The U.S. Self-Delusion Of Superiority Will End

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

The U.S. Self-Delusion Of Superiority Will End
Re-posted with permission from http://www.saneramblings.com

How many times have you seen, heard or read these grandious American claims:

1) "America is the most powerful nation in the world." Really? How powerful is any nation when it goes so deeply into debt, that it needs much of the world to loan it money to pay its bills or it will collapse. This is what wasting ones resources en masse on an endless war time economy of costly military weapons and war can do. Quietly the U.S. is now pleading with the industrialized nations for financial support.

2) "America is the richest nation in the world." Really? America is by far the biggest debtor nation in the world. It owes money to practically everyone who has the resources to loan it. It's debts are now so big, it can't borrow enough money any longer, it has begun to print it - a path to financial disaster.

3) "America is the most generous and compassionate nation in the world." Really? Invading Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq in violation of the Geneva Convention and the United Nations charter, the U.S. helped to write is quite a breach. It also flouts the moral values Americans claim to hold dear. And what about America's secret drug wars in Columbia, Mexico and elsewhere?

3A) Yes, America used to be very generous. But today many people across the globe view the U.S. as the world's biggest terrorist, as it seizes and tortures and indefinitely imprisons or kills or threatens to kill "militants," "insurgents," "extremists" and "terrorists" in its "war on terror." Children and others are also killed in what the U.S. military calls "collateral damage."

3B) Meanwhile America ignores Darfur where hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or forced to live in refugee camps because the Sudanese government doesn't like the color of their skin. America ignores the intense pain and suffering it has caused in Iraq, where people struggle to survive with little food, clean water, medicines, electricity and sewage treatment. Doctors and medical staff are also in short supply as most have fled the country.

3C) At least 40% of the Iraqi workforce is unemployed and vast numbers must home school their children because there are no longer public schools for them. Millions of Iraqis have fled their nation, which the U.S. military runs like a prison lock-down.

Conclusion) Illusions don't allow the solution of reality's problems. And with the collapse of our economy, reality is overwhelming the illusions. Stimulus plans, corporate bailouts and an endless wartime economy won't solve it either.

We must slash our expenses in line with our revenues and redefine our priorities so that we once again become a compassionate and productive participant in the world. This is our day of reckoning and there is no soft landing.

We must be willing to help one-another as people did during the Great Depression, we must end our wars and close most of our military bases and apply our vast intellectual resources and abilities to create many of the 21st century's new industries.

And we must re-establish our Constitution and its Bill of Rights and respect, love and help one another, for to do as we have recently done and are doing will lead to our own destruction and take the world with us.
----------------
More truth at http://www.saneramblings.com

[raccoon]

1. Yes, while some of those points were true after WWII and into the 1950's,

things have changed. A lot.

[L. Coyote]

2. America was built on a century of genocide and a War on Mexico!!! America is delusional!!

[tanngrisnir3]

6. Every country was built on killing someone else.

[L. Coyote]

10. That just a heap of bullshit.

[tanngrisnir3]

15. What's bullshit is your inability to actually address the point.

[Raskolnik]

19. You aren't terribly familiar with world history, it appears. n/t

[chrisa]

43. How so?

It doesn't make what we did in the past right, but show me a country where at least one soldier didn't eat a cannon ball or arrow? In the ancient world, invasions were common place. People were more like ferral animals.

[Posteritatis]

59. Let's see your counterexamples (nt)

[Tartiflette]

35. But,...

..some countries have taken the step to stop doing that though.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. Find me a country that wasn't built on war

Countries become countries by conquering whoever the fuck was there first.

[L. Coyote]

11. Australia. Is that big enough for you?

[ret5hd]

13. I would have to ask an Australian aborigine their opinion.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

16. What about the aborigines there?

They weren't even considered human for a long time.

[tanngrisnir3]

17. I'll take "What is the Fatal Shore" for $500, Alex

[Raskolnik]

18. Australia!? You mean the nation that until a few decades ago was effectively practicing genocide

against the Aboriginal population? THAT is your example!?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

25. I know!

Talk about a bad example.

[L. Coyote]

38. There was no war that created the nation. Because there was no nation beforehand.

That does not mean there are no atrocities against Native Peoples.

