Why America Feels Like it's Been Ruled by a Foreign Occupier

As Obama takes over the wreckage this country is in, one can't help but feel like something alien to America has been controlling it these past eight years. The wave of emotion that has erupted with the election of Barack Obama reminds me of the Allied victory in France in WWII. After a long foreign occupation in which foreign German interests occupied the agenda of France, French governance would once again be representing the concerns of it's populace. That hope seems to pervade America after it's long neocons occupation. Here are a few of the parallels that I see.

- American Public Opinion Has Been Ignored

Polling has consistently shown that the American government pursues an agenda far to the right of American public opinion. For the slight margin of victory that Bush had in both elections he won, the sweeping changes he pursued illuminate his disregard for the sizable chunk of our society that disagree with him.

When Dick Cheney was questioned on ABC about whether the fact that two thirds of Americans were opposed to the Iraq War had any influence on decision-making, he basically said that the American people get to make their input every four years and after that they can be ignored. The government is there to represent the people and now that it seems like that is returning; joy is understandable.

- Core American Values Overturned

America fought a revolution to have its opinions represented by it's government. That has faded in Bush's term. America set up the UN after World War II to set up international law and put an end to military aggression and imperialism. That went out the window. Habeas Corpus was inherited from England where it originated in the 12th Century. Bush in that sense has embraced the morals of the middle ages. Along that line, America reinstituted the use of torture. England discontinued its use in the 1600's Frederick the Great ended it in Prussia in 1740, Italy in 1786, France in 1789, and Russia in 1801. Besides moral reasons, the practice was written off as ineffective in terms of yielding useful information. This administrations moral conduct is clearly alien to the values of most Americans.

- Basic Infrastructure Neglected

Bridges, roads, and environmental standards have degraded these past eight years. What could be of more interest to a population than the upkeep of these vital elements of society? Clearly the vital interests of the population did not matter. You would have to be completely foreign to what America is not to see it, as basic infrastructure degraded tremendously in Bush's tenure.

- National Resources Diverted Overseas

If you study any foreign occupation, one common thread would be that national wealth would be diverted into foreign lands. While American healthcare, education, and infrastructure languished, we dumped billions of dollars into Iraq and pursued an otherwise aggressive and destructive foreign policy across the world at large at tremendous cost.

On top of that, national debt doubled the past eight years. It's like America lost a war, suffered an occupation and had to pay a 5 trillion dollar indemnity. We're in a similar position to France in 1870 or Germany in 1919 in that our common interests have been ignored, we've pursued an aggressive foreign policy to our own detriment and we are now deeply in debt.

- Propaganda Tuned Up

Bush took the stance of a foreign occupier in his governance- rational argument would never win the minds and hearts of the masses so crude propaganda such as Fox News was trotted out to scare and paralyze America into obedience. The same quest for obedience through misinformation and crude scare tactics are the same you see in the totalitarian governments from South America to Asia that have brought nothing but misery to their own people and the world at large.

Comments

[lifeinfullcolor]

Where's all this money going to come from? They just keep throwing money at all these corporations, bailing them out, the stock market acts like a spoiled child in a toy store, having a fit until it gets what it wants. Everyone keeps saying the stock market likes that, what's happened to all these people who've lost half their savings already, why aren't they being bailed out, people who've done the right thing, saved for their retirement, only to watch the financial world run amuk with their savings. We're spending 10 billion a month in Iraq, going on 6 years, we have almost as many contractors over there as we have troops. Years ago a friend of mine said that Bin Ladin just had to sit in a cave and watch how we destroy ourselves, in a simular fashion to how the Soviets did by fighting a war in Afghanistan, we'd go into debt and come toppling down.

[OctoberSkies]

Bin Laden wins with the help of the Republicans!

[thromulese]

“For the slight margin of victory that Bush had in both elections he won”

The comparison to an occupying force is even more dramatic when you factor in the reality that bush never won an election to the white house. Like some dictator with friends on the court, in 2000 he was “anointed” king by the Supremes. And in 2004 george stole the election in Ohio, and Florida with the help of his friends at Diebold.

