Dying
For Profit And Ego
Two decades ago, in the midst of the fear surrounding the terrorist
attacks of 9/11/2001, there was a push to go to war with Iraq. Even though were already in a new war against
terrorists around the world, the GOP (back before they became coopted into the
Trump Party) were sold on expanding that war into Iraq and against the dreaded
Saddam Hussein. Their connection to terrorism
was slim. Every attempt was made to link
Saddam Hussein with the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, and those didn’t
work.
Finally, the “base” of the GOP was sold on the idea that we should go to
war with Iraq for two things: “blood” and “treasure”. “Blood” because we were going after some
really bad people that have done some really bad things. And “treasure” being the oil fields that we could
claim for ourselves. Bear in mind that
this was back in the day when gas prices were a serious concern for Americans,
and we were heavily dependent on oil from outside sources.
“Blood and Treasure” were the justification for us waging war on Iraq,
taking over Iraq, overthrowing Saddam Hussein, sending even more soldiers to
fight and die for the cause, and then staying there even to this day.
And here’s the joke: we never even got that “treasure” that we were sold
on! All those lives sent there and lost,
and the only treasure was in war profiteering.
So now here we are in 2020, in the midst of a “war” that only exists in
the mind of an orange-skinned narcissist.
A war against a virus. And the “soldiers”
fighting this “war” are you and I.
The malignant narcissist in the White House and his gang of toadies and lackeys
want to treat the COVID-19 global pandemic as a “war”. Treating it as a “war” gives him emergency
powers. He can force businesses to do
his bidding, such as keeping certain businesses open, or requiring them to manufacture
certain products essential in fighting this “war”. But so far the only thing he’s done with
those powers was to order General Motors to make ventilators, which
they were already doing, and to keep the
meat production businesses open so he can keep getting his cheap
cheeseburgers, even though those businesses are suffering hard from COVID exposure
due to lack of social distancing.
In other words, it’s either theatrics, or else he’s forcing businesses to
keep putting people in danger of getting painfully sick and possibly dying...
for... what? So there wouldn’t be a
shortage in beef? So the narcissist can
have his cheap fast food cheeseburger?
Sorry, but the meat shortages were already there from all the hoarding
two months prior to this article.
And then there’s his new demand that businesses “open up”, going along
with the demands of Big Business and the tantrums being thrown by his red-hat
supporters. The narcissist in the White House
doesn’t want us to be safe in our homes, sheltering in place, waiting out the virus. That means we’re not going to restaurants and
hair salons. We’re not going to movie
theaters. And we’re not going to his ego
rallies.
If we’re at home, then we’re not at work.
That means unemployment checks, and now they’re $600 more thanks
to the little deal the narcissist had to sign off on because of this
emergency. A deal that he is trying to cancel
as soon as he can. Ditto with the “Paycheck
Protection Program”, which was so badly mismanaged that they ran out of
money early. The narcissist in the White
House needs people working, not being safe.
Because let’s get brutally honest here... what the narcissist in the White
House is more concerned with than human lives is the economy. He is banking on being the “savior” of the
American economy. That’s what he’s been
selling himself as from day one. He has
sold himself and his cult followers on the delusion that he is the apex businessman. All of his messages have been that he is the
reason why America prospers, and that if he is voted out, if he is removed from
office, then the economy will go to hell.
So this “war” that the narcissist in the White House is waging isn’t
really for America’s safety. It’s for
the economy. It’s for the profits of Big
Corporate and Big Heathcare and Big Pharma and all of the other Bigs out
there. And it’s also for his ego.
Profit and Ego.
That’s what this “war” is about.
And keep in mind that we – the great unwashed – are the ones that are “drafted”
into this “war”. From the guy who got
five draft deferments for “bone spurs”. The
narcissist even calls us his “warriors”. But it’s a “draft” without any military
benefits. None of us will be considered
veterans when this is over with. None of
us will get medals or qualify for the G.I. Bill. There will most likely not be any memorials
for this “war”. And our “war” dead will
certainly not be remembered on Memorial Day.
We will risk our lives for profit and ego and possibly get painfully
sick and even die for the narcissist and his Big Business friends. But it won’t be for our profit and certainly
not for our ego. We will gain nothing
from it except what meager pay we get from doing the work... if we’re not laid
off first.
There are people out there today that are doing their best to fight the spread
of the virus and limit the loss of life.
Doctors and nurses. Caregivers. But they’re not doing it because of glory or
profit or ego. They’re doing it because
that is their job. It’s not a “war” for
them. It is what they do. And when this pandemic is over, a lot of them
will still be doing what they do. They
deserve our gratitude and whatever benefit would come from this crisis. Not the ones beating the “war” drums that
risk nothing in return.
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