Read your own post, FCS!!

[Raskolnik]

41. Ah, so does that mean that you don't have any problem with the U.S. wiping out

Native American tribes in pursuit of Manifest Destiny, since they were not "nations" in the modern political sense?

[rolltideroll]

47. The Indian wars were terrible

No sense arguing about them now, it is sound and fury signifying nothing. What is your plan, give the land back? I have indian ancestors, and I find this bash people for what happenned to the indians thing a waste of time.

[Raskolnik]

50. I believe you are misunderstanding the point of this exchange.

The point is that the U.S. is not unique at all in this regard, and anyone that thinks the U.S. is the only place founded on conquest simply doesn't know anything about history.

[rolltideroll]

55. I agree

it is what I was saying. Historical neccesity is greater than any one person or group of people., History worked out better because we took this land.

[nichomachus]

79. Of course, native Americans were immigrants themselves at one time

and probably knocked around whoever was here before them. They aren't really "native." They just got here before the Europeans.

[Raskolnik]

42. When strident political opinion is coupled with a complete lack of historical knowledge,

nothing good happens.

[rolltideroll]

56. He walked into that one, didn;t he?

[LostinVA]

83. The Aboriginals weren't even legally HUMAN until the 60's, Einstein

They were legally considered FLORA AND FAUNA.

[rolltideroll]

49. They should have fought harder.

What would have happened if Mexico had won the war? They would have grabbed our land. IT works out either way, some one has to be oppressing someone else. I am sorry to spoil your benighted image of people. It is not like the people on the land we have now were wandering the forest, talking to deer and having birds eat out of their hands. All societies are brutal at a base level,it is how we are, and no I hate my own culture ungrateful attitude is going to change that. Would you rathe be on the side of the losers?

[L. Coyote]

80. What fucking stupid questions. Mexico did NOT invade the US. I am on the side

of the losers!

Do not assume all cultures are as fucked up as yours!

On edit. This is how Bush was thinking, I imagine, when he invaded Iraq!!

[tanngrisnir3]

82. I've noticed your inability to respond to people who bother to answer you.

Why is that?

What are you afraid of?

[L0oniX]

3. The USA are the "militants," "insurgents," "extremists" and "terrorists".

[bdamomma]

4. we have lost our standing in the world.

we are reaping what we have sowed.

[rolltideroll]

53. Screw em

They need our mid west bread basket to survive. Losers always talk tough, Eventually it is a historical inevitability that America will decline and fall. Then someone else will step in and do the oppressing, and on and on, until the sun burns out. They did it to people, hell every country does it to people. We just get the blame because we are the most visible and successful. Look at Europe, the Euro is near total collapse, yet instead of looking inward, they blame us for being war mongering. Without American war mongering, they would be a Nazi state. Basically,enjoy being on top, most of the world is a crumbling desert. I can honestly say,having served overseas, that the thought of being born into a non western Europe or the USA keeps me up at night. Things are that bad.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

5. Thank you, all, for your comments. nt

[Xenotime]

8. Fantastic progressive views from everyone.

America will soon see the failing of its ways. Then what will it do?

[pnutbutr]

9. bull

1. US is still the most powerful nation in the world through military as well as political influence. It has an enormous amount of influence in the UN and with many nations, more so than any other nation in the world.

2. GDP is highest in the world and the US provides exports all across the globe.

3. What other nation provides $21+ billion dollars in aid to countries around the world?

3A. Foreign aid has grown every year by billions of dollars

3B. The UN is ignoring Darfur also. Would you prefer the US to go in there guns blazing as well?

3C. The Iraqi government controls the running of Iraq, the US provides security. With $80billion in oil money the Iraqi government should be able to do something.


I'm not trying to say none of the things mentioned by the saneramblings :eyes: guy is not happening. I just felt the need to show how each point is as correct as it is wrong. I love my country, always have, always will. I can admit when it messes up but at the same time take great offense to those who care so little that they make callous hateful statements about the place that provides them with their job, home, cars, and liberty. There is so much good still happening in this country that gets ignored in place of the blind sackriding hate I see everywhere in the world.

