I would like to comment on a quote that was given today in class. The quote was by Abraham Lincoln and states, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." This is a very powerful statement and goes right along with the saying "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." The United States whether we chose to acknowledge it or not, is an Empire. One could say we are an absolute power. It is for this reason that Abraham's quote has so much meaning.
Since becoming an absolute world power, what have we done? While there are a great many things we have done for the good of the world community, the greater number of evils that we have enacted on the world and our own people are showing the world that the US as a uni-polar power doesn't have the integrity to act responsibly with that power. It been suggested that the US in this role has become like a spoiled and ungrateful child.
Instead of providing aid to the world through our technological know-how and by educating and providing medical aid, we wage war on all those that don't share our political views. Our current president is joked and referred to by a large part of the world as "King Bush". He did after all make the statement, "You are either for us or against us." Considering the vast differences in economies, religions, and social system, and considering that the statement is coming from a country that preaches equality and freedom for all, this statement seems like one of a dictator imposing their will. Which is unfortunately how the US is view now by a large portion of the world.
It will take a great change and shift of ideals as well as many years to change this view. But the question remains, is the American Public aware of how badly our country is viewed by the world and does it care enough to change it, if we are aware of our standings with the world at large?
The United States was founded on the principle "For the People, By the People" Yet we the people have become slaves to the government we created. So much that we no longer feel that one person can make a difference. However the fact remains, that the only reason the government has any power is because we have given it to them . . . It's time that we the people take back the reigns from those who have miss used our power and restore our nation to the greatness that we were . . .
I have to agree with Ian, the United states has become the "Bad Guy", and unfortunately this view is shared by not only the global community abroad but by the many Americans within its own borders. I do however, disagree with Ian's time table on how long it will take to change that view. While he states that it will take years to repair are tarnished image. I believe that it will be a lot sooner...provided that we change our current foreign policies.
What has happened to the dignity of the presidency and that of those who desire to hold that office? Did you hear about the candidates for the upcoming election doing spots on WWE? (that's the wrestling show) DON'T PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING YOU AREN'T!!!!!! Yes, I understand the need to reach as many voters as possible, especially in a race as close as the democratic nomination is, but don't make an ass of yourself on natl. TV doing it. McCain even sounded like a boob! It's almost like they are overcompensating for Bob Dole's lack of levity in the '96 campaign (no one knew how funny he was until after he lost the election, not joking) Ok, I've said enough for now as my train of thought has run out of steam.
Will the growing competition of energy trigger new international conflicts?
Personally I believe that the world need to concentrate the most on finding a means to generate enough power to suit our needs without damaging the environment. In the long run, diseases, religion, war, famine, countries, and politics will not matter if the world has become uninhabitable to humans due to global warming and pollution. If a power crisis leads to war it wont be necessarily for power but for the resources or technology needed to produce energy, as energy is fairly intangible. My biggest hope is that the world is depleted of fossil fuels as soon as possible so that other means of producing energy will be found. So will there be wars over energy? Of course. It would be nice if the government wasn't so short sighted not to see the problems headed our way in the future and start to take away money from cancer research, military, healthcare, space explorations, and start routing money into research on new forms of energy and migrating our fossil fuel reliant city structures to a natural resource that is replenishable so that when the fuels finally do run out we aren't crippled like the rest of the world and caught up in pointless wars for an energy source that is at the end of it's life.
I would like to respond to Blazedale about the energy crisis our planet faces. The sad part about this is that we have solutions as of right now that would meet and exceed our energy demands in a "green" way. But due to the money that is being made in fossil fuels and the fact that these "green" energy facilities would be difficult to charge monthly for, are not implemented.
There is a method of creating energy from the sun using an array of mirrors and water to create steam, they are called Multi Tower Solar Arrays or MTSA's. This system for energy production is extremely scalable and could be integrated in to current coal and oil power plants with very little expenditure. They are currently using them in Europe and build them over parking lots. They are able to power factories and shopping centers. Some of the power they create is stored in banks of batteries for use after the sun has gone done.
In the early 90's there was a proposal submitted to the US Congress. In this proposal the scientific group had estimated that by utilizing around 100 square miles of desert in New Mexico, Arizona and Navada, that by using MTSA's they could meet the energy needs of this country. This project would have created thousands of jobs and eventually would have lead to extremely low cost power for the people. but like most great ideas, Oil, Coal and Nuclear energy lobbiests shelved the idea saying that there was no need for it because our current systems for generating power were sufficient.
There was also a scientist that figured out a way to generate power on interstates from the wind that cars and trucks create as they drive. It was very low in cost to construct and would provide power during times of the day when power would be higher in demand.
There are a lot more examples and i could go on and on, but you get the idea. The real problem isn't how to create the power, but how to remove those in power that want to keep us from getting safer more affordable means of getting power.
(1) Did the United States desert Afghanistan for Iraq?
The answer is yes. Why fight over a destroyed waste land? For years Russia tried and failed miserable. The other reason is that there is no money to be made. There is nothing there but a big Pot whole. In Iraq there is oil and lots of it. Plus this would be a great location to put a military base. You got Iran on one side and Syria on the other. The best of both worlds.
