The "Tipping Point" and "Critical Mass" Are We There Yet?

Just how many issues are facing “critical mass” while lingering at the “tipping point”? The way I see it, the volume of critically important decisions that must be made, and made soon, dwarfs any other period I have seen in my lifetime. The facts are that issues, problems and crisis are merging together to make a perfect storm that will affect the entire human race, sparing no one. While this may appear to be frightening to many, because of the threats that these issues pose to humanity, they cannot be ignored, and not dealing with these problems is no longer an option. These issues threaten our very existence as a species.

Just what are these issues that are such a threat to mankind’s continued existence? While many people and governments attempt to remain blithely ignorant of the situation, global climate change threatens to destroy upwards to half of all species of life on this planet. The irresponsible behavior of mankind towards the Earth is criminal in nature. The Amazon rain forest, which supplies twenty percent of the planets oxygen as well as removing nearly the same amount of carbon dioxide, is being destroyed at a rate which translates to an area the size of Belgium, being destroyed yearly. The Amazon rainforest which can be likened to the lungs of our planet can never be replaced. The discharge of fresh water from the mouth of this largest of rivers, makes up twenty percent of the fresh water discharged into the oceans. In fact, one minute of fresh water discharge from the Amazon into the Atlantic could provide New York City with its entire water needs for sixty years. The habitat of plants that haven’t yet been discovered, plants that could contain medicinal properties and cure disease, are being destroyed before scientists can evaluate their properties and possible uses. Once a species is gone from the Earth, it is gone forever. In this regard, there is no second chance.

There is another area in which the future of the United States, existing as a representative democracy, is in jeopardy. The number of American citizens that believe our constitution is being dismantled piece by piece, are growing at just about the same speed as the disassembly of certain laws that protect our freedom as expressed in the Bill of Rights. The United States is rapidly becoming a police state under the premise of this “Global War on Terrorism”. Terrorism and terrorists have existed since the dawn of time, and unfortunately, will continue to exist in one form or another until the curtain is drawn on our species. The United States of America has become a nation ruled by a group of paranoid fanatics that use the threats of terrorism and violence to invoke an external threat to its citizens in order to maintain compliance, to wage wars of aggression, under the guise of “protecting the homeland”.

The situation, in which we find ourselves, on its surface, resembles the war we fought in Vietnam. While the two wars have certain parallels, the facts underlying the circumstances are very different. During the Vietnam War, the US had more than a million soldiers on active duty. We conscripted soldiers and had a ready supply of replacements. We also were constrained by a powerful alliance of nuclear nations that supported our enemy. Toward the close of the war we had an organized resistance that opposed the war, and also a more independent media that did not “spin” the news as much as the corporate controlled media of today, which is largely owned by mammoth defense industries such as GE and Westinghouse, does. The media of the Vietnam era had a variety of owners, unlike the media conglomerates which now are owned and operated by a handful of corporate players that have a vested interest in prolonging this war, along with the huge defense industry contracts that produce record profits.

The Vietnam War was also very different than the wars we are fighting today in the Middle-East, in that the North Vietnamese were unified. The situation in Iraq is very different in that the Iraqi’s are largely split among sectarian lines. Civil war is a definite possibility, if in fact, it is not occurring now. The costs of this war, and the ramifications of continuing it, are staggering. We have spent, according to some sources, almost a trillion dollars that continues to be financed by borrowing from Japan, China and other nations. Our economy is headed south and we continue to add massive debt we owe to these nations. We see the dollar losing value as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and add to the money supply, causing inflation. Meanwhile, the politicians in Washington are hardly addressing these issues, and they get a free pass from the corporate media whose owners have a vested interest in prolonging this war indefinitely for the sake of the bottom line.

Journalists and political activists have recently used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to expose this administration’s sanctioning of torture while interrogating prisoners. President Bush, along with Rumsfeld, Rice and Cheney, have been exposed for authorizing harsh interrogation practices that are in violation of both domestic and international law, including the Geneva Conventions. While the administration is being exposed as lawbreakers, Congress and law enforcement agencies, most notably the FBI, do nothing. Again, this administration is given a free pass on breaking the law. Former military officers working as analysts for the major news networks were exposed last Sunday by The New York Times, for what they were doing. Instead of independent analysis, they were hawking the spin that they were receiving from the Defense Department while they attended meetings and seminars on how to promote the war. While this occurred, the mainstream media kept a low profile when reporting these events.

In light of all that has been discovered in recent weeks, the Democratic candidates are mute. This behavior by the fourth estate and the behavior of the Bush administration bring us to another “tipping point”, another situation that is reaching “critical mass”. How long will we wait before the people breaking the law are brought to some kind of justice? Attorney General Michael Mukasey continues to behave as if he were President Bush’s personal lawyer instead of the chief prosecutor for the people of the United States, much like his predecessors. Meanwhile, many Americans believe that things are spiraling out of control and some feel helpless to do anything about it. When I mention “critical mass”, I am referring to a point in time when the government feels it is under no obligation to explain its actions to the citizens of this nation. Cheney’s response to a question put to him mentioning that the majority of Americans do not support the war in Iraq, he responded with the word “So?” That off-hand remark spoke volumes on the mindset of this administration.

Global warming, the wars in the Middle-East, the corporate and governmental interference and censorship of our news media, along with draconian measures such as the illegal wire tapping of American citizens and laws such as The Patriot Act, The Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the John Warner Defense Bill (that dismantles Posse Comitatus and allows the National Guards of any State to be used as law-enforcement), Presidential Directive 51 that allows the executive branch to usurp the powers of Congress and The Supreme Court in the event of an “emergency” declared by the President, the use of torture in interrogations and practices such as “extraordinary rendition” are just a few examples of increasing governmental authority in the name of fighting “The Global War on Terror”. If the past is an indicator of the future in historical terms, we are almost to the point that Germany found itself before Hitler assumed dictatorial powers.

We have, in my opinion, indeed reached the precipice that so many historians, journalists and a number of elected officials have been talking about. The majority of Americans are blissfully unaware that this country is just a micron’s width away from fascism. There will be no announcement or fanfare when we reach that point. It will not be headlined in the newspapers or talked about on television.

As there will be no announcement on embracing fascism, there will also be no one to turn to for help. There will be nobody responding to a concerned citizen’s 911 call. There will be no powerful lobby that will fight for your constitutional rights. We may still have elections to give a semblance of legitimacy for the Federal Government and there may even be “First Amendment Zones” where you can vent your frustration toward an unresponsive government where no one can see or hear you. You will be monitored, and your communications with others will be subject to scrutiny, in the name of fighting a global war on terror. Criminals are increasingly called “terrorists” in order to deprive them of their constitutional rights. A designation of “terrorist” or “terrorist supporter” will mean no rights to representation by a lawyer; no charges need be filed against you and you will not have a right to a swift and speedy trial judged by your peers. You can be held indefinitely and tortured during interrogations and the government does not have to produce incriminating evidence against you.

This scenario is already in place and operating. We torture, kidnap, eavesdrop and censor. There is no next step in the process, everything has already been done. There are no more preparations that need to be done. The elections in many areas still have no paper trail to validate the outcomes. There are two major categories of laws, the ones that must be obeyed by the citizens of this nation, and the ones that the Federal Government can ignore. Have we reached critical mass, the tipping point, the precipice? Will the planet succumb to climate change while the people succumb to fascism? Have we already gone past the point of no return? Can we reign in abuse of the planet and at the same time the excesses of the Federal Government? We can, but it will take a certain amount of commitment and dedication. Those two values are in short supply here in America.

That’s the way I see it.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future