Forum Post: Declaration of the "New American Union", Smaller, Streamlined, More Agile Pax-American Democratic Government wo Regulations
Posted 11 years ago on May 29, 2012, 9:37 a.m. EST by Middleaged
(5140)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Declaration of the "New American Union", American Evolution to a Smaller, Streamlined, More Agile Pax-American Democratic Government (Think of George W. Bush's voice while you read this)
The Global Financial world and Global Community is very complex. We live in a time where competition is great and increasing. We must change to faster global distribution systems and closer political ties.
We envision a new stable, simple, world with business and political standards where people can be confident of the stability of larger political structures.
In the time of the Kings there was both simplicity and limited opportunity. Today we want to capture the simplicity of the Kings. When the political government made all the rules we didn't have controversy about national and state regulations which are called variably too strong or too weak.
And Prominent Global Citizens and Reputable Global Institutions did not have the many concerns about terrorism, drug syndicates, border security, and conflicting financial laws that allow individual countries to wastefully spend on "early pensions" and voluminous social benefits.
Therefore, I will implement a return to the old order of things. Under a "New Union of the United States" now called the "New American Union (NAU)" - we will do away with regulations altogether. This will be called a more democratic union and will continue the tradition of democratically elected representatives.
First we will reinstate the Right of Prima Nocta.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Prima%20Nocta
Next we will reverse all of the civil rights legislation.
1) Women will no longer be able to vote.
2) Only Property Owners will vote and be eligible to govern.
3) Governors will be chosen by the elite and most educated.
4) All male citizens will be pressed into military service in the event of war, but the wealthy will make up the Officer Corp and wealthy will not be forced to serve and can be given exemptions by governors.
5) Property owners are the source of jobs and economy, so we will not tax them in recognition of there value to society.
6) Tax Policy will develop around the rents and purchases of non property owners since they are a burden on society.
7) A new Federal Banking Agency called the "New American Union Federal Banking Agency" NAUFBA will be set up to aid in revenue collection to support the central government. This agency will take 1% of all banking transactions.
8) Reduction of Federal government overhead is a priority. We will cash out to citizens all social security accounts within one year. We will eliminate Medicare since all citizens have the responsibility to pay for their own health care.
9) Money laundering by banks will be decriminalized since banks are vital to our core economic and financial functions.
10) Educations and general security of citizens is not the responsibility of governors. Private schooling, Private Police, Private Fire departments, and Private Fitness is the responsibility of citizens not the burden of Governors.
11) We have discontinued Fraud Prosecutions 3 years ago as another expense. Citizens are gullible and corrupt as this is the human condition. Governors can not be expected to pay the expenses of every person in the Union.
12) All Citizens will now be considered Catholic Citizens since the church has excelent low cost schools, has a proven system of missionary and large scale education programs. Catholic churches will be synonomus with Christians chruches in the new Union.
13) Reduced Regulations and reduced government social programs must be met with moral and ethical training. The Catholic church will be encouraged within the Union to provide this training and guidance through the conversion of all Union temples, Shrines, and Churches to Catholic Leadership and Ownership.
13) Each Citizen will be give a NAU ID Number, NAU ID Card, NAU Implant, and have biometric data verified every 4 years along with driving privilages. Biometric data will contain a minimum of Iris Scan, DNA Sample, finger prints and palm prints.
14) Labor Unions are Illegal within the NAU.
Under the "New Union of the United States" now called the "New American Union (NAU)" we don't need Civil Rights as religon and church traditionally have provided what people require.
US Constitutional Law has evoled and Today, we have a greater, richer understanding of global growth, harmony, and financial cooperation. Therefore we have entered a new period of interim change from constitutional authority.
1) Congress will no longer be required to declare war.
2) Congress will no longer be required to approve a national budget.
3) The US President is now the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer, and Associate Managing Director of the United Nations (CFO, CIO, AMDUN).
4) The US Senate will now be called the US Board Of Directors (USBOD).
5) The US House of Representatives will now be called US Associate Managing Directors (USAMD).
Under the New American Union (NAU) we will absorb the governments of Canada, Mexico, Central and South America.
We invoke this new Pax American Union under the agreements signed with Canada and Mexico in past years. The national security issues which have arisen through wars on terrorism and drug crime syndication have lead to unavoidable imperatives. The known problems related to border security have heightened concern of all stakeholders from South America through Canada.
