America, Iraq, Iran and Oil

It’s 3:30am here and I cannot sleep, I start work in a few hours and it’s my wedding anniversary.  So I am sitting here, pondering the world and the fundamental misunderstandings that are currently going on.

Why are American troops in Iraq?  Ask that question of an American and you’ll get a variety of answers.  It’s because of Oil, It’s to free the Iraqi people from life under a tyrant, it’s because Saddam Hussein was involved with terrorists and had WMD’s.  The second two answers are regurgitations of the current Administrations reasons for being in Iraq, the former is the “unpatriotic” American’s cynical view.  I wonder just what the numbers are?  How many American’s truely believe that their country invaded Iraq for purely altruistic reasons?  How many Eldon Andersons are out there? Who believe that this is a rightious war?  It’s not even a war according to the Constitution of the USA, only Congress can declare war.

“You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror.” –George W. Bush, interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

We know Bush had his sights set on Iraq before he even became President.  Was it Oil or finishing off what his father started, a crusade perhaps? Convert them all to Christianity because it’s the true faith?  If it wasn’t oil, why is he now looking at Iran?

Some would say, it’s in support of America’s ally, Israel.  But Israel has nuclear weapons, Israel has conventional weapons and has shown that it isn’t shy about using them to protect themselves.  Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons, but they do have oil.

I debated with the ugly American again tonight, I don’t know why I try.  How can you argue with someone who says…

“Ya see Paua, the rest of the world is standing back and looking in awe of how the United States is FINALLY getting their act together and acting like the rest of the world in how we deal with potential threats to our way of life which is far and above the best this world has to offer. ”

Awe? Horror and revulsion more like and would there even be terrorists if not for the meddling outside their own borders of successive US administrations? 

Their way of life is the best this world has to offer? I beg to differ personally, I have no wish to live in a country where you bankrupt yourself to have a child without insurance and then have to sell everything you worked for in old age to get medication.  A country run by scoundrels, where you never see the true leaders, the power behind the president calling the shots from the shadows.  A country where children shoot each other, carry guns to school and have to pass through metal detectors every day.  I certainly don’t want to live that way. 

But how do you convince people who are so caught up in the web of lies spun about them? They know of no other way of life, yet presume their ways are the ways to which we should all aspire.

Is this why they support George W Bush? Why they gladly give away their freedom?  Calling themselves good Christians, they spew hatred of their fellow man, because they don’t understand Islam and make no effort to?

It was Hermann Goering who said “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.”

Apparently, he was right.

An Answer to a World Without America

I’ve had a look at a few video answers to yesterdays youtube propoganda offering A world without America.  This one in my humble opinion is the best.

America has a lot to be proud of, I agree.  But so do many other countries in the world, we all contribute in our own way but most of us don’t blow our own trumpet loud and long as America does.  We don’t see ourselves as great benefactors when we send millions in aid to a country in strife, even though per capita, each person in our country gives more than every person in America. 

For all America has to be proud of, there is an equal amount for America can be ashamed of. 

It’s been obvious since Bob Geldof and Midge Ure began Band Aid.  The British Pop Stars sang Feed the World.  The American Pop Stars sang We ARE the world.  America is not the world, America is part of the world and you need to start acting like it and stop trying to rule the rest of us.