TheTroublemakerTimes

 

Preface:  This is not an academic defence, it is not even a polemic. I will consider the intellectual capital and argument later this week.  If you wish to find a more reasoned defence, read euro-trashing the american dream or how to blame pandora for your bad taste,”

Barak Obama has slid to a huge victory in the United States, and for whatever reason, the world sentiment has turned, slightly to the positive. Now, it’s a lot more popular in deep, dark and self satisfied Europe, to be pro American. Even though, the Europeans are making a huge noise about the American response to our Global Crisis. What’s new?

The fickle opinions, held so deeply, by the very self righteous union of currency and nothing else in the northern hemisphere, are sure to slide away from the Red White and Blue as soon as they no longer need the US to bail them out, yet again, from whatever crisis they face. The Americans have been bailing the Europeans out of trouble ever since they managed to get away from our cluster of kingdoms in the north. Usually for no thanks.

In the mean time, while American tax dollars are poured into the world economy, by the very clever administration of the Americans, the Europeans are getting snarky about what actually should be done. They point fingers at the Obama initiative, saying that these bailouts are the wrong approach. The luxury of being able to do less, because the Americans will do most of the work is an old European response.

Of course they can save their money, it pales in significance to the US contribution in any event. And they can be sure, that even while they sit around wondering what happened, the US will act, yet again. How very convenient.

But what they never seem to grasp, is just how much they owe the USA. I speak not just of the fact that they don’t have to be speaking German in the EU as a national language, or goose step around with Hugo Boss uniforms and swastikas, dear reader, I speak of the very fabric of their freedom, the character of their lives and the things they think are European, but are simply not.

Here in her Majesty’s colony, the same is true, our lives are so American, that it beggars belief.

Outrageous you say.

Not at all.

America, dear reader is so much bigger than the continental United States. In case you had not noticed, let me point it out to you.

At the risk of sounding somewhat repetitive , European thought was well on the opposite track to democracy as little as 40 years ago. These democratic institutions that we all take for granted are not the organic evolution of our societies

Not even close.

Forget the argument about democracy and Greece, tainted as it is by Euro nationalism being handed down to the Europeans, who just got attacked by Hitler.

Rubbish.

The Europeans gave up on Democracy, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and most of Eastern Europe, very quickly prior to World War 2.  The course of that history was changed by American intervention.

You know the kind, when the world is in trouble, it’s the  American duty to rush in and save the day.  Any other time, its American aggression and imperialism.

Ancient Greece was not a democracy, other than sharing the name. The functioning of that “democracy” gave participation to less than 20% of its population.

The fundamental parts of modern democracy are American ideas.

Oh yes, let me list a few big ones:

1 – The bill of rights.

2 – Freedom of speech.

3 – The separation of powers.

4 – Universal franchise.

These ideas underpin democracy today, around the world.

But it’s so much more than that, dear reader.

Like, when you wander into your DVD shop for a movie. Or turn on your TV. Or stop for a hamburger on the way home. When you speak out against your government.

All America.

Why tonight, here in Africa we eat apple pie, cheeseburgers and watch CNN.

Our cultures, on a daily basis are so full of the idea of the USA, that we have become accustomed to thinking of them as our own. They are now, but they are so because we live in a certain time.

It’s called the American Century.

So next time you grab a burger at a coffee shop, while you sit in your jeans and t shirt, sipping your coke, and speak out freely about your Government and how you plan to sue the guy who crashed into your car last night. When you go home, to watch your favorite Movie, and while you sit in traffic, when you switch on your i-pod, remember, even in Africa you are in America.

Because its an idea.

A good one.

The idea is everywhere and its growing.

Thank God.

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obama, the ayatollahs, and pax americana or how to force freedom on the unwilling