A quote from Congressman Collin Peterson — well expresses the United States' characteristic lack of knowledge and conscience

© 2018 Peter Free

 

14 December 2018

 

 

Introductory explanation

 

Today, I use a quote from a Congressman to sum a nationally shared attitude.

 

Statistically speaking, judging only by what I provide below, this leap of mine appears to have no validity.

 

Yet historically speaking, my metaphor — and the conclusion I draw therefrom — are inarguably true.

 

 

How today's blurb started

 

Five Democrats joined the entire Senatorial contingent of the Republican Party of the Anti-Christ in voting against scheduling a timely vote — to end American military assistance to Saudi Arabia's slaughter of innocents in Yemen.

 

These Democratic paragons of human virtue reportedly included Jim Costa, Al Lawson, Collin Peterson, Dutch Rupperberger and David Scott.

 

 

OMG, Pete, did any of them say why?

 

Washington Post reporter Jeff Stein managed to corral Representative Collin Peterson about his obstructing vote.

 

The following illuminating exchange ensued:

 

 

Can you explain your vote on the Yemen resolution?

 

I don't know a damn thing about it, and it should not be in [the farm bill] and it didn't do anything anyway.

 

What do you mean by that?

 

All it did was say they couldn't have a vote or something. Didn't authorize anything . . . . Our party gets off on tangents. It's ridiculous.

 

 

Did (the very long serving) Representative Peterson have a point?

 

Or was his a culturally indicative form of in-your-face stupidity?

 

 

Probably close to the latter — consider these facts

 

First

 

Everyone in Congress knows that the body inserts all sorts of topically irrelevant provisions into proposed bills. That is historically how the American legislature works. After all, the conniving pseudo-grifters there cannot have our citizens knowing what nonsense (or not) gets to ride on other provisions for votes that cannot be avoided.

 

Ergo, Collin Peterson's excuse about "tangents" is a dumbass dodge. Especially so, given his 27 years of service in the House.

 

Second

 

The American-assisted, Saudi-sponsored slaughter of people in Yemen has been going on for three and a half years.

 

Outrage about it is pretty much global. See, for instance, The Guardian's report from January this year.

 

Furthermore, Senator Chris Murphy — acting in the House's colleague legislative body — has been vociferously (and widely reportedly) trying to stop the American-assisted killing for many months.

 

No one even mildly concerned about the American military presences abroad would not know about our involvement in assisting Saudi war crimes in Yemen. Those crimes including, by the way, the intentional imposition of famine.

 

Nevertheless, Representative Peterson claimed, "I don't know a damn thing about it."

 

Uh huh.

 

And what rock of murdering brainlessness did you crawl from under?

 

 

Contemplate the implications of Peterson's statement . . .

 

. . . this time, regarding an arguably shared American mentality.

 

 

Let's start with some basic facts

 

The United States has been at self-inflicted perpetual war since 9/11.

 

We have introduced retaliatory chaos across sweeping portions of the Greater Middle East. Hundreds of thousands are dead. Millions displaced.

 

A refuge tide inundates Europe, provoking a resurgence of cultural nationalism and a very possible fragmentation of post-World War II stability there. All courtesy of our American "yours trulys".

 

And the United States is now doing its best to extend this humanity-despairing tumult into Africa's vastness.

 

 

Yet . . .

 

Virtually no one in our self-presumed Holy Light of Greatness cares. Not even enough to keep track of where (and what) the Military Industrial Complex is doing in the American name.

 

Representative Peterson's callously indulged asininity is symbolically indicative of this (most basic) American mindset.

 

Do keep in perspective — for statistical purposes — that the entire Senate complement of the Republican Party of the Anti-Christ voted exactly as Peterson et (Democratic) al did.

 

Inhumane disregard for overseas people — who are classified as enemies, adversaries, not-friends or just unessential — is not a minority American view.

 

 

The moral? — Adam Henry leadership is America's public face

 

After the five Democrats abandoned humanity's (much too late) ship — repulsed television commentator, Chris Hayes, tweeted that:

 

 

There is literally no domestic constituency of actual voters who are agitating for the US to continue facilitating the bombardment and starvation of Yemen.

 

 

For genuine accuracy's sake, Hayes should have said:

 

 

There is no substantial constituency in the United States that gives a shit about the American Establishment's continuing slaughter of brown and black folk in other places.

 

If it is not our personal blood and children, who are on the line — we simply don't care.

 

 

In that last regard, you may also recognize that the ripple of conscience that we are now seeing from other Democrats (regarding Yemen) — arose over the Saudis' murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

 

Not over the tens of thousands of slaughtered and starving Yemeni people, whom US weapons and aid have killed, maimed or dispossessed.

 

History persuades us that the exercise of rational forms of intelligence and even-handed ethics are not particularly American traits.

 

Our too casual mindset is why the United States' demon-emulating leadership regularly gets away with what it does.