Hi, Brad, I agree than the US role in the world since WWI has been a mixed bag; my only point is that the US has done well in several important situations, and could do even better if it put its mind to it. Examples:
The Marshall Plan. Behind the scenes diplomacy between Greece and Turkey. reconstruction of Japan. Effective countering the UK/French/Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956, and support for the nationalization of the Suez Canal. termination of the Panama Canal Lease. Significant aid for approximately. 80-110 countries for humanitarian, social and economic purposes. International fountain of technology and science. Host to hundreds of thousands of foreign students. Major supporter of the ILO's efforts to bring industrial and maritime safety to all countries. Etc. Yes, you will probably assert that we could have done better in many of these areas than we did do -- no argument. But let us recognize what the US HAS done well, and give it credit for doing so. And yes, we have our embarrassments big and small -- Arbenz and Mossadegh being but examples -- and have done much harm, sometimes deliberately, sometimes out of ignorance or naivete. But the good things that the US can do seem to me to hold out much promise for being able to do good things in the future, in spite of the Bush/Crusade/Empire nonsense, and I would like to point us toward trying to make it so. The US is enormously wealthy, enormously talented, and immensely ignorant. A virulent intolerance is sweeping our country right now. We have much to do. Cheers, Lawry > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Brad > McCormick, Ed.D. > Sent: Sat, August 30, 2003 12:52 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Will Bush become a Shia Moslem? Glass > half-full or glass half empty? > > > Lawrence DeBivort wrote: > > > The US (or some its policy leaders) may have taken on the role > of Empire, > > but it is not a role that the world wants us to take on, nor, > do I and a lot > > of other Americans want to take it on. So we made a (big) > mistake. OK, let's > > admit it and get back on the right path. It is utterly stupid > to compound a > > mistake by 'doing it harder.' > > > > Yes, the Bushies are spin-masters -- so let the spin masters apply their > > talents to putting the best face on it. I can, by the way, > think of several > > easy AND legitimate ways of explaining to the world the many > and very good > > reasons for the shift in direction. I think the result is that the world > > would feel a whole better about the US and its future impact in > the world, > > and that the world would be a far better place for having an > America that > > eschews Empire and embraces tolerance and respectful living. > The extremists > > out there would be left without much of a cause against the US, > and the US, > > after some specific further fence-mending, could resume to generally > > positive role it has sought to play since WWII. > > What "generally postiive role" -- unless one means taking positive > action to help reactionary regimes all over the planet. > > Sure the U.S. has done a lot good after WWII. But haven't we done > a lot of harm, too? A couple names that I seem to remember > from D.F. Fleming's _The Cold War and its Origins_ are Arbenz and > Mossadegh (sp?). Do I misremember? > > But I do not believe moral judgment is necessary before the > punishment is meted out. I do not > want to catch the drug-resistent tuberculosis the U.S. has > helped to flourish in the breakdown products of the former Soviet Union. > > Tear down that wall! > > That man once tried to kill my dad. > > In the long run, Bush2 may prove to have been the > lesser disaster because he focused on a pettier objective. > > \brad mccormick > > -- > Let your light so shine before men, > that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16) > > Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21) > > <![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/ > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
