[Vision2020] Tibetan Fight for Freedom

Chasuk chasuk at gmail.com
Fri Mar 21 02:09:07 PDT 2008


On Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 12:32 AM, Garrett Clevenger
<garrettmc at verizon.net> wrote:

>  In the meantime, the US has interfered with world
>  affairs for almost 100 years, intensively for the last
>  50. Currently we influence more countries than any
>  other country and it doesn't seem like we will be
>  stopping any time soon.

This is true.  However, we only interfere (1) when it indisputably
benefits us, (2) when we know (or believe firmly) that we will win, or
(3) when we won't get caught until it is a later administrations
problem.

>  Serving China and owing them lots of money is not in
>  our best interest.  We are only empowering them by
>  letting them get away with their abuse, not only of
>  Tibetans and other folks in China, but with selling us
>  poisoned products.

We aren't "letting" them get away with anything.  China has us over a
barrel.  They know that our greed will prevent us from harming trade
relations.  They also know that, if it ever came to a military
conflict, we would wave a white flag.  China would casually sacrifice
300 million people to best us.  Personally, I would rather eat Chinese
food every day for the rest of my life than get involved in WWIII.

Dying to appease political machinations is not winning.

>  What better way for them to
>  destroy their enemy then to sell us cheap crap that is
>  unhealthy for us while gaining hundreds of billions of
>  dollars a year selling that same stuff?  It's a
>  brilliant scam and we are letting it happen today.

The Japanese used to sell us "cheap crap."  We bought it anyway, while
mocking it, because we are cheap.  Now the Japanese sell us a large
percentage of our aspirational merchandise.  This will happen
eventually with the Chinese.  After that, India will likley fill the
void.  After India, I have no idea.  Hopefully, by that time, we will
have peacefully discovered a better philosophy than "He/she who can
afford the most cheap crap wins."

>  I believe we are better off standing up for our
>  principles then bowing down to another country in fear
>  that they may harbor resentment against us and take it
>  out on us if they someday become the next superpower.
>  We will have little sympathy from the world if we are
>  seen as hypocritical and corrupt.  We are better off
>  unifying the world through strengthening our ideals
>  amongst all people, as that seems like the best
>  long-term strategy to insure stability.

Nations don't have principles.  People do.  Unfortunately, these
principles are discarded for jingoism and expedience when those people
metamorphosize into politicians.  Our government will stand up for our
principles when it needs a war to invigorate our economy, or to win an
election.

The world already sees us as hypocritical and corrupt.  Not as
individuals, but as a nation.  People outside of the US generally like
USians..  But they pity us for our government.  Talk to almost anyone
in the EU and they are amazed that nice, seemingly intelligent people
voluntarily suffered Bushco.  Bushco defines hypocrisy and corruption
for a large chunk of the world.

We don't disagree as much as it might seem.  I value freedom.  I would
sacrifice a lot to preserve freedom for other people, not just USians,
but boycotting the Olympics and Chinese goods would not achieve that.
As long as 99% of my countrymen are chasing cheap goods, we are stuck.
 I will not make any sacrifice at all just to maintain our inflated
standard of living.  Freedom, to me, does not equate to "freedom of
conspicuous consumption," or "freedom to have more toys than my
neighbors."  That isn't worth dying for.  Divorce the hedonism from
the real freedoms, and then we can talk.  But that is unlikely to
happen, either.  The American PR machine as been very successful in
promoting capitalism.



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