Dialogue with God and the American Dream
In October 2006 a senior U.S diplomat says “…. U.S. policy in Iraq displayed “arrogance” and “stupidity…..”
In 2001 a major U.S. company collapsed with $31.8bn in debts and throwing 21,000 workers around the world out of work. The prosecution against Enron bosses Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling said they stole from investors to line their pockets and stroke their egos. Both were found guilty of fraud, conspiracy and other charges.
Power, arrogance, stupidity, corruption, greed, personal gain, egotism, fraud, manipulation, the list goes on and on ………….
Is this the modern America, the new American Dream, now being exported around the world?
As the piles of bodies from the campaign in Iraq increase, to be placed alongside the hundred of thousands who died in the invasion of the country and the hundred of thousands who died as a result of the years of sanctions forced on Saddam Hussein’s regime by America and the UK before the invasion, we see U.S. stimulated sanctions being forced on North Korea. In the present political atmosphere in the U.S. it is at this moment unlikely that we will see any military action being taken against North Korea…..as long as nothing happens to make things worse…!
What could make things worse?
Well let’s look at America in a figurative, but symbolic, way. Let’s imagine those well known film pictures of a New York cop, or a U. S. soldier. They stand there in their uniform, the cop with his weapon holstered but hand ready to draw it, the soldier with his weapon slung across his chest resting on the fold of an arm and the finger of the other hand close to the trigger. They’re both a picture of tuned relaxation, ready to swing into heroic action at a moment of need. They portray an image of control, duty, alertness, morality, discipline, integrity, decency, comradeship, all for one and one for all, allegiance to the flag and to the greatest country of them all and to the American citizens of this, and so on.
This is how America likes to see or portray itself. At the same time America has assigned itself the task of policing the world. Yet here the conflicts or contradictions start to arise. The allegiance to the flag and to the greatest country of them all and the American citizens of this means that the rest of the world has to adjust to policies of America since a policeman enforces the laws laid down by the state or country he or she is responsible to. Although America tries to argue that it only enforces laws agreed upon by the world at the United Nations, in fact this is not really the case, as the illegal invasion of Iraq has proven. The meaning of the word world is also in realty mostly reduced to a handful of powerful countries with America at the lead of this handful. The arguments and jeering remarks of people such as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela do have valid ground, no matter if you like the person or not. There is little doubt that America uses its powers to get its way within the UN, and bullying tactics to achieve its aims are not closed out. Even the pleas from North Korea for direct dialogue with America as a possible solution to conflict fall on deaf ears in American politics, although it would seem that North Korea, and other besieged countries, are only asking to be treated with respect, dignity and a certain amount of equal rights.
The world is told that America is protecting its rights, but the world is also told, whenever policies need this, that America is protecting the world. Some actions are enforced under the argument that they are done in America’s interest, while others are done in the interest of the world. The argument against any possible contradiction in the latter would be to argue that it is both in America’s and the world’s interest. It would seem that some things are conveniently in America’s interest and other things are conveniently in America’s and the world’s interest, depending on the (political) needs of America at that moment.
Who decides where the interest for the protecting of the rights lies? Well America does and since American political, financial and military power is spread around the world, the world mostly does what America wants and decides, and mostly does what it is told to do by America; the “you are with us, or you are against us” mentality.
But of course there are those who show disagreement with this, such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein which was said to be a renegade country, or North Korea, Syria, Iran, or political leaders such as Cuban leader Fidel Castro or President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, just to list a few examples. However under American leadership and pressure these countries or leaders are usually quickly denounced and isolated or not treated seriously or equally by the world.
The former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was also denounced and ridiculed when he failed to support President Bush’s and Tony Blair’s decision to (illegally) invade Iraq under the false pretences of being a nuclear threat. Now in a book of his memoirs due to be released this week Gerhard Schroeder apparently explains that he found it difficult to deal politically with President Bush because he (Bush) gave the impression or suggestion that he got his political (and other?) inspiration from our heavenly father (although no doubt his earthly father and fathers political cronies add their share of inspiration), that even before the Iraq war Bush seemed to be making political decisions based on his dialogue with God. .
Inspirations from our heavenly father, dialogue with god, are sure fire ways of catching votes in America and being elected into or kept in office. Yet religion is another area of conflict and contradictions within America. Despite official separation of church and state, many churches in the U.S. take strong stances on political subjects. Only about 26% of the people think the Democrats are favourable to religion. What do they exactly mean with this? That they think the democrats are heathens and demons and representing Saturn or are they just a bunch of anti religion atheists? Well quite a few people will think something along these lines; you get people who go so far as to preach and believe such things that the music of the Beatles is evil and filled with the work of Saturn. Yet while not everyone goes quite this far religious fanaticism is probably far more present in America than people really want to believe or accept, although perhaps by most expressed and practiced in terms that they believe are quite reasonable and normal, or hidden within or behind other issues. So are the Democrats then really true demons? Well many people will probably think not, but because the democrats have shown resistance to movements such as the anti-abortionists they are now seen as being unfavourable to religion by a large majority of the American population.
