Why some nations become extinct

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from The Philippine Star

It has become a historical reality that strong nations tend to either dominate or obliterate weaker nations. Even the powerful nations today have evolved from a weak nation in the past that was also either subjugated or dominated.

One needs only to read the Old Testament of the Holy Bible to see how the history of the Israelites had similar experiences of being the promulgators of genocide and the victims of domination at some point in time. King David adopted a policy of genocide when he conquered neighboring kingdoms. There were periods when the Israelites were under the domination of Babylon and Egypt.

Under development invites the domination or subjugation by a powerful nation. In fact, even powerful nations can become subjugated by another as seen from the Macedonian-Greek conquest of Persia led by Alexander the Great. The tribal and scientifically backward Native Americans were victims of systematic genocide. In Africa, genocide was evident in the many contemporary conflicts there.

The 20th century Empire of the United States of America was established with the subjugation of weaker nations. Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines did not send invitations to the US government for them to be subjugated. They were all brazenly taken over when the US decided to expand in 1898. These actions were later justified as Manifest Destiny.

As an empire, the US was wise to make full use of the tools of public relations. Gullible Filipinos bought hook, line and sinker the US projection of being a benevolent colonizer — out only to promote freedom and democracy. Few Filipinos are able to differentiate the generous, democracy loving and humanitarian Americans like the Thomasites from the Imperial US that did not hesitate to promote dictatorships in Central and South America as well as here in Asia if dictatorship served US interests.

During our early colonization by the US, they sent Brigadier General Jacob H. Smith here to quell the local resistance to American occupation. Before his tour of duty here, Gen. Smith had figured prominently in the Wounded Knee massacre of Native Americans where women and children were killed.

During the Philippine campaign, Gen. Jacob H. Smith issued this order to his executive officer, Major Littleton Waller: “I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn the better it will please me. I want all persons killed who are capable of bearing arms in actual hostilities against the United States.” This underscored Smith’s genocidal tendency.

When Major Waller asked Gen. Smith if there were any exceptions to his order, Smith replied: “Ten years.” Anyone above the age of ten was subject to extermination.

If you think that this was an isolated case in US military history, you could not be more wrong. This was repeated against allied South Koreans in the No Gun Ri Massacre and against allied South Vietnamese in the My Lai Massacre. During the Second World War, Filipinos fought with the Americans against Imperial Japan. Guess who got more benefits from the US after the war — Japan, the former enemy.

After granting us independence in 1946, the US continued to take advantage of our country by imposing one sided treaties and by their continued interference in our affairs. The Marcos dictatorship happened because the US was promoting dictatorships during that period to stem the Communist threat — the feared Domino Theory following the fall of Cuba and Vietnam to the Communists.

It is not intended to promote hatred against Americans by reviving these bitter episodes of our history. Rather, the intention is for the Filipino to finally mature and realize that the US is not the Big Brother many of our countrymen fantasize American officialdom to be. The Native Americans liked to call the US president as the Great White Father. For being overly trusting and ignorant, they were almost wiped out.

Last November 2009, US State Secretary Hillary Clinton visited our country and was welcomed like a Roman Empire Proconsul and a conquering hero. Like idiots — people who do no know the truth — many of our countrymen did not understand that the Clinton visit was to pursue the big US agenda in Mindanao which almost resulted in that abominable MOA-BJE (Memorandum of Agreement for a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity).

US interest to control the vital shipping lanes in the South China Sea as well as US desire for the oil and gas in the South China Sea would have Balkanized Mindanao. Yet, we greeted the US State Secretary like a conquering hero. The shipping lanes are vital for the projected conflict with China where the US could blockade these to deprive China of vital shipments, including its imported oil. The oil in the South China Sea is also claimed by China.

Should the US get its way in Mindanao, China will see this as a direct threat to Chinese national security and that will effectively place our country as the frontline in the eventual US-China conflict. National Security expert Victor Corpus opined that we can expect China to launch a pre-emptive first strike. China, like Japan, believes in a war policy of pre-emptive first strike which is something the Chinese did to the US-led forces during the Korean War.

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Chair Wrecker e-mail and website: macesposo@yahoo.com and www.chairwrecker.com