From: Johannes Volmert (jvolmert@student.uni-kassel.de)
Date: Wed Dec 17 2003 - 01:55:46 GMT
Ascmjk@aol.com schrieb:
> David, all others
>
> I want to pose a question to the group. I think America is the
> greatest nation on earth. Many obviously think otherwise. But my
> question is not which country you think is greatest, but this: Which
> country does the world NEED the most?
>
Hi Jon and all fellow MoQers,
(from a former contributor and nowadays
all-time-lurker)
I always feel a bit stunned or maybe astonished to hear people saying
things like that about their own country. It's not what have been said
about Saddam. He is/has been one of the worst tyrants and dictator of
these times and I'm very glad that your guys catched him at least. And
maybe Europe has been wrong in insisting on a UNO-lead process; but
that's not what's up here. (An aside: there seems to be a little
confusion about some of the used words like 'imminent' and 'terrorist'.
A terrorist is a person acting violantly against a nations (or the
worlds) predominant order. Insofar Saddam is in my understanding a
tyrant, but not a terrorist. I'ts difficult to be both at the same time
:-) .)
It maybe that my astonishment is based on me being a german (with the
role of Germany in recent history always on my mind). But I guess that
other people all over the world feel similar astonishment or
estrangement towards such utterances, like for example my fellow student
Xinyu from Shang-hai..
It maybe that "America is the greatest nation on earth" (your words),
but the way it comes along sounds to me a bit ....hmm...over-patriotic
perhaps (I fall short of finding the right expression, I must admit).
By the way: I guess it's this over-confidential way of doing things at
all, that's typical to most Americans, which upsets one or the other all
around the world.
Americans: There are many things you can be proud of - that's true.
It's for example your historical important role concerning WWII (Making
me thankful), your ability to economical and technical innovations,
your political impacts on Europe (especially Germany). Your country is
in economical and militaric concerns the most powerful on earth. But:
you are true to underline that "it's good to keep an watchful eye on
[your] own power".
This writing and so resigning from lurking only, has been initially to
do with the beginning of your article. What I cannot get out my head,
can be most easily be demonstrated by the following:
I say:
I want to pose a question to the group. I think Germany is the greatest
nation on earth. Many obviously think otherwise. But my question is not
which country you think is greatest, but this: Which country does the
world NEED the most?
Not to be blamed of plagiarism, I want to stress, that this is also from
your ( Jon's) post, except that I changed the name of the country
(Germany instead of America). Anyone, who has not been shocked by this
(Jon's) changed quotation , seem's to be not telling the truth really,
in my opinion.
And in case I would be calling the forbidden 3rd rhyme of the
"Deutschlandlied" (the german national-hymn) to be my political
baseline, I would be in risk of prosecution and getting a few years of
jail here in Germany ( which is clearly right for me as a german, of
course). The 3rd rhyme goes like that (bumpy translation): Germany,
Germany beyond everything else, beyond everything in the world....).
America (USA) has been in a way the reincarnation of the ideal european
country (all of them: that's the reason for their envy sometimes). It
has been taking all the good ideas and forgot about the bad ones . It is
in a MOQ-way a consequential step in evolution, towards higher moral
order. Throw away the ballast that your carry with you and save the good!
What I for example feel as burden and as one of the origins of my
complicated and twisted ways of thinking, is the old (but not
extraordinary) ancestral history of one part of my family, being a
taxpayer about 250 years before Columbus discovered "America". Exactly
that is a character-trait that is in general uncommon to Americans. This
is something I adore you for.
Unfortunately some of your former baselines (e.g. freedom) work out into
something dogmatic.These recent dogmatic moves I see with a little
estrangement.
But I have my doubts whether China or India - two of the important
nations of the future - go along as easily with your
Neo-Con's-adminstration-style, as it is nowadays, in the future. We
gone have some fun!
Back to lurkerville,
greetings from JoVo
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