Voice of the Dragon

TimeWatch Editorial
April 24, 2016

Christopher Lynn "Chris" Hedges was born September 18, 1956. He is an American journalist, activist, author, and Presbyterian minister. Hedges is also known as the best-selling author of several books including, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2009), Death of the Liberal Class (2010), the New York Times best seller, Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt (2012), and his most recent Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt (2015).

Chris Hedges has been consistent in his work of revealing the hidden hand of national and international control. In a recent article entitled “The American Empire: Murder Inc,” published January 3, 2016, he speaks to the matter of empire.

“Terror, intimidation and violence are the glue that holds empire together. Aerial bombardment, drone and missile attacks, artillery and mortar strikes, targeted assassinations, massacres, the detention of tens of thousands, death squad killings, torture, wholesale surveillance, extraordinary renditions, curfews, propaganda, a loss of civil liberties and pliant political puppets are the grist of our wars and proxy wars.” Chris Hedges, Truthdig, “The American Empire: Murder Inc”

Chris Hedges becomes incredibly specific regarding American Empire Building. His description of past events and the present covert and overt actions of the United States speak to her lamblike appearance while speaking like a dragon.

“Countries we seek to dominate, from Indonesia and Guatemala to Iraq and Afghanistan, are intimately familiar with these brutal mechanisms of control. But the reality of empire rarely reaches the American public. The few atrocities that come to light are dismissed as isolated aberrations. The public is assured what has been uncovered will be investigated and will not take place again. The goals of empire, we are told by a subservient media and our ruling elites, are virtuous and noble. And the vast killing machine grinds forward, feeding, as it has always done, the swollen bank accounts of defense contractors and corporations that exploit natural resources and cheap labor around the globe.” Chris Hedges, Truthdig, “The American Empire: Murder Inc”

The reality of Empire rarely does reach the American public. But even if it did, a public that has been brainwashed into first believing and accepting the idea of America Exceptionalism would probably not blink an eye. In its classic form, American exceptionalism refers to the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty. But there appears to have arisen a distorted view of the concept of American exceptionalism: The view of American entitlement. Regardless of the circumstance, the United States now believes that any action taken by its leaders, in almost any circumstance is justified and defendable. The only exception to this new rule would be if the action taken causes some sort of national embarrassment or discomfort. If however, the victim of the discomfort is some other nation, or group of people, then the action would be adjudged to be fine. Hedges describes in his article conversations he has had with Allan Nairn.

“There are very few journalists who have covered empire with more courage, tenacity and integrity than Allan Nairn. For more than three decades, he has reported from Central America, East Timor, Palestine, South Africa, Haiti and Indonesia—where Indonesian soldiers fractured his skull and arrested him. Nairn, whom I spoke with in New York, reaches back to the genocide carried out against Native Americans, the institution of slavery and the murder of hundreds of workers and labor union organizers in the 19th and early 20th century to explain the roots of American imperial violence. He noted that, although wholesale massacres have become taboo on American soil in recent generations, the FBI was carrying out selective assassinations of black radicals, including Fred Hampton , in the 1960s. And police show little constraint in gunning down unarmed people of color in poor communities.
But overseas there are no restrictions. The indiscriminate slaughter of real or imagined opponents is considered a prerogative of imperial power. Violence is the primary language we use to speak to the rest of the world. Equivalents of Wounded Knee and My Lai take place beyond our borders with an unacknowledged frequency.” Chris Hedges, Truthdig, “The American Empire: Murder Inc”

It matters little whether Republican or Democrat. The expectations are the same. Global dominance must be pursued at all costs.

“To this day,” Nairn said, “it is politically permissible for U.S. forces to carry out or sponsor assassinations of civilians—students, journalists, religious leaders, peasant organizers, whomever. In fact, in U.S. politics, if presidents are reluctant, or seem reluctant to do this, they get castigated. They get called a wimp. George Bush Sr. came under vicious attack when he attempted through covert means to mount a coup in Panama against [Manuel] Noriega and it failed. And there was a cover [of Newsweek, with the headline ‘Fighting the “Wimp Factor” ’] where they were attacking Bush Sr. for not being strong enough.” Chris Hedges, Truthdig, “The American Empire: Murder Inc”

Clearly then, the voice of the Dragon will continue to speak and intensify until the God of Heaven intervenes.

Cameron A. Bowen