Well, I love the United States, and I surely love what we stand for even if we don't always completely live up to those high ideals that we proclaim. I love the freedom, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness even if I realize there are many barriers in my way to fulfilling those wonderful rights. Yes, the United States could do better, but luckily we are doing better than most.
As I watch our State Department travel around the world and ask for human rights, democracy, and liberty for all, I often wonder why our government doesn't do more here at home to build upon the freedoms we have here. I am equally bothered at times by our politics and the intense level of propaganda they promote, which is also evident by the podium pushing politicians reading from their teleprompters. I think we can do better than this, and I don't believe we need to lie to the American people.
Some folks would say that with 300 million people in our country we do need at least a little bit of propaganda to hold the fort together. The only problem with that is it is a slippery slope and promoting a lie only causes you to tell more. We certainly aren't the only nation with a huge population and the need to create a stable society. Indeed I suppose all nations promote propaganda to serve their will and to push their agenda forward. I believe that's fine as long as the agenda serves the people, rather than those who are in power.
Nevertheless, we shouldn't be naïve to think that those powers that be in our own country and especially in other nations see things slightly differently. Let me give you an example; Reuters had an interesting article posted on November 21, 2012 titled; "China promotes conservative to propaganda minister," by Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard which stated;
"While media-savvy, Liu is unlikely to loosen media controls as China's leaders, nervous about stability and the need to ensure one-party rule, are likely to keep domestic media on a short leash and clamp down on China's increasingly unruly Internet, which has over 500 million users."
As bad as that sounds, because it seems like we are not making any progress in the world, perhaps it's time for us to look in our own mirror first, and look at the direction we are headed, and how we are pouncing on our own ideals, and shredding our Constitution in the process, not to mention the Bill of Rights. I'm not going to sit here and justify what China is doing, but I understand why they believe they must.
In China it's about centralized control, but in the United States it was never supposed to be. Perhaps someone needs to do a little "knock-knock" on this skulls of our leadership, and duly ask them; "is anyone home?" Please consider all this and think on it.
As I watch our State Department travel around the world and ask for human rights, democracy, and liberty for all, I often wonder why our government doesn't do more here at home to build upon the freedoms we have here. I am equally bothered at times by our politics and the intense level of propaganda they promote, which is also evident by the podium pushing politicians reading from their teleprompters. I think we can do better than this, and I don't believe we need to lie to the American people.
Some folks would say that with 300 million people in our country we do need at least a little bit of propaganda to hold the fort together. The only problem with that is it is a slippery slope and promoting a lie only causes you to tell more. We certainly aren't the only nation with a huge population and the need to create a stable society. Indeed I suppose all nations promote propaganda to serve their will and to push their agenda forward. I believe that's fine as long as the agenda serves the people, rather than those who are in power.
Nevertheless, we shouldn't be naïve to think that those powers that be in our own country and especially in other nations see things slightly differently. Let me give you an example; Reuters had an interesting article posted on November 21, 2012 titled; "China promotes conservative to propaganda minister," by Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard which stated;
"While media-savvy, Liu is unlikely to loosen media controls as China's leaders, nervous about stability and the need to ensure one-party rule, are likely to keep domestic media on a short leash and clamp down on China's increasingly unruly Internet, which has over 500 million users."
As bad as that sounds, because it seems like we are not making any progress in the world, perhaps it's time for us to look in our own mirror first, and look at the direction we are headed, and how we are pouncing on our own ideals, and shredding our Constitution in the process, not to mention the Bill of Rights. I'm not going to sit here and justify what China is doing, but I understand why they believe they must.
In China it's about centralized control, but in the United States it was never supposed to be. Perhaps someone needs to do a little "knock-knock" on this skulls of our leadership, and duly ask them; "is anyone home?" Please consider all this and think on it.
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