What gives the US special status?

I'm a US citizen myself so don't accuse me of being anti-American. I'm wondering what gives us special status. What gives us the right to topple foreign governments in continuous violations of international law. What gives us the right to interfere in the Democracy of other nations? What gives us the right to tell other nations who can or cannot be extradited? Why are we so well liked when the citizens of our nation are so far in debt that many can barely afford to make a living? What gives us the right to dominate the world when we barely have a hold on our own nation?

might is right.the u.s has overwhelming military power and they are not shy about using it.
once you have the means, you cna find any old reason.

The more one thinks about the very questions you stated, the more sinister it all becomes. The political and economical climate is rising, right now its already stiflingly hot and its not going to cool down in the coming years. Something is in the works, the propaganda machine operates at full stretch, freedoms are lost from one second to another, and the majority of people have their heads in the sand.

Whats next?

I stood up once and said I did, I took a oath that demands I do.
and we once had a president Kennedy who order me to.
and we havent elected a president since... so, as far as I'm concerned.
pass the ammo - freedom is within our grasps....

We saved Europe a couple of times and we some pretty big bombs.

$600 + Billion dollar defense budget.

Its the fact that america commits the most horrific acts of violence on earth and can get away with it with immunity.

In ww2 america must of done the most horrific things imaginable to people, but hollywood has that lost in time, with there romantic, america comes to save the day rubbish.

Get it, america is the big bully of the world, and being the police too, means it can do what it wants, and it also has the propaganda machine to back it up.

[edit on 10/9/2009 by andy1033]

Originally posted by andy1033
In ww2 america must of done the most horrific things imaginable to people, but hollywood has that lost in time, with there romantic, america comes to save the day rubbish.

Get it, america is the big bully of the world, and being the police too, means it can do what it wants, and it also has the propaganda machine to back it up.

Well if they "EU/Asia" or any of the other remaining industrialized nations would grow a pair and help us out more then we wouldn't seem to be the only ones out there. [World Police] It's not just our interests we have been protecting but most of the G-7 nations. Remember them? Now that it went to G8/G20 now a strong US isn't fashionable. It's funny when everybody needs help who's the first one they call when it serves their interests? But when it becomes politically incorrect to support the US we get thrown under the bus and all the things that supported the EU/Asia's rise in peace, stability and wealth is now thrown on our laps as proof of our evil empire.

As far as that demonstration of the most horrific things. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were small potatoes compared to the fact that we were already destroying a city a day in Japan with conventional bombers. May I remind you that we weren't the ones shoveling men, women and children into ovens or gassing them by the thousands nor did we try to exterminate people on the eastern front or later behind the Iron curtain.

Were we the ones butchering hundreds of thousands or more in China? Not to mention turning thousand of Koreans into prostitutes to serve the imperial army of Japan. Wait! Let me ask you this since you seem to know so much about history. Who exactly supplied weapons in lend lease? Then threw themselves into battle to help liberate Europe and Asia when they weren't our fight? Then later supplied Europe and Japan with the means to rebuild themselves after WWII?

Let's fast forward to the Cold war. Yeah the rest of the world enjoys it's lifeline of oil [Just dont ask how it got there] and commerce on the high seas and as long as it flowed everything is OK. Lets not consider who stood watch when Europe couldn't really stand on it's own against the overwhelming Soviets and Eastern Warsaw pact countries. Who was it again they turned to? Shall we talk about the Berlin airlift? Under American influence the world has reached the highest standard of living the Earth has ever seen.

Now that everybody has that highest standard of living and have lived in peace [Europe/Asia] for the longest period in recent history. Now all of sudden let's attack those Arrogant Americans. Yeah we are down. Now is when we will know who our real allies are. We faced the communist Chinese in Korea. The Koreans are still divided. The South is one of the wealthiest and most advanced societies in Asia, [Not to mention Japan and now China's rise] while North Korea is a Nuclear armed outcast. We won the cold war. China is now capitalist and the Soviet union is gone. You live somewhere free and can speak your mind freely online.

When you finally pull your head out of your backside think about how the world would have been under Communism. We have a very real history of how they handled Eastern Europe or China under Mao. Stop making embarrassing and unfounded statements may I suggest a trip to a library of your choice and actually cracking open a history book.

Instead of all this lip flapping BS.

What gives the US special status?
American Boots on the ground! Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and now Afghanistan. Unlike the former Soviet who fought theirs through Proxies. It wasn't until they joined the fun in Afghanistan that they knew what those proxies cost! We held the line! Our hands are bloody but so are everybody Else's who are now enjoying the fruits of a free and prosperous Earth. Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Esp those countries who now appose us and the US dollar.

