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America the self-righteous?
Don't tread on me
By: David K. Every and Louis Wheeler
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2003-04-17
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 f you read the world press, the London Guardian and the New York Times, then you will see a description of America that is unrecognizable. "Are we really rich, fat, lazy cowards? Are we afraid of war? Are we so squeamish over our young people's blood that we won't spill it in a worthy cause? Have we as a superpower failed to live up our responsibilities?" After making these arguments, the same press will often turn on a dime and ask "Why does America defy the world by being unilateral? Why does imperialistic America plan to set up an empire in the Middle East? Why are Americans warmongers and Zionist puppets?" The mind boggles at their accusations. Do they know nothing of American history or culture?
          
If Americans are rich and fat, you must ask yourself how we got that way. It wasn't because of laziness; the average American works 400 more hours each year than a Frenchman. We take two weeks vacation, not two months. Visitors are often amazed at our work ethic. People from laid-back cultures often call us hyper and materialistic; we don't know how to have fun, they say. But, they fail to see the link between our work ethic and our power.
America started with so much less than Europe. We had to carve a home out of a wilderness; we could not afford inefficiency. That is why we are impatient with pomp, rituals and processes that make us less productive. It is in our blood to refuse to accept form over substance, or pay homage to titles, rank or authority. We believe "problems are meant to be fixed", not tolerated, ignored or worshipped.
This often frustrates cultures like the French, Arabs or Asians, which sometimes revel in these things.
America is a nation of immigrants; it is built from restless and ambitious people, those unsatisfied with their station in life. For 200 years we've collected people who wouldn't put up with the bullshit in other countries, People who would risk everything to find where security and happiness can be built if only one is smart and works hard enough. Being viewed as a land of opportunity radically affects our culture. Americans have a "can do" spirit, because all our lives, we've done what others said couldn't be done. Tell us that we can't do something and we'll probably do it just to prove to ourselves that we can. Which often amazes ourselves, and infuriates others.
Those who think us cowards ignore our history; we have always had to fight. Unlike Europe, America had no legacy from our forefathers; we had no land to call our own until we took it from the savages and made it ours. Our land was a howling wilderness; every farm, town and city was built from nothing. Our settlers worked with a hammer in one hand and a rifle in the other. Later it was populated by people who often gave up everything, to start over "free", and live or die by the sweat of their own brow and determination.
To get our independence, we had to confront the most powerful nation on earth. And fight them again a dozen years later to make sure they knew we meant it. Then, we went to war with ourselves over what vision of America we stood for; brothers killed brothers over principals. Despite our desire for peace, Americans fight for what we believe in. Our young men have shed rivers of blood in two world wars and in confronting the Soviets. Those that think us cowards deceive themselves.
Nor are we warmongers. We are forever being accused of isolationism and imperialism, sometimes in the same breath. We may be rich and powerful, but we have no interest in ruling other places - no desire to take on their burdens. When we "win" wars, we are impatient to get back home and back to our lives. We want the simple things: to work and build a prosperous life in our own country. If we use power in the world, it is in limited ways. We want to travel freely and trade our wares, and live at peace with the world. But, if you get in the way of these goals you had best be careful. Some call this greed; at worst it is tolerance and indifference. American foreign policy has been "live - and let live", or else.
 
Outsiders have no idea of why we get into war; it isn't what motivates other countries. We don't fight for money, land, power, ego or past resentments. So, why do we do it?
America has the largest court system in the world, has bulging prisons, legions of lawyers and a high number of lawsuits per capita because we will not tolerate injustice. If we didn't sue and imprison people, we'd have an even higher murder rate, because Americans will take justice into their own hands if they don't get it. We inherited the England's laissez-faire attitude of "live and let live." And we live that motto - right up to point where we believe we have been wronged. The Europeans have more tolerance of wrongdoing. They turn their heads, or say "that doesn't concern me." But not us. The more wrong we see, the stronger is our wrath.
Americans have a particular sense of honor which other people defy at their peril. We despise injustice. We dislike it a little when it is exhibited towards others, and dislike it even more when it is directed toward us. One of our flags in the America revolution said, "Don't Tread on Me." This phrase says it all. We were willing to take on the most powerful military in the world, just because they put a nominal tax on our morning brew. All right, it was more complex than that; but the result was the same. We'd had enough of England lording over us. We'd be damned if we were going to come to this wilderness, build a new life, and then let them push us around and have them cart away the fruits of our labor. We had strong ties to England, and the burdens placed on us were lighter than on the common people there; but we were willing to throw away that relationship and go it alone because they started to push us around. Our political systems of self-control, our assemblies and houses of Burgesses were in jeopardy. And that was unjust.
We Americans have a pricklish sense of honor. The Native American Indians continually violated our honor; they attacked without warning, abducted women and children, killed the helpless or wounded and used deception and torture. The frontiersmen saw the Indian as men without honor. This was not so; the Indians had their own highly developed honor system but they had different rules of honorable combat. When we perceived them as dishonorable, we no longer applied the civilized rules of combat. We used biological warfare, social warfare, diplomatic warfare, cultural warfare, and anything else it took to eliminate them as a threat. You want to talk about WMD's? The U.S. invented many of them and used them readily.
By our terms, the Japanese in W.W.II fought dirty. They attacked us without warning and treated our prisoners poorly. We were willing to lose hundreds of thousands of our soldiers invading their homeland, to firebomb their cities, and to burn their country down to bare earth if that's what it took to defeat them. They fought dirty, so they were going to pay the price. Nuking two of their cities was the easy way out for them. They were lucky they wised up while they had time.
The Japanese had one of the most effective warrior cultures in the history, but their elan wasn't close to the fighting spirit of the pissed off and self-righteous Americans. The next most warrior nation in modern times was Germany - look at what happened to them. Why did Germany declare war on us? Because, they underestimated us, Hitler thought we were a "Mongrel Nation." He learned the hard way that we are pretty scrappy mutts. The USSR was the next most warrior nation; where are they now?
   