[Oregone]

12. Regarding point 3, the US ranks #23 in given ODA per GNI

Also, regarding point 2, Luxembourg has the highest GDP per capita.

[pnutbutr]

27. whole story

Sweden gives $2billion US per year in foreign aid and I wasn't talking GDP per capita.

[Oregone]

31. Of course you weren't talking about per Capita...

"GDP is highest in the world"

But a nation of 10 people that makes $100 dollars, well, in my opinion, is more wealthy than a nation of 100 people who make $101 dollars. A nation with $100 dollars that gives $10, seems more generous to me than a nation of $1000 dollars that gives $11.

Those who tout America's economic might and philanthropy never want to cite per capita/per GNI numbers, because they want to hide the fact that if you compare relative to smaller nations, their earnings/contributions are somewhat mediocre. I guess you can prove anything with stats, eh? You just need to pick and choose the right ones.

[pnutbutr]

get down to it

Which nation gave more?

Comparing the US which has a population of 300,000,000 and takes up 3,800,000 sq miles to places like Luxemborg which has a population of 500,000 and takes up a whopping 999sq miles doesn't quite work. It's like comparing the strength of a cat to a bear and saying the cat is stronger because per lb. it has more muscle.

[Oregone]

45. "It's like comparing the strength of a cat to a bear"

If you cannot make a valid comparison, then you cannot therefore tout one's superiority over another. Since you've taken the opportunity to make a judgment, while picking and choosing stats, it leaves you open to grand criticism.

You ask "which nation gave more?", and I ask, "what nation had more to give?". Which nation gave more of what is had? And clearly, the answer is not the US.

Which nation's income, if distributed back to the people that generated it, would provide the largest amount to the individual? IOW, on average, what country's individuals generated the most income for their nation? The answer is not the US.

[pnutbutr]

48. you are superior to me

in every way possible. I bow down to your witicistic impressivosity. You sir will be a boss one day. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1878358,00.html?imw=Y

[Oregone]

52. Thank you

Keep up the good work and Ill send a bonus your way.

[EstimatedProphet]

21. America doesn't provide us material goods!

about the place that provides them with their job, home, cars, and liberty

So we are all spposed to have a job provided us by the country? A home? A car? I've been missing out! I've had to pay for all those things! As far as liberty goes, it has been eroding for decades if not longer, and it's hardly "provided" - it takes thought and effort to use.

[lumberjack_jeff]

23. But you didn't have to pay for the roads, the power grid, the infrastructure that made it possible.

The social construct that is America did indeed bring you those things.

The country has faults, but it has many more strengths.

[pnutbutr]

28. Thank you

:toast:

[EstimatedProphet]

32. Of course you have to pay for them

We all do, through taxes. It's the dues for living in the country. We make the social construct which is this country through our own efforts. The country doesn't provide anyone anything. We earn it, and rightfully so.

Understand, I am not knocking the country. I just don't agree with the idea of talking about it "providing" us things, because that argument will always end up in someone ranting about how terrible welfare is (it isn't) and how we need to get rid of all the cheats to the system (we don't). It is an important meme IMO to make the distinction that all the things that the fucktard Repubs gripe about are indeed earned by us all, and make our lives better.

[Tartiflette]

30. You too, are misleading....

1. Yes, agreed. The US is still the most powerful country in the world, and maintains undue and inappropriate influence world-wide. It often acts to thwart the will of the "international community" and acts a a rogue state while other countries sit idle and powerless on the sidelines. This is not a good thing, as illustrated when a particularly bad administration is in power (ie any Republican admin over the past 40 years).

2. GDP: Yes, total GDP is the highest in the world (although taken as a whole the EU has a larger GDP), and on a per capita basis the US ranks in the very top tier, although it is not No.1.

3. Simply based on size alone, you hide a lot of things. Remember the US is the 4th (?) largest country based on population, therefore comparing total amound of aid with say, Sweden, which has 1/40th the populaiton would be unfair. On a per capita basis the US is a very meagre giver indeed, I think the lowest of the so-called developed nations (and approximately 1/5 that of Norway and Sweden). The counter-argument is really cultural, in that the US has a very high number of individual donors who provide enormous amounts of aid, consstent with the national myth/cult of the individual. The governmental aid is often contigent on implementing policies that further globalization goals, so again, might not necessarily be seen as a good thing. I'm also not sure if this includes military aid, which again, might be less beneficial than detrimental.

