Captive State
Taken from George Monbiot's Forum:
IMO, accurate and truthfull.
I would have posted the URL - but could not - so here it is in Full
Apologies to the Committee - in advance
Politics, religion, and socio-economic principles are but tools utilised by
those who would wield power over others in pursuit of their own selfish
ends. The arguments presented in this forum have little to do with the
values and sincerity of those holding to religious ideals, but instead very
much to do with the most inner state of man's heart and spirit. It matters
not what form evil takes, it is still evil, whether it beats within the
heart of of a Pope or in that of an Industrial tycoon, or that of a
government leader. It is all the same. It is the evil within men's hearts
that drive them to use these otherwise useful and protective tools against
people and the world itself.
It is the greed of men for power and money that drive them to use every
means available to get that power and money and then to hold on to it
against all assaults. It is the greed of men for power and money that deny
even the basics of a warm home and food and sufficient water and medicine to
masses across the world. It is the greed for money and power that fuel the
ceaseless wars we must endure. It is the instiable greed for money and
power that fuels the destruction of our planet's ability to renew itself.
It is the uncontrollable greed for money and power that are destroying our
civilisation's basic fabric weaved of the family unit and the rights of
people to pursue a decent living.
I hear so much emotional and pseudo-intellectual diatribe here (and
elsewhere) about the evils of religion (or lack thereof), but little
directed against those who use us and our most closely held beliefs to drive
their own agendas in the world. Much of the troubles in our complex modern
world, if followed to their beginnings can be traced to immensely rich and
powerful men who drive the engine of industry, especially the fossil fuel
and war industries.
Where is the moral outrage against these people? Where are the objections
to their abusive use of power and influence? We stand around blistering
each other over our respective failure to see "reality" and yet there are no
objections to be held up against the rich. It is the rich who manufacture
the weapons that are sold around the world to anyone with the money to buy
them and then influence their own goiven#rnments to go to war against them.
It is the rich who drive the corporations that rape the environment and
externalise costs of cleaning it up. It is the rich who hold much of the
world in debt bondage. It is the rich who influence legislation favouring
tax breaks to the their own kind, forcing many useful and good government
programmes to falter - programmes that serve us, the people. It is the rich
who influence staff and funding limits to regulatory agencies around the
world who would contrain industry against social injustices, environmental
destruction, and health and safety infractions. It is the rich who promise
job creation and never deliver. It is the rich who suck the money out of
social improvements and into profits.
And whilst the "free" market principles that our Western culture is built
upon have indeed raised our standard of living and in fact made our
societies richer in many respects (at least for now), this has been
accomplished in large part at the direct expense of the rest of the world.
It is the rich and their religion of money that influences international
trading laws that rob poor countries of their own possessions. It is the
rich operating under the guise of "free market" that prevent the weaker
countries of the world from growing their industries and reaping the produce
of their own hands. It is the rich who are destroying our forests and our
waters and our air with their policies of economic pillage and profit. We
spend billions and billions upon sports and entertainment industries, money
that could be used for so much good around the world. We allow our
politicians to create a climate of fear and to spend billions upon billions
at the wink of an eye for unjust wars to protect us - actually not to
protect the people (US), but the "interests" of the United States (US).
Where are the outcries against these acts? Where is the sense of moral
right that would cry out against such life-draining selfishness? Where is
the passion to constrain those who are destroying civilisation as we have
known it? Why are we cutting each other to pieces with simplistic arguments
over simplistics ideals? Why are we so quick to show each other our mental
prowess over others, but dull to the realities of what these masters of
deceit, the captains of industry, are doing to us whilst filling their
pockets with our gold and robbing people of the basic necessities of life?
If you wish to show your righteousness and your intellectual strength, then
show it to those who are dragging our society and our environment to the
brink of destruction. Fight the good fight, but fight the right enemy - not
each other. It is evil men, not evil religions that have produced the world
we live in. Turn your weapons against the real villains.
