Did Washington ever tell a lie?

A democracy is a country where the all-powerful president does what he alone knows is good tor the people.

Stand up! The United States of America, our fatherland, the only moral nation in the world. And the only powerful nation. Together we stand. Flag at the top. We have the moral right to invade and kill millions in any country that does not abide by our rules. We are the world leaders. We own the world. We decide what to do if a dictator disobeys. Now, hasn’t Syria used chemical weapons on its own people? That’s what the media tell us. Doesn’t that tell us it’s our duty to go in and kill Assad and everyone who happens to stand in our way.

Now wait—chemical weapons . . . When did we hear that term the last time? It sounds familiar. It wasn’t exactly the last time we invaded a sovereign country to save the world. It was the time before the time before . . . Well, was it not Saddam Hussein who was supposed to have used poisoned gas on his own people, just one among many other horrible deeds cited against him?

And so if Sweden should by any chance (impossible though it may sound, but nothing is impossible any more) use torture, which is prohibited by international law, then the U.S. would have the moral right to invade Sweden. No, wait, this is getting more and more complicated. It’s the U.S. that’s using torture, which we are told is a war crime, so then Sweden should have a right to invade the U.S. No but wait, it isn’t a war crime when the U.S. is the torturer. That was the missing link.

And now, let me try to remember what Afghanistan was guilty of, enough to make it the victim of U.S wrath and power of destruction. We wrought utter destruction on that evil country. Utter destruction, right. Because they deserved it. I’ve forgotten why, but they deserved it. And there is of course Iraq, a country that, or so they say, was quite civilized under its nasty dictator Saddam Hussein.

Fortunately, since 9/11, U.S. presidents have had the duty to wage war on any country that swapped a fly that might have threatened our own internal security. National security über alles!

Utter destruction. Now, let me think . . . There was something else that happened here some time ago. Oh yeah, it was Libya, right. Now what had Qaddafi done? Let me think. Oh yeah, he was a complete madman, he hoarded billions in his own private coffers AND he had had facelifts. Now, just imagine that! They say he had made his country the richest and most civilized country in Africa—healthcare, education and decent housing for all? And all that after Libya had been the poorest country in all of Africa. Now there’s a model for the U.S.! Oh no, no and no. Qaddafi was evil, so evil that the UK and France were in with the U.S. on wiping him out, him and his evil country. Qaddafi was nationalizing Libya’s own oil! We can’t have that happen. What right does Qaddafi have to his own resources? What a preposterous idea! So one more country down.

Then comes Syria. Syria is a friend of Iran. We can’t have that. Friends of Iran are enemies of the U.S. And what has Iran done? Have they done anything at all? They have not produced and they are not producing any nuclear arms like the U.S. Israel and other peaceful countries. But it’s evil. For the president tells us so. And we have to believe what the president says. Or don’t we? Did Washington ever tell a lie? Well, let me see . . . Did Washington ever tell a truth?

Siv O’Neall is an Axis of Logic columnist, based in France. Her insightful essays are republished and read worldwide. She can be reached at siv@axisoflogic.com.