Email 5

From MS

It's people like you who are going to cause the downfall of the US and of modern society and throw us back into a second dark ages. Your whinny, lazy, liberal crap is the biggest problem with America and i can hardly read your stuff without the desire to vommit.

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Steve's reply

It's clear that it would not be possible for me to have a reasoned conversation with you.

When I reached the point when I was finally fed-up with mainstream TV news broadcasts, talkshows and pundits, I stopped watching them. So, for the sake of both of us, don't visit my website. Your stomach will appreciate it.

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MS replies

I will do that, but let me pass along just a little bit of info from my perspective. The human race since the beginning of civilization has waged war on itself and at its core it is a violent species. There has always been and will always be a dominant "empire" who controls the world and if the US would change its posture to one of peace and non-interference and stop spending billions and trillions of dollars on the military and its weapons some other country would fill the void and we would once again be relegated to a second or third class state. Much of the world does not like the US or its policies, but it is from a position of jealousy. If we were not a superpower no one would care about us. One day the US will fall from its status, as all great empires eventually do, and people like you will only hasten that event.

I am sad to make those statements because I hate violence and death, but in nature you are either a predator or prey and right now the US is the predator.

However, when that changes many of the people who complained about our military posture and strength will realize how important it was. Especially when they and their children are starving for food, living in the streets, and dying because they can't get medical help.

One last thing, the militarization of space is not something to prevent, but something that occurred over 40 years ago when the USSR launched sputnik. Space was NEVER reserved for peaceful purposes, except on a meaningless peace of UN paper, and the US is far behind much of the world in space weapons. Russia has had an operational ASAT program for 20 years and China and Russia are actively pursuing ASAT technology while
we in the US "debate" the topic. If the US would sit back and abstain from this area, as it has for much of the past 40 years we will one day be attacked in space and have no way to defend ourselves. Arms Control for the most part Does NOT WORK as has been proven by the Chem/Bio arms contorl attemps and the fact that many countries have active programs in these areas and even the countries who signed the pact are still doing R&D in the area. Arms Control is a great idea that doesn't work very well.

As an American I respect your right to express your views, however i fear people like you and their naive view of the world as a place where peaceful coexistance can exist. It never has and unfortunately never will.

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Steve's reply

A reasoned conversation at last.

I agree that the history of the world is one of hate, cruelty, violence, and war. I agree that the United States has competitors, and needs to stay strong, in order to defend itself and its way of life from other 'states' that want to replace us at the top.

Throughout history, people with power and wealth, who have often gotten them by foul means, have been interested not in making a just world, but in accruing still more power and wealth. That has not changed today.

But, there is also a long history of people doing incredibly courageous things, risking their livelihoods and their lives, to make this world a better place. All of the good (non-technical, non-scientific) things that we have, were achieved by leaders among the common people who did uncommon things - building movements, starting organizations, standing up for others, some they knew and many they did not. The fact that the "good" people have not succeeded in making this a good world is not their fault. It does not mean that a better world is not possible, or that the possibility of one must be dismissed as naive and foolish.

We thinking human beings have choices: 1) we can emulate the greedy and the powerful, the megalomaniacs and the kleptomaniacs; 2) we can be naive and foolish and think love will resolve the world's problems; or 3) we can also look around, see the world as it is, choose a side, and work to make this globe a fairer, more just place for all. We can say 'no' to the warmongers and the profiteers; we can say 'no' to those who want to, in the name of 'security', dismiss the Constitution and Bill of Rights and take away the freedoms and liberties that others have died for, we can reject cruelty, arrogance, and indifference; we can stand up and say, "we will stay strong, but without causing unnecessary suffering to those we do not know, to non-Americans, to the 'other'.

I have no interest in being under the thumb of Russia or China or any other state with ambitions to be the next superpower. But if all we do is stay strong so we can be as arrogant, selfish, greedy and nasty than the other pretenders to the throne, then in my opinion it is not worth it.

