I LOVED this one.

Why They Hate Us

Americans aren't yet sure who carried out the atrocities that shocked the nation and the world this week. What we do know is that there is no shortage of people with a motive. Plenty of our fellow human beings around the world despise us, our system of government, our economic order, and our way of life -- and some of them have so much hatred that they are ready to kill and to die.

The reasons for the animosity are not so complicated. Some of the hostility stems from geopolitical differences. But much of it comes from a divide in our basic assumptions.

America's founding document, the Declaration of Independence, is not just a historical relic concerned with grievances against George III. It's a radical manifesto whose relevance has not diminished in 225 years. What makes it so important, then and now, is its exaltation of the "unalienable rights" of every person -- including "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

That reverence for the freedom of each individual is what distinguishes our revolution from other revolutions, and what distinguishes us from much of the rest of the world. It was a novel thing in 1776 to treat people as ends in themselves, not as the instrument of some higher purpose. In many places, it still is.

As a rule, Americans don't subordinate individuals to grand and noble causes -- we let them decide whether to subordinate themselves. We don't force them to submit to the interests of the workers, or the will of God, or the purity of the race, or the advancement of virtue. We do something that our enemies find incomprehensible: We let even the humblest men and women live their lives as they see fit, not as others command.

Our deference to the pursuit of happiness exasperates critics who see it as frivolous and shallow. They think life is meaningless and even wicked unless it is devoted to some cause greater than yourself. We dare to think that there may not be a cause greater than yourself.

What drives many people crazy is that Americans don't just assert the right to seek happiness -- we take it for granted. We assume this is how life is meant to be. We may see ourselves as cheerful, confident and optimistic, but others regard us as selfish and spoiled.

Even some commentators in this country share this dim view. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, a columnist in The Washington Post almost gloated that his fellow Americans have lost the "safe and coddled life" they have enjoyed. Others noted with seeming satisfaction that we will come to understand the ordeals of Israelis. "Do you get it now?" demanded a New York Times columnist.

It is true that American history, particularly in recent decades, has been comparatively devoid of tragedy. You might think that's a good thing. But in some minds, there is nothing so healthy as suffering or so ennobling as sacrifice. So we must be sadly lacking.

Largely untouched by war, immune to political upheaval and blessed by fortune, Americans are guilty of untroubled affluence. Our detractors see us losing ourselves in the quest for material gain, personal fulfillment and mere pleasure, and they are deeply offended.

The 18th-century English writer Samuel Johnson believed "there are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money." More common, particularly outside the Western world, is the biblical notion that the love of money is the root of all evil -- an adage that makes America's centers of commerce, such as the World Trade Center, look like a pit of iniquity.

It isn't the love of money, though, that has spawned the great crimes of humanity's past and present: religious war, ethnic hatred, violent fanaticism, mass slaughter of innocents. The worship of power poses a much greater threat to civilized values than grubby acquisitiveness ever did.

But our achievements, being geared to the needs and wishes of ordinary people, often seem obnoxiously mundane. Europe's blood-soaked kings and popes gave us palaces and cathedrals that inspire awe across the centuries. Pharaohs built majestic pyramids with the sweat of slaves. And what does our economic system erect? Disney World, McDonald's and Hollywood. Those institutions exist for only one reason: the free choices of large numbers of people.

Freedom and openness are the most conspicuous and admirable features of our society, but they infuriate those intent on exerting control over their fellow man. To them, nothing can be more dangerous than letting people think for themselves.

It was bad enough when democratic freedom prevailed on our shores. But today, it is the aspiration of billions of people around the world. Tyrants and terrorists see our way of life as a mortal threat to everything they hold dear. To our credit, it is.

©2001 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

-- Eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), September 19, 2001

Answers

Eve,

That was refreshingly well said, but I'd add one thing. There IS a higher purpose that draws all TRUE Americans together: the defense of freedom.

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), September 19, 2001.

What a flaming crock of shit. And what a flaming fucking crock of shit endorses such a crock. I'm talking about you, shillpoole. Do shut the fuck up.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 19, 2001.

KoFE,

Well, what is it you disagree with?

-- Eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), September 19, 2001.

Stephen,

Thanks. And I just watched Braveheart again a couple of days ago, with his inspiring cries of "FREEDOM!!" still ringing in my ears.

So true.

-- Eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), September 19, 2001.

Eve, this country is populated by sleepwalking zombies who are being managed like farm animals.

The mid level societal managers see to it that you will never learn of the real cures for diseases like cancer, Aids, and a long list of others, just for starters. Your federal agencies already know what I'm talking about. The FDA is allowed by congress to rule your life like Gestapo. But, it's not just the FDA. This flag waving, break out the Declaration of Independence propaganda only comes out when "they" want to fire everyone up.

The propaganda is so blatant, it makes me want to puke.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 19, 2001.

Kofe, do you remember Thalidomide?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

Freedom needs constant vigilance KoFE but there is no worthwhile freedom in anarchy. Keep swinging.

