Sympathy for the Devil (Easter Sunday 2016) | Philip A. Farruggio

Philip A. FarruggioPhilip A. Farruggio -- World News Trust

March 27, 2016

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith

Those are the lyrics from the Rolling Stone's 1960s anthem to the evil that men do, "Sympathy for the Devil." We have a world around us that seems to never change from one of greed and exploitation, with the added flavor of pure unadulterated violence.

As those of you who have ever studied even high school science know: when the roots of a plant are rotten, it soon affects the entire thing. Look around you and notice how malevolent empire works. Our nation, supposed "pillar of democracy," has put our imperial nose and jackboot all over the world since WWII.

In this, the 16 years of the new century, we have finagled our military force of arms into the Middle East and helped create what the late Chalmers Johnson labeled as Blowback against us... and of course all the innocent peoples of the states in question.Afghanistan

and Iraq are in shambles because of the Neo Con invasions and occupations. It matters not who resides in the White House or who runs the Congress from the Two Party con job: Military Industrial Empire is here to stay.

As with the 9/11 "half story" of truth being held hostage, so now we have this new threat called ISIL or ISIS or whatever in the hell the empire decides to call it. Basically, as with those who were on those planes on that dastardly day in 2001, so too the baby named ISIS was conceived after we carpet bombed, invaded and then occupied Iraq beginning March 19, 2003. We not only destroyed the entire infrastructure of the most modern Middle Eastern society, but we upset their entire way of life, and continue to do that for 13 years now.

Forget about Saddam Hussein. He was another of the countless gangsters that our empire has supported and nourished for so long (Read William Blum's brilliant book Rogue Nation) throughout the world. As with Bin Laden, this ISIL group of religious fanatics would have killed Hussein in a heartbeat, as his was a secular nation and theirs to be a Wannabe style caliphate.

More important, and most likely the most evident evil created by this empire, was that there would have been NO ISIL if not for what our invasions and occupations accomplished! Researchers are now confident that our U.S. foreign policy has been to allow, and even help, in supporting these Islamic fanatics in their fight against the Assad regime in Syria.

Isn't that sad? A new cold war is brewing because our empire is trying to surround Russia with NATO influence while doing the same thing regarding China. Other more attuned journalists can be found that go into better details on these things. Take my word for it that our empire is sadly on the wrong side of things it seems.

Electoral politics in our nation and really in most of the world is so corrupted that the hope must be found elsewhere. To this follower of the true Christine teachings, and the philosophy of saints like Yogananda, violence begets just that. Revolutions will not be won, and if won, never sustained, by violence.

No, as it is written in the words of the man we celebrate this and every Easter: "Everyone who loves the truth comes to the light; he does not fear to have his works made manifest."

Those who stand up , even when the crowd turns away, and "Speak truth to power" give no sympathy to the devil.

PA Farruggio

Easter Sunday 2016

(Philip A. Farruggio is a semi retired baby boomer born and bred in blue collar Brooklyn NYC. He is the son and grandson of Brooklyn longshoremen, and educated at "free tuition" Brooklyn College, class of '74. Philip has written more than 300 columns since 2001 and his work is found on many fine progressive sites like World News Trust, Nation of Change, Information Clearinghouse, Intrepid Report, Sleuth Journal, Dandelion Salad, Counterpunch and Dissident Voice. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)