We Are the Children of Empire

We are the children of Empire. From the first stirrings of civilization, we can draw a direct line from the ancients of the middle east, through the Greek and Roman empires to the Germanic/British empires all the way to our dominant and triumphant empire of these United States. Our European conquest of the New World, which us Americans are direct beneficiaries, was violent, brutal and comprehensive. The Spaniards, of course, created the largest and most brutal, using genocide of the local natives as a way to satisfy their lustful greed. Once the Native Americans couldn’t provide the necessary manpower to satisfy this very Christian empire, they began the largest slave trade known to human history, using mainly Africans. The English desperately tried to emulate the “success” of the Spaniards. Starting with Jamestown and quickly moving through the Massachussetts Bay Company, the English established the American colonies as a wealth pump for Mother England. They created a systemic elimination of Native Americans through broken treaties, the use of “English Justice”, germ warfare and sheer brutal violence (see the Pequot and King Phillip Wars). Once we gained control from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific and all points in between, we moved to Latin America and began our expansion into the Pacific Asia arena. Our incursion into the international stage began with the American Civil War and extended through the Spanish and Philippine Wars and into the World Wars. Once the World Wars were completed, the British had lost their overseas dominance and were replaced by the USA/USSR dichotomy. This, of course, collapsed with the Berlin Wall which left the USA all alone at the top with the rising star of China quickly trying to push its way to the top. It has always been about money, power and control. Ego, greed, lust. The USA doesn't bother with physical conquest and permanent occupation anymore, but much prefers to establish puppet governments. Look to Cuba until Castro, the Banana Republics and Iraq. "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins is a good place to see the inner evil of our economic empire. To truly understand how this progression was possible, and why it matters to us today, it is necessary to understand how empires use energy and especially how our American Empire has used our energy resources to gain our top spot in the world pecking order. Looking at how energy propelled the American "success" story will be the topic of the next post.