A really good read

Shunning by Paul Harris
from www.vivelecanada.ca, posted 9/20/05

This is an article about the United States of America. From the outset, let me state clearly that there is tremendous credit due to the US for a wide variety of social, humanitarian, artistic, scientific, intellectual accomplishments. But this small group of people, ruled by an even smaller group of thugs (a kleptocracy), is truly the epitome of the ‘tail-wagging-the-dog’ syndrome. The US comprises a small fraction of the world but it sees all the rest of the world – and, for emphasis, ALL the rest of the world – as its servant, its supplier of cheap goods and labour, its warehouse, its flea market, the place to play with its guns.

Both Canada and Mexico can reasonably think of the United States as our best friend. But it is also our worst enemy. Indeed, I will argue here that the United States is the enemy of ALL nations. It may be a little tougher for Canada and Mexico because the Beast lives next door, but also a little easier because at least they haven’t sent in the troops. Yet.

Now, we’ve all heard the rebuttal that ‘not all Americans are like that’, and that is certainly true. The US has at least as many decent humans as any other nation, more than many. But a country premised on ‘we the people …’ cannot shirk the responsibility for what they do as a group. The actions of the US are the actions of the whole population, by definition … the US constitution does not open with ‘we, some of the people’.

Many outside the US have waited patiently for them to outgrow their juvenile delinquency, but they show no sign of maturing. We have waited patiently for the good citizens of the US to corral the bad, but they persist in failing to do so. And now that they are acting out again and threatening the peace and security of the entire planet, it is high time that the rest of us took matters into our own hands.

The rest of the world should join hands and shun the United States.

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