Excellent find eve.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), September 19, 2001.

I'm not an anarchist, Carlos, just awake.

That would be the typical, modern American response, Lars.

There is much more to say, but I'm sure it would be a waste of energy to bother with the details. If you don't know it by now, you're not gonna know it.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 19, 2001.

They hate simply because they love to hate. They hate us because we are "in" and they are "out". They hate just because. If there is such a thing as a "hate crime", they are guilty.

There is no value in trying to understand. There are no grievances to redress. They seek no negotiations. They seek our death.

This is an enemy different than any we faced in the 20th century. This ia mideval.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 19, 2001.

It's 1984, just a little later.

They hate us because we kill and fuck over everybody else.

We USED to be the good guys.

Your response is disgusting Lars. YOU arrn't gonna do shit. It's the high school boys who are getting brainwashed, and the same ones who will get whacked for another corporate adventure. Hoorah.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 19, 2001.

ummmm, I ,ve been asking this question for 3 years'''

is the party over yet???????

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), September 19, 2001.

You've finally proved it KoFE. You are just plain fucking nuts. Paranoid, delusional, the whole nine yards, plain fucking nuts.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), September 20, 2001.

And you're a brainwashed cheerleader, JBT. It's time to grow up, and stop believing in fairy tales.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 20, 2001.

On the off chance we don't have much longer to communicate this way, I just want to let you, JBT, and you, KoFE, know that I love you.

-- helen (works@for.food), September 20, 2001.

Kofe, I like what you have to say, and I agree to a certain extent. But I feel very fortunate to have been born in this country, and I thank God that my kids are free to live relatively safely and peacefully. Take a look around at war-torn nations and places, where people are killed on a daily basis. Watch this movie called "Savior", which was an eye and heart opening experience for me.

I love living here, and I will display my flag with affection in remembrance of those who have died for my freedom, and those victims in NYC whose lives were taken away. I don't hope for war and more bloodshed. I don't hope for retaliation. That is not what patriotism means to me.

-- (Catherine__Linton@hotmail.com), September 20, 2001.

Kofe--

Have you joined the Muhadjadin yet?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 20, 2001.

Kofe is the worst of Americans, the one who hates his country and hides his loathing in the cloak of patriotism. His hatred is the pathetic legal sophistry of tax avoidance, raising empty arguments already dismissed by the legal system time after time. He hates Americans because THEY do not meet HIS warped and feeble measure. Most assuredly, he hates himself for having absolutely no meaning to anyone outside his militia pals. Prattle on, Kofe, while real Americans do the heavy lifting.

-- Kofe (is@nidiot.com), September 20, 2001.

Kofe, I have to say I have no real idea what you stand for. I've seen your rantings on our tax laws - or as you see them, fatal tax loopholes that only brilliant people like yourself can discern - but now you've thrown me for a loop. Would you care to shed some light on what you believe we should do?

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), September 20, 2001.

Eve your article might make sense if your government was following the constitution but it is not, therefore this is just some very lame propaganda....

KoFE, unfortunately you are right, the american sheeple are being prepared for another shearing, but they seem to love it...for now.

The level of conditioning is breathtaking, this thread is a shining example of why the term cannon fodder was coined...

-- Will (righthere@home.now), September 20, 2001.

Kofe, don,t waste your time. Americans still believe,we are the chosen>1's. GOD HATES SIN=EVEN IN aMERICA. SEE,HE don,t play the favorites game!!!

next time you see a gay parade=get a clue!!

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), September 20, 2001.

Why didn't you just sign your name shillpoole? The rhetoric is still the same...

Shillpooles' hero is a little unclear of the meaning of "direct tax". Why don't YOU explain it to HIM?

No one is more thankful than me for being an American. That's the reason I defend it against enemies foreign AND domestic.

It is one thing for a gov. agency to deny funding and protection to a group or company to bring a non-toxic, natural therapy that cures degenerative diseases, but quite another thing when that agency actively suppresses that therapy. You cannot know this to be absolutely true, unless you are directly involved or affected; all I can ask is to keep an opened mind, long enough to get the facts. You may find yourself directly repressed by the same kind of mindset. My point being, that there are rogue elements in the gov. that do not have your best interest in mind. I don't think that is all too hard to understand.

And, if somebody doesn't call them on it, we Will have a Banana Republic.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 20, 2001.

Thanks, Claudia! I hope things are well with you. We always think you should come over here and join us in a barbecue, especially in times like these when it's nice to have family around. -Jay

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), September 20, 2001.

KoFE --you always amaze me. You are a little wierder than your tax- nut praddle would have led me to believe. This stuff about "there are rogue elements in the gov. that do not have your best interest in mind." I mean,really, that's pretty wierd.