 Why is the World Press or World opinion so against us? Who cares? This is nothing new; their opinion was always been against America. For some, it was to keep them from feeling gratitude for saving them from the NAZI's. For others it was because we helped keep Soviet missiles from landing in Europe. For others still, it was that we are just too powerful, and they resent that authority. Now, as Europe sinks into irrelevance, it is to keep some sense of pride, as well as a vain attempt to deflect Arab wrath onto America. For the Middle East it is resentment at their own fall from greatness. So it is about ego, and avoiding introspection on why they have fallen, while ignoring reflection on why we've risen.
However, they have miscalculated. America will not stand and be its punching bag for long. America is doing what Europe and the Middle East has been afraid to do: taken the fight to the enemy. If, in the break up of the Turkish Empire, a 98%, to 2% split between Arabs and Jews is not enough for them; that's fine - but we don't agree. We think it is fair, and if they violate our sense of fairness, then they will live with the consequences. Enough is enough.
The only thing the Terrorist will gain is more deaths on both sides. Our war in Afghanistan and Iraq is a warning to those who are paying attention. If you make it a choice between you and us then you won't like the result. The Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq were aiding those who would harm us; we attacked them and brought them to justice. Saddam's warriors did exactly the wrong thing in this war; they violated our sense of honor. They broke the Geneva Conventions. They treated our POW's poorly. They used human shields. They terrorized their own people, and tried to blame us for things we didn't do. When that happened, the rules of civilized war that constrains us ended - whatever compassion or guilt we had, hardened into self-righteous indignation.
Some people don't think our actions in the Middle East is about 9/11; that we have other motives for confronting Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, or anyone else that gets in our way. They are wrong. September 11th was a call to arms. Historically, this call came in many forms; Remember Fort William Henry, Remember Fredericksburg, Remember the Alamo, Remember the Maine, Remember the Lusitania, Remember Pearl Harbor, Remember Inchon - Remember September 11th! The results are always the same; the other side fought dirty, broke the rules, and attacked us first. They let loose the dogs of war, but they were wearing milk bone underwear. There will be no mercy for the merciless. Their call to arms will be answered, and there will be justice.
The President isn't calling this nation to war, he is reflecting the will of the people. Syria, Iran, North Korea and others will be forced to choose: when they harbor our enemies, then they become our enemy. We will go through them to get at the terrorists. The terrorists cannot win; nor can those who aid them. The acts of terror they cause, and the lie and hate filled racist rhetoric they spew will not deter us. The more they attack our beliefs of freedom and tolerance, or make war when they have an opportunity for peace, the more "bad methods" they use, then; the more they harden us.
Hezbollah and the other terrorists play a dangerous game when they attack us without warning, use dirty methods and piss us off. We no longer discriminate about which terrorists did us harm, because it doesn't matter. The issue is their methods and what possible threat they are. Anyone using those methods is fair game. Our motto has always been, "live in peace with us, or suffer the consequences." For now, we've shown incredible restraint; they don't want to find out how far this war of escalation can go.
 
There is no contradiction or hypocrisy between being the warrior nation and also believing in live and let live. Some nihilists don't understand that, or don't like that. Fine, that's their problem. If you leave both us and our interests alone, then we won't bother you. If you won't leave us alone, then you may pay the consequences.
Americans have spent many hours since 9/11 trying to understand the Arab (and French) ego, but the question is what have the Arabs or French learned? Not much, they still blame us for their problems. France protested for more, now they have much less. Iran still gives Hezbollah almost a billion dollars a year in aid and support. But, America has spent $90 billion to free Iraq and Afghanistan, and we're just getting started. Who is stupid enough to get into a pissing contest with us? These "wars" will end when the other side gives in and stops supporting terror. If America has an Achilles heel: it is that we are too powerful and too deadly in fighting wars. War is not a game to us. But because war is serious business, we understand that the most determined and capable will win; thus we will not lose. The choice is theirs; our enemies can live humbled or die arrogant. Some are choosing the latter.
We understand that there are causes for Arab and European frustration, but the cause never justifies the means. The terrorists are using exactly the wrong method to solve their problems. (Not to mention French sniping). We have no joy in this fight, nor do want to create an empire. Nor do we want to steal their money or oil. We are defending our ideals and security. Our honor has been offended; our ideals and security have been stepped on. Is America arrogant? Probably. But, Americans are asking "What is the right thing to do?" America's foreign policy is realistic, because it defends our sense of honor and justice; if you attack that, then you make it a choice between our existence and yours.
Justice will be served. Our enemies will get not peace by attacking us or fighting dirty. They will not get it by taunting us from the safety of their cafe's. The dirtier they fight and the louder they get, the more resolved we will be and the more hurt we will heap on them. Others chose for there to be war, and now we'll kick the ass of anyone who gets in the way of our objectives.
America does not want war. America longs to live in peace, but we will not sacrifice our security to get that. We are not the warmongers that some paint us as, but we have a warrior culture. Most of the time our warrior culture is quiet because it is focused on building the highest standard of living in the world; but American has its head up - it has a cause now. There is the only one path to justice; we will search the world, exterminating those people and organizations that threaten us. Justice will be served - the only question is how much blood will be shed in making those arrests.
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