SFAL has a point... whoever gets elected WILL screw up the country one way or another. True leaders are few and far between... Elizabeth I, G. Washington, Isabella, Mahathir, Genghis Khan... only those few have truly made a difference in their country. However... there are people who'd screw up the country more than others, and the main purpose of democracy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against democracy, I'm against republics where the leaders get to do everything they want. True democracy is good. True democracy is something where every citizen will have a say in their laws and stuff, through emails, letters, votes, anything. But pure democracy is bad. Pure democracy leads to stuff like in those Idol shows, where the technically best win and the people who are overall the best don't. In a government, that would mean that the most educated and "experienced" would win, aside from racial biases and stuff. Philosophical liberals don't stand much of a chance.
As for brainwashing... I think you guys have been brainwashed by the media to think that GW Bush is actually worse than he is. He's nothing more than a puppet. A puppet who fights for what he truly believes in. But unfortunately, what he believes in is what his advisors tell him...
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Ha, I never said anything about Bush. I don't even watch TV. With the whole brainwashing concept I didn't even get to Bush.
The main point however you look at it, the American government is corrupt, and it's been corrupt since it started. America was founded by liars and criminals, outcasts if you will. America rose to a world power how? By mass producing slavery and selling arms to warring countries.
I was against the whole Iraq thing from the beginning. In fact, I made a game called World War 2003 as a satire, and finished it about a week before the war started. I agree with what you said about brainwashing, but such a thing is by no means limited to classrooms. How the media affected public opinion in the months leading up to the war (that is, working the American public into a war mentality) is a perfect example. We were basically told that we, for some weird reason, "hated America" if we didn't support this war.
I'm afraid that, in some ways, I agree with you too, Jesus. As much as we Americans honor our founding fathers, they lied to the Native Americans, stole their land, murdered and enslaved them, went to other lands to conquer more people and take more slaves, and committed a number of other atrocities. Truth be told, the "greatest country in the world" has had a less than great past...
Well, technically, few empires rose to greatness nicely. The United States of America, British Empire, Roman Empire, China, Japan, most of them were united by violence as violence is the only language most warring rebels understand. But I guess there were nicer empires, like the Persian Empire, though that was toppled easily by just a few invading Greeks...
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Persian "Empire" was no less violent than any of those you just mentioned, and it was never toppled by any Greeks. I wouldn't class the US as an empire, as it didn't/doesn't even colonise or conquer anywhere - which is pretty unique for a world power.
British Empire was the best and the only one which wasn't ended by opposition armies/rebels.
OMG... what the hell do they teach you kids in schools these days?
The Persian Empire was a fairly peaceful one, maybe not in the case of it's rise to greatness, but it stayed a very peaceful place for years... till Alexander decided that it was too easy a target and easily took over once city to another. Maybe they didn't conquer it fully, but it was all those Greek victories really weakened them.
The US *IS* a colony. It started off as a British North American colony. They *conquered* almost all of North America. Of course, there was nobody there to really kill, except for the millions of Native Americans/American Indians.
The British Empire, according to our schoolbooks, was an evil, oppressive empire that colonized our country for resources and enslaved the locals via intimidation. Our school syllabus includes about 5 years of history of heroes who dared rebel against the British Empire as well as their evilness. We did win via democracy, but the schools brainwashes us into thinking that the British Empire would've lost anyway. It wasn't directly ended by rebels, but there were too many rebellions around the world for it to have maintained its power.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
"as it didn't/doesn't even colonise or conquer anywhere"
"Damn. Those Native Americans must really not be that significant.
We totally conquered the hell out of America."
Don't forget Mexico (remember the Alamo?), the Hawaiian islands, the Samoan islands, Puerto Rico, the Phillippines, and various other nations the US tried and/or succeeded to take as American territories.
Mexico - Never conquered by America.
Hawaii - Conquered by Britain I believe, and handed over to the US.
Samoa - American Samoa (population 70,000). Other Samoan islands not controlled by US.
Puerto Rico - Actually under Spanish control when US and Spain were at war. Thus they took over it.
Phillipines - "Spain was forced by Paris officials to hand over Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico to the United States in exchange for US$20,000,000.00, which the United States later claim to be a gift."
This video is by far the most disturbing to come out of the Iraq war. Show me a yank 'soldier' blown to bits or executed slowly with a blunt knife and I'll barely bat an eyelid, what this video shows is disturbing beyond words and causes one to question the mentality of the military meat the yanks churn out.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named night,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of space
Out of time.
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