Therefore under the power of the Office of the President of the United States and the position as Commander In Chief, I proclaim the new Pax American Government, the "New American Union" (NAU) and Claim all Territories South of Mexico know as Central and South America. The cited authority and precedent for this action is known under the "Monroe Doctrine" of the year 1823.
1) Elected Governors of memeber Countries of the "New American Union" will now be known as Associate Managing Directors of the New American Union (AMDNAU).
2) Constitutions and Governing Rules of member counties of the "New American Union" will transition over the coming year to provided rules and guidance under United Nations Global Community (UNGC) financial and governing bodies.
3) Central banking of member countries will be performed only by the US Federal Reserve and the "New American Union Federal Banking Agency". The NAUFBA will be set up to aid in revenue collection to support the central government. This agency will take a 1% of all banking transactions.
4) The official business Language of NAU will be "English".
5) Labor Unions will be ciminalized within the NAU.
5) New American Union warships, aircraft, and financial managers shall be stationed in capital cities or bases in all member countries to monitor, assist, provide guidance, liaise and gently enforce NAU Governnorship.
I always get a cramp in my tongue when I press it into my cheek that hard. How do you do it? Practice?
It is more like channeling a creative idea.
Election of Black Pope Signal of Collaboration between USA, EU & Vactican to meet Gaps left by Governments with Church Activities ...
As people become poorer, as the Ratio between Population and those Employed Falls, as good jobs disappear & wages Fall, and ... as Banks curtail Investment in Small Business Loans and refuse to stimulate the economy with Small Business Expansion and Creation ..... It seems we will need Catholic Schools and Catholic Churches to fill in the Gaps left by Governments.
Soon perhaps we will See the New American Union.
Reposted from Fascism thread... Secret Trade Agreement, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact, between Obama and eight Pacific nations (3 years with 8 countries and no public meetings or release of information). Private Investors provided huge 'Rights' to sue the US Government and 'Enforce' the rules of the agreement.
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/6/14/breaking_08_pledge_leaked_trade_doc
Fit's the NAU Ironically. Seen as larger, broader, stronger, more binding agreement above and beyond those of NAFTA Agreement.
Limits Government Regulations and Grants More Powers to Corporations. Promotes Off Shoring just as NAFTA did.
Property Owners Moving Up a Rung in North Dakota.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/us/north-dakota-voters-consider-ending-property-tax.html?_r=1&hp
Property Owner Coalition???? Can't tell yet...
Press to "END the property tax". They argue that the tax is unpredictable, inconsistent, counter to the concept of property ownership.
... nearly 30,000 signatures on petitions to bring the matter to the ballot.
Here are the unemployment Charts:
http://wallstreetexaminer.com/2012/06/03/tour-de-farce-of-the-real-employment-charts/
Just say "NO" to NAU.
Yes. I guess as a Satire it is sad rather than humorous. Does satire have to be funny. Looks like not all the time. So I guess maybe it is satire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire
Although satire is usually meant to be funny, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon.
You're satire was spot on accurate. It struck me in my funny bone and brought a tear to my eye at the same time --- I was laughing at the same time I was going,....oh shit, that is so true. Reality bites.
Thanks. I don't know where it came from, but was sort of accumulated stuff in my brain. Later I realized it was like a George Bush Speach.
So, does that make you the 'other' George Bush's brain?
Good work Middleaged. This says it all, so well. "Prima Nocta" --- this is how those that are stealing our rights, think. Best Regards
Thanks.
The Republican party platform. If they could get away with saying it outright, they would. Baby steps. Too bad they can't be more straightforward. It would make things alot easier on all of us.
Very well written btw. : )
Thanks for the comments. Today I was just reading some more of James Loewen's Book, Lies My Teacher Told Me. Big Business and speciffically Big oil seem to control the EPA and Envronmental Politics as well. I guess I missed that one.
The Catholic Church is too un-American for the Anglo-patriotic heritage. It will have to be converted into the American Catholic Church with its image modeled upon the Episcopal Church.
Yes, the World has been changed forever by Catholicism. They are so influential.... And they controlled Europe. And they are the majority religion in South America. But it is pretty hard for US Catholics to do everything the Vatican says is Righteous.
Really funny piece, I was laughing before the second paragraph. “faster global distribution systems” , I assume so fewer people can control more distribution?
