Travels through America - Deep Thoughts

the problem is that the US is not going after terrorists its only going to war to protect its oil , and thats that

Dear Nazar,

Don’t worry about the stars over here. Their number doesn’t necessarily correspond to the quality of the piece. What I have understood, chowkees appreciate halla-gulla more than gentle talk.

Take care.

faisaluno #18 The facts as you present them are correct and provide a balanced view of the bright spots and the dark spots in US history. And, I think you will agree, there are bright and dark spots in the history of any other part of the world. It is also a country that has managed in two centuries to convert a wilderness to a center of world civilization, and to make steady social progress in integrating blacks in the rest of society.
What sets the US apart from other nations, I think, is that it was the first nation that was founded with an explicit statement of certain IDEALS (liberty, inalienable rights of the individual, equality before law) that had till then existed only in the writings of idealists like John Stuart Mill and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
As for US foreign policy, it is not as decrepit or thoughtless as one would think from the negative references to it. After all, the US made what virtually everyone (other than a handful of nuts like neo-Nazis and skinheads) would agree in hindsight was the correct foreign policy decision of backing democracies against dictatorships in the first half of hte twentieth century. And in the second half of the twentieth century the US again made what everyone (other than a small handful of aging communists in Russia) in hindsight agrees was the correct foreign policy decision of backing capitalism vs. communism. And I think time will also tell that the current policy of ``zero tolerance`` of terrorism and of despotic governments is basically the correct one. While one can argue that North Korea is a bigger threat than Saddam, the fact is that both these regimes do present a threat in terms of serving as suppliers of powerful weapons to terrorists. While the US foreign policy is being criticized the world over, I remember in the 1960`s and 1970`s when the mark of an ``intellectual`` (in Pakistan, in Europe, and in colleges in the US itself) was that he ridiculed the US emphasis on capitalism and quoted from Marx. So, I would rather decide for myself whether the US policy of ``zero tolerance`` for terrorists and those who can potentially provide weapons for them is the correct strategy, even if ``intellectuals`` across the world and within the US take to the streets against it. And in my judgement, the US is exactly right in going after terrorists - while it may make tactical mistakes here and there, the strategy is the right one, and consistent with the overall ideals, the rule of law being one of them. Coming from Pakistan that has seen more than its share of lawlessness, I think you and I should be able to appreciate this emphasis on law and order more than college professors sitting in their comfortable tenured jobs or starry eyed college students in the US or anywhere else.

Buddhist approaches a hot-dog vendor and asks for a hot dog. He gives the vendor a $20 bill and waits. Finally he says: ``Where`s my change?``.
Says the vendor: ``All change must come from within.``

(This is not meant to prove any point. I just thought it was funny).

#23: no i dont think people should be giving you an ``F``, its just that worshipping something or someone so much is closer to ``idolatory.`` and unfortunately people have started worshipping america, and all its material things, so much so that we have become slaves and cant think straight anymore. there is nothing that great about this country. infact if you take away drugs such as `prozac` and other such drugs you will truly find out how unhappy people are here. america with all its materilasm has given an inferiority complex to all other nations, making us belive that what we have is useless and what is important is what america says, its like todays new god. pakistan or any other country is much much more beautiful than america but do we see that , NO, because we are blinded by america, that wont let us see the beauty that we have. we are blinded by what america tells us constantly is beautiful or great. america sets the standard for everyone and we , fools, follow it blindly. and now ofcourse its on its way to kill and murder some more people, whcih is fine too since the great america can do anyhting.

All Chowkies

I am reminded of my school days. You Chowkies are very strict teachers.
I thought it was a reasonable story. Love to all and malice towards none. And you reduced it to two stars.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a possible ``F``.

If tahmed sahib`s comments are to be believed, to phir, GAND MARAY DEV ANAND!!
You know, urstruly is not so off the wall this time.
We all believe the USA is a great country but its executive leadership would be committing a big blunder by waging its war on Iraq. Hope clear heads will prevail.

Ref sajni #15

[#9 harimau: ..... its difficult to raise ones kids here. and plus the kind of language you used in your post tells me something or rather a lot about how people who are raised here, behave]

My language is much better than what you get among schoolkids in the US.

oh so i see people belive the american government is made of zombies or some space creatures. well news for all you folks, THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IS MADE BY THE FLESH AND BLOOD AMERICAN PEOPLE, so please dont assume that american people are so great.

American government is committing race and religion-based attricoties on poor and innocent people, however, Unites States and the American people continue to be a great nation and people respectively.

Warm and hospitable!


May God bless us all and give so me guidance to the war-headed leaders in D.C. and London, UK.

tahmed sahib:

american political experiment was in response to centuries of sectarian conflict in europe (sort of like the roman political experiment after the fall of etruscans). american experiment gave life to first amendment. it also resulted in three-fifths clause and the separate but equal doctrine which was in place until forty years ago. your claim therefore that americans have always operated on a higher moral plane does not hold water.

record is also mixed when it comes to intervention abroad. as discussed before, americans played an important role in confronting fascism in wwii and in confronting russians in korea. americans also did muslims a huge favour when they pulled the rug beneath british and israelis during the suez crisis. on the other hand, americans during the occupation of philippines killed 200,000 natives over a four year period. record is also mixed in our part of the world. overthrow of mossadeq had disatrous consequences for islamic world. and what about the support to saddam, zia, likud and house of saud? check out a memo drafted by reagan`s secretary of state alexander haig after a trip to mideast in 1981. document makes interesting reference to all parties. roots of the current geopolitical crises can be traced directly to this document.

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2003/haig-docs.html

on an other matter, i used to make fun of paki politicians for wearing a flag on their lapels on independence day. american politicians have been wearing flags on their lapels for the last year and a half. despite you denials, the country really is changing.

urstruly: you write ``I am one of those who were conned. ``
We have been through this: you bad mouth the US. Someone on chowk then reminds you that if you really dislike it so much here, no one is stopping you from taking the flight out to whereever you want. You then remain silent, only to come back a month or so later to repeat the entire exercise.
How about this: Why dont you spare us all the need to remind you that you are not being held prisoner in Detroit, and simply add a disclaimer after you are done explaining how bad the US. Something like this:
``Please dont pay attention to what I write. My actions belie my words. Thank you.
Yourstruly,
Urstruly``

Something like this would save us all a lot of chowk time.

Sameer have you gone ape crazy, why the heck you drag Islam and Pakistan into each and every thing, he is enlisting the attributes of America, not discussing what America would have looked like if it had been Islamic, thank God it is not ruled by BJP or some safrron brigade, it would have been a real hell on earth (or I should say Narak)

#9 harimau: i agree with you, but its hard to control teenagers these days. maybe you dont have kids, but you should ask around, its difficult to raise ones kids here. and plus the kind of language you used in your post tells me something or rather a lot about how people who are raised here, behave

Idyllic. Mujhe bhi chahiye

America is also a frame of mind.

The friedliest people that I have ever met have been Americans.

This is a great country which currently appears to be run by a very

unusual bunch of misfits.


Ras


(And the biggest buch of aholes I have ever met have been ?????)