I'm ambivalent, at best, about the US (I'm not American), and think, on balance that it is currently a harmful presence in the world, and has been essentially since the Carter administration. Internally, however, the country has been a very good one, and there is much the rest of the world could learn from it (at least prior to the Bush admin). However, international it openly defies agreements or the spirit of them, has propped up some truly awful regimes across the globe, and has hindered real progress on a range of issues that should best be dealt with on the basis of international agreement, namely environmental destruction, global warming, and the arms trade. Hell, they have even stood in the way of Huamn rights agreements recently (Rights of the child! Together with Somalia...).

Note, I'm not trying to suggest that Europe, or anywhere else for that matter, is better. Simply that the US is hardly a force for good.

[Oregone]

34. Since Carter?

Why do you stop looking back there? It seems like that later half of the last century, the collective effect of the US has been somewhat harmful.

[Tartiflette]

40. I like Carter, so I'm biased

I think he geniunely tried to make the world a better place, taking concrete steps for peace in the Middle East, acknowledging China (I saw him on a recent Daily Show telling us that he, rather than Nixon, was the one to make that step), etc. He was also prescient on issues that have come back to haunt us today. And I'm not well-read enough about post WWII and the Cold War to know what the real motivations were.

[Oregone]

46. Ah...I thought you were including him in the screw ups...

With his whole Carter Doctrine and signing off on Operation Cyclone, he has also left some damage in his wake. It is questionable if Reagan wouldn't have done the same though, as he continued it.

[Tartiflette]

54. You are superior to me too...

I bow to your knowledge. That's still the whole Cold War thing that I'm struggling to find an understanding of - I've read lots to suggest that the threats were magnified, and used to cement the role of the MI complex, but I would think there were genuine fears about the potential for revolutionary change close to home as well, which at least made it more of a real "existential threat" than the current scare du jour.

[rolltideroll]

63. Gonna throw this out

The international community is a joke. No enforcement of their decisions. You know why? No troops. America's great stregnth is the fact that so many nations depend on us for protection, specifically western Europe. The U.N. is a good idea, but has not really accomplished anything except to give brutal dictators a forum, make a mockery of justice(Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone are proud human rights council members) and mooch off free rent in NYC for 60 years. Name me one and I mean one example of real, actual, measurable impact that the U.N. has had, and don't blame America for the state that cuckolded union is in. What possible business is it of any one else what we give as a nation? The presents we give the world in the form of foreign aid serve a stabilizing influence, and I am in favor of the money if it furthers U.S. interests. That is the mindset of not only U.S. leaders, but every leader of every group in the history of mankind. Self or group aggrandizement is natural and good.

[treestar]

73. the country does not provide a job

It leaves it to the free market.

[rolltideroll]

81. Good point

That is how it works. A lot of the countries that rank higher have "encouraged" full employment. I bet North Korea had about 100 % employment. People in the gulag should not count as part of your GDP or job placement rate.

[mmonk]

85. Are bullies leaders?

[No.23]

14. Your standards will determine the kind of greatness...

you will achieve or not.

The measurement of greatness or superiority is dependent on the standards that you use in assessing greatness or superior.

I don't want our children to live in a country that is great or superior by the old standards that we have been historically using.

I want our children to live in a nation that has readjusted its standards to seek a different kind of greatness or superiority.

A set of standards that has replaced compassion for greed.

And humility for superiority.

[Raskolnik]

20. Well, I'm not sure how you can really argue that the U.S. isn't the richest, most powerful nation

in the world (and probably the richest, most powerful nation in the history of the world, depending on your measurements).

What nation is currently, or poised to become, more powerful than the U.S.?

What nation is currently, or poised to become, richer than the U.S.?

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

22. How can we be rich and broke at the same time?

you said, "What nation is currently, or poised to become, more powerful than the U.S.?"

How about China.

[Raskolnik]

36. No, not China.

China's economy about 1/5 the size of that of the U.S., and the individual GDP is roughly 5% of that of the U.S.

