american exceptionalism Archives - TheTranscendenceDiaries

The Beginning of the End of American Domination?

June 29, 2014

Just read a disturbing comment publicly made about the United States, not by someone from some crazy rogue nation, but by Poland, a relatively peaceful sane and rational country usually considered an ally. The discussion at hand — for the purposes of historicism many years from now — is the ever diminishing reputation of the United States in the eyes of the rest of the world. While clearly still the “leader of the free world” both economically and militarily, it has long been known that the US is in reality hanging on by a thread economically, with only the unfair advantage of the petro dollar (oil traded in US dollars only) and the unethical threat of military action propping the country up still. China and Russia have been blatantly bold and brash in their standing up to the United States since the advent of the Obama years in a variety of arenas. Long gone is that fear disguised as respect for the United States that once permeated the globe. One can almost taste the coming decline of the once proud nation that invented such outlandishly false and wicked ideas such as American Exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny to describe and justify their atrocious behavior as they ascended to world domination.

But times are changing. The quote:

“The Polish-American alliance isn’t worth anything. It’s detrimental because it creates a false sense of security for Poland.”
— Radoslav Sikorski, Polish Foreign Minister, June 24

I posted it to Facebook to see if others were equally disturbed by it. Many were. As occasionally happens the post spawned a heated debate and far too many comments to repost here — nearly one-hundred — and the conversation is still going as I type here.

There is also this disturbing article in the London Review by Seymour M. Hersh that discusses this issue and again gives pause about Obama’s seemingly faulty foreign policy: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n08/seymour-m-hersh/the-red-line-and-the-rat-line

Filmmaker50 who we’ve been friends with for over a decade commented and we shall use his comment and question as a launching pad to explore the issue in more depth.

Filmmaker50: Did you read the TIME article from where that quote is taken from? I did. He’s upset because the USA has not given him more military aid since Putin invaded Ukraine. Do you expect the American government to jump and do what every country says just because the ambassador says something insulting? There’s a context to everything.

Hi Filmmaker50. I saw it discussed on The McClaughlin Group as reprinted from the WSJ. Not in TIME. I both agree and disagree with you: but it all depends on what one’s goal is regarding the American empire… Our reputation in the world is important. And It’s diminishing. Regardless of what we do, it will continue to diminish, either we lose more and more respect due to more military invasions, or we lose that fear of us militarily in the hearts of other nations due to not taking enough actions. It’s a perplexing position to be in for sure. I do not pretend to know the answer my friend.

My thoughts on the matter off the top of my head though…

I found it shocking at first, obviously, as everyone else surely did — the stark contrast between this America and the one we grew up in. 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago nobody would dare utter those words…one, because they wouldn’t want anyone to know they said it and two because there would be no truth to it. An alliance with the US was at one time considered extremely valuable, both in reality and practice AND in perception. This is a real change in perception. They claim it’s because of recent poor decisions re Syria and Ukraine. Perception has changed. That’s for sure.

This statement above, and the fact it was printed publicly says a lot about where we are right now as a country on the global stage. As an American I find it a little frightening. And sad. As a human I get it. It’s life. It’s the cycle. It couldn’t last forever. It never does. The empire is in decline.

We have to remember that we grew up in a very privileged place and time. Like Rome in 100 AD or Greece circa 100 BC. It was a magical time. But it’s fading now. As it always does for any earthly empire.

I don’t have a specific view or conclusion regarding your question… Just many different thoughts. I guess it all depends on what ones goal or mission is. If I were more hawkish more patriotically selfish and greedy I guess I’d be very pissed at president Obama for his making the US appear so weak globally and for not taking full advantage of other countries problems for our own gain.

If I were more of the starry eyed hippie peacenik that some assume me to be then I’d probably be pleased with his decisions not to go into these other countries militarily — despite the potential for great harm to us both economically and perhaps militarily or domestically.

