The REAL “American Exceptionalism”

When you hear the phrase “American Exceptionalism,” you probably imagine a bunch of talk radio goons firing up their inbred listeners with “America is Number One!  YEEAAHHH!!!”  Or you may picture a loudmouth chickenhawk clamoring for the U.S. to invade Iran, Syria, Venezuela or whoever the current Enemy-of-the-Week is.

Our Founding Fathers would be turning in their graves.  This article — Defining American Exceptionalism, by Joe Conason — reminds us what this over-used slogan originally meant.  For instance:

“The founders believed that America would inspire other nations as an ally and friend, rather than dominate them by force of arms or money. They did not regard their weak new republic as intrinsically superior or chosen to rule the world by God — but argued instead that the ideals of popular sovereignty and constitutional freedom represented the natural rights and the future of humanity everywhere.”

What, no Coalition of the Willing?  No Project For a New American Century?

I realize July 4th has come and gone — I didn’t see this article until yesterday — but THIS is what we should be celebrating on Independence Day.  Not the fact that we’re “superior” to all those tinpot socialist non-Christian countries out there, or the fact that we have enough weapons to kick the shit out of all of them put together.

Again (from the linked article), our founders believed that:

“…the practice of liberty, equality and democracy in these United States would kindle hope in a world downtrodden by every form of despotism, hierarchy and oppression.”

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States

Republicans — for the 897th time — are again ganging up on Obama for not thumping the Bible often enough and for apologizing for America instead of preaching to the world about American Exceptionalism.

And in a related story:  Thirty-three Latin American and Caribbean nations have formed the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).  The only countries excluded from this organization are the United States and Canada.

The group’s purpose is for member countries to unite against terrorism, drug cartels, price speculation and other global threats.  Latin American leaders say the Organization of American States (OAS), which includes the U.S., does too much bending over for Washington, D.C.  Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez concluded the group’s 2-day conference with:

“I don't think we're exaggerating if we call it a historic day.  United in our differences, we must demand respect.  No more interference, we've had enough.”

The organization claims that Argentina still has legitimate sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (I’m not touching that one).  And like most of Latin America — and most North Americans whose IQs are higher than their shoe sizes — they’re against America’s eternal trade embargo against Cuba.

The Long Reach of America’s “Limited” Government

Schizoid Republicans — the gift that keeps on giving.  Out of one side of their mouths they shout “Freedom!” and “limited government.”  Out of the other side, they’re constantly screaming for a huge government crackdown on everything imaginable.

They want government to be small enough to drown in Grover Norquist’s bathtub; and this same bathtub-size government needs to be big enough to monitor everybody’s private life 24/7/365.

Conservatives’ newest urgent problem:  American citizens who do something in a foreign country that’s legal in that country but illegal in the U.S.  How can we sleep at nights, knowing that somebody somewhere is getting away with something that should be against the law?  Fortunately, Rep. Lamar Smith (R—Inbred) has the solution to this Earth-shattering problem.  He’s introduced the Drug Trafficking Safe Harbor Elimination Act of 2011.

According to the linked article, this bill “would make it a federal crime for U.S. residents to discuss or plan activities on foreign soil that, if carried out in the U.S., would violate the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) — even if the planned activities are legal in the countries where they’re carried out.”

Examples include:  smoking (or buying/selling/distributing) marijuana in a place where pot has been decriminalized (e.g. Amsterdam); taking part in a needle exchange program in a foreign country; or even purchasing an over-the-counter medicine in a foreign country if that same medicine requires a prescription in the United States.

A civil liberties attorney said:

“I don’t see any interest other than to a desire to impose our moral and cultural preferences on the rest of the world.”

You mean like American Exceptionalism and all that.  Yeah!  America is unique in all the world — a Beacon of Freedom.  And America’s Freedom will be forced down the throats of all the rest of you Podunk countries.  Got a problem with that???

Lamar Smith is hereby invited to take a long walk off a short plank.

Most Israelis Favor Creation of a Palestinian State

The possibility of a Palestinian state is creating mass hysteria among Neocons, “American Exceptionalism” drones, Christian Dominionists and other wackjobs.  In the midst of all this drumbeating and saber-rattling, one seemingly invisible group seems to be forgotten:  the citizens of Israel.  Let’s see what they think about all this.

Would you believe:  Almost 70% of Israelis have said that  Israel should accept a Palestinian state.  Shouldn’t their opinion count for something?

This survey was taken by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace.

The United States has promised to veto any U.N. Security Council requests for a Palestinian state.  Most Americans are probably also in favor of a Palestinian state.  So much for what the lowly public thinks.

“The Pentagon’s Worst Nightmare”

That’s the title of this article.

Yesterday’s signing of the debt ceiling deal raises the possibility of budget cuts to the Pentagon. You can only squeeze so much blood out of those whiny Social Security recipients and those lazy parasites (9.2% of the population!) who refuse to work.

Fewer tax dollars for the Pentagon’s multi-trillion-dollar budget? As they said at the Heritage Foundation, “It’s chaos!”

A spokesman for the Center for a New American Security said:

“This is the Pentagon’s worst nightmare.”

It’s gonna be scary all right. No more $800,000 toilet seats or $70,000 hammers? But we’ll still be able to invade any tinpot third world cesspool any time we want, for any reason.

Won’t We??!?!?!?

What will happen to American Exceptionalism??? We can never ever allow the sun to set on the American Empire. There are American military bases in dozens of countries all over the world. Those people NEED us.

If you’re scared shitless of a weakened America being invaded by hordes of brown savages, you’re not alone. Thomas Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute feels your pain. He says cutting the defense budget is a terrible idea:

“…unless you can promise that there will be nothing but peace, love, and tie-dye for the next 12 years…Do you want to share the world with the Chinese or with nuclear-armed Iran? The only thing worse than Americans running the world is someone else running the world.”

Jesus Shrugged

That’s what you get when you combine Ayn Rand’s self-absorbed the-world-revolves-around-me mindset with the bigotry and intolerance of “Christians.” Not Jesus Himself, of course; just the Far Right’s re-invented version who schmoozed with moneylenders and drove the beggars from the temple, and said “Let’s all cast stones at that evil sinner.”

Tampa Liberty School will be holding a weeklong seminar this summer. Their mission is to teach 8-to-12-year-olds how to be selfish and self-centered AND how to be hateful and sanctimonious at the same time. Oh, and a big dollop of American Exceptionalism will be thrown in too.

The children’s indoctrination phrases will include:

“America is good,” “I believe in God,” and “I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who [sic] I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.”

Grammar apparently isn't part of the curriculum.

Tampa Liberty School is run by volunteers from the 912 Project and was organized by Jeff Lukens, who said:

“We want to impart to our children what our nation is about, and what they may or may not be told.”

He admitted that he doesn’t know anything about the public school curriculum, but:

“I do know they have a lot of political correctness. We are a faithful people, and when you talk about natural law, you have to talk about God. When you take that out of the discussion, you miss the whole thing.”

Tampa Liberty School will be in session every morning from July 11th through the 15th. There’s room for forty students, and right now only eight have signed up.

If you want to indoctrinate your child, you still have time — but you have to hurry.