Oh yeah, the few wealthy owners of productions. Fewer people in control. It is like Highlander the Movie, "There can be Only One!".
People have to decide if they want to be on the “winning” team, or have a life. We put up with a lot of crap so we can have the richest people, biggest corporations biggest army ect. We put up with less opportunity for ourselves and our children so we can have the richest, rich guys, the Finnish for instance chose to have a better life, and they accept that some Finnish guy won’t be the richest guy at the country club, but he won’t be the poorest at the soup kitchen either.
Well we keep selling ourselves down the River.
1) We got 'sold' the Federal Reserve 100 years ago at a time when everyone knew about the "Money Trust" which was big New York Banks. Everyone was suspicious of the Wall Street banks - and yet they won control of the US Congress, Senate, Presidency, and Banking Laws.
2) We got sold Vietnam, Gulf War, Panama, Afghanistan War, Iraqi War - while banks and defense contractors lift hundereds of Billions of Dollars a year from Taxpayer (approx.)
3) We got sold that Unions are to blame for poor corporate decisions.
4) We got sold that everyone has the same chance for success in the USA. We we know that civil rights for black and women - were won by the people through protests and activism in the 1960s. The government has never help labor movements or civil rights when not forced by protests.
5) Now we get sold that Banks are not to blame for the Savings and Loan Scandal of 1980s, Subprime Mortgage Crisis 2007, and Financial Crisis of 2008-2009.
6) And we are being sold that Regulations hurt the banking Industry.
7) Remember when we were sold that if we cut taxes for the wealth then it will "Trickle Down" to everone?
8) Again today the business lobby wants to cut regulations, avoid fraud prosceutions of financial crimes (conducted by banks), and institutionalize the cutting of wages, placing more people in low wage, low pension, and low benefit positions who will need more social programs, and institutionalize arbitrage of US businesses that is cutting US Labor, increasing leverage, looting of cash, paying out cash to private equity investors, and disregarding the effect of the loss of US Manufactuing Companies.
9) And Finally, they want to sell us that "Things are not that Bad", we just have to get rid of Obama, Regulations, Republicans, Democrats, Gays, Liberals, OWS, ... We just all have to get on the FOXNEWS Program and Listen to the Hawks!!!
since the fifties taxes on the welthy have fallen from 90% to 15% and still they want more, soon we will be having to pay people just so they are willing to be rich "job creators", come to think of it we already do with the bailouts and all..
Forgot to add 10) That we are sold the GDP and Unemployment numbers. Well all know they are bogus.
Yes, Nick Hanauer, said it. They think they create jobs, and act like we owe them something or that they are really someone special. Maybe they all think they are special. It is just human Ego and human emotion. I guess they don't teach humility and humanity in fancy Private and Public Schools....
Perkins in “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” lays bare the GDP lie pretty well. Did you see this, girlfriday put it up.
http://www.upworthy.com/breaking-you-know-that-nick-hanauer-ted-talk-you-werent-supposed-to-see-here-it-?g=3&c=dfa1
Yeah, that is the one I sent to family last week. No one in my family bothered to reply to me though. Somehow I misplaced the Perkins book with one of David Cay Johnston's book, Free Lunch. I guess I need to clean and organize my living room...
I'm going to have to Read the Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Damn more work.
http://books.google.com/books?id=quYQDr_HPukC&printsec=frontcover&dq=robert+reich+beyond+outrage&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jFDLT-akFqGM2gWl1rTZCw&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=robert%20reich%20beyond%20outrage&f=false
Link didn't work below.
I have to mix in books from the Dali Lama, so my blood pressure don’t get too high, there’s a number of good writers, Reich just put out a new one:
Beyond Outrage
Yes, I like Robert Reich a lot. He always makes sense and seems focused on facts. Pema Chodron is also good and is the only teacher that talk about Tonglen (that I have found). I just got up and found a book in my living room call Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness by Chogyam Trungpa. It loooks like a guide book. It looks like it would help me in my new life: Section 11 when the world is filled with evil, Transform all Mishaps into the Path of Bohdi.
hadn't even thought about Chodron in years, wow another time, not familar with Trunpa, but as you say there are many, the Reich book is short and 3 bucks on google e-book, it was my first one, works pretty good,
wow, I haven't bought an ebook before. $3 not bad. Trungpa was Pema's Teacher, and Pema wrote the intro to that book. Today I want to look more at Pema's book 'No Time to Lose': another guide book.
just don't want to, too much....you might get hooked
No one in my family bothers either, there in lies the problem, "complacency." If we are talking to children it is "our" responsibility to make sure our words, illustrations blah blah. Isn’t over their head or absent something we can give them to do.