ISIS scares the the crap out of me and I believe they need to be dealt with sooner than later. Think about that for a moment… The Ambassador, a lover of all cultures including Islam and a hard working activist for peace and diplomacy — who is way more humanist than American-minded and who gives everyone more than a fair shot just stated “ISIS scares the crap out of me…”. That says something. I’m one of the few people we know who does NOT fear Iran and who sees all that nuclear fear talk as total bs by an imperialist bully brigade made up of the US Israel and the UK, yet I am honestly seriously and sincerely concerned about our safety and security if we do not act swiftly and strongly against this strange new breed of terrorists.

I do not believe that Obama style diplomacy is going to help us with them. It only buys them more time to collect more troops, more alliances and more money. If they are permitted to continue to take over all of our oil wells in Iraq, WHAT are WE going to do? After all, that’s why we went to Iraq. It may have been evil, sure. But we did it. Accepted. And lest we forget we invested a ton of money and human lives to achieve that goal and secure those resources for the 21st century, the supposed New American Century. We need that oil. And we need that land strategically. It was militarily a brilliant strategy — to take Iraq, considering where it is geographically etc. (I am not speaking of ethics here. Just black and white “empire versus no more empire”…) We just cannot allow them to continue. For MANY reasons, not the least of which is what happens if they gain strongholds in Syria or start threatening Israel or are successful in instituting Sharia Law there or anywhere…

All of our hard work and money….down the drain. Obama is afraid of the political costs…afraid of what the American people will say… And it’s clear that the disaster of the Iraq invasion — certainly not is doing — is influencing his decisions re Syria and Crimea / Ukraine… Which is too bad.

Instead he should be more concerned with improving our economy (the oil there), our security and the security of our allies there, and our future (how “large” is “too large” to the Obama admin?) ISIS has no intention of negotiating some mutually beneficial treaty with the US like the Saudi family did. These are hardcore anti-Western anti-American anti-Christian ideologues who have no problem killing anyone and everyone who get in their way. We should be sending 150,000 troops to that region NOW, making a huge stand and statement, showing these men that we mean business and that we will not back down so easily from something that we worked so hard to secure. This is, if, as we claim, we want to continue to benefit from all the glory that comes from being “the best country in the world”.

What exactly is the current admin thinking? I assume we are waiting for actual working oil wells to be threatened…. But I think we should go on the offensive. Not wait. Screw the whining of the so called far left liberals. They don’t understand what’s at stake here in the bigger picture. Do they really believe that ISIS is going to stop? Or make nice with us one day? Do they believe that if we ignore ISIS that they will go away? Or leave us alone? They need to do more research into the matter. They’re blind to the harsh realities of a people they simply have no reference points with which to understand.

Done get me wrong. I understand that the president knows a lot more than we do about what is really happening there… And I trust that he has the same desire for our security and economic welfare that we do… So I trust he’s doing what is best. Hoping so at least.

But I understand the frustration of others more to the right. I can only imagine how more hawkish people or more “American patriotic” people must feel about all this. They must be beyond pissed. Beyond frustrated. Beyond worried. I get that. And for good reason.

Of course I also see the potential benefits of the devil finally getting his due. The United States has been a thorn in the side of global peace for almost 60 years, sticking it’s nose in the business of other countries for as long as we can remember. Never thinking about right versus wrong but rather always just acting out of what they seem best for themselves. Baring that in mind, there is a beautiful irony to how things are currently playing out.

And wouldn’t it be grand if for once the United States just stepped back and allowed world affairs to play out as they will without stepping in to force their own desires on everyone involved? Certainly this would create a huge sigh of relief in the hearts of many.

But at what cost to those of us who live here now and in the near term future? What cost might we pay down the line for not taking action now “when we still could”? How soon will this insane group known as ISIS and their twisted view of the world land on our doorstep? Are we truly preventing a major tragedy in our own backyard by participating in these minor skirmishes around the world? That’s the question. That’s always been the question.

Did our intervention in Vietnam help us in any way? Korea? Nicaragua? Colombia? Iraq or Afghanistan even? This we will never know. One thing we do know is that Ameican Exceptionalism, always a myth perpetrated by amoral chest pounding knuckle dragging bullies to justify selfish greedy acts of terror around the world, is seeming to come to an end.