Obama is our first truly elected president to occupy the White House in 8 years. Soon (but not fast enough) we’ll have our country back. And the incompetent corrupt thugs that have trashed everything they have touched will slither back to their cold, dark shadows. Awaiting their next opportunity to assault the constitution and Americas honor.

[KOisGod]

Bravo !

[Emerald1943]

These two men, Bush and Cheney, have caused much more damage than AlQaeda could have ever done!

Why won't the Congress impeach them both? We have been robbed, folks!

[Overd0g]

What a load of garbage. Now the party with a 9% approval rating in congress gets to control the White House too. That really bodes well. You really need to stop mainlining the Dem coolade.

[Puzes]

Excuse me? Whose coolaid have you been drinking?

[rabiddog6708]

And you probably should stop trying to maintain a coherent thought. It is obviously hard for you to do so.....it is certainly is hard for a lot of us to read them expressed here.

[jimbeaux1961]

Overdog, I'm having trouble finding any and it's a little confusing; are you a two-time GW Bush Voter?

[CaliforniaMike]

Congress consists of Democrats and Republicans, and there are only 49 Democratic senators in Congress. It seems awfully interesting that despite that "low approval rating," voters gave Dems big gains in both houses.

Voters aren't always fooled -- they knew the Rethugs were blocking everything good.

[peterg76]

The government has blatantly been run for the benefit of corporations at the expense of citizens. And way too many people didn't care.

[OctoberSkies]

Excuse me! Hello! That is called fascism!!!

[cactusgal]

To me it's more like we've been suffering from a horrible disease for 8 years and have been ravaged by it. Now the Dr. says we're going to make it, but our quality of life is going to be compromised for a long long time. And by the way, here's the bill for the treatment...

[LejandroCruz]

That disease had two separate causes--apathy and ignorance. We've gotten an antibiotic for the apathy, but the ignorance is still quietly running rampant. The cessation of symptoms indicate that the problem has gone dormant temporarily and will metastasize and resurface in the next 4 years.

[seachanged]

Brilliant analysis Lejandro. Very poignant and succinct. Although I am an optimist at heart, I think we may have already lost an arm and a leg. Apathy and ignorance are a brutal combo. the pundritry have done their jobs, but the few viewers that are the wiser are growing and growing, becvoming the many. More people are getting their news and ideas "elsewhere', so there is hope!

[S1m0n]

You know, the folks presently being occupied by the US should be so lucky as to suffer no worse than the above misfortunes. REAL occupation, as Iraq can attest, comes with tens of thousands of dead civilians.

[Overd0g]

Yeah, but remember that before we invaded, according to sources trumpeted by certain oft quoted sources, 1,000,000 Iraqi children were dying a year from the sanctions. I'd say things are much better with only 10's of thousands dead. Or do you prefer 1M children dead?

[rabiddog6708]

What color is the sky in your world, Overdog? So, your twisted reasoning is that less Iraqis are dying because of the invasion than the stupid sanctions, thus it was better for us to invade a country who did not attack us or our allies and posed no credible threat to us than to keep imposing economic sanctions that accomplished nothing in regafrds to regime change? Man, too bad the Bush Admin is going out of business in two months, you would have fit right in.

[acacia72]

"Yeah, but remember that before we invaded, according to sources trumpeted by certain oft quoted sources, 1,000,000 Iraqi children were dying a year from the sanctions. I'd say things are much better with only 10's of thousands dead. Or do you prefer 1M children dead?"

Overdog, why did we have to have ANY Iraqi children dead?

[hnealehcn]

Wrong.

Should be hundred of thousands

[hnealehcn]

Hundred of thousands died and not tens of thousands.

[westcoastsc]

Now we understand all that has happened, but the people who brought these things up are conspiracy theorists. You think this is bad, People? This is the tip of the iceberg!!!

[nikto]

When people think they need religion, is
when they get the bad government they deserve.

