http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/IB01Aa01.html

"History tells us that one of the most unstable political combinations is a country - like the United States today - that tries to be a domestic democracy and a foreign imperialist."

"We Americans are on the brink of losing our democracy for the sake of keeping our empire. Once a nation starts down that path, the dynamics that apply to all empires come into play - isolation, overstretch, the uniting of local and global forces opposed to imperialism, [color="Red"]and in the end bankruptcy."

[color="Red"]Could the people themselves restore constitutional government? A grassroots movement to abolish secret government, to bring the CIA and other illegal spying operations and private armies out of the closet of imperial power and into the light, to break the hold of the military-industrial complex, and to establish genuine public financing of elections may be at least theoretically conceivable. But [color="Red"]given the conglomerate control of the US mass media and the difficulties of mobilizing America's large and diverse population, such an opting for popular democracy, as we remember it from our past, seems [color="Red"][color="Red"]unlikely.

[color="Red"]Whatever future developments may prove to be, my best guess is that the US will continue to maintain a facade of constitutional government and drift along until financial bankruptcy overtakes it.

Certainly, such a bankruptcy would mean a drastic lowering of Americans' standard of living, a further loss of control over international affairs

if the American people do not find a way to choose democracy over empire - at least our imperial venture will end not with a nuclear bang but a financial whimper. From the present vantage point, it certainly seems a daunting challenge for any president (or Congress) from either party even to begin the task of dismantling the military-industrial complex, ending the pall of "national security" secrecy and the "black budgets" that make public oversight of what the government does impossible, and bringing the president's secret army, the CIA, under democratic control. It's evident that Nemesis - in Greek mythology the goddess of vengeance, the punisher of hubris and arrogance - is already a visitor in the United States, simply biding her time before she makes her presence known.