Brazil, Russia, India and China! If it wasn't for the American Blue collar worker [Joe Sixpack] buying their products and services they never would have flourished!

Joe sixpack AKA Average American

Semper Fidelis



[edit on 9-10-2009 by SLAYER69]

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
I'm a US citizen myself so don't accuse me of being anti-American. I'm wondering what gives us special status. What gives us the right to topple foreign governments in continuous violations of international law. What gives us the right to interfere in the Democracy of other nations? What gives us the right to tell other nations who can or cannot be extradited? Why are we so well liked when the citizens of our nation are so far in debt that many can barely afford to make a living? What gives us the right to dominate the world when we barely have a hold on our own nation?

Boo-

Man, is this just a rant?

Seriously, I live in one of the most liberal cities in the US (it loves its protests) and I still know better than to rage against "the machine" or rant against "the man" or rally against "whatever the trending topic of the day" is, without having anything to back it up... What you've put forth is a jumbled mess and could easily be divided into 6+ different threads and it would still be, just a rant.

For the future, maybe some questions to think about having answers to, before starting the thread...

1. which foreign governments are you inferring the US is toppling?
2. which international laws are the US continuously breaking?
3. which Democratic government of which country/s is the US interfering?
4. which extradition situation are you referring?
5. who are we so well liked by and what does that have to do with citizen debt? how are these two questions related?
6. dominating the world how? economically? militarily? politically? etc. etc. etc.

Look, not everybody is going to agree, but at the very least, post something solid backing your point of view.





[edit on 10-10-2009 by LadySkadi]

Originally posted by hans kammler
might is right.the u.s has overwhelming military power and they are not shy about using it.
once you have the means, you cna find any old reason.

With that logic we would have attacked Iran or Korea a long time ago.

You need to look at the HDI Index

The HDI combines normalized measures of life expectancy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for countries worldwide. It is claimed as a standard means of measuring human development—a concept that, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), refers to the process of widening the options of persons, giving them greater opportunities for education, health care, income, employment, etc. The HDI attempts to measure a country's development.

The HDI combines three dimensions:

* Life expectancy at birth, as an index of population health and longevity
* Knowledge and education, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting).
* Standard of living, as measured by the natural logarithm of gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity.

The top countries by HDI were grouped in a new category called "Very High Human Development". The report refers to these countries as "developed countries".They are:

1. Norway 0.971 (▬)
2. Australia 0.970 (▬)
3. Iceland 0.969 (▬)
4. Canada 0.966 (▬)
5. Ireland 0.965 (▬)
6. Netherlands 0.964 (▲ 1)
7. Sweden 0.963 (▼ 1)
8. France 0.961 (▲ 3)
9. Switzerland 0.960 (▬)
10. Japan 0.960 (▬)
11. Luxembourg 0.960 (▼ 3)
12. Finland 0.959 (▲ 1)
13. United States 0.956 (▼ 1)

14. Austria 0.955 (▲ 2)
15. Spain 0.955 (▬)
16. Denmark 0.955 (▼ 2)
17. Belgium 0.953 (▬)
18. Italy 0.951 (▲ 1)
19. Liechtenstein 0.951 (▼ 1)
20. New Zealand 0.950 (▬)
21. United Kingdom 0.947 (▬)
22. Germany 0.947 (▬)
23. Singapore 0.944 (▲ 1)
24. Hong Kong 0.944 (▼ 1)
25. Greece 0.942 (▬)
26. South Korea 0.937 (▬)

27. Israel 0.935 (▲ 1)
28. Andorra 0.934 (▼ 1)
29. Slovenia 0.929 (▬)
30. Brunei 0.920 (▬)
31. Kuwait 0.916 (▬)
32. Cyprus 0.914 (▬)
33. Qatar 0.910 (▲ 1)
34. Portugal 0.909 (▼ 1)
35. United Arab Emirates 0.903 (▲ 2)
36. Czech Republic 0.903 (▬)
37. Barbados 0.903 (▲ 2)
38. Malta 0.902 (▼ 3)

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
I'm a US citizen myself so don't accuse me of being anti-American.

Defensive in first line of post????

Originally posted by jpvskyfreak
You need to look at the HDI Index

The HDI combines normalized measures of life expectancy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for countries worldwide. It is claimed as a standard means of measuring human development—a concept that, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), refers to the process of widening the options of persons, giving them greater opportunities for education, health care, income, employment, etc. The HDI attempts to measure a country's development.