[daddyG56]

A lot of middle-aged republicans I had the misfortune of speaking to during the presidential campaign kept telling me Obama "scared the hell out of them." I don't mean one or two, I mean literally dozens of white men (and a couple of women) told me they were scared of what his presidency would do to this country. Of course I asked each one why they would be afraid. The answers ranged from "he's a muslim/ socialist/ Manchurian candidate (pick one, two or all three) to "the country just isn't ready for a black president." A few even said "he'll never serve a day, someone will kill him before he takes the oath."
My answer was always the same. I'd say "Maybe you should be more afraid of McCain keeping us on this same path for four more years." That would at least shut a few of them up, though I'm sure it didn't change any of their minds.
A day or two before the election, I told my wife I felt as though they deserved to be as scared as we were the last eight years. Sensible and grounded lady that she is, she pointed out that, in her opinion, nobody deserved to feel that way. She was right. God Bless ALL of America.

[richardwb]

In my opinion, unrepentent torturers and murderers Deserve to experience the consequences of their actions.
If we don't hold the war criminals accountable, shame on America.
Best Wishes,
World Peace.
(Salinas, Calif., usa)

[TakeTheCanolis]

I'm 53. I come from a working class background. I've lived with spoiled brat baby boomers and their racist parents from "the greatest generation" my whole life. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to read your post, and those of the many energetic, young commenters and bloggers of the Huffington Post and other websites. You people are like the Seventh Cavalry to me and to our nation!

Your wife is indeed wise in not wishing revenge against average citizens. Saints or sinners, we're in this mess together, and we have to work our way out together. A successful Obama administration should convert those who are merely a little frightened. But when it comes to The Bush Crime Family, your anger is perfectly justified as you know it is. Obama must not repeat Clinton's error of ignoring the criminals from the previous administration. These criminals will continue their destructive path. And you are quite right in confronting middle aged folk about their irrational beliefs. What good is free speech, if we can only talk about sports and the weather?

[goodriddance]

8 years of arrogance...8 years of indifference to maintaining the good name of the United States

www.goodriddance.org

[CaptD]

It seems Bush is putting the finishing touches on his good bye presents for the US & the World... Big oil/Foreign Oil is now positioned to buy up Corp. America (including GE) and Obama will have MANY MORE problems to deal with as Bush's in-action is driving the US/World into MAJOR economic collapse, BYE GEORGE!.

Consider what will happen if we begin to reduce our oil dependency, what then will happen to Big Oil? The answer is that they will have INCREASED earnings having bought all the major suppliers of energy and any other segments of America's industry that look promising for "pennies" on the dollar, having just earned record MEGA profits!

Unless Obama gets Bush to stand up and ask for joint effort now, OUR economy will continue to go downward faster and faster fueled by international foreign Oil fueled shorting.

Would Obama have the votes to nationalize the Big Oil companies for the "good" of the US?

History may note that Bush's final gift to America was another WW I (Worldwide Woes) or EWW 1 (Economic World War One) that will make it MUCH harder for Obama to change as many things as he indicated during his election speeches. Then in four years of desperate times globally, the Rep.'s will say that he did not keep his promises to the American people, the campaign to be funded by Big Oil (and it's investors) which finally controls most of the industrial might of America!

[Overd0g]

If he does, you can look forward to the second American revolution.

[cgr]

Very insightful. And yes, that's exactly what it feels like. We've watched in horror as the Bush regime has acted arbitrarily, dishonorably and betrayed our values both home and abroad. We watched Bush riding happily in his golf cart in the same news show that showed Katrina victims dying in the heat and begging for water. We've had a taste, just a taste, of what it is to live under tyranny, and we revolted, and can celebrate once again; we're Americans, we're free, we are an honorable people.

[WhoneedsGoverment]

Sadly, No matter how many laws, This will happen again.

To me, this was(is) a repeat of the late 60's and seventies.

You have to experience it to believe it. We have a self-centered goverment at the root of the problem. When the attitude changes, then things will get better.

STILL, only 65% of voters voted. 55million people voted for McCain...duh

[spinmas]

I agree 100% with that scared into obedience line..I am in a situation in the bible belt where religion is being presented to me this way..I makes me see clearly how extremist get people to become terroist and human bombs!