China's economy and world power are growing at a fantastic rate, that much is sure, but its economic power would have to double, then redouble, then continue to grow at a healthy rate to approach that of the U.S.

China is making inroads in Africa and South America due to our missteps of late, but they still have a long, long way to go to rival U.S. power, much less exceed it.

[No.23]

24. Whichever nation is spending more money...

in meeting the essential needs of ALL of its citizens...

instead of its military...

is far more rich and powerful than we currently are.

[Raskolnik]

37. That's a pretty unique definition, but if that's how you define "powerful," then have at it. n/t

[Ikonoklast]

26. The ones we owe our debts to.

And our star is waning as theirs is ascending.

[Raskolnik]

39. I don't think many economists would agree with you on that.

There's an old saying: if I owe a bank a thousand dollars, that's my problem. If I owe a bank a billion dollars, that's the bank's problem.

We've gotten ourselves in a pickle by financing the last couple of decades with borrowed cash from China, but if we have trouble paying that money back, that's more of a catastrophe for China than for the U.S.

It is possible that our star may indeed be waning while China's is rising, but by any conventional measurement of international "power," China has a long, long way to go to catch up to the U.S., much less exceed it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. "Patriotism is the most foolish of passions and the passion of fools."

Artur Schopenhauer

[Raskolnik]

44. "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met."

Rodney Dangerfield (1921 - 2004).

[rolltideroll]

33. Mao Said`

All power flows out of the barrel of a gun. Regardless of anything else we have the best equipped,best led, ablest military in the history of the world. If you look at all of human history, that is all that actually matters. Secondly, in the 21st century, "industry" is a thing of the past. Manufacturing is simply going to be done by low wage, unskilled workers, it is the future as much as the sun rising.You say America is not the most compassionate. This is true.But no nation is Compassionate,they are not people and therefore lack emotions. The American people,however are the most compassionate people in the world. America is not a terrorist. Wars have always been fought in human history, and they are fought openly on battlefields involving men. To target a daycare center or a bus of civilians is an entirely different matter, and it saddens me you cannot draw a distinction between the military and say, Hamas or Al Qaeda.They set out to kill women and children for their own gain. I do find it ironic you condemn the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as an evil example of Imperialism in action, yet in the next breath call for us to get involved with a conflict that has noting to do with us, however tragic.There were and still are massive humanitarian needs in Iraq and Afghanstan, but you are willing to overlook these.Not to mention the fact that intervention in Darfur sets us in direct conflict with Muslims again. What about our international image? The country needs to tell the rest of the world to take a hike, we will watch out for our own, they should do the same. If as you say we are poor, then all international aid needs to be summarily cut off, how can we afford it if we are so broke? Be consistent. I firmly believe that other nations problems are theirs, however tragic, but that no American service personnels life should be put in danger for what is a middle east and Africa problem.I am a veteran, and I am sure you are a lifelong civilian, which is fine. However, remember that Orwell said we sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to do violence. In other words, you can luxuriate in your freedoms because those you call terrorists, you moran, protect you. God, people like you who make these idiotic statements are the reason progressive ideas cannot get any traction in rural areas, and I can;t blame them. Nobody likes that down the US and the troops line of B.S. In short, you twit, you win the :

[Tartiflette]

57. Well best equipped, at least

Based on that alone, it makes it difficult to judge whether your other statements about the armed forces are true. But we disagree about America as a terrorist nation. The US has been responsible for 10-16 million deaths since the end of WWII, and most of those were needless, doing nothing to "protect" the US people. Who attacked the US in the 60 years prior to Sept 11? Tell me, how did Vietnam "protect" people in the US? How does Iraq? How does targetting a wedding party because there were suspiscions of terrorists hiding there justify the killing of innocents?
I'm yet to hear a single argument that isn't nonsensical that might justify the killing of innocent people half a world away. The US has killed for it's own gain in over 30 conflicts in the past half century, and where there was nothing to be gained, it has generally avoided the conflict.

