America's break-up letter to the world
To all America's critics amongst my readers (You know, all the chomsky fans, the get the US out of Iraq now people, the stop American Hegomony now crowd; if you are in any of those groups that includes you) , please go and read this and tell me: Is that what would make you happy? Cause, shit, I know it would make the Americans happy. Leave a comment with your opinion too, I really want to know.
posted by The Sandmonkey @ 9/01/2005 07:30:00 AM
30 Comments:
Load of Garbage.
Was it written by an embittered yank or what?
Countries on list # 2 will effective immediately cease all dealings with the US of A & thus it (usa) will not be able to sell its goods anywhere, let them gloat & wallow in their products, which a big portion of it is made in china anyway, let them withdraw all their money & keep it to themselves & build a high wall around them.
whoever wrote this rubbish has absolutely no idea how the world spins nowadays, economy isnt that easy or direct, economies depend on one another, so for the patriotic white trash submental yank who wrote it, your president would not dare think it let alone implement half of whats written.
why dont the americans ever learn?
Baltic Waves: I had to remove your comment, and you know why. While i am not a fan of being PC, no need for the extra inflamtory stuff over here. Let's play nice, ok?
Thewiz is right. The speech sounds therapeutic in words only; implementing it would result in dire consequences. Imagine the steep downward spiral the world community would experience if a second American isolationism was implemented. Why...anonymous...you might be forced to learn Arabic or Chinese! Think about that for a second before you talk down to us ignorant Americans. We work hard, we play hard, and we give of ourselves and our wealth generously to many who needed it. What do we get in return? Two downed skyscrapers for starters.....
Oops, should have signed it...
jonas976
Neither feasible nor desirable...but it expresses a valid frustration. What do people want from the US, anyway? Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
Thewiz...I appreciate your point but (just FYI) you may want to check your math. I make typos and similar errors all the time so I'm not trying to be rude, just helpful. ;-)
haha thats mad, i like it, i am an aussie, and a lot of whats in it is the truth, i believe thats what should happen but of course we all know that will never happen because its just too damn on the money to actually work, if countries now a days could be self-sufficient then yes i am 100% with amercia for telling a few countries where to go, but they need the world and the world needs them so yeah :)
NBS82
First, let me say that I am a dual citizen, living in Canada. And right now, both of my countries are bashing each other over the heads politically and economically. I hate family fights. You lose no matter what.
Second, the letter said, in part: "Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTA
treaty - starting now."
Nothing would make me happier. The US has been abrogating the NAFTA treaty since its inception, any time they feel like they aren't coming out rich enough on any trade deal.
Third -- and this is important -- I love both my countries. It's my governments that I can't stand! My friends and family on both sides of the 49th parallel are paying the price for blinkered hubris, and we are tired of being pawns in the great international chess match!
Actually, I think that's where we are headed. Less extreme in some areas, and more extreme in others. Sorry for commenting, SM - I'm not one of the people you asked for input! But, I couldn't resist :)
I don't really think the "global" economy is so necessary for US businesses. We have always been our own best customers. Some industries would suffer a lot, but others would probably do better. Electronics, textiles, automobiles, manufacturing - all have been hurt badly by cheap imports, and the US exports virtually nothing in these categories. Some industries would be hurt a lot, like the entertainment industry. But, I don't really see the disaster that a lot of self-proclaimed experts like to predict if the status quo on global trade changed.
BTW, I've seen a lot of people laugh at the absurdity of the idea the US may actually do this, but I haven't seen anybody say whether or not that's what they want. I'm with SM, I really want to know. Because the way I see it, this is one of two likely paths the US will go down next, after the current attempt at fighting the "war on terror" has failed.
Hey Chimera. You said it way better than I could. I have a sister who works for a pulp and paper company (the softwood lumber industry). She's livid, and I can understand why. My heart is pulled in two directions.
