"If you aren't interested in the ramblings of an old man, please delete
now. If you're still there, pull up a chair and listen.
Is there anyone else out there who's sick and tired of all the polls
being taken in foreign countries as to whether or not they" like" us?
The last time I looked, the word "like" had nothing to do with foreign
policy. I prefer 'respect' or 'fear.' They worked for Rome, which
civilized and kept the peace in the known world a hell of a lot longer
than our puny two centuries-plus.
I see a left-wing German got elected to office recently by campaigning
against the foreign policy of the United States. Yeah, that's what I
want, to be lectured about war and being a "good neighbor" by a German.
Their head honcho said they wouldn't take part in a war against Iraq.
Kind of nice to see them taking a pass on a war once in while. Perhaps
we needed to have the word "World" in front of War. I think it's time
to bring our boys home from Germany. Outside of the money we'd save,
we'd make the Germans "like" us a lot more, after they started paying
the bills for their own defense.
Last time I checked, France isn't too fond of us either. They sort of
liked us back on June 6th, 1944, though, didn't they? If you don't think
so, see how nicely they take care of the enormous American cemeteries up
above the Normandy beaches. For those of you who've studied history, we
also have a few cemeteries in places like Belleau Woods and Chateau
Thierry also.
For those of you who haven't studied it, that was from World War One the
first time Europe screwed up, and we bailed out the French. That's
where the US Marines got the title 'Devil Dogs' or, if you still care
about what the Germans think, Teufelhunde." I hope I spelled that
right; sure wouldn't want to offend anyone, least of all a German.
Come to think of it, when Europe couldn't take care of their Bosnian
problem recently, guess who had to help out there also. Last time I
checked, our kids are still there. I sort of remember they said they
would be out in a year. Gee, how time flies when you're having fun.
Now we hear that the South Koreans aren't too happy with us either. They
"liked" us a lot better, of course, in June 1950. It took more than
50,000 Americans killed in Korea to help give them the lifestyle they
currently enjoy, but then who's counting? I think it's also time to
bring the boys home from there. There are about 37,000 young Americans
on the DMZ separating the South Koreans from their "brothers" up north.
Maybe if we leave, they can begin to participate in the "good life" that
North Korea currently enjoys. Uh huh. Sure.
I also understand that a good portion of the Arab/Moslem world now
doesn't "like" us either. Did anyone ever sit down and determine what
we would have to do to get them to like us? Ask them what they would
like us to do. Die? Commit ritual suicide? Bend over? Maybe we should
follow the advice of our dimwitted, dullest knife in the drawer, Senator
Patty Murray, and build more roads, hospitals, day care centers, and
orphanages like Osama bin Laden does. What with all the orphans Osama
has created, the least he can do is build some places to put them.
Senator Stupid says if we would only "emulate" Osama, the Arab world
would love us.
Sorry Patty, in addition to the fact that we already do all of those
things around the world and have been doing them for over sixty years, I
don't take public transportation, and I certainly wouldn't take it with
a bomb strapped to the guy next to me. Don't get me wrong: I'm not in
favor of going to war. Been there, done that. Several times, in fact.
But I think we ought to have some polls in this country about other
countries, and see if we "like" THEM. Problem is, if you listed the
countries, not only wouldn't the average American know if he liked them
or not, he wouldn't be able to find them. If we're supposed to worry
about them, how about them worrying about us?
We were nice to the North Koreans in 1994, as we followed the policies
of Neville Clinton. And it seemed to work; they didn't restart nuclear
weapons program for a whole year or so. In the meantime, we fed them
when they were starving, and put oil in their stoves when they were
freezing.
In a recent visit to Norway, I engaged in a really fun debate with my
cousin's son, a student at a Norwegian University.
I was lectured to by this thankless squirt about the American "Empire,"
and scolded about dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese. I reminded
him that empires usually keep the stuff they take; we don't, and back in
1945 most Norwegians thought dropping ANY kind of bomb on Germany or
Japan was a good idea. I also reminded him that my uncle, his
grandfather, and others in our family spent a significant time in
Sachsenhausen concentration camp, courtesy of the Germans, and they
didn't all survive. I further reminded him that if it weren't for the
"American Empire" he would probably be speaking German or Russian.
Sorry about the rambling, but I just took an unofficial poll here at our
house, and we don't seem to like anyone.
Happy New Year."
Provided by Joe Galloway, author of We Were Soldiers.