Yes, good points. Integrity and patience in comunication is also important. Sometimes I don't repeat back to people what I heard them say and I got the wrong message. Careerwise and perhaps in a democratic group it is very important for me to have gotten the right message.
A decade plus ago I marched against invasion of Afghanistan. Family treated me like an eccentric and stated “The American People will never stand for such an action.” To date not one of them has ever acknowledged my considerable participation. Yet in gatherings they go on and on about the impact U.S. economy has had on their “personal” lives. I don’t participate I just ask if someone can pass me the gravy. Gravy, if only they knew the parody.
Thanks for marching against Afghanistan. You had an awake mind. Many people don't realize the many costs and effects of war.
What a waste of energy, money, peace, humanity, health, and even Iraqi capitalism and Iraqi economic strength (whatever there was).
11) We are sold that US Progress is real, is good, and is good for the world. Actually we use the most of the world resources and make the most pollution. Our capitalism doesn't work to manage finite resources like "Oil". Technology and our US Government don't automatically help solve problems like enviromental damage or social issues. What we call progress may not really be progressive. But we are sold that we are moving in the right direction to solve future problems as they arise.
It’s clear you see the issues that have arisen, may I suggest that what you are describing is life, each person acts within their “system”. I believe our overall system is creating bad outcomes because we are running it based on poor theory, that has been developed by a few within the system to benefit themselves, and many of them truly believe that this is best for the overall system.
I believe we can change that, but I may be wrong.
This is interesting. We might look for models or templates to frame our conversation. For instance we live in an 'Age' of Industrialization and Corporate Power. We depend on Energy, Use tons of Resources to support our 'Conspicuous Consumption', Our trade with the world produces tons of pollution, the economic system relies on money flow, consumption, trade, 'Political Status Quo', and a work force that follows country and business leaders in exchange for wages.
Some of the Conclusions: we all want money, energy, consumption, global resources, global trade, health care, and retirement security. Also humanity always has those that are controlling, greedy, violent, and willing to commit fraud.
You are probably talking about political-economic-government-business-industry-banking-lobbying system (which are all linked together).
Truely our country is a 'System of Systems'. Laws, banking, credit, loans, education, government, trade, health care, medicare, social security, pensions, 401Ks, IRAs, Insurance, airlines, buses, trucking, warehouses, retail, advertising, TV, Radio, Cable, Satelite, Accounting systems like GAAP, IRS Taxes, agriculture, nuclear energy, coal energy, gas energy,....Military, Mercenary, Navy, Maritime,...
I spent a number of years in industry; the concept of “system” is a definable term. Let me step away from going into details there, I think you see what I’m saying, it’s a use of Occam's razor not normally employed. Let me get directly to the sort of pushback, I’m referring to, if you didn’t see this one.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-america-revolution-was-the-largest-act-of-weal/
Well tried to scan through that. I'm a little lost. But I am usually open to something called a 'Systemic Monster'. For instance the IRS Tax code seems too complicated for one man working full time to be able to understand. Therefore it should not stand and should be simplified and streamlined.
Going back to look at the US Revolution and other world wars. It seems we can't really take sides armed only with High School History. England, France and Spain granted land to special friends under charters or marques. Russia ended up with Alaska, but I don'tknow anything about that.
Founding Fathers may have been those people granted land by Kings or Queens. After the revolution some soldiers seem to not have been paid by the wealthy and had taxes that threatened their homes.
Ethnocentric US History doesn't mention the intelligence, health, social progressiveness of Native American Indians.
When we hear that the Prescott Bush, Rockafellers, and bankers funded both sides of the wars....what do we think.
The system is played by those with money whether kings or bankers or just wealthy. Who can trust MSM oligarchies when history is so muddled????
I guess the devil is in the details. I work with the big picture mostly.
GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I told all four that there were going to be some times where we don't agree with each other. But that's OK. If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/18/nd.01.html
ahh the good old new days....
