So I wrote a reply to this thread ( http://forum.militarysos.com/showthread.php?t=194111 ) and it was entirely too long to be a reply and I'd like feedback on what others think about it as well so...here it is...have at it!


I'm wondering why we should be grateful for a country that is not as great as it once was?

I'm wondering why we should be so content and grateful for the oil companies posting billions of dollars in pure profit at our expense?

I'm wondering why we should be so grateful for a country that a good portion of the world despises for it's foreign policy fuck-ups and our "I can police/babysit/change the world how I want cause I wanna and I can" attitude we seem to have acquired since WWII.

I'm wondering why we should be so grateful for a country where greed rules and if someone can't make a hefty profit then screw you and who cares if you end up homeless.

Yes, we have a LOT of luxuries in this country. I agree with this. I'm sitting here posting this on the internet on my laptop computer before I go to my job that so many people don't have and I'm fortunate enough to be doing what I love. I accept this and I'm grateful for it. HOWEVER...so many people out there are LOSING their jobs they love because our economy is tanking.

We're in one of, if not the longest military conflicts in our nation's history with no end in sight. This is the least bloodiest of our conflicts, especially for the amount of time we've been there, but that doesn't discount the fact that it wasn't our job to go to Iraq and clear out Saddam. It wasn't our place and we're paying now for our government's megalomania. Afghanistan was more justified but we threw it off like a red-headed step-child when we went into Iraq. Afghanistan is heating up, it's becoming more dangerous but are we hearing more about it? NO.

I do blame the media for a lot of this and I do agree that blood and violence sells. We're a nation of reactivists. We need something to gasp over and say, "oh my god that's terrible!" before it gets through to us as a nation. We go crazy over "high-profile" murders and celebrity scandals and pay NO attention to the things we SHOULD be paying attention to....like the running of our country.

We are apathetic. We are apathetic because we always feel like we're choosing the lesser of evils. The ones who WANT to run for office are usually the ones who should never BE in office because they're usually out for power and not out to actually help. Then when those who do want to help get into office they're blocked by those who just want the power and the paycheck but none of the responsibility of the job.

Our government is broken and we don't know how to fix it. We keep patching it and patching it but it doesn't work FOR US anymore. How is it the people are so dissatisfied with the people that WE ELECTED and yet they're still in office? How is it that the people who are supposed to be working FOR US still have their jobs and most likely will again after the next elections?

So yes...we have a lot of things to be grateful for...but we also know how great we WERE as a country, and how great we should be (and I'm NOT talking monetarily, I'm saying how great we should be overall) and we are not happy with the direction we're headed. That's like being grateful for floating down a large and lazy river and seeing the waterfall ahead but not caring because we're supposed to be so grateful for what we have NOW and not care where we're headed.

That, in my humble opinion, is STUPID.

Sorry this got so long and so ranty...I'm just feeling particularly strongly on this at the moment and I have the words to express it instead of just feeling like grunting and yelling incoherently about it.

i agree with you.

totally agree

Absolutely agree. And I found something that cured my apathy. :) My vote won't "count" but it'll go towards someone I actually deem worthy for a change, and that's all that matters to me.

I agree too, except for the media part. I don't blame all of the media, just the irresponsible pundits that act as puppets for the Administration when they should be holding them accountable and asking the hard questions. Even that blame only goes so far. No one can feed you bullshit if you don't swallow it.

I agree too, except for the media part. I don't blame all of the media, just the irresponsible pundits that act as puppets for the Administration when they should be holding them accountable and asking the hard questions. Even that blame only goes so far. No one can feed you bullshit if you don't swallow it.

I agree with you

I totally 100,000,000% agree!!

I even told my DH the other day...I'm ready to go back to Uruguay with my Grandma!

I agree too, except for the media part. I don't blame all of the media, just the irresponsible pundits that act as puppets for the Administration when they should be holding them accountable and asking the hard questions. Even that blame only goes so far. No one can feed you bullshit if you don't swallow it.

I don't blame all the media. I know we get what we ask for in a lot of cases, but the media COULD do a better job at getting the real facts and asking the hard questions and really being the voice of the people to those who don't want to listen to the people anymore even though we're the ones who put them in the positions they are in.

Wow...run-on sentence much?

We, as a people, should be more concerned with what's going on in our country. We shouldn't be so willing to swallow the bullshit. The media shouldn't be so willing to feed us so much bullshit and should be asking tougher questions and raising awareness. The people we elected should be answering to US and not have adviser after adviser and Public Relations people specifically to spin everything into a line of bullshit to feed to the media and ultimately fed to us. Then we re-elect these same bullshit spinners for whatever reason we have.

Vicious cycle.

I wish there were a standing ovation smilie. I agree with you for the most part. We disagree on some points, but only as to some reasons why this country is failing, not that it is, because it is indeed.

And just a note on what "Letterman" said (and I mean no disrespect to soldiers overseas)- don't you dare tell me that people are over there fighting for myfreedom. It's even been stated that they are over there fighting for Iraqi freedom (OIF).

I don't blame all the media. I know we get what we ask for in a lot of cases, but the media COULD do a better job at getting the real facts and asking the hard questions and really being the voice of the people to those who don't want to listen to the people anymore even though we're the ones who put them in the positions they are in.

Wow...run-on sentence much?

We, as a people, should be more concerned with what's going on in our country. We shouldn't be so willing to swallow the bullshit. The media shouldn't be so willing to feed us so much bullshit and should be asking tougher questions and raising awareness. The people we elected should be answering to US and not have adviser after adviser and Public Relations people specifically to spin everything into a line of bullshit to feed to the media and ultimately fed to us. Then we re-elect these same bullshit spinners for whatever reason we have.