Larry0109, I agree with you about the issue with Afghanistan. It is very tragic what has happened there. After 9/11 we went in to Afghanistan and promised the Afghani people that we would help to rebuild their war torn country, especially after we bombed the crap out of it looking for Al-Queda. But after being there for only 10 or so months we withdrew all our troops leaving the country for the UN to handle and threw our country in to the war in Iraq.
Since then we have missed opportunities to get the guy we were looking for who was hiding out in the mountains of Afghanistan. The war lords have come back in to the country and they are once again a nation full of strife. The people I am sure have no faith in the US as from their stand point we abandoned them. But not only did our government abandon them, they abandoned us, the people whom they are supposed to serve.
They did so, as you pointed out, because there was not as much to gain in Afghanistan as there was in Iraq. I am not sure the real reasons for the Iraqi invasion but I do believe the Weapons of Mass Destruction were not it.
Careful Training Creates Soldiers Who Torture. p.150 According to a Greek Psychologist, soldiers are made into torturers. in the study, she found that ordinary soldiers were just "plucked from the "ranks and trained to torture others. These soldiers usually had the characteristics of being "young recruits from rural, conservative families who were physically healthy, of normal intelligence, conformist in nature and compliant" in nature. These "kids" underwent training were they were broken down physically and mentally. This led to their desensitization for torturing other human beings. Many of these soldiers never realized what they had done until they were out of the service due to the Army's brainwashing techniques. The conclusion made by the psychologists, was "we are all, under the right conditions, capable of becoming torturers.
Watching the world change is a concept that no ones really grasps a reality of until they become elder in age. A lot of people talk about what needs to change and how, but they do not start the change at home. Our government is not any different in personal opinion. My views of the government in the United States are that they tend to always make the problem bigger. Our governmental policies and priorities are all messed up and we really need to fix home before we can fix anywhere else...
Kerry . . . Of course our government makes the issues a bigger deal than they really are. Keep in mind that the Gov is a powerful organization and they want to keep their power. But since we the people are the ones that give them power we are also the ones that can take it away. So the more aware of the truth and the more unified we are as a people the less power they have. What better way to keep their power then to dramatize the issues and blow everything out of proportion, add a little subterfuge and some sex/race issues and we are at it fighting each other. As long as we are distracted they can do what ever they want, crimes against humanity, take away our freedoms, wage war, embezzle our money and who knows what else.
United we stand Divided we fall, it applies to more then just the US vs. the world . . .
11 comments:
I would like to comment on a quote that was given today in class. The quote was by Abraham Lincoln and states, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." This is a very powerful statement and goes right along with the saying "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely." The United States whether we chose to acknowledge it or not, is an Empire. One could say we are an absolute power. It is for this reason that Abraham's quote has so much meaning.
Since becoming an absolute world power, what have we done? While there are a great many things we have done for the good of the world community, the greater number of evils that we have enacted on the world and our own people are showing the world that the US as a uni-polar power doesn't have the integrity to act responsibly with that power. It been suggested that the US in this role has become like a spoiled and ungrateful child.
Instead of providing aid to the world through our technological know-how and by educating and providing medical aid, we wage war on all those that don't share our political views. Our current president is joked and referred to by a large part of the world as "King Bush". He did after all make the statement, "You are either for us or against us." Considering the vast differences in economies, religions, and social system, and considering that the statement is coming from a country that preaches equality and freedom for all, this statement seems like one of a dictator imposing their will. Which is unfortunately how the US is view now by a large portion of the world.
It will take a great change and shift of ideals as well as many years to change this view. But the question remains, is the American Public aware of how badly our country is viewed by the world and does it care enough to change it, if we are aware of our standings with the world at large?
The United States was founded on the principle "For the People, By the People" Yet we the people have become slaves to the government we created. So much that we no longer feel that one person can make a difference. However the fact remains, that the only reason the government has any power is because we have given it to them . . . It's time that we the people take back the reigns from those who have miss used our power and restore our nation to the greatness that we were . . .
I have to agree with Ian, the United states has become the "Bad Guy", and unfortunately this view is shared by not only the global community abroad but by the many Americans within its own borders. I do however, disagree with Ian's time table on how long it will take to change that view. While he states that it will take years to repair are tarnished image. I believe that it will be a lot sooner...provided that we change our current foreign policies.
What has happened to the dignity of the presidency and that of those who desire to hold that office? Did you hear about the candidates for the upcoming election doing spots on WWE? (that's the wrestling show) DON'T PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING YOU AREN'T!!!!!! Yes, I understand the need to reach as many voters as possible, especially in a race as close as the democratic nomination is, but don't make an ass of yourself on natl. TV doing it. McCain even sounded like a boob! It's almost like they are overcompensating for Bob Dole's lack of levity in the '96 campaign (no one knew how funny he was until after he lost the election, not joking)
Ok, I've said enough for now as my train of thought has run out of steam.
Will the growing competition of energy trigger new international conflicts?
