It is actually amazing that the United States is still a functioning Nation at all. With some of our more vocal Citizens proclaiming that we are the "Greatest Nation ever," one might expect the rest of the World to resent our assertions and be hostile towards us. [THEY ARE] Nevermind that we are the only Nation EVER to actually use Nuclear Weapons on another Nation, we claim to be "Peace and Liberty Loving People." Are we really?
One of the greatest Liberties that I can personally imagine, is to start off Life in a Healthy and Robust manner. Apparently, the Children born in the United States are not starting off Life with the greatest of advantage. Low Birth Weight is frequently a sign of poor Prenatal Care. Since the United States has no Universal Healthcare System which would provide access to Free or at least Affordable Prenatal Care, we suffer the consequences in terms of large numbers of our Children being born at below recommended Birth Weight.
One of the Freedoms that I value greatly is the idea of living a Life Free of being a Criminal, or a Victim of Crime. If you look at the Chart at the Link above, you will see immediately that the United States is nowhere near being Free of Criminals or Victims of Crime. Is that something that Fox News Nazi Sean Hannity forgot to brag about relative to the Absolute Greatness of the United States of America?
Do Americans actually even know much about the rest of the World? Are we knowledgeable about how the rest of the World works, and what is going on in it?
Much of what Americans currently know about the World has come from learning about Regions of the World as we invade them. And by that time, the information we receive is laden with the Propaganda of World Conquest, along with the usual Market-Based Commercialism.
Are Americans any more knowledgeable about their own Nation though? Are Americans "Experts" on the Democratic Republic that the United States is?
There are numerous indications that Americans are greatly ignorant of, and confused by, the manner in which Government operates in the United States. The United States has one of the longest [never-ending] and most expensive Campaign Seasons of any Industrialized Nation in the World.
Some estimates have suggested that it can take up to a Billion United States Dollars in campaign related spending to conduct a successful run for the Office of President of the United States. Since there are not a Billion people living in the United States, that means that Candidates must depend on a small number of Groups and/or Individuals to give them a lot of money to conduct their campaigns.
Just on face value, it would appear that a small group of donors are influencing our Elections by providing the greatest amount of Money. It would be naive to assume that there is no Hidden Agenda behind making such donations. People usually have some reason for providing resources, and after the recent Citizens United Supreme Court Decision, we have to assume that it may not be one that benefits the Masses.
So, here we are in a Country where Free Speech has been equated to Dollars. The Net Effect is that Power in Concentrated into the hands of a Few Wealthy Groups and Individuals. Is this what makes the United States the "Greatest Best Nation Ever"? There appears to be something about the Reality that does not match the Assertion.
If one is lonely and bored enough to read that entire Article, and do some additional research, one will find something very interesting. It appears that there are numerous similarities between the implementation of a Democratic Republican Government in the United States and Modern Fascism as it has existed around the World. That might shock and anger many reading this, but it is a fair assessment based on the facts.
While the Documentary Film above is controversial in the extreme nature of its claims, there is much of interest in it. There is little doubt, especially since Citizens United Decision, that Corporations exert an ever increasing level of influence over the Political Operations of the United States. That does not bode well, under any empirical method of evaluation, for the largest majority of Citizens of the Nation. Since there is limited influence to be had, by definition, and Money is now Free Speech, those with the most Money now have the largest Body of Free Speech Rights. If the Government is not hearing us, we are not truly being represented in the Political Process.
A rise in Corporate Power has historically been associated with the development of most Fascist States. Corporations do not exist, generally, to advance the common good. They are remnants of Mercantile Ideologies of Imperialist Nations of the past. They exist to promote the interests of a select few, who either have either inherited, forcefully taken, or otherwise gained control of great persuasive power in a Nation. Imperialism, Fascism, and Corporatism are all essentially the same.
So, I again find myself wondering what people like Fox News' Sean Hannity base their ideas about American Exceptionalism on. Perhaps he is just engaging in one of the other Great Activities of the American Corporate Media: Lying. Without invoking a God, Religion, or any other Magical Ideation, there is no empirical basis for making the claim that the United States of America is the "Greatest, Freest, Best Nation ever given to Mankind by God." And realistically, Nationalism is really just another form of Fascism.
At the end of any sane assessment of the United States, one might come to the conclusion that it is just another Country out of many that exist, have existed, and will ever exist. While there are many unique features to this Country, there are more that are almost exactly the same as every other Country on Earth. America is just a place to live, and its people are just simple Human Beings. We really should strive to grow beyond pedestrian notions of being Better or Greater than all the other Better and Great People on the Planet. If we are to survive and thrive, it is essential that we learn to cooperate rather than compete. American Exceptionalism is a game that is being played by those of questionable sanity, lower intelligence, and compromised morals. I hope the idea will eventually fade away, and become just a bad memory from our History.
Peace and Compassion to you.
Jeffrey
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