sign here! it's desperately needed

signed, Aaron Un Limited.

The term "anti-American" is usually used by the American establishment to discredit and, not falsely - but shall we say inaccurately - define its critics. Once someone is branded anti-American, the chances are that he or she will be judged before they are heard, and the argument will be lost in the welter of bruised national pride.

But what does the term "anti-American" mean? Does it mean you are anti-jazz? Or that you're opposed to freedom of speech? That you don't delight in Toni Morrison? That you have a quarrel with giant sequoia red wood trees? Does it mean that you don't admire the hundreds of thousands of American citizens who marched against nuclear weapons, or the thousands of war resisters who forced their government to withdraw from Vietnam? Does it mean that you hate all Americans?


It would be absurd to think that those who criticize the U.S. government are "anti-American" - although the government (and it's compliant mainstrem media) itself never hesitates to take that line.


To call someone "anti-American", indeed to be anti-American, is a failure of the imagination. An inability to see the world in terms other than those the establishment has set out for you. If you're not a Bushie you're a Taliban. If you don't love us, you hate us. If you're not Good, you're Evil. If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists.
[This message was edited Sun Mar 2 1:13:30 PST 2003 by DrEverythingWillBeAlright]

Decades ago, the U.S. Congress appropriated to itself the task of defining what 'Anti-Americanism' meant, and established the infamous HUAC (for the House Un-American Activities Committee). This group waged ideological war on anyone who tried to organize social change in the repressive *status quo* of the United States.

Who were the 'real Americans'? The rednecks and racists who stormed and raged and lorded it over those activists and artists? Or those artists, who dared to dream of a new day in America? I stand with the latter. I would rather pitch my tent with the artists of the Hollywood Ten, who stood for the right to create work that reflected the truths about this society, rather than with the racists and segregationist politicians who stood for silence in the face of repression.

The definition of "American" has been contested all throughout the history of this country, and when the State has been able to assert their meaning, it has always meant blind obedience to those in power, in government.

There are millions of people in this country who believe in another definition. They believe in the people who actually live in this country. They believe that it is not the duty of people to obey the government, but the duty of the government to obey the people. They believe that everyone should have a say in that definition, not just the moneyed interests (and those who lick their boots). They also do not believe in Empire: the inherent "right," or the 'manifest destiny' of the NorteAmericanos to rule over others like New Rome.

They don't believe that it is right for American military or CIA or any other agency to destroy the leaders or popular organizations of neighboring states (or distant ones).

That kind of American is not represented in the halls of government, nor in the corridors of power in the Bush regime; but it is in the hearts, minds, and souls of the people. It has not yet found true political expression, but it will. Indeed, it must.

They may be called anti-imperialists. But they may also be called, "Americans."

It's no wonder education has been so horribly disfunded (and then trashed by federal government conservative blowhards for doing a bad job of educating... and so disfunded by them even further) when we have a population of half-wits who'd believe at face-value a statement such as this from international-genocide PR man Ari Fleischer*

"This [WAR] is about peace, this is about protecting the people in the region and the American people from Saddam Hussein" - *White House Press Briefing Thursday, January 30, 2003

U.S. scorched-earth imperialism desperately needs a nation of brain-dead sheep to tow its line just like Hitler's Germany needed them back in the 30s.

Because our government is going to rain down an unprecedented deadly missile blitzkrieg on a city the size of Los Angeles, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and their children to "protect people and promote peace." And it takes and untold level of illiteracy and sub-bovine stupidity to buy that bullshit!

This is not even an actual "war." It's a one-sided massacre to ensure greater oil profits and market control for a small ultra-wealthy class of U.S. investors... the same motherfuckers who pitched for the installation of Saddam and sold him weapons in the first place!

ah, but you miss my entire point in labelling him anti-American. he's not an American, so his criticisms of the US are not protected by the constitution and our freedom of speech. were he an American, you'd have a point. but he's not, so you don't.

he's against America, he's not an American. he's anti-American.

so there you go.

now, are you going to sign the petition? if not, please move along. thank you.
[This message was edited Sun Mar 2 2:01:02 PST 2003 by AaronUnlimited]

AaronUnlimited said:

June7

There, signed... in blue ink even.

The thing about soulpower's posts is that they are often well expressed, backed up with references, and they tend to create discussion. You have a clear choice - either respond to them (either in agreement or in disagreement) and contribute to the discussion at hand, or ignore them. It's called "discussion" and it isn't difficult.

There are no "anti-American" threads that I can find Aaron. There are threads which criticise the actions of the US government - and these are relevant and worthy of discussion at the moment, because of the possible impending war in Iraq. If however someone started a thread saying something like "all Americans are fat stupid bastards" it would be removed, in the same way that your offensive comments about French people are removed. End of motherfucking story.