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Re: Life Duty Death
Jim Brewster (jmb31@cornell.edu)
14 Sep 1995 14:57:35 GMT
In article <438rv0$51s@shellx.best.com>, javilk@shell1.best.com (Javilk) wrote:
[Many interesting points snipped in the name of bandwidth]
>
>
> Each nation has the right to be soverein. Each peoples has the right to
> be free. These may be, at times, in conflict. But it is better to have
> them in conflict, than to forgo one or the other!
>
>
> -----
>
> > > Living in the lap of luxury, (why else to so many people try to get
> > > into America?) it is easy for us to think we have sinned when we see how
> > > the rest of the world looks. Maybe, just maybe, we live in the lap of
> > > luxury because we figured out how to MAKE a lot of that luxury OURSELVES,
> > > as opposed to stealing it from elsewhere.
> > > No question we CAN do better. We will.
>
> I was then accused of being... "ignorant of reality" by some.
>
> I beg your pardon? Whom did we steal our homes from? We offer the
> world trade. The world accepts our offer, and the offers of many others.
> In some governmental systems, patronage, nepotism, and other things
> which we democratic people call FRAUD, is rampant. (Not so say we don't
> have some degree of this here too!) It is not America's position to
> overthrow every corrupt nation's government. The people of each nation
> have a duty TO THEMSELVES, to arainge their affairs to maximize their own
> benefits. If they do not do so, if they put up with corrupt leaders, that
> is THEIR problem.
In fact, America's position has been to support corrupt governments and
overthrow less corrupt ones based primarily on their receptiveness to
economic imperialism. Governments that are not favorable to US corporate
interests are pressured by all means at our disposal to fall in line. Look
at our covert wars in Central America during the 1980's, and our lingering
warlike policy toward Cuba.
You seem to assume that this is an even playing field, that people and
governments actually have or know how to use the power to "arrange their
affairs to maximize their own benefits." It's like telling a homeless
person to get a job, ignoring how the cards are stacked.
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