The Tears of Empire
© 8/2021 by Mumia Abu-Jamal
With the dramatic fall of Kabul, through the forces of the Taliban, the alligator tears of the political class are falling. Decrying the costs of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. What has been thoroughly forgotten, however, is the unprecedented mass protests of February, 2003, before the [Iraq] war began. When the earth shook with antiwar, fervor and countries across the globe.
Then-president George W. Bush would ignore these protests as a mere focus group, his words, focus.
In the 2004 book, The Citizens of the Empire, author and critic, Robert Jensen recounted “the worldwide actions on February 15th, 2003, were the single largest political demonstration in history.” Millions of people all over the globe [and in the US] poured into the streets to try to derail the Bush Administration’s mad rush to war.
How in an alleged democracy can the government so easily ignore the views of millions? It happened, and chaos came to [Iraq and] Afghanistan and wreak[ed] havoc for over 20 years.
What if the protests had won? We will never know.
The Third Wave
Like a trickster, the newest [Delta] variant of COVID-19 has emerged just in time to dash the hopes of over a dozen states, especially those with the highest unvaccinated populations. Across the south and in western states, infection rates have risen to dangerous levels. So have hospitalizations [and deaths].
Even Wall Street has responded with fear and trepidation as stocks have taken a tumble. Journalists now write and speak of a new surge in COVID cases, mostly the unvaccinated, but among the vaccinated as well. Few have expected this course of events, but here we are. How things have changed. Texas, Arkansas and Florida have become COVID hotspot, but they are not alone.
This resurgence of COVID proves once again that politicians make poor physicians. They have left their people badly unprotected in a time of pandemic disease.
