On 15 Apr 2007 19:49:39 -0700, "Joe" wrote:

Joe,
At the risk of incurring a flood of what they term in Trinidad as
"Industrial Language" I would like to point out that most people on
the earth really could not care a hoot for what you term as "freedom
and liberty".

It is my view that you as an American have been indoctrinated from
childhood to believe that "Democracy" and your particular style of it
is what the rest of the world is hungering for.

I believe that Alexander Pope's quip "For forms of government, let
fools contest; whichever governs best is best."

Most people that I have met and lived among in countries such as
China, the Middle East and South East Asia, as well as other places
couldn't care less about the right to vote. They merely want good
government and the opportunity to raise their families in peace and
prosperity, educate their children and so on. Voter turn out in many
countries is seldom more than 70%. In Australia if you neglect to vote
you are fined quite heavily. Certainly not a picture of people
clamouring to exercise their "democratic rights".

The Jihadist movement is not about freedom and liberty any more than
the war in Iraq and US foreign policy is about establishing democracy.
The Iraqi war is about control of oil and the US will attempt to stay
there for a very long time. A yachtee from here who was a hawk last
year when I met him has just come back from a contract in Iraq with a
more sober mien. He tells us that the US is definitely there for good.
There are over 30 huge concrete bases and that the US` embassy is on
150 acres - not measures of a temporary nature. He is no longer a
hawk.

If it were about establishing freedom, why not attack Saudi Arabia
which is an oppressive regime with no right to vote at all? Or all the
other non democratic countries that the US is into bed with? Central
and South American politics as well as other places have a history of
the US supporting oppressive non-democratic regimes and aiding the
overthrown of democratically elected governments. This is not
anti-American propaganda - look at your own government information and
such as the contra deal.

Benjamin Franklin foretold that the US system of democracy as
established by him and the other founding fathers would eventually
fail. It amazes me just what Americans do not know about their
history, a lot of which is mythical such as the origin of
Thanksgiving. The information is freely available

Personally, I wonder if you really do have the liberty you claim and
which your system keeps telling you that you have and which is
superior to that of all other nations. A great many of you sound
rather like the young Chinese Red Guards I met years ago - parroting
what has been put into your heads without any thinking. A lot of what
you did have you gave away with your submissive acceptance of the
Patriot Act because your leaders told you it was necessary.

But then only Communists brainwash, don't they?

Democracy requires citizens who think and question.

Enough. This is far from cruising.

kindest regards
Peter



BTW dip****, I'm not Holier than anyone, but unlike you I can see who
is trying to establish freedom and basic liberty for others, and who
is trying to prevent that.

Joe