>That the vast majority of Americans are indifferent or in favor of such things as torture, civil rights violations and wars of conquest.
Really? Am I missing your sarcasm, or do you mean this literally?
Of course; America re-elected Bush, which means that America voted approval of those things. And I never saw much outrage from more than a minority of people in America, and plenty of approval. People got angry with Bush because he failed, not because of his methods.
America for me is the place where the 18th century European ideas of The Enlightenment took root and spread back across Europe. We are, as noted a hodgepodge of cultures and ideologies which results in vibrancy perhaps not as evident in a more homogeneous culture. Many others here are eager to expound on all our faults, so I defer to them.
As for our place in the world at this moment, we can better help others when we are strong. But, we also have to remember part of our strength is derived from what we give.
Policies of isolation or dominion over others don’t serve us well and not are they really possible today. I think we need to be looking forward to being among leaders in world affairs by demonstrating a willingness to be partners with the rest of the world instead of a take or leave it attitude we shown too often of late.
America is a country being made. The founders recognized that they could not speak for the future which no man can predict. They made provisions so we could change in the future. We have and are in the process of more.
Soon after the country started to get a foothold ,it began to morph. We became a country of extremely rich and powerful businessmen fighting to get more and more power.
As Teddy Roosevelt said:
“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an
invisible government owing no allegiance and and
acknowledging no responsibility to the people”
We have been in a non shooting war to see who wins. The big business and legacy wealthy are not content to live in the lap of luxury. They want more money and more power.
The money that the wealthy loot from the system is the money of the people. They do not have to steal from each other. Looting hundreds of millions of people is much more efficient. A couple thousand dollars taken from each family is a huge number. Busting a competitor is a lesser babka.