This is one American who would love to hear that speech (minus the withdrawal from the global economy). Although I believe in foreign aid, I don't believe in sending it to the detriment of those providing the aid money. I think America has become generous to a fault. We should continue to give humanitarian aid throughout the world. But, it's not fair to the tax payers who supply the money to give, give, give, when their needs are not being met at home. IMO the silent majority has been too silent for too long in regard to the billions and billions going overseas.
Look at the incredible misery and losses that hundreds of thousands of Americans are suffering in the wake of Katrina. Many have lost everything they've worked for their whole lives. I think they should have my tax money, instead of Mubarek. How many billion do we give him each year? I think he can do with one less, so we can give it to our fellow Americans in their time of desperate need.
I live in La Conchita, where we lost ten of our friends and neighbors last January in a landslide. Several other friends were seriously injured. The hillside is unstable. It's not a matter of if it will come down again, it's a matter of when it's going to come down. So, in the back of our minds is the continual awareness that we could be buried alive on any given day. We need 30 to 40 million to stabilize Rincon Mountain and make our community safe. Are we getting the mitigation funding? No. However, Congress recently appropriated over a BILLION to build infrastructure in the Sudan. Why are we spending a billion to build roads and buildings in Sudan, which is not an immediate matter of life and death, while an entire community of American citizens are at serious risk of having their homes destroyed and being crushed to death, like the ten we lost in January? I don't "get it".
Plus, I think this is a disgraceful way to treat our war heroes. We have several vets living here. One man, who has lived here for over 30 years, was a WW2 pilot who flew 53 sorties protecting bombers over Europe before being shot down and put in a German POW camp. He and his invalid wife live on a fixed income. They have no options. They can't walk away from their home (which is right at the base of the hill) and afford to even rent anything in this area. I think it's time for Americans to start taking care of our own, with our hard earned money, instead of sending so much of it to other countries, where the majority of citizens either dislike, or truly hate us, and certainly don't appreciate our generosity and sacrifice.
Shari
Being a Republic sucks big time when you have the congress engaged in an internal war with themselves and an external war with the executive branch, throw in a Judicial branch that has lost its collective mind and we are worse off than the new guys trying to form a new government in Iraq...whewwwww.
We can't get yes or no on bills that have been presented four or five times. NOTHING is getting done. Oh..well, some favorite pork projects are getting done, can't have the voters unhappy you know.
People think that the President of the United States is like a dictator. Wrong..he has less power than most people think. His power lies with him convincing congress that something needs to be done (or undone) or changed. Some presidents do a good job of this. Other presidents just polarize the legislative body and nothing much gets done.
And...then you got the American voters, who are electing these representives that don't or won't do their job.
Sometimes..yea really, I wonder.
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
P.S. I'm for about half of what the letter said, you get to guess what half.
programmer craig,
I like the way you phrased your thoughts! I believe it's likely that your perspective is right on target, with one exception. I still want to believe our efforts in Iraq will be successful.
Papa Ray,
You hit the nail on the head, as usual. How come there are so many of us who realize the validity of your words, but we're not doing anything about it?
Shari
Anonymous' post (first post) seems to say in essence:
"Yeah, we in the rest of the world are obstinant, childish a**holes. So whadda ya gone do about it. We didn't ask to be born!"
Thank you for featuring my blog and thank all of you for your insightful comments on it.
Good letter. Yeah, that sums it up quite nicely.
Not saying this because I want to flatter Americans. I don't need praise. I am a Belgian Fleming and got more than enough self-esteem from my own and from my country's and region's past. Unfortunately, the loons have taken over here since a couple of decades and so I fear Belgium is on list 2 (although we do take some responsiblity in Afghanistan).
To cut a long story short, that letter hits the nail. Try to imagine a world where CHINA would be the sole hyperpower. You know, the country that occupies Tibet since, what, 1949? Ever heard a lefty complain about that? Also, the country that treats its citizens and workers like stinkin' shit? I tell you, one month with China at the helm instead of the US of A, and you'd hear all the nuts crying for Uncle Sam to be back.
BTW: FYI, in case anyone is interested, I fully agree with the entire letter; to the letter.
