National Transparency

Before I ever cracked the cover of his book, I came to the same conclusion that Robert Reich dd in 1992's "The Work of Nations". Nationalism in a "global economy" is meaningless, insofar as it relates to the aspirations and hopes of the citizenry who are contained within a country's borders. The major players in the U.S. Government, and their co-conspirators in business who write the laws and grab the multi-billon dollar defense and infrastructure contracts, are no more loyal to the label "American" than a free-agent in baseball is to the label "Tiger", "Yankee", "Brave" or "Patriot." The players go where the money is and only bring up such labels when it suits some local public relations interest. That's never been so evident as it has in the last ten years, when jobs have consistently gone to the cheapest international labor market.

In a global economy, flags have become as transparent and meaningless as brand labels. Anybody who waves a flag in your face in times of crisis is trying to sell you something. The poor sods who "buy it" are the same ones who end up doing the thankless, bloody work of war, or serve up their sons and daughters to some lofty, but ultimately illusory, ideal . I wish there were some greater meaning in the violent deaths of so many brave souls who are willing to kill or be killed to suit some government aim, that it couldn't all be reduced to economic positioning and pure, unadulterated greed. But in capitalism, the "winners" will keep trying to win AT ANY COST. They don't know how to do anything else. Their driven like machines to "win" - even if it means losing everything else of meaning. Nationalism and patriotism are only a means to an end.