Thanks for the info how would any of that been possible under a proven Communist system?


[edit on 9-10-2009 by SLAYER69]

The USA was set up for that purpose a long time ago. That said, the higher powers are protecting this country and letting the overactive miscreant children run wild for awhile. A lot of change is taking place as the karma is being played out quickly. The world has been set up to look at the USA as opportunity and now they are being weened off of the USA to look kindly on a world government. But the smarter parts of the world are wising up to the whole scam. Time will tell.

Well lets take a peek at what other countries are doing that we might want to asked them to stop?

Shamsia is the 17-year-old young woman who had acid thrown into her face in November, to punish her because she wanted an education

A Saudi court is scheduled next month to look into a divorce plea from an eight-year-old girl married off by her father to a man in his fifties

According to Amnesty International as of February 2005 more than 370 young women and girls had been murdered in the cities of Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua.

side note since the start of the Mexican drug war no one counts anymore... Ciudad Juarez has around 250 murders per month now so counting is pointless...

27 Iranians sentenced to death in connection with protests following disputed presidential elections

Bosnia and Herzegovina conflict still waiting for justice, Successive governments have failed to provide justice, reparation, adequate healthcare to thousands of women and girls raped during the country's 1992-1995 war

you do know we could do this all day... maybe some governments need to be toppled?

reply to post by Frankidealist35


What gives anyone the right to do anything?

Rights are mental constructs. The only rights that exist are those held by groups in consensus. Those same rights held by consensus must be enforced in order to have any phsyical existence. By consensus we determine who lives, who dies, our laws, and religions.

In regards to the status of the United States as a hegemon, what gives the United States the right to establish hegemony?

The world gives the United States that right, either by consensus or by inaction. By their support, By their submission or by their unwillingness to act, the world gives the United States the right.

Until someone challenges the status quo, the world will continue to give the US that right.

It has been the same for any other hegemon in world history.

Good, evil, and degrees of grey don't matter. Its about action and inaction.

So the real question should be why does the world do that? I would answer World War II and the Cold War.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


I think a better question would be why is it that everyone calls us when they need help and complain about us when they don't? We tried to stay out of WWI. We tried to stay out of WWII aside from providing weapons and aid to our allies. Every time we try to stay out of it we end up having to go and help anyway. When the rest of the world learns how to handle their own messes without calling us for help, then we can stay home and watch.

Originally posted by andy1033
Its the fact that america commits the most horrific acts of violence on earth and can get away with it with immunity.

In ww2 america must of done the most horrific things imaginable to people, but hollywood has that lost in time, with there romantic, america comes to save the day rubbish.

Watch Saving Private Ryan. Count how many unarmed surrendering germans they killed. War crime?

CT

reply to post by Conspiracy Theorist

These horrible things that the US must have done is WWII, are not that horrible.

You and others seem to think that combat, or war, is an action against others.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

War, or battle, is a cumulative term for individual actions.

Single, one-on-one moral combat. It's always one enemy, one struggle, one kill at a time. Taken together, this may appear to be a group effort, and in a sense is, but it's more personal, more visceral.

As a soldier, you want to survive this single, one-on-one mortal struggle and kill that SOB. All you want to do is live through THIS ONE. And then, the next one. And so on.

Here's my point:

There is no preferred, prescribed, sanitized, or approved method of a man killing his enemy. You'll use rifle, pistol, or machine gun to shoot holes in them, flame throwers to incinerate them, aircraft, artillery, grenades, and bombs to molecularly disassemble them with high explosives, bayonets, helmets to beat them to death, knives to perforate them, and if nothing else is available, you'll rip their throats out with your teeth, smother them face down in the dust, or jump on their backs, grab their arms, put your foot in the middle of their back, and sharply pull upward until you hear something like a carrot snapping.

So exactly what horrible things do you suppose that the US did?

Nothing. Because when it comes to the killing, it's very personal, very one on one, and no one can be faulted for using whatever technique he has at hand.

And by the way.

When you are a country with wealth and power, you have responsibilities.

You have a responsibility to not take advantage of that power to hurt others.

You have a responsibility to help others less fortunate in productive manners.

And you have a responsibility to NOT fear to use that power against those who would prey on the weak.

Have we made mistakes?

Yep.

Were we TRYING?

Maybe we should whiz on the fire, call in the dogs, and call this hunt over.

Just pull back, and quit trying.

reply to post by dooper


Did you read where I specified the shooting of unarmed and surrendering germans?

Therefore your entire post missed the point.

That being said I agree with your entire post. Its just out of context as a response to my post.

CT