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Once hailed a the sole remaining superpower after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. today exhibits all those same symptoms of a country that is teetering on the verge of implosion, bridled by mind-boggling debt incurred thru massive military expenditures, rampant institutional lending fraud, outright stock market manipulation and the seemingly total abandonment of its once well-respected democratic ideals & morals. In other words; bankrupt not only economically but morally as well.
Despite the collapse of its old nemesis the Soviet Union the U.S. has continued to escalate its global military presence instead of downsizing it, utilizing flimsy pretexts in order to justify its own dubious political agenda. A political agenda that, for all intents and purposes, seems to be predicated on promoting corporate interests over those of the individual.
Hence after being attacked on Sept 11, 2001 by a (once) relatively small group of Islamic fundamentalists based in the Afgani/Pakistan region, the U.S. against all reason decided to invade Iraq instead. To this day the culprits of 9/11 remain free while the U.S. finds itself still stupidly mired in a protracted illegal foreign invasion overseas. An invasion –by the way- that has only served to multiply a HUNDREDFOLD its pool of enemies.
Calling itself a 'pillar of democracy' the U.S. has participated in the illegal foreign invasions of Panama and Grenada, going as far as to kidnap the ruler of Panama (Noriega) in order to place him in a Florida prison. In Chile, the U.S. subverted the democratically held elections that ushered Salvador Allende (a socialist) into power by ordering the CIA to plan & participate in his assasination. The tiny island of Cuba has been the subject of a cruel and vindicative 40 year economic blockade that has only served to cement its will & resistance. In fact the list of U.S. interferences into the sovereign matters of other countries could fill a phonebook-sized volume. Today the U.S. turns its war-mongering eyes towards Iran while its state-controlled media feeds jingoist propaganda to an unsuspecting and complacent American constituency.
Claiming to strive for international Human Rights, the U.S. has shown a chilling propensity for violating every single one of them. Tortures, kidnappings, acts of sexual perversion against innocent Iraqi civilians and the subsequent 'slap on the wrist' received by those U.S. military personal found guilty of participation in these crimes clearly show that the U.S. 'talks the talk' but has absolutely no interest in 'walking the walk'. The extensive use of mercenary troops only adds to the aura of criminality the U.S. already 'enjoys'.
On the U.S. home front, massive fraud perpetrated by lenders and borrowers has driven-up home prices to historically (and ridiculous) high levels thanks almost exclusively to out-of-control speculation by all those parties involved. The whole U.S. 'economic revival' is based upon this artificial & surreal 'growth' wherein nothing has really been produced. Americans have used this unrealistic increase in home values in order to convert their homes into ATM machines, financing further speculative spending by drawing against an ‘equity’ that never really existed in the first place. The U.S. stock market is subject to the coarsest of manipulations and stock values continue to climb against all fundamental logic even while the corporations that issue them are mired in debt and loss. The value of the U.S. dollar is plunging against all other significant currencies and many other nations have started to abandon it as the reserve currency of choice.
The president of the U.S. is meanwhile embarked on a dictatorial path that seeks to unconstitutionally broaden his own powers at the expense of American citizens and their democratic institutions. He refuses to participate in unscripted question and answer sessions when confronted by inquisitive reporters. Peaceful protesters are roughed-up and jailed, like the woman who recently approached Condom-Liza Rice with blood-stained hands and accused her of being –quite rightfully- a war criminal. The U.S. has the dubious distinction of holding one of the largest prisoner populations in the world and seems well along the way of morphing into a full-blown Police State. If in fact it is not already one.
The bullying attitude of the current U.S. administration has driven almost all of South America into the arms of socialistic –and openly anti-American- regimes throughout. G.W. Bush is routinely compared to Adolph Hitler in Europe while the U.S. media fails to report on this fact. Derided as an ignorant, Bush is viewed as a poorly educated cowboy want-to-be who can’t even ride a horse yet seems fond of taking a Wild West approach to international diplomacy.
These are historic times we are living. Today we are witnesses to the death of an ideal –to wit; freedom & liberty for all- that has turned into a gross mockery of itself. Viewing the concept of Karma as one that applies to nations as well as to individuals, the U.S. certainly seems poised to reap what is has sown ..a THOUSANDFOLD.
In the end, the U.S. has been brought down by its own stupidity & greed.
However, the US dollar's strength is totally artificial and not backed up by anything such as gold.
Just like after 9/11 when the economy was flooded with billions of dollars, so can it now. With the ability to be "artificial', to which we are second to none", we are able to manipulate just about the rest of the world.
