I saw a news story today and promptly did a double take. Apparently US President Barack Obama will be going before the UN General Assembly and telling them that the United States cannot solve all the problems of the global community by itself.
He will also be telling leaders who apparently weren’t too happy with America acting unilaterally in the world that it is time for a true global response to global challenges including climate change, terrorism, endless conflicts and poverty.
Right…
“Climate change.” Good one! What about the Kyoto protocol? Still unratified (and hence non-binding on the US – or in other words America doesn’t have to do squat about greenhouse emissions – we don’t want to interfere with profits now, do we?) despite having been signed by the US. Talk about lip service and not meeting your responsibilities.
“Terrorism.” Another good one. Thanks to Gog and Magog (with a little help from Bushy) Iraq is a ruined country with hundreds of thousands dead. And for what? Not to mention Blackwater of course. Who have still not been given the boot (in fact I believe Obama has extended their invaluable service to the United States) and if you don’t know what they’ve been up to in America’s name then shame on you.
“Endless conflicts?” Iraq. Afghanistan. Enough said really.
“Poverty?” I get begging letters to help Americans in need every week. Best cure poverty in your own back yard before criticizing other countries.
And now the biggie…
“The United States cannot solve all the problems of the global community by itself.”
Indeed…
Name one thing the United States has done on the current world stage that has solved anything.
Ohhh, I know. I was an Obama supporter. I’m trying to avoid taking this weirdness (and continued hubris representing the US) personally. Maybe someday they will learn that they cannot please all people all the time and it’s time (well, way past time) to take some principled stands.
Every day I get less and less hopeful that there will be a peaceful, orderly change in this country. My heart breaks. And then I get furious. It doesn’t have to be this way…
Keep ’em coming. People need to hear what you have to say.
Hmmm…well, name something the United States in name (not necessarily the people of the United States but whoever the US truly acts as a front for) has done on the current world stage that has caused, created or promoted say for instance, forms of terrorism, global warming (or at least significant ecosystem destruction), poverty, disease, and so on. In fact, name one govt program that you feel is a roaring success. One?
You’d think if they were just making grand and glorious mistakes that occasionally they’d make one in our favor.
You would, yes. But perhaps they have to make “every” mistake first? As Churchill said…
“You can always trust the Americans. In the end they will do the right thing, after they have eliminated all the other possibilities.”
…Perhaps all the possibilities are not yet exhausted?
What makes me sad is that America could truly be a great power on the world stage. And by great power I do not mean the current foreign policy of being the schoolyard bully. That has got America nowhere in the last 40 years. America is not the leader of the “free” world and shouldn’t be so presumptive to think it is. Or that “their” way is the only way. It isn’t.
We are all in this together. Every single man, woman and child, every single country. And with that as a driving force America could be great. They could truly lead by example and head this world in a better direction. If humanity is allowed to come before the bottom line, plasma TVs, SUVs, NASCAR and false nationalism of course.
Maybe Obama (and a lot of others) would do well to remember the words from Alexis de Tocqueville – “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Successive governments in the US have a lot to answer for in recent decades. Do Americans not realize that what their government does, it does in their name?