V. Wood
IMO, accurate and truthfull.
I would have posted the URL - but could not - so here it is in Full
Apologies to the Committee - in advance
Politics, religion, and socio-economic principles are but tools utilised by
those who would wield power over others in pursuit of their own selfish
ends. The arguments presented in this forum have little to do with the
values and sincerity of those holding to religious ideals, but instead very
much to do with the most inner state of man's heart and spirit. It matters
not what form evil takes, it is still evil, whether it beats within the
heart of of a Pope or in that of an Industrial tycoon, or that of a
government leader. It is all the same. It is the evil within men's hearts
that drive them to use these otherwise useful and protective tools against
people and the world itself.
It is the greed of men for power and money that drive them to use every
means available to get that power and money and then to hold on to it
against all assaults. It is the greed of men for power and money that deny
even the basics of a warm home and food and sufficient water and medicine to
masses across the world. It is the greed for money and power that fuel the
ceaseless wars we must endure. It is the instiable greed for money and
power that fuels the destruction of our planet's ability to renew itself.
It is the uncontrollable greed for money and power that are destroying our
civilisation's basic fabric weaved of the family unit and the rights of
people to pursue a decent living.
I hear so much emotional and pseudo-intellectual diatribe here (and
elsewhere) about the evils of religion (or lack thereof), but little
directed against those who use us and our most closely held beliefs to drive
their own agendas in the world. Much of the troubles in our complex modern
world, if followed to their beginnings can be traced to immensely rich and
powerful men who drive the engine of industry, especially the fossil fuel
and war industries.
Where is the moral outrage against these people? Where are the objections
to their abusive use of power and influence? We stand around blistering
each other over our respective failure to see "reality" and yet there are no
objections to be held up against the rich. It is the rich who manufacture
the weapons that are sold around the world to anyone with the money to buy
them and then influence their own goiven#rnments to go to war against them.
It is the rich who drive the corporations that rape the environment and
externalise costs of cleaning it up. It is the rich who hold much of the
world in debt bondage. It is the rich who influence legislation favouring
tax breaks to the their own kind, forcing many useful and good government
programmes to falter - programmes that serve us, the people. It is the rich
who influence staff and funding limits to regulatory agencies around the
world who would contrain industry against social injustices, environmental
destruction, and health and safety infractions. It is the rich who promise
job creation and never deliver. It is the rich who suck the money out of
social improvements and into profits.
And whilst the "free" market principles that our Western culture is built
upon have indeed raised our standard of living and in fact made our
societies richer in many respects (at least for now), this has been
accomplished in large part at the direct expense of the rest of the world.
It is the rich and their religion of money that influences international
trading laws that rob poor countries of their own possessions. It is the
rich operating under the guise of "free market" that prevent the weaker
countries of the world from growing their industries and reaping the produce
of their own hands. It is the rich who are destroying our forests and our
waters and our air with their policies of economic pillage and profit. We
spend billions and billions upon sports and entertainment industries, money
that could be used for so much good around the world. We allow our
politicians to create a climate of fear and to spend billions upon billions
at the wink of an eye for unjust wars to protect us - actually not to
protect the people (US), but the "interests" of the United States (US).
Where are the outcries against these acts? Where is the sense of moral
right that would cry out against such life-draining selfishness? Where is
the passion to constrain those who are destroying civilisation as we have
known it? Why are we cutting each other to pieces with simplistic arguments
over simplistics ideals? Why are we so quick to show each other our mental
prowess over others, but dull to the realities of what these masters of
deceit, the captains of industry, are doing to us whilst filling their
pockets with our gold and robbing people of the basic necessities of life?
If you wish to show your righteousness and your intellectual strength, then
show it to those who are dragging our society and our environment to the
brink of destruction. Fight the good fight, but fight the right enemy - not
each other. It is evil men, not evil religions that have produced the world
we live in. Turn your weapons against the real villains.
V. Wood