Just a note, Sandmonkey. I seem to remember you had or have some trouble to re-enter the States because, you know (proceeding cautiously now) the acts of quite a lot of loons have discredited young males from a certain ethnic background.
It pleads for you that - if I am correct and you are indeed confined to Egypt for now - that you are still so pro-US. I assume that you are smart enough to acknowledge that these stringent security measures are - at this time - an unfortunate necessity. If I were a young Arab male with his head screwed on correctly, LIKE YOU, I would understand too.
It will get better dude. Twill get better. First we take on the jihadis, and then the leftists. Hell, we can take on both simultaneously.
I like it! BTW, when we isolate ourselves and lest anyone forget, America is the engine that pulls the train, and without the USA all the others are dead in their tracks. Our only export need be our lawyers to sue each and every human who is using an American invention for copyright infringement...you know, the phone, the car, the internet.
Heh.
While it would be a great way to thumb our noses at all of those countries that say they are our "allies" while purposefully acting against our interests, thumbing your nose at someone is only really appropriate for children. It sure would be fun though. ;)
Mike Mangum
Had a good laugh over the letter. Couldn't say I'd agree with it all but the colour would drain out of the faces of a lot of world leaders who love bagging the U.S.
tdetmer, I wouldn't say that all the goodwill of America has done nothing. Indonesia has definitely become less anti-western since the tsunai thanks to the work of U.S. and Australian soldiers and medic crews.
By the way, speaking on behalf of Australia, America owes us nothing. We've fought and worked alongside one another many things and I believe that will continue. God bless America and don't forget your mates over the horizon.
Well, to your question, yes and no.
Yes, I'd like to tell a number of folks to go to hell.
I was just perusing some other "international" sites and I got an eyeful of the "world's" compassion.
I really thought I wasn't expecting anything different though, since I remember what it was like after 9/11. When I look out on the world, I see a lot of hands out, demanding and when we are down, they are like hyenas, waiting for the chance to tear at the carcas of our dead.
I have to tell you that some times, I feel a very deep rage.
In this instance, I even feel it at some fellow Americans. It is when you are staring at pictures of utter disaster, when you see people walking around, dazed, up to their chests in water or floating on make shift boats, carrying their belongings in a bag, or the poor man crying about his wife that couldn't hold on and drowned, or the people who don't know where their parents, children or aunts and uncles are, they are posting pictures again and notes for people "If you find Joe, I am going to..."
...and I have to hear or read some asshole saying "If Bush had...." "The Americans should have..." "If the Americans hadn't done this or that..." Or some comment about not sending assistance in the face of such overwhelming tragedy, I realize that we do not occupy the same world with the others.
I don't mean 1st world country to second or third, I mean the same world of humanity.
So, a deep part of me often feels very close to supporting that position. If I didn't know what would become of the world if we did (I do mean including us), it would satisfying beyond belief.
Sam, I'm all for it.
To the poster who commented that we would have no place to sell our goods, remember we are a net IMPORTER. If all foreign imports and exports were completely cut off we'd still manage to have a thriving economy with 378 million people buying the good produced within America. There'd be a little shuffling around of jobs, but in no time at all things would be doing just fine.
I'm frankly tired of everyone ragging on us. You hate America, fine, we don't like most of you either, we've just been too polite to say it outloud. But the time for PC is over. We're busy now, cleaning up from a natural disaster.
Those who think Global Warming is responsible for Katrina, I say Global Dumbing is most serious threat this world has ever seen.
Build the damn wall, and when WWIII breaks out, don't call us because we won't come.
Oh yes
Peter Australia: Thank you. We can not think of anyone better than the Aussies to have at our side, whether in a fight or just having a backyard Bar B Que.
Aussies are simply among the finest people in the world.
I liked the letter but I know that I would never see anything like that in MY lifeime. That is until I become president!
In my house we don't give to charity when our own children are hungry and the house is crumbling.