Whether the United States would be a better ruler of the world than China or Russia remains to be seen. But, it is not just the 'ends' that count, the 'means' count as well. If we mimic the worst in history to achieve our goal of economic and military world domination (and you had better believe that is what our government's leaders are going for) the price will not have been worth it, because we will end up with an Americanized world that is still cruel, violent and unjust.

Americans cannot forever stay ignorant of their government's actions in the world. We may not want to know what our leaders are doing in our name, and we may be willing to accept our government's lies because they make our lives easier, but that does not relieve us of the responsibility of Washington's actions.

American democracy is not something we are, it something we do. If we sit by silently and allow the our leaders to make policies which are good for some Americans but bad for much of the world, we may end up with a society and a world that few of us would want to live in.

We can show the world that a strong nation can also be compassionate and just, or we can show the world that in order to be powerful, a nation must be indifferent and cruel. It is our choice.

In my opinion, our country will be stronger in the long run, if those who publically dissent from the mainstream views are allowed to do so, and are accepted as being equally good Americans. For their views may ultimately be the ones embraced by future generations as being the most patriotic all.

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From I

When all reason seems to have been abandoned, and all humanity forgotten, when democracy has been made into a meaningless word, spewed forth by those that destroy freedom, THANK YOU for reaffirming that there are THINKING people who SEE and speak the truth. As long as there are people who refuse to submit to the lies there is hope...THANKS for speaking the truth. I wish everyone on earth would read your website.

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From RR

You offer a potentially interesting website. It could be of value if it presented a balanced perspective. There exists in the website a bountiful amount of criticism for the United States which is quite easy to do given all of the involvements of our great nation. Unfortunately, there are no kudos for the many great things that our nation and our people have accomplished (you will probably say that I have been propagandized!).

You do provide a copy of the American Constitution (without comment!) and a non-working point of access for our Bill of Rights.

Given the imbalance of the quotes and materials that you site presents, I must conclude that your goals are something other than education via factual dissertations. Your site would be admired by Hermann Goebbels as it follows his doctrine of a big lie frequently repeated will be believed

If revolution is your goal, then we will meet at the barricades!

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Steve's reply

Thank you for your comments. I never intended the website to be balanced. The purpose of the site is to provide a progressive/left perspective, to compensate for the right-wing perspective, on national and world events, that dominates the mainstream/corporate media.

I offer criticism of U.S. policymakers and U.S. government policies, because the corporate press does not. Instead, they offer ideological puffery masquerading as balanced news reporting; jingoism and sabre-rattling, instead of critical thinking and reason.

I have done lots of reading over the years, and I have had difficulty coming up with many great things the U.S. has done in the world, other than its fight against Nazi Germany. As a result, the media continues to fight WW II (Pearl Harbor, Saving Private Ryan).

Are we a great country because we have more "smart" bombs? Are we great because we are the rich in natural resources? Are we great because we control the economic lives of billions around the world? Or, are we great because our moral actions provide a shining example to the rest of the world, of a nation of compassion, peace, and humanity, as we at the same time preserve our security and offer Americans a comfortable standard of living.

My goal is not to put people at ease, nor is it to have people agree with me. My goal is to make people think. If I do that, then the website is accomplishing something of value.

You mention Goebbels. He would have been impressed with the lockstep allegiance of the corporate media and their army of commentators and pundits as they compete with each other to see who can parrot the administration's domestic and foreign policy line the loudest. It is propaganda at its most thorough - Pravda U.S.A.

I do not intend to meet you "at the barricades". I have no fight with you; we just disagree. But, if Americans do not learn about the "dark side" of U.S. policies pursued in their name, and their devastating impact on the people of the world, it will be our children and grandchildren, not us, who will pay the price of our "greatness", and our arrogance. If we continue to alienate the poor and disenfranchised of the world, those who come after us will see all the good will the world felt for America after World War II, continue to deteriorate into anger and hatred. It is our choice to make, but we need to be informed, for our children's sake.

I have included in this email a few quotes you might have missed, and which you might find thought-provoking.

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