Flat out absurd

Submitted by Jeff (United States), Jul 4, 2008 at 15:02

So, "we cannot tolerate any nation that trangresses against the tenets of capitalism."

Really, is that so? I hadn't noticed. When Alexander Dubcek came to power in Czechoslovakia in 1968, pledging reforms ("communism with a human face") the Soviet tanks quickly rolled in, methodically destroying building after building in Prague. When Italy elected a communist government a few years later, what did the US do? Where were the US tanks? Where was the US intolerance? Neither was anywhere to be found. Europeans routinely elect socialists as prime ministers, and what does the US do? Nothing. France, Scandinavia, most of western Europe are largely socialist. But we can't tolerate that? Then why am I on the phone and email daily with my European colleagues? Why do European airlines fly back and forth from the US and Europe daily? Why all those embassies and consulates, treaties, alliances, trade agreements? Come to think of it, if your claim is correct, why do we even let those coutries exist?

And not only that, here we are "attempting to keep this bloated military machine in existence in a war against all nations that would oppose our dominance in their affairs." Really? That also escaped me somehow. India has taken thousands of formerly US jobs over the last 10 years, looks like we're not doing very well at dominating their affairs. So where's that bloated military machine? Japan has almost singlehandedly wiped out the American car industry, oops, that looks like opposition to our dominance in their affairs. So we bombed Honda's and Toyota's headquarters? Funny I didn't catch that in the papers.

South Korea bans importation of US beef, uh oh, sounds like opposition to dominance in their affairs. Not to mention flooding the US market with cars that undersell US producers. Seoul still looked modern and intact last time I was there, so when did we bomb the place? How is it my Korean colleagues can still email and call me so easily? And they can fly here and I can fly there? Where's that bloated military?

I'll tell you where some of it is. Patrolling the world's shipping lanes so all those Japanese, Korean and Chinese products can get here safely. No, Michael, it's not the UN, or the Arab league, or the EU that keeps the world's shipping lanes safe. It's the USA, with that bloated military (the same bloated military that put itself on the line to save Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, etc.).

I'm not sure what planet you're from, Michael. Not this one.

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