Topic: Government Accountability
Why Can't Americans See the Trees for the Forest? Where has common sense gone to in the U.S.? Will we ever get it back?by Bucky
(libertarian)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Has anyone out there noticed how the subtle art of common sense seems painfully lacking today? I sometimes feel as though I am truly in the midst of the great, naked, shivering emperor; whom no healer, doctor, astrologer, nor any other person could tell him the cause of an unrelenting chill that forever encompassed his body.
Well, one man knew the solution, and it was quite clever indeed. The ingenious solution was to (get this) put clothes on the emperor! That way he wouldn't be naked and suffer in the chilly palace. Well, of course he was scorned, and scoffed at for being so silly to even suggest such an asinine idea.
Today, there are thousands of "shivering naked emperors" in terrible need of a bathrobe. A few examples would include:
1) The war in Iraq; perpetuating the violence we are trying to squash.
2) The wars in Korea, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and many, many more; why aren't they over?
3) The Housing bubble, The Investment Banking Bubble, The Silicon Valley Bubble; Why does the Federal Reserve create its own problems just to have to solve them two to three years later?
4) How is it that our government spouts "Free Trade" but it subsidizes some industries/products/crops and not others which undermines the market and drives up consumer prices?
These are just a few of the countless "emperors" running around out there. They are all issues that we are trying to use a bandage to treat that which, actually, requires immediate surgery. We are trying desperately to treat the symptoms, while never even thinking about the cause and, ultimately, the cure.
One thing I will strive for in this column is brevity. So, for the moment, I will leave you with just these few thoughts to get you thinking. In my next column, however, I will begin to dissect these individual Hydras and get to the root of the problems.
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"The wars in Korea, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and many, many more; why aren't they over?"
The war is over in Japan and Germany we won't leave because we don't want to lose the ground that we earned when we lost 416,800 Americans in Europe and the Pacific. That land rightfully belongs to us and has kept most of Europe stable.
We need the oil in Saudi Arabia because the environmentalists have passed laws that prevent us from obtaining cheaper domestic oil.
We should have dropped the bomb on North Korea. Sorry, we should have just ended it right then and there.
Wars without US involvement continue for years. (See Uganda, Darfur)
There are evil people in the world. Most of this evil is seen through racism, sexism, theft, murder, and rape. All of which is caused by religion.
America's wars today are safer, less colateral damage, and have lower death rates. As much as I hate war, it is a necessity to use small wars in order to keep the big ones from happening.
Posted By: patrick henry
Date: 2008-04-10 11:46:18
To hold ground we earned? Is the weirmacht still alive and a threat after 63 years? That land belongs to us? Talk about aggressive theft, not very benevolent. I can definetly see how starting NATO and requiring all nations to militarize (to include the serbs and croats) really provides stability.
There are evil people in the world I agree so why are acting like them? Imperialism, rape, murder, TORTURE, Christian Crusade?
Our Founding Fathers wrote numerous times about staying out of other peoples shit, why cant we apply the Golden Rule? I know I would be pissed if British soldiers still had garrisons here, wouldnt you?
Drop the bomb on N. Korea? Doesnt sound evil to me. Interesting
"Our Founding Fathers wrote numerous times about staying out of other peoples shit, why cant we apply the Golden Rule?"
They couldn't follow it either so no holier than thou BS Here.
If we had droped the bomb Russia might have come at us, but hey look at us and Japan today! Look at the same North Korea today.
Utilitarianism Utilitarianism Utilitarianism! Survival of the most developed and advanced, this is the rule of nature. The only way to keep the peace is to supress and develop the savages. If you don't supress the savages they will always arreast or retard development, why? Because they just don't givafuhk. That is why!
As painful as it is to look at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, immagine a north and South Japan. Imagine a divided Japan where there are more people starving because the savages were not supressed. Imagine the south being developed and secular ali while the north depends on a man who they think is god is starving and is a brainwashed thinker that the United States is Satan.
THIS IS KOREA!!! AND THIS WILL ALWAYS BE KOREA UNTIL A TOTAL VICTORY Occurs.
Utilitarianism is difficult and not easy. But Famine, religion, bigotry, and evil are results of being afraid to use it. Peace without freedom is useless.
