In Adrian Lyne‘s 1990 drama, Jacob’s Ladder (see book cover right below), Tim Robbins plays a haunted Vietnam War vet mourning his dead son, while suffering from severe disassociation. Throughout the film he attempts to decipher reality and life itself from his weird dreams and delusions. Everything in his daily life seems to be ‘ offbeat and surreal’ as he stumbles to find the truth of it all. In the end we see him back in Vietnam lying in a triage cot… dying. The entire film was but part of his nightmare. Finally, as he is dying, we see his already dead son’s spirit guiding him up Jacob’s ladder into the other side, or maybe what we would label heaven.
So it is with 2017 America. Imagine how surreal it is that we have Donald Trump as our president, a few years removed from being the ‘ reality television star’. How utterly surreal it is that the real Deep State is showing its muscle now. All the hogwash from the Trump version of right wing America about the ‘ Deep State ‘ being the enemy is just that, HOGWASH!
The right wing Neo Cons and their adversaries running Trump are still delighted to get what they all want: A total Military Industrial Empire.
We know, from when Eisenhower warned us in January of 1961, that this has always been a Military Industrial Empire. Now , however, it is one that is on steroids! From the tax cuts for the super rich individuals and corporations, to the increases in military spending , to satisfying the Neo Fascist Israeli government on Jerusalem, to controlling the internet, to preparing for the overturn of a woman’s right to choose… my goodness, need I go on?
In this fantastic ( in a poor sense) version of 2017’s Jacob’s Ladder the other right wing political party, the lesser of two evils Democrats, actually are looking very appealing to many. Why not? They are standing there ready to place a few band-aids on our economic and moral wounds.
Of course, the Democrats will never go the distance and stand up for cutting this War madness, or advocating for real and viable socialistic programs, like National Government run health care and nationalized energy, nationalized Pharma and public banking to name but a few. No, they will continue to serve this Military Industrial Empire but with more tenderness for the indigent and some sort of safety net. As Porky Pig would say at the end of the cartoon: ” And a that’s all folks!!”
PA Farruggio
December 16 2017
Philip A Farruggio is a son and grandson of Brooklyn , NYC longshoremen. He has been a free lance columnist since 2001, with over 300 of his work posted on sites like Consortium News, Information Clearing House, Global Research ,Nation of Change, World News Trust, Op Ed News, Dissident Voice, Counterpunch, Activist Post, Sleuth Journal, Truthout and many others. His blog can be read in full on World News Trust., whereupon he writes a great deal on the need to cut military spending drastically and send the savings back to save our cities. Philip has a internet interview show, ‘ It’s the Empire… Stupid’ with producer Chuck Gregory, and can be reached at [email protected] )