Regardless of where one happens to land on that virtual left versus right line in the sand, we have all benefitted over the last sixty years from America’s domination of planet earth, whether we deserved it such as after World War II, or not. A future where the United States is NOT the dominant force in the world is a frightening proposal if one lives here. So frightening in fact that one can easily see how certain individuals might be tempted to think more ethically questionable and hegemonic — out of pure fear or selfishness.

The whole thing is just a real shame. We obviously never should have gone to Iraq in the first place. Which I believe is the main issue at the crux of this whole quagmire presently. It’s the elephant in the room. But with that said, does it forever doom us to a tormented future of more war and the constant threat of terror? Or is there a way out of it? Can we envision a world where by our own ingenuity and freedom we come out not necessarily ahead but just “doing well”? Safe secure and prosperous? Isn’t that cause enough to strive towards as a nation? Is it even possible? Can we as Americans be okay with just being healthy and wealthy without dominating the entire globe? I for one can adamantly answer without pause or doubt yes yes and yes.

In fact imagine a world where one day the United States actually really does stand for and contribute to more peace and sanity and prosperity in the world for all nations and peoples through the enormous blessings and gifts we’ve been given. Now that’s a vision worth fighting for. Perhaps just not militarily though. Perhaps there is another way… A giant shift in mass consciousness brought about by a people who are tired of war and lies and deceptions and corruption and hungry for true peace justice freedom and prosperity for all.

– Posted by The Ambassador using BlogPress on an iPhone 8s Custom

America’s Telling Untold History

December 12, 2012

A slow starter, Oliver Stone’s 12 part Showtime series entitled The Untold History of The United States should nonetheless be mandatory viewing for all American citizens young and old, especially those who enthusiastically wave patriotic flags right or left, or speak of American exceptionalsim.

When cast under a bright truthful light, the only thing exceptional about the last sixty years of America’s history is its brazen imperialistic tendencies and broad sweeping deceptions in order to support dictatorships around the globe for its own heartless self interests.

By series installment 5, Stone and crew are waist deep in uncovering and revealing one of the cruelest ruthless and deceptive empires the world has ever known. For history buffs there may not be truckloads of unknown facts to be found, but compiled into one tightly knit narrative, the series does what it ostensibly sets out to do succinctly and more than adequately. It reveals a nation sheepled with citizens so blind to the true intentions and evil machinations of it’s own government that their very history can indeed be said to be untold — no matter how much media access and “news” they’re surrounded and suffocated by.

Anyone with an ounce of nationalistic pride or love of country will find themselves feeling shocked and embittered, especially considering that the series, being limited by time constraints, only touches the surface of some of the most egregious crimes of the 20th century perpetrated by the world’s alleged “global leader of freedom and democracy.” The looming question boiling through every hot-blooded American who dares to watch the entire 12 part series is surely to be “what now can be done to save our once great democratic republic?” and further “how can we ever make amends to the rest of the world for the atrocities committed in our names and right under our noses over the last sixty years?”

The Third Reich or Just Smells Like it?

November 2, 2012

Last night in our New York apartment. It is abnormally quiet, my footsteps echoing through the space caused by the absence of so many things that when combined create what we call home. Its a surreal feeling. A bit sad. A bit of a relief. To New York we will be back in a matter of months. But to this home, to this neighborhood, we will never return. Having lived here over five years, its a strange feeling.

Cable and internet have already been turned off. So I am forced to watch a DVD that someone gave me. It’s a German movie called The Fist of the Reich. Overdubbed in English. On the cheesy side, which is why I never bothered to put it in prior to this evening. But there seems to be a reason for everything. And so too even with this strange foreign movie about the famous boxer Max Schmeling, I cannot help but feel compelled to believe that there was purpose in my viewing it.