If we are able to find trillions at a call, we are just as able to turn this around without having to worry about inflation and devaluation . Remember its all artificial.
Those that doubt this and fail to see what America can do (fair or not) will be at a loss and left with their mouth open.
Hog wash? A big lie? Unfair? Totally, no doubt, but this is the world of the 21st century,
WELCOME
Last edited by WildWestDude; 10-26-2007 at 05:04 PM..
I agree with alot of what you said. We've got to get our act together if you want to remain strong in the future. Quit blowing money on foreign wars unless absolutely neccesary. Invest in social programs education and job training that will widen the middle class instead of shrinking it like we currently are. Quit using so much foreign oil. Strengthen our relationships with our allies in Europe and Asia and start acting like a country that stands for justice and freedom. Finally secure our borders and get a hold on illegal immigration. I just hope we can get a president and a congress who will serve their own people instead of narrow interests, unlike George W. Bush has done. Congrats to everyone who put him in office. Its true the only thing that can bring down the US is itself and we are doing a good job of it right now. China just sent a satellite to circle the moon today, we better be getting our act together.
I am really concerned about America's status in the world. It seems we're facing more and more third word issues every day. Take health care for instance. I just heard on the news that in my state the Feds. are going to cut funding for the health care cost of illegal immigrants to the tune of 92 million dollars and health care costs across the board are going to increase to offset the added cost to the state. No one in America should have to be concerned if they will be able to afford or have access to health care. I just wonder what is going on I won't even mention the decline of the U. S. dollar or the statistics of how many people are going to bed hungry and without shelter. Are we a third world nattion? Surely not...We are really a great nation. I know we have a lot of problems. And I am not minimizing the challenges we face in our own country, but I would rather be an American than anything else. I would rather be in America than any place else. Hey, I guess I am a proud American I have to believe that the "true grit" spirit of this nation will spring forward and we will be a the top of the economic food chain once more. Although our status is being challenged internationally...we still set the standard. USA ALL THE WAY!
I am really concerned about America's status in the world. It seems we're facing more and more third word issues every day. Take health care for instance. I just heard on the news that in my state the Feds. are going to cut funding for the health care cost of illegal immigrants to the tune of 92 million dollars and health care costs across the board are going to increase to offset the added cost to the state. No one in America should have to be concerned if they will be able to afford or have access to health care. I just wonder what is going on I won't even mention the decline of the U. S. dollar or the statistics of how many people are going to bed hungry and without shelter. Are we a third world nattion? Surely not...We are really a great nation. I know we have a lot of problems. And I am not minimizing the challenges we face in our own country, but I would rather be an American than anything else. I would rather be in America than any place else. Hey, I guess I am a proud American I have to believe that the "true grit" spirit of this nation will spring forward and we will be a the top of the economic food chain once more. Although our status is being challenged internationally...we still set the standard. USA ALL THE WAY!
Remember (and I hate to say it) but a weaker US dollar helps our budget deficit. China buys a lot of US bonds to keep our currency value higher than it should be (it is artificial as someone stated earlier). We can export US goods cheaper...
remember, Clinton greatly downsized our military during the 90's, that's why a lot of military jobs are handled by US contractors.
Additionally, our war footprint has definitely increased, but our overall military presence has reduced as per the Pentagon's military restructuring system. The problem is that we're taking troops out of those areas to rotate them in and out of Iraq/Afghanistan (and it's bleeding us dry militarily/financially)
remember, Clinton greatly downsized our military during the 90's, that's why a lot of military jobs are handled by US contractors.
Additionally, our war footprint has definitely increased, but our overall military presence has reduced as per the Pentagon's military restructuring system. The problem is that we're taking troops out of those areas to rotate them in and out of Iraq/Afghanistan (and it's bleeding us dry militarily/financially)
It's curious the way we coin new usages for certain expressions of our vernacular language; mercenaries become contractors, patriots become insurgents, guerrilla warfare becomes terrorism, mass murder becomes collateral damage, rendition now means torture.
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I won't even mention the decline of the U. S. dollar or the statistics of how many people are going to bed hungry and without shelter. Are we a third world nattion? Surely not...We are really a great nation. I know we have a lot of problems. And I am not minimizing the challenges we face in our own country, but I would rather be an American than anything else. I would rather be in America than any place else. Hey, I guess I am a proud American
I have to believe that the "true grit" spirit of this nation will spring forward and we will be a the top of the economic food chain once more. Although our status is being challenged internationally...we still set the standard.
USA ALL THE WAY!