I didn't see this thread before. Gees Middleaged...it would be funny if it weren't so damned true. Its almost 100% to the information that's already out there! You know, my whole life, I dreamed of a 'global village' were everyone got along and helped each other out. What I didn't realize is that it was being engineered all along. The only difference is my global village looked a lot freer, healthier and happier than their's does.
This is the globalist's mindset. They're so twisted. Except, they do have other plans for the women. This is somewhere between "Eyes Wide Shut" and George Orwell's "1984". Its funny, just like when I was in school and had a mandatory study of the book "1984"....my boy's grade 6 class is doing a mandatory study on the book "The Giver" by Lois Lowry about a people who were fooled into a utopian world, that once was set, was then quickly turned into a distopian world. Its really twisted.
Its a great thread. Thanks a bunch!
We're talking about Anthopology and Ethnocentricism above and wondered about your 'global village'. Perhaps you have a perspective similar to anthologist. Maybe you just had good teachers who shared a respect and interest in culture.
This discussion has me thinking about my books of anthology, buddhism, pschychology that I never read. In my career managers always discouraged my references to culture and industrial anthropology. We went through a big reorganization process 20 years ago and the first phase was to document the corporate culture and document the existing jobs. The first was to capture strengths and weaknesses. The second was to prevent loss of key functions or key positions. I think this was functionalism that grew out of anthropology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism
Notes on 'The Giver' are kind of scary. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/giv/ http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/the-top-50-dystopian-movies-of-all-time/
Oh yeah, It's like Minority Report also.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I think some people in the 1950s had this view of the world that was like fantasy. I think I picked up on this kind of a view from my mother. But I'm a man and had to join the man's world with the kind of information that James Lowen talks about in his book Lies My Teacher Told me. We have a nice guy government that goes to war with the best of intensions. Nice guy governments don't really have financial conflicts of interest though...
Well some of growing up is this teen angst, rock and roll songs, and "Heavy Metal" Magazine. Distopian. I think there is media that is called underground magazines...Comix, Comics,. I'll have to look for Eyes Wide Shut for a relook.
If you think about it. We are looking for refuge when we look at spiritual practices or church groups. Everything from Yoga, Meditation, New Age Music, Druming, Chanting, Sounding, Prayer, The Book of Miricles....
Maybe before TV our parents found refuge in Choir, Baseball, Church, Picnics, Fishing, Hunting, Bridge, House Parties, ... all innocent escapes.
"Lies My Teacher Told Me" is something I have yet to get to. I imagine our history books are pretty severely fudged. I do recall thinking, around the 7th grade in history class, how everything we were "sold" seemed too perfectly packaged. We were always the good guys and everyone else was the bad guys, and it just seemed like during times of conflict, it really couldn't be that way. I had a furrowed brow of dissatisfaction through reading most of North American History. It was just stupid.
Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' about the secret life of the elites is intriguing in and of itself, but the 20 some-odd years of making of the movie as well as Kubrick's own life is even more so. It is said that 'they' killed him 3 days after filming was completed because his depiction of the elites was too real. I'm due for a relook too...its been many years since I saw the film.
Here it is: http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-lies-my-teacher-told-me/ (CLick on the Chapter Summaries and read those) I guess I got his name wrong, James Loewen.
hm...In a dystopian 1984, Winston Smith (John Hurt) endures a squalid existence in the totalitarian superstate of Oceania under the constant surveillance of the Thought Police. The story takes place in London, the capital city of the territory of Airstrip One (formerly Britain).
The movie fifth element is also Distopian. I think Science Fiction often is a plot about a distopian society facing a crisis or making a dangerous choice placing man's future at risk. typically the hero will be part of the government, military, or crew who is an outsider and perhaps someone that has suffered loss and knows his humanity.
Is World War with Blackwater, satelites, drones, smart bombs, armored vehicles enough like science fiction for you.... I'm thinking yes. Has the nation or the world gone wrong? I'm thinking, Yes. Is there an elite group of people pushing war and trying to take over the world... I'm thinking it is not such a stretch..... =;-)
this talk of death is chilling
no one needs to die
BREAKING: You Know That TED Talk You Weren't Supposed To See? Here It Is.
Posted 2 hours ago on May 23, 2012, 4:54 p.m. EST by GirlFriday (4660) This content is user submitted and not an official statement
http://www.upworthy.com/breaking-you-know-that-nick-hanauer-ted-talk-you-werent-supposed-to-see-here-it-?g=3&c=dfa1
http://occupywallst.org/forum/breaking-you-know-that-ted-talk-you-werent-suppose/
Yes. I sent this to family over the last weekend. I had never seen Nick. I think he does a great job. I connect with him pretty well.
