[Alexander]

Originally posted by Arledrian: quote: Originally posted by MagiK: Thank you. I know I do not have all the answers but I know the wrong answers when I see them [img]smile.gif[/img] sort of like art...I can't define it, but I can usually tell when Im looking at it. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I see what you mean [img]smile.gif[/img]

Alexander, I get the impression that you're too keen to rub your own country's face in the dirt, but the reasons you give aren't adequate to justify your own harsh criticism. I'll admit the laws are somewhat lax with regards to firearms, but I'm sorry, if you feel that is a good enough reason to condemn your own country then I fail to see where you're coming from. Shootings happen all over the world. Take a large country like China or Russia - these countries breathe corruption and I sincerely doubt the crime rate of these two nations is considerably lower than that of the US.[/QUOTE]Who says I condemn my own country? On the contrary, I love my country. I was born here, I have lived here for most of my life, and I shall probably die here. I am proud to be an American.

However, I am not the kind of patriot who will support his country no matter what they do. I am the kind of patriot who seeks ways to improve his country. America will never be perfect, however I would very much like to do my part to make it as close to perfect as possible.

By the way, China has 1/10th the crime rate of the United States. However, I never said we should be more like Russia or China, so comparing the two countries is pointless.

And you honestly consider the death penalty a reason to think America a lowly country? Many would argue that this acts as a deterrent where crime is concerned, though I am aware it hasn't quite had the desired effect. If some lunatic walked into your house, shot your family and made a quick getaway, would you rather he was killed or merely put into a (luxurious) prison cell, where he lives out the rest of his days in more comfort than he probably enjoyed before he committed the crime?

It's not a deterrant - violent crime is roughly the same, if not lower, in states (and countries) which don't have the death penalty. Texas, for example, executes more people than any state per year - and their crime rate hasn't dropped one bit. It's still pretty high.

America happens to be one of the great forces in the modern world, but I think the arrogance that people seem to assume America has is not entirely justified. However much you despise your own country, you cannot deny the power and influence it has. Of course the US itself knows this and in a way it certainly does have the right to exercise its authority in the right circumstances.

America is a country, just like any other. Might does not make right. Would you rather China tried to govern the world in the same way the US has? The closest thing we have to a world government is the UN - and even they are slanted towards the US and its allies every now and then.

You also (rather conveniently) leave out America's plus points. Trust me, on a day-to-day basis, I find life in the States a good deal more enjoyable than I do in my own country. I am not praising America to the skies - it has its faults, as does any country. But as MagiK says, the nation is in a lose/lose situation. If it doesn't step into world affairs, it gets criticized, but if it does step in, as it has been doing lately, it gets people like you on its back.

Hey, I don't object to the United States taking out bin Laden. I just object to the fact that many innocent civilians were killed in the process and we really didn't even try to do anything about it. I object to the fact that the president and his fellow Republicans bash anyone who raises questions about the war in a McCarthyesque way and calls them "unpatriotic". I object to the fact that we didn't seek the UN's approval first. I object to the fact that we're torturing prisoners, and I object to the fact that suddenly, taking out Osama bin Laden is no longer the top priority (probably because we can't find him).