In the aftermath of the December 30 suicide bombing in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA employees, US drone assaults in Pakistan’s northwest border region have increased in number with the resultant “collateral damage.” Seventeen such missile launchings occurred on February 2, the largest number in a single day. We may never know how many innocent people were killed, especially since Pakistan’s ruling party and the military are complicit in trying to cover up civilian deaths. On the other hand, the outrage of the Pakistani people over these pre-emptive attacks keeps growing. A recent poll of Pakistan citizens resulted in over 90 percent opposed to the drones.
Given the growing criticism of the use of such technology, it may seem surprising that the Quadrennial Defense Review, released as part of the Pentagon budget request for 2011, calls for even great reliance on drones and special counterinsurgency forces for myriad projected threats. In fact, no longer is the Pentagon focused on just a two-war strategy; rather, the Review contemplates multiple campaigns in the future. One has to wonder about this deep denial of imperial overstretch represented in the Review.
To pay for such military operations, the Pentagon budget continues to grow like a cancer. Since 2001, Pentagon spending has risen by 70 percent. The 2011 budget submitted by the Obama administration proposed a record 708 billion, excluding the 33 billion it will be asking additionally for 2010 military operations in Afghanistan.
This insatiable military machine appears to be sapping the very life blood of the nation, recalling in the process Dr. King’s warning that spending more on military than social programs opens up the possibility of “spiritual death.” With the economic meltdown and spending freezes, it appears that such forecasted death is as much material as spiritual.
It has been almost 40 years since Richard Nixon’s national address announcing the invasion of Cambodia. Although four decades have passed and different circumstances now confront a dying US empire, one of the key articulations in that speech still resonates among the political class. “If, when the chips are down,” Nixon intoned, ” the world’s most powerful nation, the USA, acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations and free institutions throughout this world.”
It is clear that the ruling elite in Washington continue to rely on such rhetoric to reassert their right to determine the fate of others. Irrespective of the touting of “smart power” by Barack Obama, the US is acting with brute, dumb power as a rather pitiless, punitive giant. Can the fall of this Goliath be close at hand?
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.