That's scary. Where did this come from? It does seem to be the way we are heading, at least to a big degree.
I was reading a piece this morning that might have been tongue in cheek about deregulation posted by Bensdad. You might be noticing that I have some experience in writing. It didn't take that long to write really off the top of my head.
The main point is that deregulation advocate have a blind spot for history. They are mostly parrots that watch fox news anyway.
1) We must have regulations to discourage accounting fraud or control fraud (Bill Black).
2) We must have Civil Rights and these came out of the struggle of people not from government.
3) We must have Social Safety Nets and these also came out of the struggle of people and the banks/wealthy seem to have made conditions harder and much worse.
Yes, i am impressed that you wote that. You can learn a lot from history, but the answers aren't always found there. I remember two great quotes that back up what you are saying. I do believe that I have posted them before, but i will do so again. "It is not capitalism that made this a country great, but rather the democratic struggle against it." author unknown to me. Then of course the more famous one "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Meade
Thanks. Good intersection with the quotes. James Lowen talks about how history books leave out the work of everyday people for civil rights and to end the Vietnam War... in his book Lies My Teacher Told me.
Yes i finally came up with a coherrent appplicable reply. lol Was the first lie about Christopher Columbus? The book is on my list. My dad attended MLKs March on Washington as you probably know by now.
Yeah, I found the outline of the book online last year. There are many names about Christopher Columbus, and Spanish was the USAs first European Language, I guess. I was reading the book in the store over the weekend...
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-lies-my-teacher-told-me/ (CLick on the Chapter Summaries and read those)
I am a firm believer in truth in history, and the ability to hear both sides of events, even if that means hearing something that makes one feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately that view is not shared by many people so it becomes, 'his story.' The Aussie's consider their being descendants of convicts, an admirable thing given the state of Britain at the time. And while i have Swedish heritage, I do not try to defend them for allowing German troop trains to invade Norway during World War II. My dad did risk his life though when he signed on in the American merchant marines early in the War.
Ah yes. I see two ideas at least. 1) Many people are defensive of narrow views, poor logic, scant scientific procedures, self bias', and group identity 2) We all have uncomfortable truths about our selves or families at some age as to live is to fail, to hurt someone, to be judged, and to judge someone else.
Hey, that sounded pretty good...Anyway I do blame institutional anti-intellectualism. By that I mean, the government and media evade the truth, evade the details, and change the conclusions to control the message. They don't want us to use reason, think, and protest.
One of my daughters is going for her masters in anthropology, and we have talked about how imprtant it is to divorce yourself from where you are at this point in time in order to have a better understanding of the discipline, and what drove people at a different time in history to do what they did. You can never be completely objective though.
You have described the built up defensiveness, and the realization that we all have our failings very well. That defensiveness is more evident in those who do not have the understanding, or the will to learn what something is about. They are happy in their ignorance. The real sin though is those who promote that ignorance.
I was reading more passages from James Loewen. He does a great job of showing that he is an analyst all through his book. Recurring theme (page 288) in High School Text Book History is that 1) US History is written as Ethnocentric 2) That the US Progress is good for the whole world. But US progress is not always good and it isn't linear. Plus there are other so called primative societies (that we give no credit or mention) that were health, leisurely, better off and may have had adopted what we call progressive social ideas like civil rights or equality for women.
Progress as we call it in US Text books, brought brutal violence from European Explorers and Settlers. They also brought Disease. Later we began to exploit with sugar agriculture and may have ruined Haiti's soil and well being for instance. Europeans brought live stock that went wild and ruined the ecosystems of many islands in the Indies (pigs, horses).
So when we here politician talk about progress - it has no meaning at all. We can examine US Politics, progressiveness, economics, capitalism, and environmentalism and shake our heads.
You have obviously given this some real thought. Ethnocentricism is used by people who don't want to learn the truth about how the world ticks, and/or it is most often used by people who are either shallow or are trying to promote a self-interest agenda amongst the uninformed. I think that a good part of the rest of the world laughs at how stupid that we have become.