It tells the story of the beginnings of Hitler’s Third Reich in Germany. A raucous excitement filled the air of Germany due to the uncanny gift for nationalistic propaganda of the Nazi party. There was also a lot of fear, an under current that there just wasn’t something right about them. But still, they were so gung ho about Germany and their ability to rebuild the country to the greatness that they always knew they had in them that most people were willing to over look the uglier aspects of the Nazi’s strange predilection for hate.

It was not long into the film that Mitt Romney and this new breed of Tea Party Republicans popped in my head. Right around the time in the film that Germany begins banning Jewish people from staying in hotels or shopping in certain stores. It seemed innocent enough, a simple decree by the new Chancellor that all shop keepers had the right to deny service to whomever they wanted… But it also reeked of racism and exceptionalism. As if the only “real” people that mattered were pure blooded Germans. The linger I watched the more I felt a strong impulse to stop the film and make note of my thoughts.

I couldn’t help notice there eerie similarities between early 1930’s Nazi Germany and the platform of today’s barely recognizable Republican party, the political party that I grew up proud to be a member of. But things have changed. Though their presidential candidate speaks a lot about the economy, he and others like him, and even more so average everyday American people who now call themselves Republican, also speak of other things. Things that most of us find repugnant and frightening. For whatever reason there is a strong current of hate and racism in this new breed of Republican fervor.

Whether it’s black people on welfare or food stamps, or poor people who are “naturally victims and free loaders” simply because they can’t make ends meet, or women who want to have full control of their bodies, or gay people who want to get married and start families, or Muslim people or anyone from the Middle East for that matter, or even Hispanic people who just “might be” illegal or look it, there is something inherently “wrong” with them according to this new group of Americans who now call themselves Republican. They don’t just disagree with the policies of the President of the United States. They hate him. And so too for all of the above mentioned people. Hate is a strong word. But an even stronger feeling. So it is naturally disturbing to any rational thinking person that a single group of people could be so aligned in their singular hatred of so many different groups of people. It appears from the outside that the only reason they hate all these different groups of people is because they aren’t white or Christian.

If there were a chance of Mitt Romney winning the White House I would say that America should be frightened. But I dare say that I would bet that the current incumbent president, Barack Obama, will squeak by with the win. But as good as that may be in the short term, we are still left with the realization that America tends to swing back and forth with its election of political parties. Which means that in 2016 we may end up with one of these crazy Republicans in the White House again. Let us hope that by then they’ve cleaned out the skeletons from their closet. And the racists, bigots, and general haters of all things not white and christian. America was never meant to be a white christian nation. Anyone who claims that it was simply doesn’t understand what makes and has always made America such a profoundly enviable country since its inception.

Disagreeing with policies that differ from the party that you support is one thing. Hate for the sake of hate is another. It’s a dangerous slippery slope that can create a lot of needless pain and suffering that we’ve seen countless times before in human history. Whether Democrat or Republican, Green or Libertarian, if we are American we must all be careful that we never allow our great nation to be hijacked by a small group of people whose very platform is built upon denying basic liberties, freedom, or respect to any of our fellow citizens, no matter what the reason. That is the exact opposite of American Exceptionalism. It’s hate disguised as politics. And it’s been practiced far too long in America. For a variety of alleged rational reasons. But at this time in the evolution of our great country, hate disguised as anything is an easy thing to spot. And it is up to each and every one of us that we never allow it to enter our body politic or our collective consciousness as a people again.

If for no other reason than this — and there are plenty more noble reasons to vote for the man, as someone who did not vote for him in 2008, I recommend Barack Obama as President for a second term. The other option is too embroiled in hate speech of one kind or another at this time, one that seems far too serious and far more invested in hate than just speech.

When people who call themselves Republican, or anything for that matter, use the term “Muslim” as an insult, we know we are not dealing with rational or compassionate hearts and minds. And the same can be said with how they speak of black people, poor people, immigrants, gay people or women in general. Maybe it’s something in the Kool Aid they pass out at their rallies, but there is something very un-American about a group of people who are filled with rage and bitterness towards anyone who doesn’t look act or believe like they do.

TheTranscendenceDiaries

Tag: american exceptionalism

The Beginning of the End of American Domination?

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