America No. 1 ?
The USA is No. 1. Right? Bzzzt. Wrong.
Michael Ventura, writing in the Austin (Texas) Chronicle, February 23, 2005, dispels the myth that the USA is the no. 1 country in the world. Here are just a few of the points he raises:
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Michael Ventura, writing in the Austin (Texas) Chronicle, February 23, 2005, dispels the myth that the USA is the no. 1 country in the world. Here are just a few of the points he raises:
* The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).And there's plenty more where that came from. Read the whole article here.
* The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
* "The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens" (The European Dream, p.80). Excuse me, but since when is South Africa a "developed" country? Anyway, that's the company we're keeping.
* "U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.
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posted by The Editor at
8:16 PM
15 Comments:
And killing people who are sitting on resources the Americans want.
YANKEE GO HOME !!!
Do you think compulsory voting would change anything? Australians have a documented tendency toward apathy, but nearly all of us vote when we get the chance, whereas and only half the Yanks bother to vote which is serious apathy.
It's apparently no. 1 for you; it seems it's mostly what you write about. But then I don't check back everyday so perhaps I am wrong about that.
Brownie, I don't think compulsory voting would change anything. They're still brainwashed into thinking America is No. 1.
Saije, I think America is the most dangerous rogue state on this planet and that the rest of the world must unite against it. I believe America ought to get kicked out of everywhere it maintains a military presence. Yes, I am obsessed by America, but that is because I think it poses the single biggest threat to peace on this planet. You guys are so arrogant and so deluded it take my breath away. but if you've read my blog you'd know that, so I don't really know what elese to say to you. I like your post about there being no unwounded soldiers in war, and maybe you'd like to extend that out to include the civillian populations of countries America likes to screw in the name of whatever lie they're perpetrating at the time.
I just figure you must have other interests which perhaps you write about on some other blog that I don't know about.
No, Saije, this blog is the only one I write.
It's an interesting way of looking at things, and in my view a much more accurate way of looking at things.
Who cares how rich your country is or how many nukes it has if your society is paddling manically up shit creek with its hands in areas that hit a little closer to home when it comes to civilisation?
arrogant, deluded...you forgot fat, dumb and happy. Just kidding. We're not only happy, we're ecstatic. Michael Jackson was acquitted. All is well in the world again. This is an American attempt at humor, something witty, satirical or ironical, one of those I think at least (we're not that smart you know and I often confuse irony and satire). Perhaps such efforts are not welcome on your blog, which seems incredibly intense and reminiscent of Don Quixote, tilting at windmills and the like, but having read you off and on over the last few months I think perhaps you mean to leave that impression. If not, then I will end here. Tout passe, tout périt, tout devient fade...(or as we would say in the only language that counts, "Everything passes, everything perishes, everything palls.")
Anonymous, yeah.
Saije, humour? I have no sense of humour when it comes to looking at America's behaviour in the world. Millions of people killed in order to prop up you country's insane way of looking at the world has robbed me of a sense of humour I'm afraid. Were I an American I'd be even madder at what's going on. I suspect those cracking jokes either have no clue or are perfectly happy with capitalism's evil legacy.
America is just like Australia: half of them are appalled at their own government, and half of them are bible bashing idiots who think killing a foetus is a crime, but killing an Iraqui family is not.
Yes, Brownie, we're just as bad. But it can be be said (in fact it has been) that America is our role model. Well I say the role model had better lift its game quite a bit. I like your parable of the feotus and the Iraqi family.
I'd guess the US leads the world in corporate financial contributions [underhanded and above board] to political campaigns. And why shouldn't we be? Look how many corporations got off light after they ran away with investors money in Bush's first term and make huge war profits and profit from oil shortages in his second term. Political donations are working well for those that make them so McCain and more liberal reformers can go peddle their peppers and the oiligarchy will retain power to buy votes.
It is as you say, Greensmile.
So, when will we see a true democracy emerge in America?
When will enough of you get angry enough to topple your capitalists' circus with a mega-million-strong display of peaceful people power?
The world bleeds whilst you guys prevaricate and disempower yourselves with defeatist thoughts about why it can't work or why you mustn't do it. They've got you trained!
Shake off the shackles of your conditioning and rise up, America! Claim your freedom, America. Do it now, America!
Will the CIA (Capitalist Intimidation Agency) come and get me now, Greensmile? :-)
Naw, you're safe from the CIA. The real threat to America is a slow-growing fascism that the bush league are convinced is a righteous form of govt. And the real threat to that fascism is election reform that gets all the people's votes counted and all the corporate money out of politics. There are a lot more sane folk in the US than we are currently hearing from and the bush league would spend a lot to keep it that way.
To my way of thinking, Greensmile, that fascism is not so slow growing.
The election thing should be relatively easy to fix. But how are you going to get Big Business to give you back the political system it owns?
I'm thinking that sane folk who let themselves be silenced probably deserve to be...
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