[rolltideroll]

58. That is how nations work

You don;t work for the betterment of humanity as a whole, you worry about your own people.Those people were killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is how war works. Look at it from a detached,non emotional viewpoint. Vietnam was a reaction to communism, a mistake, but how long do we have to keep referencing it? Look at Korea. Now that we know what an unholy collection of gangsters the leadership of North Korea is, we saved the people of South Korea, a vibrant and working nation, from being slaves to a Stalinst dictatorship.As tothe number of deaths the U.S. has "caused" how many of those people lived under countries unfriendly to our interests? Do we get credit for all the Jews, Gypsies, homosexual and mentally ill people we saved from Germany? How about the aids death we prevent in Africa? You seem to have arrived at a strange notion that we are the protectors of others. If they are German, Iranian,or South African, their lives is their governments responsibility. We go to war so often for a perfectly sane reason, to protect what we have.Gray areas of morality are abundant when you deal with power at the level our leaders exercise.

[Tartiflette]

69. Lots to address there

I have a detached, unemotional viewpoint, thanks. In fact, as a non-US citizen, and one whose own small country is barely impacted by world affairs, or US actions, I think I'm in a position to be relatively objective. Can you, as someone coming through the US education and military sytems, say the same? And I certainly have no qualms that the US is a protector of others. Rather the opposite in fact, as I see the country as a proven obstacle to self-determination for nations world-wide (as was/is the Soviet Union/Russia, and as are other powerful nations in the world today).

I am not in the business of "giving credit", rather I am trying to understand the world as it is, not as it is being taught to me. From my vantagepoint the US (in an international context) is a mixed bag of good and bad, and I tend to think it leans to the latter. For all those lives you "saved" there are other uncounted ones, such as Chile, where interference in the internal politics of another nation cost lives.

You mentioned WWII. Well, in the post you responded to I was talking about post-WWII, so you've extended the timeframe now to include a war in which you see the US as clear-cut heroes. Well, there is some cloudy history in there as well, it's not quite as simple as you make it out to be. The real nature of the German regime was apparent early on, yet the US chose to profit-make from both sides of the conflict, before joining the war only when attacked. It is an unanswered question whether the US would have entered the conflict had Pearl Harbour not occurred. Hence one could turn the question round and ponder how many lives were lost because the US stood by on the sidelines, knowing full well that we were dealing with one of the most dangerous men the world has ever seen...

And let's look at some of your examples. Your Korean comment seems valid, but who is to say what would have occurred in a united Korea had the US not interfered? The North Korean regime may only have become entrenched in power as a result of the actions taken by the US and allies, rather as Cuba did after the Bay of Pigs. It is an unknowable what mght have happened had the US not taken action, speculation in either direction is just that.

And what does "unfriendly to our interests" mean to you? I can't answer your question until you define that for me. Let me take an example, and posit a question. In the early eighties New Zealand declared itself nuclear-free and refused to allow US warships to dock at their ports unless they would prove their lack of nuclear capability. This is not in US interests (ie their ability to project power around the world). Are you saying that it would thus be justifiable to wage war on that country? In your opinion, would it be justified to wage war on Venezuela now, given that they have acted against US interests? If all nations act in their own interests, then this must necessarily conflict with the US at times (eg, look at the EU with say Airbus vs Boeing). Is war therefore justified on all occasions?

I am also fully aware of the grey areas of morality our leaders operate in. However, I tend to believe that there are better alternatives for the future of mankind than national self-interest.

[rolltideroll]

61. Best equipped

Hop on live leak, look at the next gen weapons coming online. Our troops now are the best equipped. Under armored Humvees are a problem,among other supply issue, show me an army where it hasn't.Napoleon famously remarked that an army marches on it's stomach.The rest of the world is so far behind us militarily is is breathtaking. Heinlein, if I can be excused for quoting again, said that to any society technology sufficiently advanced would appear to be magic. We are not their yet,but when you look at the new sniper active camo suits and heartbeat tracking bullets, we are close.And like the chairman said, power emanates from the ability to project it.Sorry, I know it is bleak, but show me one society that was militarily strong and collapsed, I will show you thousands who grew disgusted or disdainful or military service and swiftly thereafter became a subjugated people. I for one do not want to libve like they do in Africa, the Middle east or South America, therefore it is logical to support the organization that ensures the continuation of that high standard of life. If you want to show real courage, leave America with its free speech, go to China and tell them about human rights.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