Once again you have the “you are with us or you are against us” mentality. This is not even considering the many contradictions and conflicts of the antiabortionists who argue for right of life but are willing to support such things as the death penalty and illegal invasion of foreign countries that leads to hundred of thousands of innocent lives, or sanctions that kill men, women and children, and other such things. The right for life would seem to take on another dimension in these cases. These same people are often the ones who denounce what they call religious fanaticism in Islamists; however this tends not only to cover real fanatics but the majority of Islamists. Followers of the Muslim faith only make up 1% to 3% of the American religions, of which there are numerous. 61% of Americans in a survey saw evil in the world as a threat to religious faith. It is probably unlikely that they might just see their own views as a threat to religious faith or that their own religious views might be conceived as being a possible form of fanaticism.
The Enron boss Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in prison and a fine of 45 Million Dollar while Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack after being found guilty and therefore his conviction was squashed, but no doubt there will be many who say he received his sentence from God. However another boss, Andrew Fastow, the former Enron finance executive, was sentenced to only 6 years in prison and did not have to pay a fine because he cooperated with the prosecution and showed remorse for his actions although he was just as criminally guilty of the collapse of Enron with $31.8bn in debts and throwing 21,000 workers around the world out of work as were the other two! In America you can be just as guilty of a crime as another but if you cooperate against others and show remorse then you will be rewarded with leniency, this would seem to be particularly so if you are a big boss, or have political power, or money. It is doubtful that a street criminal would receive the same kind or amount of leniency!
Despite the extremely heavy sentence given to one ex Boss of Enron crime pays might be the real motto that comes out of this for many big bosses and those with political power and money, just don’t get caught, and if you do, use the backdoor; and America likes having backdoors, among other things you have the third amendment, bankruptcy protection laws and when all else fails then cooperation with the prosecution and showing remorse.
Returning to the question: What could make things worse? Ask this question to people in America and they will look for the answer in such places as North Korea and perhaps say something like “…well if North Korea carries out another nuclear bomb experiment….” or perhaps “…if North Korea does this or that…” or “…if Iran….”!
But in reality the answer and the power of what might or can go wrong lies not in North Korea, or Iran, or in any other such place, the power and answer lies in all and more of the above!
In 2001 a major U.S. company collapsed with $31.8bn in debts and throwing 21,000 workers around the world out of work. The prosecution against Enron bosses Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling said they stole from investors to line their pockets and stroke their egos. Both were found guilty of fraud, conspiracy and other charges.
Power, arrogance, stupidity, corruption, greed, personal gain, egotism, fraud, manipulation, the list goes on and on ………….
Is this the modern America, the new American Dream, now being exported around the world?
As the piles of bodies from the campaign in Iraq increase, to be placed alongside the hundred of thousands who died in the invasion of the country and the hundred of thousands who died as a result of the years of sanctions forced on Saddam Hussein’s regime by America and the UK before the invasion, we see U.S. stimulated sanctions being forced on North Korea. In the present political atmosphere in the U.S. it is at this moment unlikely that we will see any military action being taken against North Korea…..as long as nothing happens to make things worse…!
What could make things worse?
Well let’s look at America in a figurative, but symbolic, way. Let’s imagine those well known film pictures of a New York cop, or a U. S. soldier. They stand there in their uniform, the cop with his weapon holstered but hand ready to draw it, the soldier with his weapon slung across his chest resting on the fold of an arm and the finger of the other hand close to the trigger. They’re both a picture of tuned relaxation, ready to swing into heroic action at a moment of need. They portray an image of control, duty, alertness, morality, discipline, integrity, decency, comradeship, all for one and one for all, allegiance to the flag and to the greatest country of them all and to the American citizens of this, and so on.
This is how America likes to see or portray itself. At the same time America has assigned itself the task of policing the world. Yet here the conflicts or contradictions start to arise. The allegiance to the flag and to the greatest country of them all and the American citizens of this means that the rest of the world has to adjust to policies of America since a policeman enforces the laws laid down by the state or country he or she is responsible to. Although America tries to argue that it only enforces laws agreed upon by the world at the United Nations, in fact this is not really the case, as the illegal invasion of Iraq has proven. The meaning of the word world is also in realty mostly reduced to a handful of powerful countries with America at the lead of this handful. The arguments and jeering remarks of people such as President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela do have valid ground, no matter if you like the person or not. There is little doubt that America uses its powers to get its way within the UN, and bullying tactics to achieve its aims are not closed out. Even the pleas from North Korea for direct dialogue with America as a possible solution to conflict fall on deaf ears in American politics, although it would seem that North Korea, and other besieged countries, are only asking to be treated with respect, dignity and a certain amount of equal rights.