Vicious cycle.

I just wish more of the American public demanded that from the media. There are soooooooo many people that will just eat whatever bullshit they are fed.

I just wish more of the American public demanded that from the media. There are soooooooo many people that will just eat whatever bullshit they are fed.

"Don't draw attention to yourself." "Do as your told!" "Leave that for people who know what they're doing/talking about."

We're sheep who are always told to follow, that we're not capable of leading or even just leading our own lives.

We're discouraging ourselves and dumbing ourselves down from the very beginning, too. We've decided politics are too confusing and best left to those who "know what they're doing" or some other such nonsense reason.

But see, I think the thing is that in this country we have the power to make changes, to make our country great if a citizen thinks it is failing.

Call me stupid, but that is why I am grateful to be an American citizen and why I will try and have always tried to do my part, to help make this the country the great place it can be. To be, for example, an ambassador--to understand something of how other countries see us. To learn Arabic. To travel. To read the news. To vote.

I believe we have been and can be a beacon of liberty. You all may be going to laugh at me. But I do believe it and I try my darnedest to make it so.

I think that one can be hopeful even when they are not proud of what is going on. And, finally, I think saying that one will move to another country to "get away from it all" is, pardon my language, a damned cheap out. We were born, like it or not, into the most powerful country on the planet, and that comes with a lot of responsibility that I don't think anyone should take lightly.

There's no shortage of ignorance, cultural failings, greed, corruption, and poverty here. But I think we can always change and improve it, if we so desire. Giving up and saying things are going to the dogs is no solution, IMHO.

You forgot the part about how this is no longer a "free" country. Civil liberties? Bill of Rights? What the hell are those?

Thank you Bush administration and the patriot act!

I'm honestly more afraid of our government than I am of terrorists. :no

You forgot the part about how this is no longer a "free" country. Civil liberties? Bill of Rights? What the hell are those?

Thank you Bush administration and the patriot act!

I'm honestly more afraid of our government than I am of terrorists. :no

why is that?

But see, I think the thing is that in this country we have the power to make changes, to make our country great if a citizen thinks it is failing.

Call me stupid, but that is why I am grateful to be an American citizen and why I will try and have always tried to do my part, to help make this the country the great place it can be. To be, for example, an ambassador--to understand something of how other countries see us. To learn Arabic. To travel. To read the news. To vote.

I believe we have been and can be a beacon of liberty. You all may be going to laugh at me. But I do believe it and I try my darnedest to make it so.

I think that one can be hopeful even when they are not proud of what is going on. And, finally, I think saying that one will move to another country to "get away from it all" is, pardon my language, a damned cheap out. We were born, like it or not, into the most powerful country on the planet, and that comes with a lot of responsibility that I don't think anyone should take lightly.

There's no shortage of ignorance, cultural failings, greed, corruption, and poverty here. But I think we can always change and improve it, if we so desire. Giving up and saying things are going to the dogs is no solution, IMHO.

I (L) You!

Delayed response - I put it off because my reply is so lengthy but I can never keep my mouth shut.

I'm wondering why we should be grateful for a country that is not as great as it once was?
Every country in the world fails to meet it's potential in "greatness" - "greatness," though, shouldn't be a determining factor in anything.
"Great as it once was" - that depends on who you talk to. I don't consider our slavery and segregation past to be "great" and anything to smile about. Quite honestly, it's a disgusting shame. Though, realize that this is the first century in which those things are NOT lawful.
Some people might still live accordingly and feel that way - but the government doesn't back them up, they're a dying breed.
Our government is a high-end world-wide flip flop and THAT is modern and THAT makes our country GREATER than we ever might have been.
Our country might have done a lot of good things in the past - but those REALLY BIG and BAD things outweigh any kind of "good" there might have been.
Be greatful that our country is willing to get it's nose out of it's ass - step DOWN for a moment and reasses it's entire foundation and TRY to be decent - can't say the same for a lot of other places. And that's not saying we're perfect or have it all figured out yet but we're heading in teh right direction.

I'm wondering why we should be so content and grateful for the oil companies posting billions of dollars in pure profit at our expense?
I think the only ones feeling content and greatful for that is the oil companies themselves. Being happy with them is NOT a happy-American requirement.

I'm wondering why we should be so grateful for a country that a good portion of the world despises for it's foreign policy fuck-ups and our "I can police/babysit/change the world how I want cause I wanna and I can" attitude we seem to have acquired since WWII.
And this is something that everyone should consider when it comes to voting and voicing opinions, etc - we can change things, we're not just little piggies around here.

I'm wondering why we should be so grateful for a country where greed rules and if someone can't make a hefty profit then screw you and who cares if you end up homeless.
How about: why do we live in a country that values living in a costly home with electricity and running water as a requirement for being "socialy conformed."
This is an issue, overall, because we all value a "properly built house" too much, I feel. A lot of people in the world live in homes that they put their own blood, sweat and tears into - no mortgage. Maybe they have plumbing. Maybe they have electricity. But *gasp* that kind of hovel can't be considered "livable" around here.
So for me it's not the income that's an issue - things have always been that way in the entire world (though, per capita, we are a filthy rich country) the rich alwys get the best and the poor - in any other place -I hope always get at least the right to build their own home off the land.
Now they tax, regulate and fine you out the wazoo when it comes to every aspect of building a home for yourself - with or without all the ammenities. That is how they've made a "self substantiated" life not possible to legally obtain.