It always amazed me that for decades the Russian government was able to effectively keep their own people completely in the dark regarding their activities.
But the more I read, the more I discovered that what I had learned and read in American History books and newspapers regarding the US government’s actions was total fiction.
To generalize the difference between the two - heh to the point of being wrong - is that most Russians knew they were being lied to and were resigned to it; whereas most Americans are either oblivious, or don’t give a sh-- what their government does, so long as it doesn’t effect them, and doesn’t alter their belief that America has the moral ground.
The problem is:
Name one madman (Osama included) in the last 50 years that the US hasn’t been directly or indirectly responsible in training and arming. Lets pick the wonderful way we’ve operated in the Mideast: The US sent agents to train the Shah of Iran’s secret police on how to interrogate and torture people - they even wrote them a manual; and the Shah’s men tortured and killed thousands for decades. When the Shah and the US were eventually thrown out of Iran, Iraq became the US’ new best friend, even though it was common knowledge that Saddam butchered people by the thousands and often leads his own torture sessions (apparently he gets off on burning people alive). Where do you think he got the equipment and technological knowledge for his ‘weapons of mass destruction’? Freaking aliens?
It’s not like these are isolated incidents, the US has done this time and time again. As long as the money’s good and we can get a hand in their pocket, what they do to their own people - and to some extent, their neighbor’s people - doesn’t matter. And then, AMAZINGLY, Americans are stunned when they discover there are actually people in this world that dislike the US.
The blame does not solely lie upon the US, international arms sales are a trillion dollar business, and it would appear that many of the major blunders our government has made regarding arms sales was because the US was afraid our ‘allies’ Britain, France or Russia would beat them to the deal. Where our own laws have blocked the weapons sale, our government arranges a third party to act as an intermediary.
(have to keep those hands clean…)
So… let’s take a look at Iraq. The US used it’s power to block the sale of food and medicine to Iraq over the last ten years. It’s not like Saddam was under any compunction to fairly distribute the supplies he did have. Instead he took care of his own, and the embargo effectively murdered thousands of the children whose people we purport to want to help by removing Saddam. How in any way does killing their children endear the US to them?
Ten years ago, it was decided to leave Saddam in office because his removal might cause Iraq to merge with Iran since the vast majority of its people share the same belief and culture of those currently in power in Iran. To see Persia reborn in the modern era was unpalatable to the US - too much foriegn oil in the control of people that could not be bargained with.
So what has changed? The US is now getting about 50% of it’s foreign oil from Russia. Soooo, time to clean house.
The hard cold fact is: US foreign policy is about making a buck, and selling destruction makes alot of them. There’s no doubt in my mind that the US - this administration in particular - would glass slag anybody - freaking anybody - and need no proof other than claiming it was necessary to protect our way of life, and most Americans would sleep well in their belief in God and country and all was well in the world.
I’m going to stop before I really get on a rant, or am I too late.
flames away,
