Posted on 10/28/2001 10:45:12 AM PST by clee1
Time for America to DOMINATE the world!
I know this post will probably provoke some heated reactions, but I am going to say what is really on my mind. I think it is time for America, or rather "the Ideals of America" to dominate the planet Earth.
This Nation was founded by immigrants/colonists that wanted to prosper and worship as they chose to, without interference from hereditary monarches in Europe. They tired of living a life where foreign Kings decided how they would worship God, major portions of their productivity were "taxed" by the landed Nobility, and their station in life was set by birth. All wanted to live in freedom and enjoy the fruit of their own labors.
The Founding Fathers stated this American theory of government in the following passage from the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Then, after winning our independence on the battlefield (take THAT, ya peaceniks!) some stumbles and false starts (Articles of Confederation), the Constitution was established. It created the framework of a representative (republican) form of government, in which the People would elect their representatives to do governmental business. The reasons for and definition of governmental business are stated in the preable to the Constitution:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The government's Powers were restricted and further defined in the Articles of the Constitution, and the first ten Amendments to the Constitution enumerated the specific rights of the People. The US Constitution established the means for a free people to live and worship as they saw fit. When asked what kind of government had been established, Ben Franklin replied, "A Republic, Sir, if you can keep it."
For 214 years, the People of the United States have kept it: by living, working, prospering, and yes, by sometimes fighting and dying for it.
OK. I can already hear the flamers - what about slavery, what about a women's right to vote, what about low wages, high crime, support for totalitarian regimes, etc, etc, ad nauseam. Hey! I'll be the first to say it: We are not perfect. We learn from our past and or sucesses and failures, correct our mistakes, and move on in life as we choose to. This has often caused desent, and has cost blood. We apologise for our errors and try to make amends. That is the American Way. Part of what urks our enemies the most is that we are so prosperous while adopting an open and tolerant attitude at peace and ferocious tenacity at war. You can do what you want until it affects me, then we have a problem. Attack us - you have made a serious mistake.
The ideals of America triumph over all others that have come against it. Western civilization IS better than Middle Ages fudalism. People the world over seek to come to America to live in freedom and prosperity, to be safe from constant threats, and to raise their children in peace. This is a fact and as an American Citizen, I for one am tired of apologising for it!
Sept. 11th, {my birthday 8^( } 2001, has made profound changes to American thinking and attitude. We are no longer talking about "lock boxes" and "prescription drugs" and "SocSecurity". We are now discussing freedom, safety, and the defeat of terrorism.
IMHO, I think Americans will be under constant attack from forces of evil unless we get with the program and eradicate these forces from the face of the earth. Terrorists, Leftists, non-constitutional monarchies, dictatorships, theocracies and oligarchies are all enemies to the American Way and should be eliminated by all the force we can muster. Diplomatic, economic, military and covert means should be used to destroy thes groups so that the world can finally live in peace and prosperity.
I say it is high time that we as Americans stop buddying up to tyrants and totalitarian regimes, and we toss them bodily into the dustheap of history. Countries like China and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are not our "friends", they are merely "trading partners" or in some cases just politically convenient to have around or leave alone. We should immediately revoke all support and trade with governments that are not democracies or free market economies, and deport their citizens living here. We will never again be safe until all the people of the world enjoy the benefits of democracy and a free market economy, and our duty as Americans is to help bring it to them any way we can while protecting ourselves from internal attack. I don't want to occupy the world - Imperialism and colonialism don't work either (Just ask the ancient Romans, and 15th to 19th century England, France, and Spain) - I just want it all to be made free; by force if necessary. Pax Americana should be the order of the day.
You are either with us, or you are against us. That should apply to our ideals as well.
C. Lee
Georgia
Lots of people would have disagreed with you. In the Middle Ages, an opponent of the local ruler, or even sometimes a person who had fallen into his disfavor, had only to flee across the nearest border and he could gain freedom and even allies to revenge himself.
Under the Empire, there was nowhere to flee for those who were out of favor of the Emperor. In essence, the Empire was a political monopoly, feudalism had some features in common with free-market economies.
