No, Ted Cruz – the Real ‘American Taliban’ Is the U.S. Government
Senator Ted Cruz is critical of protestors but can’t seem to acknowledge the mob mentality of his government. | Image: Tom Williams/Pool via AP
- Ted Cruz has labeled protestors who toppled a Christopher Columbus statue as the “American Taliban.”
- Yet it’s the U.S. government that’s the real mob. It acts only in the interests of a small elite, and often acts unilaterally.
- How can we expect the observation of democratic norms when we have a government that already abuses them?
Ted Cruz is a hypocrite. Retweeting a video of protestors pulling down a statue of Christopher Columbus, he called them the “American Taliban.” But the real “American Taliban” is the U.S. government, not some frustrated activists.
By many orders of magnitude, the U.S. government is more of a mob than any group that has taken to the streets since George Floyd’s death. For decades it has acted unilaterally, without any meaningful diplomatic, democratic or popular consultation.
Above all else, the policies of the U.S. government represent the real interests of only a small percentage of the population. It is, therefore, the very definition of a “mob.”
As such, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and other critics of so-called “mob violence” should look closer to home before slandering mostly peaceful protestors.
Ted Cruz Dubs Protestors ‘American Taliban’
On Wednesday, a group of protestors pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus at Minnesota State Capitol . They targeted the figure due to Columbus’ exploitation and murder of indigenous Americans .
Senator and former corporate lobbyist Ted Cruz didn’t like this. He retweeted a post about the protest , with the comment “American Taliban.”
In denigrating the protestors as nothing more than a “mob,” Cruz joins the likes of Donald Trump in trying to delegitimate the recent political demonstrations.
Since the death of George Floyd kicked off protests throughout the U.S., Trump has focused more on “mob violence” than anything else . As if people taking to the streets are mostly irrational thugs. As if African Americans aren’t more likely to be killed by police officers than any other demographic .
Adding insult to injury, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump criticize protestors for being a “mob” despite the U.S. government being the biggest mob in the world.
If a “mob” acts on its short-term impulses or interests without respecting the views of anyone else or following the proper “democratic channels,” then the U.S. government is the archetypal mob. Recent and more distant history has shown this repeatedly.
The U.S. Government Is A Mob
There are many examples of the U.S. government acting like a mob. For the sake of Ted Cruz and his enlightenment, here are three of the “best.”
Most notoriously, the U.S. government invaded Iraq unilaterally in 2003, despite the lack of a United Nations resolution in its favor . According to the United Nations, this invasion was illegal .
More recently, Trump declared a national emergency . Why? So that he could bypass Congress in selling $8 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia . Again, not very democratic, particularly when such a sale would help Saudi Arabia kill Yemenis .
In December 2017, Trump unilaterally declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel . He moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018 despite 128 U.N. members voting against recognition of Jerusalem .
Such examples could be extended almost indefinitely . They all paint a picture of a mob government–a government that acts only in the interests of the elite running it. A government that doesn’t confer in any meaningful way with other nations or its own population. Put simply, the American Taliban.
By contrast, the American Indian Movement activists involved in toppling the Columbus statue had petitioned numerous times to remove it .
They may arguably have been wrong in toppling it anyway. But when the U.S. government does what only it wants so consistently, why should Ted Cruz expect them to abide by non-existent standards?
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