51. No It Won't.

And that's one of the most ironic names for a website I've ever seen. The article was intellectual garbage.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

66. Thanks for the kick, OMC!

Thanks to you, more people wil read it!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

67. For The Record,

I always find those sort of replies to be in the category of the most asinine and logically absurd. Congrats on being guilty of it. :hi:

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

72. Calling me, "most asinine"..Wow, coming from you, that really means something!

And thank again, for all you do.
:)

BTW, don't you think war is insane (http://www.saneramblings.com), like Mr. Kazan and I do?

p.s. Thanks for letting me slip in another link, to the site I find worthy.

[Posteritatis]

60. The chief one that annoys me is the claim that the US is the only democracy in the world

All that inanity during the transition about how the United States is unique in having "peaceful transfers of power" between administrations, etc.

[Raskolnik]

62. While it may not be entirely unique, we shouldn't lose sight of how rare our history of peaceful

transfers of power actually is. We have the luxury of considering these peaceful transfers as the norm, but we shouldn't forget that there are precious few examples of it occurring with any regularity throughout human history.

[Mari333]

64. its long overdue that the american empire falls

like all other empires, any country that is a bully will fall. we are on our way down. good riddance to empire.

[rolltideroll]

65. Americas fall

Make sure that your power and access to clean food and water, abundant energy, quality of life, antibiotics and medical treatment are the first to go. All thiese things have been brought about by out "bullying"

[Raskolnik]

70. Just out of curiosity: would you say that, on balance, the U.S. has been a net positive or negative

for the world over the course of the last 200 years or so?

[Mari333]

71. the constitution is positive

and a rare document indeed, considering other empires. nonetheless, we are a very young country and a bit too full of ourselves. right now i consider this a smackdown, the economy, and a wake up call as to where we are headed and what the vision of the usa is. people wont get riled up until it hits them, and its hitting them hard. we are just an adolescent country, and our muscle flexing has gotten us into a lot of trouble. in time, hopefully, we will grow up. other empires have learned their lessons such as some in europe. all in all, i think the united states has shown a remarkable vision in its melting pot culture, its ability to be compassionate and a refuge to many..on the other hand it chooses the low road often, and cannot seem to grow past its need to be a military empire..problem is, its boiling down to do we need more weapons or do people eat...
hugs

[Occam Bandage]

68. Not any time soon, but I like the argument that deficit spending negates military/economic power!

It's creative.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

74. A follow-up, from the author of the column....

Mr. Kazan writes:

"The U.S. Self-Delusion Of Superiority Will End" is a strong piece meant to alert Americans the propaganda they see, hear and read in the U.S. media about U.S. superiority is a gross falsehood. The tidal wave of truth is just beginning to slam them and no amount of giant corporate bailouts, stimulus plans or massive spending on weapons and wars will stop it.

The truth is simple. Hard working middle class Americans cannot bailout the rich, as hard as their lobbyists have tried, and we are going broke. It's like the Titanic after hitting the iceberg. It sank and so will our economy having hit its own iceberg.

But it is also a message of hope. For we as Americans will unite to overcome our misery. And we will sacrifice, which is something not being asked of us by President Obama and Mr. Bernanke, to end the wars and the other wasteful spending and corrupt practices to get our financial house in order. It takes this kind of pain to elevate our level of compassion for others and to bring real change, in lieu of empty campaign promises.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

75. Another writing from the Author: The Real Reason The U.S. Financial System Is In Chaos

The Real Reason The U.S. Financial System Is In Chaos
(posted with permission) from http://www.saneramblings.com

Thus far no bailouts however massive have been big enough to get the credit markets to lend on a grand scale again. As a result our financial system in chaos.

Why won't they lend? Despite the excuses you may have heard, the real reason is because of a lack of integrity in the system. No-one trusts anyone else as a result of so many giant firms, like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Citigroup and others having falsified their accounting.

Or like Bank of America, didn't disclose until after the fact the gargantuan losses of Merrill Lynch whom they acquired, nor the multi-billion dollar bonuses Merrill Lynch paid itself. Then it turned out Bank of America also had previously undisclosed enormous losses.