Once my house is in order, I will give and I will give generously but only to charities where I know there is no corruption. I will do research and they don't get my hard earned money if they are not an open book about how the money is spent. I certainly wouldn't give to a head of a household when he is only going to buy drugs or fancy cars while his kids go hungry. And most certainly, I wouldn't give it to him if he and his family are constantly talking about how much they hate me and my family!
Originally posted by Peter-Australia
By the way, speaking on behalf of Australia, America owes us nothing. We've fought and worked alongside one another many things and I believe that will continue. God bless America and don't forget your mates over the horizon.
Peter, that's why I love you Aussies. Thank you for the heart warming post. May our two countries be friends forever.
jonas976
Although I'm not one of them it is fair to recognize that most people in the world would actually appreciete if the US went into isolation.
I'm tempted to say "try it for a decade" just for fun. But no, the US economy would implode and the rest of the world would suffer as well.
If the first comment said "garbage", let this be the last: I agree.
Ritzy said: "let this be the last"
Nah! :)
#it is fair to recognize that most people in the world would
#actually appreciete if the US went into isolation.
Exactly! Maybe it's time to give the world what the world wants, instead of fighting them all the time!
#I'm tempted to say "try it for a decade" just for fun.
Me too! Or, maybe, more than a decade! Maybe forever! I'm not a big fan of globalization. It really hasn't worked out so well for America.
#But no, the US economy would implode
But that's what everyone wants! We need to give people what they want!
It was somebody in this thread who threatened that if the US went into isolationism, the rest of the world would trade embargo America to punish us, and everyone else just co-opted his comment into the argument. I doubt that would happen - because the world would burn - but even if it did, who suffers the most from that? The US would probably suffer the least. All we really need, in terms of imports, is oil. And we'd solve that dilemma, one way or another.
Ritzy, I think you may be underestimating how many people in the US are getting tired of people demanding that we play global cop, and then condemning us for thinking we are the global cops. We never volunteered for that thankless job.
Quote from one of the anonymous commenters: “Our only export need be our lawyers to sue each and every human who is using an American invention for copyright infringement...you know, the phone, the car, the internet.”
Back up, bud.
1. The phone was invented by a Scot who had immigrated to Canada. He did not become an American citizen until six years after the invention was patented.
2. No one country can claim the Internet as an invention, but it was actually semi-officially “launched” by CERN. From France and Switzerland.
3. Karl Benz invented the automobile. A German.
If your lawyers are as good as your research, you are in TROUBLE.
This is an example of what I meant in my first comment when I used the term, “blinkered hubris.”
Controversy! I love it!
Good paper on the invention of the automoblie here:
http://www.udayton.edu/~hume/Automobile/auto.htm
Henry Ford is widely credited to inventing the "modern automobile" - but neither Ford nor Benz invented the first self-propelled vehicle.
Good article on Alexander Graham Bell here:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltelephone.htm
and the US patent here:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltelephone1.htm
I'd say since he was living and working in the US (he was a US resident, not a Canadian resident, he merely passed through Canada), and working with/for the Smithsonian Intitute and Western Union, and he patented it as a US invention, it's a US invention! But feel free to differ... you think it's a scottish invention, because that's where he was born?
Hmmm... wonder if that makes all of Einstein's work, German?
Article about the invention of the internet here:
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/story070.htm
The worldwide web came out of CERN, not the internet. The intenet (including UDP and TCP/IP transmission protocls) was "invented" by the US military and Department of Defense (as ARPA and ARPAnet) in 1973. The web is a method of USING the internet, it's not the internet.
#If your lawyers are as good as your research, you are in TROUBLE.
Heh. Took me 3 minutes to find this stuff on the web, Chimera. I hope you aren't a lawyer!
#This is an example of what I meant in my first comment when
#I used the term, “blinkered hubris.”
Fuckin A! Thanks :D
I heard Jerry Lewis once say it this way "You know how when you are at the top of the pole and everyone can see your @$$ from below and if they don't like you and they want to be the one at the top of the pole they can make your @$$ a target, Welcome to the position America is in!. First there,first cursed" From now on,call France!
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