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humint
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HUMINT: American Empiricist Imperialism: any instance of aggressive extension of authority. Empiricism: an iterative approach that argues for study of events through observation and the formulation of new policy based on lessons learned. How long should the American People wait before they start taking foreign policy matters into their own hands? Indeed they already have! There is a domestic backlash against an absurd narrative that claims “the United States is an empire”. The United States is definitely not an empire, but few Americans are willing to state the obvious. Even fewer are willing to aggressively tell the truth. American wars are anti-empire. American wars are for liberation, not occupation. That’s why Americans are pro-victory. American wars have always been about liberation and I believe American wars always will be about liberation. Because of a leadership vacuum on this issue, Americans are once again solving their political problems themselves. Now, we are witnessing the rise of ideological entrepreneurs inside and outside America who aren’t willing to wait for their elected officials to wake up. Like Paul Revere, they are raising the Alarm, here, here and here ... Indeed, there is a natural awakening happening across America that can be felt --- in our libraries and in our classrooms --- temples, synagogues, churches and mosques --- inside coffee shops, book stores and restaurants --- wherever people meet. Indeed, elected American officials have been unwilling or unable to acknowledge the awakening for what it represents. I have a feeling that that’s about to change. It doesn’t take a genius to realize democratic change always lags behind the spirit of the electorate. In a way, that’s the beauty of democracy --- slow, steady, and stable! Democracy in practice, like survival in the wild, is a constant exercise in expression and representation. But how did we get here? A free mind in the wild reacts appropriately to dangerous changes in its environment. That’s how early humans survived the trials and tribulations of the wild. It wasn’t through cooperative collectivism --- it was through the mass adoption of best practices discovered by free thought! Hunters and gatherers first… then farmers… After farmers came engineers. Now lawyers and businessmen serve the community as leaders. Each phase overlaps, but the trend is undeniable. We are talking about positive momentum. All good leaders operate by reviewing recent history and adopting best practices. Each societal transition occurred because observant empiricists crossed cultural boundaries to express solutions to problems they felt. Each transition was sparked by carefully recognizing the genius of the system that came before it, without the shackles of embellished nostalgia or arbitrary demonization. Interestingly, each phase still exists in America in one form or another today. Americans still hunt, gather, farm, engineer, litigate and trade. American democracy facilitates communication across each phase to stabilize and prepare for whatever is coming next… If you have sensed it too, ask yourself, what’s the common denominator? The voices of each phase can be heard (in one form or another) calling for American leadership to represent empiricism, and reject baseless accusations of American imperialism. To prove the point, let’s go back to the beginning… Free thought was thrust upon mankind as a primary defense against premature death. Not strength. Strength is a symptom of adopting ideas that work. Human beings are fragile and physically impudent creatures in the wild. We still are at birth. This is where the phrase, “created equal” comes from. At birth we are all equally impudent and dependant upon others for our survival. Equality does not extend into adulthood. This is the natural difference between “equality” and “equal opportunity” in society. Only those who leverage opportunity will succeed. This is not an imperialist concept; it is an empirically derived concept. Make no mistake, extreme freedom of thought is the arena mankind dominated all of our natural competitors. Freedom of thought remains as the source of all human power. The size of bombs, the speed of jets, and the agility of tanks are all symptoms of free thought harnessed against violent and aggressive competitors. Much has changed since the beginning of history. I can understand why many people are confused about the nature of American Empiricism, but I cannot condone it. Too many people in the world live in the “here and now” mindset. They are blind to history’s lessons. It is difficult to tell if they are malicious in their rhetoric or are simply blinded to reality by illusions. By abstracting reality with language, many human beings are stupefied by their own lack of (near) threats. Many of us have never faced death eye to eye. In the abstract world of our own making, we are the only threat that remains capable of destroying ourselves. Why would we do that? Presumably, we would consider destroying ourselves because we don’t know who we are, or who our enemy is. The warning signs of impending confrontation must feel surreal to someone without historical context. Those who believe the U.S. is an empire write as if all human beings were not engineered to kill, capable of killing or capable of dieing for their abstract beliefs. They defend the war rhetoric of Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad by admonishing American President George Bush for rhetorically answering it. HUMINT: What is the difference between imperialism and empiricism? What is the difference between wild society and civil society? What is the difference between freedom of expression and oppression of expression? I believe free citizens are afforded their illusions in a free society with an expectation that free thought, exercised in the free-market of ideas, will conjure a more accurate representation of threats. In doing so, free minds will simultaneously conjure apt solutions to existing problems. Virtually the same logic applies to free market economics. Civilized elected officials in a democracy are expected to pursue best practices derived from empirical evidence, just as the markets respond naturally to supply and demand. What then should we say about the electorate’s demand for empiricist leadership? Elected officials may only feel their electorate’s presence during elections, but empiricists live among the electorate. They have always been there; observing, planning and making suggestions. In all honesty, elected officials may or may not have the intellect or audacity to represent American Empiricists, unless they are already empiricists themselves. Under the circumstances, American leadership is about to experience a wave of American Empiricism if they aren’t already. I confess to being an Empiricist; however, I am not just an American Empiricist, I'm an aggressive American Empiricist! As an aggressive empiricist, I despise imperialists. I love confrontation and seek it. The best confrontations I have had are with people who assert the United States is an empire. Little effort is required to dispel the lie. The fact is, authority in America is earned by applying successful policy. It is taken away when an advocate’s policies fail. All policy in America is subject to criticism and review by anyone and everyone, even foreign nationals. Criticism alone however does not prove a policy is failure. Only empiricism can derive legitimate answers to constructive criticism. American progress around the world is not the product of American Imperialism; it is the product of American Empiricism! Know the difference! Spread the word! Labels: america, empericist, illusions, imperialism, philosophy, victory, war |
