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Reader Digest, of all publications, had an article called "World's most dangerous leaders." in the current issue. As you probably guessed correctly, they are the leaders of North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela. These guys, of course, don't like US policy very much. The story began with these sentences "Any roll call of the world's despots is depressingly long. But only a handful of leaders threaten the security of countries well beyond their borders." I nearly choked on the irony. But that's another story.
During the cold war, it was the evil Soviet Union that was going to destroy America with their missiles. They, of course, never did. Then it was the Chinese who was going to nuke us. What ever happened to that plan of theirs? And that mess we got into in Vietnam? What was that about? Most recently, it was Iraq who threatened democracy and freedom in America with their....uh....AK-47 rifles because their WMDs were never found. Now it seems we need a new enemy...no...make that four new enemies. Do you not see a pattern here?
We are currently in a war that is costing the country serious dough and credibility and American lives. Yet the government is already bent on waging another one. It's just plain crazy.
One creates a crisis or pretends one exists, then claims to have the solution.
One creates a crisis or pretends one exists, then claims to have the solution.
Exactly.
A culture of fear.
What about Teddy Roosevelt's saying: "Speak softly, but carry a big stick."
To me this adage does not mean to sit passively and wait for things to happen, but rather be strong and amiable but not over-committed; be ready, but without any accompanying bluster or wasted activity. (Or wasted lives. )
What about Teddy Roosevelt's saying: "Speak softly, but carry a big stick."
To me this adage does not mean to sit passively and wait for things to happen, but rather be strong and amiable but not over-committed; be ready, but without any accompanying bluster or wasted activity. (Or wasted lives. )
So true cil -almost poetic! As mentioned somewhere else, as many Americans have been killed by terrorists since the early 1960s up to today as have been killed by allergic reactions to peanuts, or struck by lightning. There is a much better chance you or someone in your family will be shot by the gun sitting in your bedroom closet.
History is going to look back at the terror color codes we had a couple years ago and laugh. It will look like those 1950s school drills to get under your desk in case of nuclear attack.
If the problem is not America, then, surely, you can't suggest that it's everyone else's fault? Your view that it isn't America has no other answer. America is messed up, big time. If Americans can't accept responsibility for their problems, then their problems are much bigger than I imagined.
We need to look in the mirror. There is no one else to blame. Our economy isn't perfect, it requires change. Our values are off kilter, they need balancing. Our government is corrupt, it needs purging. Self-criticism is the only criticism worth acting on. It's what inspires one to improve. It's one stone in the foundation that would return "United" to our name.
Mhouse, I see your point- all very valid suggestions! I confess, though, that it would be a lot easier to do what you've suggested, (and we HAVE done, and are doing, a lot of it already) if we could turn on the TV some morning and hear a Muslim leader telling his people, "Folks, we've just GOT to shape up! We're KILLING each other, our gevernments are corrupt, and we are SCARING THE DAYLIGHTS out of the West....We might start by treating our women fairly, and knock off with the DEATH THREATS, already. By the way, "Infidel" isn't a very friendly word, either"...
...Or a message from a high Mexican government official, who's saying something like "Guys, members of our privileged class ought to be ASHAMED of ourselves!! Here we are, in a nation with great mineral wealth and HUGE oil reserves, and yet we treat our OWN POOR like CRAP !! We are SO STINGY, and so unwilling to treat the poor with any dignity, that they have NO CHOICE but to LEAVE ! And, adding insult to injury, when they finally get where they're going, we then turn on the people up THERE (the "Evil Gringos") and blame THEM for the plight of OUR OWN POOR!! We are grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt, all while ANNOYING the HELL out of the Gringos !! It's time we put our own house in order !!"
Mhouse, your admonitions regarding our "moral obligations" are reasonable and well-founded. Would it be out of line to include others in your request? Just an honest question.......The best to you.
Mhouse, I see your point- all very valid suggestions! I confess, though, that it would be a lot easier to do what you've suggested, (and we HAVE done, and are doing, a lot of it already) if we could turn on the TV some morning and hear a Muslim leader telling his people, "Folks, we've just GOT to shape up! We're KILLING each other, our gevernments are corrupt, and we are SCARING THE DAYLIGHTS out of the West....We might start by treating our women fairly, and knock off with the DEATH THREATS, already. By the way, "Infidel" isn't a very friendly word, either"...
