I grew up outside the US (outside North America, for that matter), and the commonly held sentiment is that the US, for the most part, has a hand in the UN like a puppeteer in a sock puppet. Maybe this one time the US couldn't get the UN to bend to its desires and figured it'll veto the UN altogether, (or the power dynamics are changing in a way we can't see outside?) but most people I know will chirp when asked how to fix the UN is to first get rid of that primary influence, then others...
Not anti-American here, mind you... (although I *am* Canadian...hm...)
Hi there; I may have come into this late, but I'd like to add something here, if I may.
I think it's imperative that we take a step back and heed what Heresiarch has echoed.
It's all too easy to want to find one person to blame, to find a scapegoat, rather than to examine the whole organism for its functioning. As young ones, we're taught that there are "bad" people out there, and everything wrong happening in the world in stories and movies has one evil mastermind. As adults, let's not kid ourselves, and try to deny the fact that for every public persona who resides in positions of office that we see, there are many behind the scenes who pull strings and drive the machine - whether they hold official positions or not. Ask yourself:- what sort of political (societal?) culture exists that would allow someone with this man's intentions to gain a foothold? And what are his connections, personal, organisational, corporate or other, that support/maintain him? Perhaps he's the facilitator of some larger, unseen body's agenda?
People using this as a way to gain popularity now, and who may also in the future end up doing something similar, is also something I think should be kept in mind. (I know here in Toronto, everyone seemed fed up with Bob Rae and voted Mike Harris in without thinking. Then he was *way* worse, and they wanted Dalton McGuinty, who promised to roll back things Mike Harris and his gov't started... which has yet to happen...)
It's also all too easy not to take a step back, and take a look at the bigger picture; and at the risk of ruffling feathers, I'll mention one other thing:- the societal attitudes and the (in my opinion) neurotic inability/unwillingness to examine ourselves, that allowed things to come to this.
Are we mad because this makes Americans look bad, or because it truly is beyond grossly unacceptable?
Why is it only when things come to a head do we start to look at things like this? Why not keep a constant, active vigil on the machinations of the system?
Ever since this 9/11 thing started, I've heard constant, continuous descriptions of these people as "animals". Any small wonder the military, part of the populace fed with images and opinions from corporate media to demonize and dehumanize these peoples, would treat them with the similar disdain they believe others would inflict, had they the chance?
I apologize in advance if this stirs up anything unsavoury; such was not my intent. Just a few thoughts.
Be well.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 3 |
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