Layman reflections of American Power

"Everyone is a socialist in North America.... until it's time to get paid. In their hearts and minds they are socialists, in plain action they yearn and demand to be capitalists. Hence, the affluent romantic in a Che t-shirt." The Commentator, 2005.

"Let's point out the blemishes and turn the mirror away. The finger points anywhere but here." The Commentator, 2005.

"No one likes us, I don't know why. We may not be perfect but heaven knows we try. All around us even our old friends put us down. Let's drop the big one and see what happens..." Randy Newman, 'Politcal Science', 1972.

During the height of the Roman Empire, the Greeks were having a hard time accepting those debutants of Roman power. Wise contemporary Greek and Roman commentators and historians advised Greeks to be practical and to accept the reality of Roman power.

To do otherwise would be counter-productive on many levels. Those words are wise enough to apply to modern anti-Americans that lurk about all around us.

Besides, if we are prepared to call them on all their errors, real or perceived, then it stands to reason that they should get some of the credit when they get things right - real or perceived. It's when things get one-sided I begin to question the people who do all of the attacking.

From where I sit, it always intrigued me on how leftist modern liberals speak as if the Republicans are all pure evil. They may be misguided but evil? Let me see if I get this straight. They hate when Bush and some paleo and neo-conservatives use the good vs. evil rhetoric but it is ok for them to invoke it when they speak of Republicans in this way? Of course, to them conservatism is one monolithic ideology. How, well, unsophisticated of them.

These same people, and it is somewhat tiresome and mundane now, are fond of degrading the Southern states as some incredibly socially backward and awkward regressive area. Which in some respects, and in moderation, it is.

Mind you, I'm surprised the backwoods of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine has not produced the Northeast version of 'Deliverance'. Stephen King - chop, chop.

Speaking of New England freaks. Why does Ted Kennedy, indeed any Kennedy (what's left of them), insist on taking the moral high ground when it comes to attacking Bush? Is he kidding me? If Dante were alive to publish a revised edition of 'The Inferno' there would be a circle in hell dedicated to the Kennedy's. Camelot my ass.

Ever notice how West and East coast pseudo-social progressives, you know, the type to insult anything in their path that disagrees with their world view, constantly question America's morality, are part of the problem? Specifically, most of the crud we see on tv, in our papers, in film and music- in other words trash art, stems from the liberal parts of the country. While they are busy putting up websites apologizing for the election of Dubya to the world, they fail to see the utter decadence of their own existence. They too are smug in their self-righteousness. They are just as narrow in their scope as the people they charge (the usual suspects are Condi, Dicky, Donny, Pauly and Georgey) as being ignorant.

Ironically, it is the West's philosophical heritage that protects and allows such 'progressives' to do so. I've always found it obscure, and somewhat contradictory, that people who are worried about the rogue state AmeriKa, live in the country that enshrines their right to the principles of freedom of speech and individual security. Why can't they just move to China or Cuba or something and see how far they go in those places and leaves us alone? They think they are bettering our society.

They say the American empire will fall soon and China will take over. Maybe they're right. I doubt it though. Sit back and relax because that will not happen in our lifetime or the next. Or probably the one after that. Many societies have lasted for much longer with much less at their hands. Rome lasted for a thousand years. The United States has much more in its arsenal than any other culture or society in world history, (in terms of knowledge and technology etc), to sustain its existence of dominance for a 1000 years too.

America is not, despite its sometimes hedonistic extravagance is not going away anytime soon so get comfortable anti-Americans. For guys like me, I welcome it. Anyway, even if we are to choose an unscientific rough average of how long societies and empires last (let us choose 500. This figure takes into consideration, plus ou moin, Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian, Ottoman, Austrian-Hungarian, Mongolian, various Chinese, Indian, African and Polynesian dynasties, France and Britain) one will notice America is but a mere 229 years old. Using simple layman's logic, America has a way to go before it implodes given its unmatched power .

Sleep tight. Americans are in no danger of becoming 'American Idiots' That's just the screams of people afraid to be made fools of. The best way to defend against it is to be cynical....the easiest of all philosophies. Springsteen once wrote "...it's so hard to be a saint in the city..." Let me amend that to "it's so easy to be a cynic in the city these days..."

"...we'll save Australia. Don't want to hurt no kangaroo. We'll build an all-around amusement park there. They got surfin' too...." Randy Newman, 'Political Science', 1972.