It's wake up time for americans

[historian]

As i have always said (much to the horror of my neighbors) the average american is not only hopelessly ignorant of the world around due to inadequate education, but also lacks the intellectual curiousity to inform himself! Now that the world is being shoved down our throats we need to stop congratulating ourselves for being so wonderful and believing that our "way of life" is for the entire planet. The pictures from the iraqi prison are a harsh reminder that we are no better or worse than anyone else.
Now the chorus will begin to sing the tune "Americans would never do that and if some did dont blame the entire nation". Ah, but the entire nation is to blame.
We were founded on lies, arrogance and deceit. We killed off the Indians who saved the lives of the first settlers by teaching them how to grow corn etc... then we proceeded to eradicate them.
We stole land from the mexicans and are now asked to remember the alamo. Well yes i do remember - it was a battle for lands stolen.
America has more inmates per population than any other country in the world.
Our citizens kill each other with assault and other deadly weapons to the tune of several thousand killed a day; our ghettos are the envy of the terrorists. They are pussycats compared to parts of LA, Chicago and so on..
Our schools churn out illiterates and heap praise on them for having passed idiotic tests which prove nothing.
We have a cretin in the WH who has caused a level of anti americanism not seen in its history. The entire arab world loathes bush and, as a result, hate us also. The europeans, some of our staunchest allies, are beginning to reconsider their position towards us after this prison business. They had warned cretin of the consequences of an invasion but he paid no attention (possibly because he is unable to).Now there is a i told you so attitude. The french and the germans have been vindicated with a passion. So much for freedom fries (we look like such idiots to the world.)
I have lost hope for this country. Any sensible attempts at govt are always undermined by religious hypocrites; bigotry and intolerance are becoming the norm once again but i still hear the same old song "hes better than cllinton - he doesnt lie"
We all know that a blow job is far more harmful to a society than a war based on lies which has caused several thousand deaths. We automatically rush to support our troops; an imbecility if i ever saw one. They shouldnt be there and to support them means supporting bush.
We are a nation of people who react to one event at a time, based on appearances and promptly forget it once its off the talking head programs.
Well this was supposed to be a studious comment on society but turned into a rave - such is the effect of the country on my sanity.
thanks for reading.

[shraby]

1. Torture has

many forms. Each one is as horrific as the other...no exceptions. Killing a husband or child in front of the mother..torture!
Humiliating and debasing a person..torture!
Physical abuse of any kind when the person cannot fight back..torture!
Telling a person the horrible things that can happen to them even though nothing happens..torture!
Torture is torture is torture! There is no way to dress it up in any other nicer words. The people from the top down responsible should be brought to the Hague to answer for their war crimes. Hitler didn't do his dastardly deeds personally but millions died. It's no different just because Americans are committing them. All responsible should be brought to justice. That may be the only way to regain our pride in our country.

[readmylips]

2. We citizens have been tortured too...

The Patriot Act and their color coded nonsense of alert, has been a form of torture, inflicted fear to American citizens. We've gotten to the point that we don't listen to it. We just know how much this small man bush and criminals lie. It's all a show for bush.

We have a chance to make history, to bring pride, joy and laughter once again to America, when we vote and throw bush and his criminals' asses out of the white house. Even the world will rejoice when bush is gone.

[Mel]

3. your here, I'm here

there are those of us here still that understand how you feel so we still have hope.
Your 'studious comment on society turned rave' (which is fine with me) made me think of this song.

Working Class Hero
As soon as you're born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be

When they've tortured and scared you for twenty-odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can't really function you're so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be

Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be

There's room at the top they're telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
John Lennon

[Thoth]

4. Great rant! n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. What do you expect in a country

where hate radio is a major market?

[Hubert Flottz]

8. Very Very Very GOOD POINT AND::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Why indeed would our soldiers think it's fine to torture and hate!

SNIP>

Remove Limbaugh show

This letter isn’t about radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who recently said that all drug addicts should be put in the same jail cells as drug pushers. This is about AFN’s decision to continue broadcasting Limbaugh’s show. This show has no place on AFN. It provides no service to our servicemembers. It’s just political propaganda at its worst. The entire show is nothing more than continuous, vicious attacks against one of America’s prominent political parties.

How could the Department of Defense approve this show for AFN? Is the DOD championing one political party over another for its servicemembers? Will unit voting assistance officers start pushing the same political party that AFN pushes with the Limbaugh show? The Defense Media Center, which oversees AFN, claims it’s just giving the public what it wants.

The Limbaugh show may be fine in the U.S., where the public can choose between hundreds of English language news programs. That’s freedom of choice. But for servicemembers in different parts of the world, AFN may be all they get. That makes the Limbaugh show forced political propaganda sanctioned by the DOD. MORE

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=18797&archive=true

Our tax dollars are paying for the right wing hate swill to be pumped into our soldiers head with DOD approval! I wrote Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller about this when I read the letter a few months back! The DOD is doing EXACTLY what Hitler's military did, right down to installing right wing "Political Officers" in units on active duty overseas!

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. Here's more evidence of how the DOD promotes hate

[izzie]

6. The thought that we can run a country from bottom up is hard.

We have made many errors AS all countries have. We could do better and always hope we can. I will stick with the USA and try to make it better. Other countries have been trying to do the same as us and I think this movement will move all over the world and we can not stop it or can other countries. Self rule is the new thing.

[mopaul]

7. our gated community is beginning to wake up

most folks couldn't find canada on a globe with 3 chances. this scandal seems to have teeth, and people are actually snapping out of it. there are more photos coming too, not just abuse of prisoners, but 20,000 dead innocents. when are we going to be saited for 9-11 already? how many have to die and be crippled for our revenge lust?

heads up, stay frosty

[devinsgram]

10. Thank you for your rant

You have put all my thoughts into words.

[neebob]

11. Well, what do you expect

from people who believe a 2,000+-year-old collection of fantastic, unsubstantiated stories but cannot identify liars and criminals standing in front of them, operating in accordance with known physical and mathematical laws and accumulating piles of evidence?

[BeFree]

12. Not Sheeple, so stop saying that

At least you didn't call the Americans, Sheeple.

Human history, not just American, is full of bloody encroachments upon individual's liberties. It's up to us to see that history not be repeated. The first step to success is being able to describe the problem. You have taken that first step. America is right behind you. Kerry on.

One thing: You say we are all to blame for the torture, et al. Well, don't point your finger at me. I have said from the beginning, NOT IN MY NAME!

[whosinpower]

13. Don't give up on America

Growing pains - and America trully is at a crossroads. Do not give up hope that America can become what it is idealized to be. Because if we continue down the road we are going right now, democracy, as we know it will be lost. Let me make this as simple as possible - if Bush is re elected/selected, then democracy as a sociatal experiment will have failed the test. It would show populations across the globe that democracy really does not affect governance and really does not work.

Perhaps that, in itself is an illusion(democracy is the voice of the people) that must be shattered to reaffirm the work and goals of the US government which is supposed to be of the people, for the people, by the people.

We can cave in to the facsists who are occupying the white House, silent to their abuses of dissenters, what ever nationality they might be; or we can fight for the vision and the dream the founders worked so hard create....a nation based on freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Do not give up. Your country needs you. We need you.