Hey there, Mark! In reply to your comment below on the previous post by Pete (FuzyToes)
If the decisions the American Government made affected only America, then we could happily ignore the politics but the power of America means there is a knock on effect in other countries. The same doesn't apply for England or Sweden. The whole world plays critic, as you say, because America is the most powerful country, financially and militarily. For other countries, it's like being a dwarf in a lift with a great big lumbering giant who is running around whacking various dwarves it doesn't like for some reason. The other dwarves have to keep an eye on the giant, because they to could get stepped on. And as the big guy, America gets to push the buttons on the lift, which says we ascend to world peace, or descend to even more conflict.
And as for Bush; evil is a pretty strong word and in some people definition, it's a hat he should be wearing because it fits rather nicely. I don't believe anybody is actually evil. That really is a little bit too 'Old Testament' for me. But in this case you could see the effect of a persons actions as being the yardstick by which we judge if they are good or evil. If Bush is mis-informed, well so was Hitler. He was misinformed by his whole life but does bad information excuse what you do. Remember, Bush only became president because he staged a bloodless coup. Did he do this for the good of the country or for his own? Is this disregard for the American people not indicative of the disregard he has for the rest of the world?
Before we defend the President, I think it wise to remember that he was unscrupulous enough to steal the presidency and abuse the trust of his fellow countrymen. He didn't do this to serve the American people. He did this to serve his own agenda. This would seem to indicate a certain lack of moral fibre in a man who decides to unleash the American military on another country. If he showed such scant regard for the 'Good' and 'Just' principle of democracy in the US, then chances are he is not really going to give a damn about right and wrong in any other country you care to mention. He’s still going to be taking care of his interests and those of his ilk who are the beneficiaries of the bloodless coup. Of course, I should say the coup was bloodless to start with, but now a lot of blood has flowed under the bridge since then.
You mentioned earlier about concern over being drafted. Well, this is not a case of being torn from the bosom or your family to defend democracy but to defend the policy of a man who stole the presidency, disembowelled democracy on the alter of greed, ordered weapons of mass destruction to be dropped on civilians on the pretext of a lie his administration used to justify the war. And the funny thing is, he avoided the draft himself, but he would expect you to go to defend his right to impose his will upon you, your family, your friends, your neighbours and your countrymen. So, as I say, evil is a pretty strong word, but I heard one definition of it, by a child, funnily enough. The child pointed out that the word 'evil' is the word 'live', backwards. So, poor information or not, Bush certainly qualifies for this definition at least. If the deaths he is involved in, and the cut backs, and the attacks upon the quality of life of the poor in America are anything to go by he is certainly anti life.
And if a child can have an understanding of evil, and be able to provide an apt definition, then we should expect no less from the president of the United States regardless of the calibre of his advisors.