THE MONROE DOCTRINE. A Relic of the Past?

“Squirl”. That’s the very comic reaction of a well-meaning dog in the hit movie “Up” (2009 Disney film). The dog (named “Dug”, a golden retriever) is easily distracted by an innate urge to chase a squirrel. Not unlike Dug, too many Americans are easily distracted by the new “shiny” new object. As our eyes are attracted to a flash of light at the corner of our view, so too are many in our Nation easily distracted by the hot new news item. It could be a lost submarine, the flash of open breasts on the White House lawn, the death of a long-incarcerated criminal, or even the weak indictment of a President’s son. When one takes one’s eye off the ball, you are likely to miss the catch, drop the ball, and could potentially lose the game, the series, the season, or even eventually lose the team. What does this have to do with THE MONROE DOCTRINE? Everything!

First, a review of what is THE MONROE DOCTINE. “The Monroe Doctrine is a United States foreign policy position that opposes European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. It holds that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers is a potentially hostile act against the United States.” “President James Monroe first articulated the doctrine on December 2, 1823, during his seventh annual State of the Union Address to Congress (though it would not be named after him until 1850).(Wikipedia.) Just revealed in the news within the last two weeks was the revelation that China is establishing a presence in Cuba. The worry is that it will become a CCP military base capable of conducting espionage activity, spying, eves-dropping, and hacking critical parts of our Nation’s infrastructure, including economic, political, and military assets, and lest we forget, a new potential location for the distribution of a biological weapon. The broad nature of this threat is called “unrestricted warfare.” “What’s a mother to do when a neighbor’s child comes into your yard, damages your property, and is a bad influence on your children?” Do you sit idly by, or do you take action to prevent the unwanted incursions? Our Nation’s history recalls the events of “The Cuban Missile Crisis” of 1962. The event brought our Nation and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. The Soviet Union intended to install nuclear weapons in Cuba, just 90 miles from the shores of the United States.

Of late, our National government has allowed an opposing nation to make inroads into our once sacred policy of THE MONROE DOCTRINE. What happened? When we peal back the veneer of the series of events in 1962, the actions of the Soviet Union were not really surprising. Our Nation had deployed nuclear weapons to Italy and Turkey, just a geographical “stone’s throw” from the Soviet Union. Fortunately, a catastrophic war was averted when the deployment of nuclear weapons never materialized in Cuba as our Nation withdrew our nuclear weapons from Italy and turkey (Wikipedia.org). We don’t often speak negatively of our Nation, but it was hypocritical of our Nation to have a doctrine telling nations to the east to remain clear of the west, while we in-turn chose to encroach upon them. The isolationist policies of our Nation were really cemented in the 1930’s, but the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 made it clear that isolation could never overcome the global reach of evolving technologies and nations.

We now live an era where “the cat is out of the bag”. Not only does it appear that we cannot catch the “cat”, but having a plan to put the “cat” back into “the bag” seems to be a policy furthest down on the current government’s list, lagging well behind the push for equity, concern for global warming, and the anti-fossil fuel movement. While our Nation speaks out of both sides of our mouth, we worry about the CCP incursions while talking tough about protecting Tiawan and funding a proxy war in Ukraine. “. . . the old imperial age is over. As America denounces spheres of influence abroad, it is more difficult to flaunt the Monroe Doctrine at home.” (CATO Institute, October 27, 2021; Doug Bandow.) The Western Hemisphere is already being captured by the CCP. Brazil and Venezuela have developed close economic and security ties with China (cfr.com). Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Costa Rica have switched diplomatic recognition away from Taiwan to Beijing (americasquarterly.org). Plans are being developed to move those countries off the dollar standard, greatly diminishing the influence and power of the United States. “Today, China is South America’s top trading partner. In 2019, Chinese companies invested $12.8 billion in Latin America, up 16.5% from 2018, concentrating on regional infrastructure such as ports, roads, dams and railways.” “Already, 19 governments across Latin America and the Caribbean have joined XI Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a $1 trillion transcontinental trade and infrastructure network.” (Time.com; Ciara Nugent/London and Charlie Campell/Beijing/ February 4, 2021.)

Ever hear the term, “Physician, heal thyself”? Do you not understand how our Nation has moved away from THE MONROE DOCTRINE, not simply worrying about how other nations are encroaching upon our Nation’s borders, or upon the Western Hemisphere, but how we have allowed this incursion within our own Nation’s borders. For decades, our greedy elite corporations have farmed out many of our Nation’s jobs to the cheapest bidder, to China’s slave labor, to enrich themselves by stuffing their proverbial pockets with immoral riches. We have allowed China to buy our land, food processing plants, and they have made our Nation dependent upon materials and products to support our current government leader’s thirst for “green energy” alternatives. Our Nation depends upon China for many of our drugs, and even the ingredients for many other medicines and products. Even as we write this blog, an unknown number of Chinese military-age men are flooding in across our borders, and their intent is unknown as well. Even worse, many of our Congress men and women have financial ties to China, and some have recently been alleged to have profited from bribes. One has to wonder, what does China receive in return of their investments. If you doubt the influence China has upon our consumer society, check out our blog titled, “THE UNITED STATES OF CHINA” (December 4, 2021). Even you, wittingly or unwittingly, have been a supporter of the China investment in our Nation through your insatiable desire for more stuff, regardless of who made it or from whence it came.

So, now what do we do as a Nation? Do we allow nations around us to continue to squeeze the United States until our Constitution and Bill of Rights finally implode, and we are consumed with those who despise us? Are there steps we can take and solutions available allowing us to defend and retain the FREEDOM and LIBERTY guaranteed to us by our Creator, and reflected in our Constitution and Bill of Rights? We’ll be frank. What took decades to develop will undoubtedly take years to unravel, but that is not a reason to give up hope and askew corrective efforts. Start with what you can do.

Recognize that when you by an item made in China, you are contributing to the potential demise of our Nation, so stop it! Teach and instruct your children the dangers of buying goods made in China. Encourage your extended family and friends, even your neighbors, of the dangerous path our Nation is on. Call and write your representatives in Congress and forcefully but respectfully make your demands for action. When you are given opportunity to vote, do so for those candidates who support reclaiming a free and prosperous United States. Recently a certain beer company, retailer, and sports team got into a downward financial spiral because of a woke ideology. Many Americans chose to shun the use of or purchase from these wayward entities. Eschew those media and investment conglomerates who act counter to our Nation’s best interests. When we act in concert, we have great power, and can make our choices quite clear to those who believe they are immune to the average consumer. Use your feet and your well-earned dollars to peacefully protest those agencies who favor profit and ideology over our Nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY. Understand that you, WE THE PEOPLE, have the power in our hands to effect change. Only then will we be able to say we have saved our FREEDOM and LIBERTY from those who would seek our destruction.