America Is A Bully. OK. There, I Said It!

[babylonsister]

America Is A Bully. OK. There, I Said It!

By Tom Feeley

First published December 24, 2002

America is a bully, or so it appears to those who live beyond our shores.

Nobody likes a bully, whether he operates in the schoolyard or in the international arena. Those who support a bully do so out of fear. Hence, bullies never have any real friends. They have followers who are intimidated by the arrogance and power of the tormenter. There are many nations, which appear to be friendly to America, yet they wait patiently with hope in their hearts that one-day the bully will meet his match. Meanwhile, they pay homage to the bully in order that they may avoid his wrath.

To the world outside America's borders it appears that Bin Laden strides into the schoolyard, confronts the bully and slaps his face before his tormented schoolmates. Around the globe, good people who have watched the bully in his conceit, speak of justice and democracy as if he was their inventor and the only person worthy of their benefits, are appalled to find that their horror of the event is accompanied with an inward sense of satisfaction. At last, "the bully got what was coming to him".

In the aftermath of 9/11, America’s citizens are scared. Awakened from a dream of rampant consumerism and ignorance of world affairs, we find ourselves confused and uncertain. How could such a thing have happened? It happened because America's democracy has been subverted, not by communists or terrorists, but by our choices. The great majority of America's people choose to close our eyes or look away when the bully treated the people of other nations in a manner which would sicken them, had it occurred to one of their own family.

Franklin D Roosevelt said " Just as our national policy in internal affairs has been based upon a decent respect for the rights and the dignity of all of our fellow men within our gates, so our national policy in foreign affairs has been based on a decent respect for the rights and the dignity of all nations, large and small." If this were ever true, it certainly has not been reflected in recent U.S. foreign policy. We are pleased to bathe in the waters of prosperity and do not find it deplorable that we expect others to cleanse themselves in our dirty water.

It is deplorable that a mind set exists which allows us to think, that simply because we were born within these borders, we are somehow entitled to a enjoy a greater degree of respect and dignity than we are prepared to acknowledge are the birth right of all the worlds people. Were we to reflect a "decent respect for the rights and the dignity of all nations, large and small" we would demanded that our government reflect in its foreign policy those things, which we most value in our own personal and political lives.

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http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19094.htm

[1620rock]

1. WORSE than a bully nation, a murderous rouge nation.

[vssmith]

2. Naomi Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine" proves this

[mwb970]

3. We have become an evil nation, with evil leaders.

Temporarily, I hope. Who could be worse?

[eridani]

4. And none of our leading candidates actually want to change this

Sad.

[Yavapai]

5. A couple of other books that I recommend:

1. Blow-back

2. The sorrows of Empire

3. Nemesis

All 3 by Chalmers Johnson

Kind of makes thing clearer to those of us who wonder just how the USA got this way.