The US had the right idea against the British. So did Zimbabwe, so did India, so did all of the other colonies. The only difference is that we build independent nations. We don't have a queen or king to stay on the coinage or some BS political commonwealth position. (See Canada)
Posted By: patrick henry
Date: 2008-04-11 09:04:31
You are right the founders couldnt follow that mentality, Jay Treaty, the Quasi-War, all the wars in Europe we avoided etc, so the historically based point is what? The point may be correct that since the original Democratic-Republican lost power to the Federalist, Whig, Republican than Deomcrats have not stayed out of entangling alliances, How many Americans died in the Spanish American War (control of the sugar trade under the guise of the USS MAINE) , WWI (Lusitania, Zimmerman letters), WWII (we pised off Japan hence Pearl Harbor), Korea (stop the Communist threat, the people need an enemy in order to require large amounts of munitions to be made and destroyed), Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin, feeding the MIC and making Johnsons minions rich), The Middle East ( the US army looking out for corporate oil interests), Grenada (pissed they let Russia build there airport after we wouldnt), Panama( Noriega not cooperating in our drug cartel), Afghanistan (OBL,9/11, control of the International Heroin market) Iraq (WMD,oil , personal vendeta, MIC, theft of LIBERTY) Riwanda, Zaire, etc, etc, etc. None of these factions threatened us. Only Japan ever "attacked" us. We had numerous embargos and much saber rattling against Japan, which I am sure had nothing to do with it. I am sure that if we viewed an imminent threat we would attack, oh yeah like Iraq only they never threatened us with war like we did with Japan. FDR purposely got us involved in WWII in order to further his socialistic/communistic (ever wonder why the 30s are called the Red decade?) ideals and plans on America.
Yep look at Japan, we created a huge competing financial rivalry, look at electronics and automobiles, but hey thats working great for the people in Michigan, right. Good job there.
Imagine a N and S Japan? Based on what historical context or relivancy to the topic.
As far as people being oppressed. Leave it to them to fight for their freedom like the rest of the world had to. Why do we Americans think we have to do it for others. Because the STATE wants us to all fall in line with Imperialism, the same Imperialism that collapsed, Britain, France, Holland, the USSR, Spain, Italy, Germany, do I need to continue? We build independant nations? Name one. Germany or Japan? I bet the Germans nor Japaneese had anything to do with it, pretty arrogant.
We try and establish Democracies and not Republics wonder why?
We tried killing all the creatons in Vietnam, didnt work, they reproduced faster than we could kill them, so I gues the nuclear option would have been the best option to spread peace and freedom. What doublespeak, peace without freedom, yet you advocate suppling at the point of a barrel? This whole we are smarter and holier than thou attitude that you and our country try and force upon others is diametrically oposed to our system of Freedom, Liberty and Government.
Victory of freedom in N. Korea will end only when the People of N. Korea rise and unshackle themselves from their own oppressive governments, not until then.
Look at Iraq, I have spent 3 years there so this is from my observations only. We invaded a soveriegn nation that made no, or posed no, threat to us. Oh yeah Saddam was a big bad mean dictator, but the people were willing to live under such subjigation. Sure he viewed all non-Sunnis as "savages" that didnt give a fuck and decided to violently supress them as so they would not arrest or retard developement. But, those people never asked us to fight for their freedom, in fact they fought us and are still fighting us. I have not met ONE Iraqi that thinks things are better now than under Saddam, even as we roll around the streets of Mosul, Fallujah, B-dad etc and kill all the savages that are trying to arrest or retard developement. We have become what we demonized to begin with. But hey we will all be better off with happy people (load up the soma) that live in a forced democracy more than a 1/3 of the way around the globe. Most Iraqis do not understand nor do they want a democratic form of governement. You cant push freedom on people. Just like in this country they either get it (the concept of LIBERTY and FREEDOM) or they don't, only through education and example can you allow to people to make positive change.
I am always amazed, not amazed astonished how people that have never had to leave their homes and families, go half way around the world to shoot someone in the face that is trying to do the same to you, advocate military force to convince people that democracy is good. If you haven't (and I dont know if you have or havent, but my guess is havent) spent any time enforcing the politcal will of your country by force (read killing and maming) should not advocate those means until you see first hand the "success" of such policy, or are willing to go do it yourself. Much easier to advocate spilling someone elses blood than it is your own.
Notice how the surge is working yet troops can't draw down due to the increse in violence? Again doublespeak. If our brand and flavor of benevolent Democracy was so good then why do they still fight us? HOW ABOUT WE OCCUPY THEIR COUNTRY!
Forcing our will upon others is as repugnant to LIBERTY as they come.
"Do onto others as you would have others do onto you"- Golden Rule
"Speak softly and carry a big stick" TR
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding whats for dinner, Liberty is a well armed sheep"- Ben Franklin
Freedom can be made to look like the devil's work when religion supports certain rules that are statist in nature. Religion has and still is convincing people that freedom is not needed and is contrary to god's perfect plan. I think that I will right an article on this.
I don't advocate that these things are right or wrong. They are not easy, but the result is better for the well being and survival of humanity. Detroit is a horible example, they turned to statism to solve thier economic woes. Japan still buys imports our grain and agricultural products. Wars happen anyway, ignoring the world and letting it rot simply because we don't want to leave home is absurd. Development, technilogical improvement, and exploration are key things that have improved our lives. Humanity will not be at peace until everybody accepts freedom and speaks the dominant language of trade, science, and diplomacy. That language is English.
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