The world is told that America is protecting its rights, but the world is also told, whenever policies need this, that America is protecting the world. Some actions are enforced under the argument that they are done in America’s interest, while others are done in the interest of the world. The argument against any possible contradiction in the latter would be to argue that it is both in America’s and the world’s interest. It would seem that some things are conveniently in America’s interest and other things are conveniently in America’s and the world’s interest, depending on the (political) needs of America at that moment.
Who decides where the interest for the protecting of the rights lies? Well America does and since American political, financial and military power is spread around the world, the world mostly does what America wants and decides, and mostly does what it is told to do by America; the “you are with us, or you are against us” mentality.
But of course there are those who show disagreement with this, such as Iraq under Saddam Hussein which was said to be a renegade country, or North Korea, Syria, Iran, or political leaders such as Cuban leader Fidel Castro or President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, just to list a few examples. However under American leadership and pressure these countries or leaders are usually quickly denounced and isolated or not treated seriously or equally by the world.
The former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was also denounced and ridiculed when he failed to support President Bush’s and Tony Blair’s decision to (illegally) invade Iraq under the false pretences of being a nuclear threat. Now in a book of his memoirs due to be released this week Gerhard Schroeder apparently explains that he found it difficult to deal politically with President Bush because he (Bush) gave the impression or suggestion that he got his political (and other?) inspiration from our heavenly father (although no doubt his earthly father and fathers political cronies add their share of inspiration), that even before the Iraq war Bush seemed to be making political decisions based on his dialogue with God. .
Inspirations from our heavenly father, dialogue with god, are sure fire ways of catching votes in America and being elected into or kept in office. Yet religion is another area of conflict and contradictions within America. Despite official separation of church and state, many churches in the U.S. take strong stances on political subjects. Only about 26% of the people think the Democrats are favourable to religion. What do they exactly mean with this? That they think the democrats are heathens and demons and representing Saturn or are they just a bunch of anti religion atheists? Well quite a few people will think something along these lines; you get people who go so far as to preach and believe such things that the music of the Beatles is evil and filled with the work of Saturn. Yet while not everyone goes quite this far religious fanaticism is probably far more present in America than people really want to believe or accept, although perhaps by most expressed and practiced in terms that they believe are quite reasonable and normal, or hidden within or behind other issues. So are the Democrats then really true demons? Well many people will probably think not, but because the democrats have shown resistance to movements such as the anti-abortionists they are now seen as being unfavourable to religion by a large majority of the American population.
Once again you have the “you are with us or you are against us” mentality. This is not even considering the many contradictions and conflicts of the antiabortionists who argue for right of life but are willing to support such things as the death penalty and illegal invasion of foreign countries that leads to hundred of thousands of innocent lives, or sanctions that kill men, women and children, and other such things. The right for life would seem to take on another dimension in these cases. These same people are often the ones who denounce what they call religious fanaticism in Islamists; however this tends not only to cover real fanatics but the majority of Islamists. Followers of the Muslim faith only make up 1% to 3% of the American religions, of which there are numerous. 61% of Americans in a survey saw evil in the world as a threat to religious faith. It is probably unlikely that they might just see their own views as a threat to religious faith or that their own religious views might be conceived as being a possible form of fanaticism.
The Enron boss Jeffrey Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in prison and a fine of 45 Million Dollar while Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack after being found guilty and therefore his conviction was squashed, but no doubt there will be many who say he received his sentence from God. However another boss, Andrew Fastow, the former Enron finance executive, was sentenced to only 6 years in prison and did not have to pay a fine because he cooperated with the prosecution and showed remorse for his actions although he was just as criminally guilty of the collapse of Enron with $31.8bn in debts and throwing 21,000 workers around the world out of work as were the other two! In America you can be just as guilty of a crime as another but if you cooperate against others and show remorse then you will be rewarded with leniency, this would seem to be particularly so if you are a big boss, or have political power, or money. It is doubtful that a street criminal would receive the same kind or amount of leniency!
Despite the extremely heavy sentence given to one ex Boss of Enron crime pays might be the real motto that comes out of this for many big bosses and those with political power and money, just don’t get caught, and if you do, use the backdoor; and America likes having backdoors, among other things you have the third amendment, bankruptcy protection laws and when all else fails then cooperation with the prosecution and showing remorse.
Returning to the question: What could make things worse? Ask this question to people in America and they will look for the answer in such places as North Korea and perhaps say something like “…well if North Korea carries out another nuclear bomb experiment….” or perhaps “…if North Korea does this or that…” or “…if Iran….”!
But in reality the answer and the power of what might or can go wrong lies not in North Korea, or Iran, or in any other such place, the power and answer lies in all and more of the above!
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