| ----, you wrote: "Jim...you rail against every little thing the USA does..." This is my response: 1. I am a citizen of the United States, not any other country. The US government acts in my name and spends my tax dollars. 2. I am exposed to US policies and problems via my life, in conversation, and through the media every day. 3. I am a registered voter in the United States. I use that right without exception and, therefore, like to be informed on issues and public policy when I enter the ballot box (or, here in Hardwick, when they hand me a paper ballot and a Sharpie). 4. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the land's governing document. Despite John Ashcroft (criticism of the US �gives ammunition to America's enemies and pause to America's friends�) and Ari Fleisher (�all Americans ...need to watch what they say�), debate and dissent are not un-American. In fact, they are quintessentially American. 5. Americans sometimes speak and act with self-righteous indifference toward the rest of the world. From �god shed his grace on thee� to �manifest destiny� to �axis of evil,� there is this dangerous and parochial belief that �America is the greatest country on earth.� What does that mean? We are certainly the wealthiest and most powerful, but are we �the greatest�? How does one quantify that? I think that, to some, it means that Americans are better people -- smarter, braver, nobler, more �good� -- and this just isn�t true. Jim ---------------------------------------- ----, you wrote: "America is special. I'm sorry, but it's true. Not perfect, but special. The best political/economic system yet devised by man, in real-world practice." Thank you for your response. You defined your use of �special� in regard to the United States, but in that definition is the word �best� -- another vague term. If, when you say �best,� you mean �generating the most wealth� or �assembling the most powerful military,� then I agree with you. America is the best. If, however, you use the word to mean �the most progressive and open-minded� or �the most humble and compassionate� or �the finest example of a just society in which no one is allowed to be hungry while others consume wastefully� or �a system in which the political and electoral processes are not controlled by money,� then I disagree totally. Or is there another definition that you have for �best�? |