Although I don't know much about Haiti, other being to Port-au-Prince a couple of times. I know that it has been in turmoil at least ever since the French had arrived, and has been plundered by the West ever since. You saw very few trees on the way into the harbor. Other than the Presidential Palace, before the earth-quake anyway, it was a mess, what I saw anyway. A good sailor always likes going up-town at night, but I gave it a pass when I was there, and so did my ship-mates.
Thanks. All the credit Goes to James Loewen. He does a tremendous job and is a great analyst if his arguments/proofs are any sign.
I might have to buy his book one of these days...
By ethnocentrism I am understanding it to be White European since our government/corporate leadership and the influential powerful are predeominantly composed of white European Males. However, I am holding my mind open to a kind of American Ethnocentrism.
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism Anthropologists such as Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski argued that any human science had to transcend the ethnocentrism of the scientist. Both urged anthropologists to conduct ethnographic fieldwork in order to overcome their ethnocentrism. Boas developed the principle of cultural relativism and Malinowski developed the theory of functionalism as guides for producing non-ethnocentric studies of different cultures. The books The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia, by Bronisław Malinowski, Patterns of Culture by Ruth Benedict, and Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead (two of Boas's students) are classic examples of anti-ethnocentric anthropology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_relativism Boas first articulated the idea in 1887: "...civilization is not something absolute, but ... is relative, and ... our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes."[1]
James Loewen states that there is no Anthropology Classes in High School and only 1 in 10 College students takes Anthropology. I actually took Physical Anthropology, but not cultural. Anyway, we need an "Academic Salon". A 'new' Institution of University and College Professors that can really deliver facts and truth to the US Electorate and Children. The imperitive would be to inform the Electorate. "The American Academic Society of Anthropology for Political Progress"
One of my daughters while attending, and majoring in political science at McGill in Montreal taught me that term years ago. She just finished school at UAA in Anchorage having changed her major to anthropology.... after taking a long 'hiatus' (in the blue-collar world that means hanging out), and she is currently living in a tent on a desolate island in the Alluetians 1,200 wiles west of Anchorage in the northern Pacific. I will be seeing her on her return to AK next week, as I am leaving Tues.
Ethnocentricism is found in any dominant society who feel that their way of life is the 'cat's whiskers' and that everything just be judged from there. It narrows one's perspective, and and does not make their opinions objective, hence the truth is held at bay, as far as I can understand. Just by realizing, and appreciating this concept, your mind becomes more open. That is where I am at now, or at least that is where I would like to think I am at. I need more knowledge though. Thanks, you have added to my already lengthy reading list. :-)
http://occupywallst.org/forum/we-are-boiling-frogs-what-models-do-we-have-to-fix/
Just my humble Ideas as per your request.
That was a very comprehensive solution to our problems. It was a lot for me to digest, maybe because I am getting ready to leave for my trip, and hence have a lot on my mind now. I would have zeroed in on the human side of it more, and concentrated on the college debt, and the effect that the lack of opportunities has on these kids, their families who often co-signed their loans, and on all of us. But your proposed solutions look good to me.
Your daughter will be one of our great hopes. Thanks for the details. You reminded of last year when I knew another old sailor who's son and daughter inlaw should now be doctors of anthropology. I kind of really appreciated that we had that connection to higher learning. He was the only connection to higher learning in my career going back maybe 12 years when some of the women in the office were in a kind of book club, reading the same books together.
I guess I am saying I haven't seen much interest in the world of ideas, academia, intellectuals, philosophers, etc in my small world.
It is never to late to expand your mind. I have learned so much in the last eight months, and a lot of it here. It is wanting to strive for a better understanding of our world, and wanting to better yourself...that is admirable, and really healthy for the soul. Your world is as small, or big as you want to make it.
Yesterday, as I told matt here, I was in NY protesting, but I also went to a wonderful teach-in in Bryant Park which there have been many in NYC. The young woman was a prof at Drew Uni, and she was remarkably intelligent. When it came time for questions, I asked her, 'considering that the housing bubble sustained this economy for so long....all while we were out-sourcing some of our best jobs overseas...what will these college grads do?' She pulled out a sheet of paper on where the jobs will be found in the next ten years or so. Only one of the jobs on that sheet required a college education, an RN. That is a tremendous problem, not only because of trillion dollar student debt now, but when there are no opportunities for our brightest and best, we are in deep trouble as a country. I suggest that you or Matt do a thread on that, as I do not have the time to do the research, because like I said, I'm leaving for AK Tues.