Recently, there have been huge asset bubbles and loan bubbless and now no-one knows for sure what's real or what those assets are actually worth. Nor do they know if all the liabilities and losses have been disclosed or whether the borrower has the capacity and the inclination to pay them back.

But it gets worse. The U.S. government also falsified its accounting. For example, last year it declared a $455-billion deficit, a stunningly big number. Yet it was actually far larger, potentially twice the deficit they declared.

How could that be? No-one holds them accountable. They borrowed their monumental shortfall from the Social Security trust fund and did not declare it. Instead, they called it an "intragovernmental transfer." This allowed them to hide from the public how bad things really are and it endangered Social Security.

Now the U.S. government is saying it could have trillion dollar deficits for years to come. However, it doesn't have the borrowing capacity to obtain the money and has begun simply printing it. This puts the dollar at risk for there is nothing behind it except people's confidence it will hold it's value.

If too many dollars get printed, it could lead to rampant inflation and the destruction of the value that people worked so hard for and devastate the dollar as the preeminent global currency. Other nations could become fearful and stop lending to the U.S. government unless they can be paid back in strong currencies or in tangible assets including gold.

Now you know the magnitude of the potential exposure. That's why it's critical that integrity is restored throughout the financial system. And also that the U.S. government gets its financial house in order.

It needs to slash spending to be in line with its revenues. Military spending must be cut dramatically and fast, and rather than expand or continue wars it must quickly get out of them. And no more "stimulus" or bailout programs when we can't afford them or any of the government's other reckless spending.

If President Obama and Congress don't soon put America's financial house in order, your currency will eventually have little value. To protect yourself in case they don't, if you can afford to, please buy some one ounce gold coins.

And if you can affort to, please invest in tangible assets such as sharply discounted or foreclosed homes, condos and apartment buildings, preferably using cheap long term fixed rate borrowed money if you can get it. Because real estate values are falling, it's too soon to buy, but an excellent time to learn about it.

I suggest you buy residential real estate because even in bad times everyone needs to live somewhere and will make it a high priority to pay their rent. Buy in primary home communities with good schools and low crime rates, near job centers and hospitals because that's where people prefer to live.

If like many people you don't have the money to make these investments, mutual investment groups will be organized to make them so people can participate with small sums. Please do your homework so that you know who you are investing with. In recent times we've all seen many frauds committed.

Here's the bottom line. Together, we will get through these hard times the worst of which haven't nearly begun and then build a far better tomorrow. Hopefully from the harsh economic lessons we will suffer, we will thereafter hold our government accountable and we will also reign in our military spending and end our military invasions as we become a wiser, more compassionate people.

[OwnedByFerrets]

76. True, unfortunately.....although there will always be those

ignorant enough to believe the lies.

[Raskolnik]

77. The first two points of the article are ridiculously untrue.

Is that the kind of ignorance to which you refer?

[deaniac21]

78. That guy says the stimulus bill will fail disastrously.

[OneBlueSky]

84. what really angers me is that just a few individuals (mostly men) . . .

are the ones who make the decisions that put this nation in the crapper . . . deciding to invade other nations, giving the okay to rendition and torture, allowing an unregulated financial system to drive the economy into the toilet, clinging to oil as our chief energy source, preventing real healthcare reform, etc. . . all of it is decided, initiated, and maintained by a very small group of individuals who, while claiming to love their country, continually take actions that undermine its best interests . . .

a huge percentage of Americans -- the vast majority, I believe -- would soundly reject every one of these actions, if they knew the facts behind them . . . but we continue to elect this elite group of people who consider themselves superior -- more intelligent, more insightful -- than the rest of us and act accordingly . . . then we let them do whatever the hell they want, and even refuse to hold accountable those who go so far as to break the law while foisting their inane policies on the rest of us -- generally for their own personal gain, and that of their cronies (see BushCo and the oil industry, for example) . . .

we finally have as president someone who at least understands what's going on and seemingly is committed to stopping at least the most egregious misdeeds and bad policies of the Congressional/industrial complex . . . whether he can succeed (against all odds) will determine whether this nation survives in some renewed form, or perishes at the hands of greed, indifference, and outright cruelty . . .