have to vote in favor of their own interests and not the imagied greater good as postulated by an outsourcing Prince from the American elite who wants to up military spending and down women's rights. Perhaps we believe in American militarism. I'm not talking about military preparedness and defending ourselves. We proved in 1941 that we could mobilize an entire nation in short order and fight a massive two front war with a Citizen Army. I am talking about the fact that we hold the most powerful military in human history and out spend per year the next fifteen great nations combined. What is all that hardware for? Look at the map, and follow the money. The American military is not there to protect you and me. I repeat, they are not our protectors. They are deployed all around the world to protect somebody, but it is not the common citizen of the United States. Look at the map, follow the money. Under the guise of promoting democratizing the Middle East, we are taking control of the region and its oil -- and the "we" in that sentence refers to American led corporate interests. And if you disagree that our motives in this region are driven by profit, at least you should acknowledge that the people in the Middle East believe it is, and winning their allegiance under that cloud will be tricky at best. We were warned 52 years ago to beware the military-industrial complex, by a man who was an great American hero, a Republican, a President and a General, by the name of Dwight David Eisenhower. We have forgotten his warning, while the MIC has grown and entrenched itself to the point that America's military has become a mercenary force basically for hire. Candidate Romney in fact wants to increase military spending should he win, by something like 25%. Meanwhile our poor grow in number and our status among other developed nations in education, health and welfare keep dropping. Taking care of our neighbors is not a priority. Add to that the growing repressive attitude toward women, and a domino effect seems to be building, but this time as the dominos fall they will tumble over our rights, our freedoms, and the already outsourced American Dream. But our military is strong! The Romney Presidency promises to look something like this: By 2014, women will no longer have the right to choose, down to contraception. Barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen with ya, gals! Abortion will be illegal even in the case of rape. Legitimate rape to follow. But don't ask the State for help. And there will be a war, probably against Iran. Maybe we should elect Mitt Romney President so the illusions Americans persist in holding dear will be blasted apart by the truth of just how little we really matter to the powers that be and their bottom line.