...Or a message from a high Mexican government official, who's saying something like "Guys, members of our privileged class ought to be ASHAMED of ourselves!! Here we are, in a nation with great mineral wealth and HUGE oil reserves, and yet we treat our OWN POOR like CRAP !! We are SO STINGY, and so unwilling to treat the poor with any dignity, that they have NO CHOICE but to LEAVE ! And, adding insult to injury, when they finally get where they're going, we then turn on the people up THERE (the "Evil Gringos") and blame THEM for the plight of OUR OWN POOR!! We are grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt, all while ANNOYING the HELL out of the Gringos !! It's time we put our own house in order !!"
Mhouse, your admonitions regarding our "moral obligations" are reasonable and well-founded. Would it be out of line to include others in your request? Just an honest question.......The best to you.
You appear to be arguing that since Johnny lied, Billy can too. In other words, it might be nice for me to suggest that we fix ourselves, but, hey if everyone else is committing crimes or behaving badly, what's my incentive? Why should I behave if my neighbors aren't?
The missing ingredient is that what America is doing now is certainly irresponsible as well. America has committed terrible crimes in the minds of other countries and, frankly, it's easy to agree with them. I'm not going to let patriotism blind my view of reality. That they would suggest and encourage retaliation is a natural human response and a dangerous one. This vicious circle must end somewhere.
You cannot improve someone else; it's not your job. The only place to start is within. If it takes other countries longer to figure that out, then so be it. In the meantime, why discount the effect one has by being a shining example? Doing the right thing can be contagious.
You appear to be arguing that since Johnny lied, Billy can too. In other words, it might be nice for me to suggest that we fix ourselves, but, hey if everyone else is committing crimes or behaving badly, what's my incentive? Why should I behave if my neighbors aren't?
The missing ingredient is that what America is doing now is certainly irresponsible as well. America has committed terrible crimes in the minds of other countries and, frankly, it's easy to agree with them. I'm not going to let patriotism blind my view of reality. That they would suggest and encourage retaliation is a natural human response and a dangerous one. This vicious circle must end somewhere.
You cannot improve someone else; it's not your job. The only place to start is within. If it takes other countries longer to figure that out, then so be it. In the meantime, why discount the effect one has by being a shining example? Doing the right thing can be contagious.
Your statements are duly noted, Mhouse, and, to the extent that they go, I agree with you. However, I stand by what I said. We ARE criticizing ourselves; you certainly are, in this very post. So am I, and so are quite a number of other people in this forum. As for "patriotism", we engaged in a rousing debate over it some days ago, in which I expressed serious reservations as to its merits. It's fine to a point, but not if it's "blind",
The world is an extremely complex place. The fact is, that if "Johnny lied", and his lie is then adopted by an uncritical world as valid evidence against "Billy", then yes, I guess I'd have to say that Billy can lie, too. In this scenario, when only one side places importance on "truth", how could it be otherwise? You are quite correct in saying that I cannot "improve someone else"; however, I can, and do, demand that they accept responsibility for what they do, just as they are demanding from me.
Sometimes the only way to infiltrate a criminal gang is with a "sting" operation; essentially, allowing the police to "lie". Would we all object to this, across the board? Some of us would, I suppose. But it's my contention that the VICTIMS of the gang would be happy to see it "put out of business". They'd say that the police lied, because they had no other way to get control of the situation. Gangs, after all, seldom put great importance on fairness or honesty, and it's extremely hard to get them to "shape up" simply by reasoning with them.
The same dynamic, I believe, holds true in all human interaction. If a stranger asked you intimate details of your life, or your finances, etc., would you "lie"? You'd certainly be justified in doing so, if you ask me...
Thanks for the intersting points--I enjoyed it (and that's the TRUTH !)
One final thought, Mhouse, is that I think, on the world-wide scale of things, that we HAVE been (as you suggested) a "Shining Example". We've left a lot of good will out there, and have been (and still are) a magnet for the dispossessed from every land. Our bad image is fairly new.
I feel, however, that in an extremely diverse world, that sometimes a "shining example" may just be looked at as sign of weakness. Some will love us, and some will hate us, partly for what we do, and partly for how they percieve us in their own cultural framework....
Actually it was former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who told the Washington Press Club in 1969:
“Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”
Of course, in most "cities" the "cops" don't spend years arming the bad guys to the teeth so he can do battle with the "cops" enemies.
Actually it was former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who told the Washington Press Club in 1969:
“Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.”
In Mexico they have a similar saying - Every time the U.S. sneezes, we catch a cold.
Of course, in most "cities" the "cops" don't spend years arming the bad guys to the teeth so he can do battle with the "cops" enemies.
What gets us in trouble is we arm who we pick to be the "good guys" to fight who we pick to be the "bad guys"...and then our "good guys" turn out to be "bad guys" too...and our poor troops end up fighting "bad guys" with guns funded by ourselves.
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