I think everyone else knows your nuts. There are probably elements in the government that are bureaucratic, incompetent, and just marking time until their retirement comes due. This is true of any organization, public or private. But, none of them are conspiring against you or me. I know some of my elected officials. Known at least one for twenty years. They are elected by the people to serve the people, and are doing the best they can in most cases (at least considering they're always also looking toward the next election). Generally, as the WTC event shows, they do a pretty good job. The level of corruption in this country's government is probably lower than virtually anywhere else in the world (with, perhaps, the exception of Canada). They try, and generally they do a good job.

Why, exactly, do you thing that these people are conspiring against you?

-- E.H.Porter (just.wondering@about.it), September 20, 2001.

E.H.,

He thinks that because he has been stricken with a severe case of delusional paranoia. Because he refuses to undergo professional psychiatric care and follow a strict medication program he is hopeless.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), September 20, 2001.

As one of the posters above said, the condtioning is breathtaking.

And, as I said, you can't possibly know unless you're affected. Then I asked that you keep an open mind, knowing that someone like yourself, Porter, would show up.

I only mention the FDA because I have that experience first hand; And to illustrate the kind of mindset at work. It's not incompetence, Porter, it's greed, and selling out your fellow man.

You are just too dumb to figure out that not everyone thinks like you do. You see it everyday, and still can't believe it.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 20, 2001.

KoFE -- as the old song goes, "you believe what you want to believe." But, I still think that the government we have elected it doing its best to act in the interest of us citizens. If you think the government is conspiring against you -- sorry.

-- E.H.Porter (just.wondering@about.it), September 20, 2001.

Porter, If you'll re read my post, you'll see that I said elements in the gov. not the whole gov. There are mostly good people in the gov. I'm talking about the few who screw things up for the rest of us.

Sometimes I really think you are a dullard.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 20, 2001.

I notice people who refuse to accept that something fundamental is wrong with the *system* of government seem to see things in an absolute fashion, thus ignoring the erosion of freedom, fascist policies etc because that would require an all encompassing conspiracy. When the reality is if your an average dude in the FDA for instance, denying people access to herbal remedies is protecting the public good, the result being not only is someone's health being imperiled but the constitution is being broken...

-- Will (righthere@home.now), September 20, 2001.

KoFE,

You represent the worst of everything that there is in America. Not because you're a terrorist; you're too stupid for that. You'd fly the plane into your foot.

No, you are the worst because, when all of the smoke clears, you're a perpetual whiner. God granted that you should live in the greatest nation, and at that time in history when human potential and freedom are the most encouraged, and you don't appreciate it.

As you sit there stuffing your face with food grown via American technology, enjoying the electrical power that Americans created and watching the television that Americans invented, you whine. Poor KoFE.

Unlike most people in this world, you have the freedom to express your (decidedly odd, but let's leave that aside) legal theories and to call the government names. In many countries, that would win you, if not a bullet in the head with no ceremony whatsoever, at least a striped suit with numbers. You don't appreciate this and whine.

You drive a car that was invented by an American. You connect to the Web over phone lines that were conceived by a Canadian who moved to America. Hopefully, you have a job (the irony would be TOO rich if you were on the dole; the thought of my taxes supporting you would be more than my sense of 'yumor could bear) that YOU, and no one else, chose for you. If you don't like that job, you can change it at the drop of a hat. And yet, you whine.

You take all of these things for granted. I don't. I look at recorded history and realize that the freedom that we enjoy is actually a very, very tenuous thing; an eyeblink against mankind's time on this planet.

Nor do I find it surprising that you would, in even the merest way, defend the scum who killed thousands of innocent men, women and children on September 11th, because they started at the same place as you: they refused to see the good in America and focused only on the bad.

They have allowed themselves to become captives of bad logic and flawed ideas and utterly rejected any attempt at reason.

(Are there any bells ringing yet?)

Sure, there's plenty of bad to focus on. We've made some grave mistakes. But WE created the Red Cross. We created the concept of foreign aid given for no other reason than that we had compassion on those who were suffering.

Why am I not surprised that you ignore all of this, and declare the very people who do these good things on a daily basis "sheeple," while you hide in your hole, self-centered, self-absorbed, filled with your own importance in the grand scheme of things when most of us figured out a long time ago -- AND INCORPORATED INTO THE VERY FABRIC OF AMERICA -- that, while there may be weakness in the one, there is strength in the many?

The grandest joke of all, though, is that you imagine yourself to be a "patriot." You might think I was being cruel if I were to explain WHY this is a joke (and you wouldn't get it, anyway), so let's leave it at that.

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), September 20, 2001.

KoFE,

But hey: I love you, man. :)

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), September 20, 2001.

Goddamn, you're a fucking shcizoid, poole.

Were you playing the Star Spangled Banner while you wrote that?

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 20, 2001.

Will, you will probably find, that you can explain these kinds of things to the tv personalities on this forum till you're blue, but they're not gonna get it, and if they so much as get a clue, they won't admit it, because it disturbs the status quo....

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), September 20, 2001.

KoFE,

Nope, in your honor I played Lunatic Fringe at lease-breaking volumes. :)

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), September 21, 2001.

Bravo Mr. Poole! Bravo!

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), September 21, 2001.