SETTING EXAMPLES

*While this piece may seem unpopular and un-American, I assure you it is not. As an American, I am often times ashamed of the deceit and treachery our government uses around the world and the way we act as though, just because we're the keepers of Democracy, we have a patent on the word, idea, and implementation. I do not believe it is our responsibility to enforce our ideas of Democracy and our form of it to nations that otherwise are not interested, save for our involvement. If a nation requests assistance in forming a Democracy, then as a member of the world I believe we have a duty to assist. But Iraq hasn't asked. The president of Venezuela not only did not ask for the help of George Junior and the American government yesterday, but he emphatically told us, ". . .keep your hands off of Venezuela!" I think that's pretty clear. Perhaps we should take a lesson as should the leaders of nations all over the world. This piece was written some time back and for the sake of not changing my opinions from then, I will not alter it.*




The nation still reels from the events occurring this past Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Indeed, like Franklin Roosevelt said following the Japanese invasion of then (illegally) obtained island nation-turned US possession Hawaii, this was a day that will live in infamy.

Already the death toll is within spitting distance of 5,000, nearly double the numbers from that chilling December day in 1941 and the Titanic tragedy combined. Firefighters, law enforcement agencies, emergency relief teams, canine units, and regular citizens, in addition to foreign teams of rescue workers and some military units on their ways, work around the clock, fighting against faith and hope, clinging onto the fantasy that some may still be alive, buried feet under the settling rubble of steel rebar, concrete, glass, and debris. Chances are they won't find another victim of the World Trade Center attacks alive--or the Pentagon's for that matter--but like the resolve American's tend to show during each crisis and disaster, either home or abroad, will not waiver. (Author's interjection- Max has pulled up a step stool here beside of me and has decided that this bright Sunday morning is best left for 2 year-olds to growl at the lion flanking the drawer handles on my desk!) This resolve comes from a history-long determination to not only do what we feel necessary, right or wrong, to defend and commit that resolve, but from liberties much too precious for us to consider up for any negotiation.

Without assigning myself a full fledged American history lesson, suffice it to say that America was conceived from rebellion and attack. Indeed, not only did the early settlers come to this land and lay down "squatters" rights of sorts, but shortly thereafter their setting up housekeeping, they were embroiled in a war with the British who, using the same logic the settlers, a.k.a. Americans, used, wanted what they felt was rightfully theirs as it was Englishmen who conquered it in the first place. After successfully pushing back the redcoats and staking self-justified claim (after all, they did beat the British in a war, not that, should have mattered seeing how the British had even less of a claim to this land than those settlers did) on the land once picked for life support by Indians (Native Americans, if indeed we know for sure they are the actual natives to this land) the early settlers began their full fledged assault on the remainder of the continental North American landmass (I assume it wasn't called a continent by the name North America at the time). The treaties and deeds that they acquired would hardly stand up in the sophisticated legal system we have these days, but somehow the deed, used very liberally, obtained from the Indians for under twenty bucks (in baubles and beads) for Manhattan became the first tragedy in our nation's history occurring on that phallic shaped island.

Through the years, Americans have not only stolen land (and imprisoned royalty and leaders as in the case of Hawaii) but murdered and tended to affairs without request in a countless number of skirmishes the world around. We've assisted in the killing of perhaps millions in Vietnam, hundreds of thousands in Japan and Germany and Italy, and imposed our very own acts of treason and terrorism in places like Cuba, Iran, Iraq, the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and scores of other nations. We've condemned and fought a tyrannical, devilish dictator in Germany for allegedly (we had no proof of concentration camps at the time and little outside news reports to this very day) murdering thousands, perhaps alleged millions, of Jews (who, if you notice, seem to turn up in most bloody wars in the 20th century in some form or another--and I might add are a good portion of the reason we're in this situation now--the Jews and Islams can't get along) while all the time sanctioning our very own dens of inhumane murder and torture right here in our own backyards with the Japanese. We've sentenced hundreds of thousands of Cubans to death because we believe that Fidel Castro is not the legitimate leader of that nation, although he just leads a coalition not too unlike the one that "formed" this nation. We've funded and supported Nicaraguan contras without telling our people and then lied when it came time to look like the heroes and rid the Iranians. We spent fifty years condemning our own people for being communist sympathizers (whatever the hell that term means) and looking toward the former Soviet Union as the big red menace, only to realize that hand had played itself out with the American people and mend the fences (but only after we'd funded, trained, and supported Osama bin Laden and his Afghani rebels in their bitter and gruesome battle with the former Soviet Union) we'd spent trillions upon trillions of dollars, not to mention those unimportant lives, building. I guess "our" government should have listened to some wise old adages like the one about leading horses to water but not making them drink or the other barnyard reference that comes to mind about the chickens coming home to roost.

I'm scared. Frightfully scared. But this isn't something new for this proud American. I've been scared since I was old enough to think for myself and come out of the shadows and closet about the close-mindedness. I'm scared that the government can tell us who to love. I'm scared that the government can indict without across the board fair justice (i.e. John Gotti not being allowed his counsel of choice in Bruce Cutler--they knew they's never defeated Mr. Cutler and probably wouldn't). I'm scared that our government can take our tax money and vote themselves raises substantially above what the rest of Americans can expect. I'm scared that this government can make choices to "defend freedom" in nations where we've no business. And I'm scared that someday, because of this arrogance, that it won't be our government that suffers. It will be us, the people who make up this country and are supposed to lead it, who will be left with our dicks in the wind. We say we can't let it happen. Yet last November the boundaries were finally established when we let one faction of the bi-cameral-like political system steal the very thing which makes us and all democracy strong.

I'm scared my son won't have an America to tell his children about. We're taught about the values and ideals and time honored traditions that this country is supposed to stand for from the time we're old enough to recite the pledge of allegiance. But are we one nation? Are we under a God? And its because of the last line of this credo that I refuse to take part; we are not indivisible and certainly not fulfilling liberty and justice for all.



Originally written September 16, 2001
Copyright 2001 Nicholas Yaekle