Beyond Drones: Combating the System of Militarism and ImperialismHowever, the problems go beyond just the military sphere. It has leaked into American society, and specifically into the social realm and how the American people relate to our government. There is a psychological battle to be held as well. The American people have become accustomed to their country being in a perpetual state of war. In many ways, some have become complacent at best, and, at worst, will actually support the humanitarian interventions launched by the Obama administration. Just like with the drone debate, we should also work to have people realize that, while the names and terminology may have changed, the death and destruction have remained the same. This is especially important for those on the left, as there are many liberals whose hypocrisy has been revealed by condemning Bushs wars of aggression, but support interfering in the affairs of sovereign nations now that Obama is at the helm. We must combat these hypocritical and uninvolved minds, lest we allow these problems to perpetuate. We must combat what Martin Luther King Jr. called the giant triplets of racism, militarism, and economic exploitation if we are to mount a truly successful attack on the drone war. The drone wars are a byproduct of the War on Terror and its associated effects at home and abroad. If we do not look at this interconnected system, we will, in a way, be wasting our time as we will only be cutting off a branch of a tree rather than getting to the roots. We must go beyond drones. References: [1] Michelle Castillo, Study: Suicide Rates Among Army Soldiers Up 80 Percent, CBS News, July 10, 2012 ( http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57394452-10391704/study-suicide-rates-among-army-soldiers-up-80-percent/ ) [2] Robert Fisk, It Is The Death of History, The Independent, September 17, 2011 (http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-it-is-the-death-of-history-402571.html) [3] Jim Lobe, Iraq, Afghanistan Wars Will Cost U.S. 4-6 Trillion Dollars: Report, Inter Press Service, March 30, 2013 ( http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/03/iraq-afghanistan-wars-will-cost-u-s-4-6-trillion-dollars-report/ ) [4] Forbes, The True Costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/31/costs-war-military-iraq-afghanistan-business-oxford.html (September 1,2010) [5] Kari Huus, Mosque in Missouri Burns to the Ground One Month After Arson Attack, NBC News, August 6, 2012 ( http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/06/13146671-mosque-in-missouri-burns-to-the-ground-one-month-after-arson-attack?lite ) [6] CBS News, New anti-Muslim ads up In NYC Subway Stations, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57562947/new-anti-muslim-ads-up-in-nyc-subway-stations/ (January 9, 2013) [7] NPR News, COINTELPRO and the History of Domestic Spying,http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5161811 (January 18, 2006) [8] Democracy Now!, The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther, [9] Dell Cameron, Yes, The NSA Can Spy On Every US Citizen, Vice, June 2013 (http://www.vice.com/read/the-fbi-wants-to-wiretap-every-us-citizen-online ) [10] Russia Today, Obama Wins Back The Right To Indefinitely Detain Under NDAA,http://rt.com/usa/obama-ndaa-appeal-suit-229/ (July 17, 2013) [11] Guy Benson, WH Official: Holders Letter to Rand Paul Was An Intentional Non-answer, Town Hall, March 11, 2013 ( http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/03/11/wh-official-holders-letter-to-rand-paul-was-a-nonanswer-n1531213 ) [12] Kevin Collier, Senate Votes to let NSA, FBI, Keep Spying On Your Email, The Daily Dot, December 28, 2012 ( http://www.dailydot.com/politics/senate-nsa-monitor-emails-five-years/ ) See Also: Jason Mick, US House Backs Obamas Drone Strikes, NSA Spying, Daily Tech, July 25, 2013 (http://www.dailytech.com/US+House+Backs+Obamas+Drone+Strikes+NSA+Spying/article32042.htm ) [13] Alexander Abdo, Government Confirms That It Has Secret Interpretation of Patriot Act Spy Powers, American Civil Liberties Union, March 16, 2012 ( http://acludev.aclu.org/blog/national-security/government-confirms-it-has-secret-interpretation-patriot-act-spy-powers ) [14] Bill Quigley, Corporations Profit From Permanent War: Memorial Day 2010, Huffington Post, May 24, 2010 ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/corporations-profit-from_b_586896.html ) [15] Laurence Marvin, 80 Major Corporations Profit From NSA Global Spying Network, The Examiner, July 4, 2013 ( http://www.examiner.com/article/80-major-corporations-profit-from-nsa-global-spying-network ) This article first appeared at The Hampton Institute linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 