Personally I believe that the world need to concentrate the most on finding a means to generate enough power to suit our needs without damaging the environment. In the long run, diseases, religion, war, famine, countries, and politics will not matter if the world has become uninhabitable to humans due to global warming and pollution. If a power crisis leads to war it wont be necessarily for power but for the resources or technology needed to produce energy, as energy is fairly intangible. My biggest hope is that the world is depleted of fossil fuels as soon as possible so that other means of producing energy will be found. So will there be wars over energy? Of course. It would be nice if the government wasn't so short sighted not to see the problems headed our way in the future and start to take away money from cancer research, military, healthcare, space explorations, and start routing money into research on new forms of energy and migrating our fossil fuel reliant city structures to a natural resource that is replenishable so that when the fuels finally do run out we aren't crippled like the rest of the world and caught up in pointless wars for an energy source that is at the end of it's life.
Who are you, Blaze....so I can give you extra credit...
I would like to respond to Blazedale about the energy crisis our planet faces. The sad part about this is that we have solutions as of right now that would meet and exceed our energy demands in a "green" way. But due to the money that is being made in fossil fuels and the fact that these "green" energy facilities would be difficult to charge monthly for, are not implemented.
There is a method of creating energy from the sun using an array of mirrors and water to create steam, they are called Multi Tower Solar Arrays or MTSA's. This system for energy production is extremely scalable and could be integrated in to current coal and oil power plants with very little expenditure. They are currently using them in Europe and build them over parking lots. They are able to power factories and shopping centers. Some of the power they create is stored in banks of batteries for use after the sun has gone done.
In the early 90's there was a proposal submitted to the US Congress. In this proposal the scientific group had estimated that by utilizing around 100 square miles of desert in New Mexico, Arizona and Navada, that by using MTSA's they could meet the energy needs of this country. This project would have created thousands of jobs and eventually would have lead to extremely low cost power for the people. but like most great ideas, Oil, Coal and Nuclear energy lobbiests shelved the idea saying that there was no need for it because our current systems for generating power were sufficient.
There was also a scientist that figured out a way to generate power on interstates from the wind that cars and trucks create as they drive. It was very low in cost to construct and would provide power during times of the day when power would be higher in demand.
There are a lot more examples and i could go on and on, but you get the idea. The real problem isn't how to create the power, but how to remove those in power that want to keep us from getting safer more affordable means of getting power.
Ch12 Afghanistan on the Brink
(1) Did the United States desert Afghanistan for Iraq?
The answer is yes. Why fight over a destroyed waste land? For years Russia tried and failed miserable. The other reason is that there is no money to be made. There is nothing there but a big Pot whole. In Iraq there is oil and lots of it. Plus this would be a great location to put a military base. You got Iran on one side and Syria on the other. The best of both worlds.
Larry0109, I agree with you about the issue with Afghanistan. It is very tragic what has happened there. After 9/11 we went in to Afghanistan and promised the Afghani people that we would help to rebuild their war torn country, especially after we bombed the crap out of it looking for Al-Queda. But after being there for only 10 or so months we withdrew all our troops leaving the country for the UN to handle and threw our country in to the war in Iraq.
Since then we have missed opportunities to get the guy we were looking for who was hiding out in the mountains of Afghanistan. The war lords have come back in to the country and they are once again a nation full of strife. The people I am sure have no faith in the US as from their stand point we abandoned them. But not only did our government abandon them, they abandoned us, the people whom they are supposed to serve.
They did so, as you pointed out, because there was not as much to gain in Afghanistan as there was in Iraq. I am not sure the real reasons for the Iraqi invasion but I do believe the Weapons of Mass Destruction were not it.
Careful Training Creates Soldiers Who Torture. p.150
According to a Greek Psychologist, soldiers are made into torturers. in the study, she found that ordinary soldiers were just "plucked from the "ranks and trained to torture others. These soldiers usually had the characteristics of being "young recruits from rural, conservative families who were physically healthy, of normal intelligence, conformist in nature and compliant" in nature. These "kids" underwent training were they were broken down physically and mentally. This led to their desensitization for torturing other human beings. Many of these soldiers never realized what they had done until they were out of the service due to the Army's brainwashing techniques. The conclusion made by the psychologists, was "we are all, under the right conditions, capable of becoming torturers.
From Brad... Not Ms. Khofheimer.
Watching the world change is a concept that no ones really grasps a reality of until they become elder in age. A lot of people talk about what needs to change and how, but they do not start the change at home. Our government is not any different in personal opinion. My views of the government in the United States are that they tend to always make the problem bigger. Our governmental policies and priorities are all messed up and we really need to fix home before we can fix anywhere else...
Kerry . . . Of course our government makes the issues a bigger deal than they really are. Keep in mind that the Gov is a powerful organization and they want to keep their power. But since we the people are the ones that give them power we are also the ones that can take it away. So the more aware of the truth and the more unified we are as a people the less power they have. What better way to keep their power then to dramatize the issues and blow everything out of proportion, add a little subterfuge and some sex/race issues and we are at it fighting each other. As long as we are distracted they can do what ever they want, crimes against humanity, take away our freedoms, wage war, embezzle our money and who knows what else.
United we stand Divided we fall, it applies to more then just the US vs. the world . . .
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