Feudal societies are not usually very progressive, but they are also inherently sloppy in their opporession. This sloppiness allowed for many people to lead a relatively free existence, as compared to a modern totalitarian society.
American omlet construction should be about freedom for all.
However, we should keep in mind Burke's comments about the French Revolution. Before we celebrate that others now have the freedom to do whatever they want, we should find out what it is they want to do. Maybe they'll their new freedom to attack us.
Not everybody on the planet has the same ideals or aspirations as most Americans do. For some, the destruction of America is their highest ideal. Their freedom to implement this aspiration is the problem, not a solution.
If everybody on the planet were freed from oppressive governments, our problems would not disappear. Some of them might get worse.
So should we just accept that disadvantage and admit defeat? I agree it's a serious disadvantage abroad, and even more so at home. I don't thnk there's any way arouund it, and our enemies understand us, and they are actively using our reluctance to kill civilians against us.
I am afraid the only solution is the physical destruction of those enemies we can hit with regrettably large numbers of collateral damage, and the economic and technological reduction of those we can't hit directly.
In a more serious era, we recognized the threat, we could psychologically accept the requirements it laid upon us, and we firebombed Germany, and nuked Japan.
The 'burdens of war' don't mean just long lines at the airport, or even rationing -- more importantly it means watching and supporting your government slaughter foreign civilians because you know in the big picture that it's a just cause, and it's better for free societies to survive the trials of history than tyrannical ones.
It sounds ugly, but it's the truth, and war is ugly.
Look at it this way: During Prohibition, Al Capone and his buddies had tremendous influence in Chicago. Should we have destroyed the city of Chicago and all its inhabitants to get him?
I realize that collateral damage is inevitable in war, especially when one side inetntionally used civilians to hide behind. I do not believe that we should therefore kill millions of civilians to get at a few hundred or thousand terrorists.
Our refusal to do this is what makes us morally superior to the terrorists and puts the lie to those pushing morel equivalency.
That is why we have a small window of opportunity to dismante the ability of tyrannical states to accomplish this, if it's not too late. To pretend that isolationism will, or would prevent these tyrants from attacking us is not realistic, based on radical Islamic intolerance for any system other than their own.
We take the heat because we are the most successful, attractive alternative to their sick vision of the future world. The time is now to take drastic steps to prevent that vision from becoming reality.
However, I am very literate, and I do believe the American Way is the best way, with some justification.
Am I to suppose that your way of dealing with clear and present threats to our nation is to just pat the tyrants on the back and bury our collective head in the sand?
I suspect you are a DU'er, and can only come up with responses like "nazi" and "half-literate". BTW the literate phrase would have been "semi-literate".
You cannot legislate or force morality upon people nor can you legislate or force acceptance upon people.
It has been tried several times recently and not worked.
I think the word you're looking for is fascism.
Well, we were never forced to declare war against Chicago either. The stakes are quite a bit higher. The similarity with WWII and with all of life, is survival of the fittest. That is what we are facing. Our moral superiority is worthless if we are destroyed in the process of maintaining it.
I agree that some extreme measures, especially those domestically, would be self-defeating, but that bar has been raised awfully high, now that our very existence is under explicit, and probably very credible threat of destruction.
Thank you for being polite. I thought I was plenty thoughtful - but reasonable people are free to disagree.
You cannot legislate or force morality upon people nor can you legislate or force acceptance upon people.
No, but you can refuse to do business with or be friendly with those that don't accept a civilized society.
It has been tried several times recently and not worked.
Name ONE time in the history of the world when evil has not eventually been defeated by good.
I think the word you're looking for is fascism.
Wrong. The word I am looking for is "peace" - it is an impossibility while the majority of the world lives under repressive regimes, many supported in the past by OUR government.
All I am trying to say is that America needs to support the ideals that founded our Nation, while rigorously opposing governments that reject them. That's all. If while supporting these ideals we come under attack (a la 9-11) we should spare no mercy while dealing with the enemy, moral relativism and political correctness be damned.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.