Well I agree with most of the points made by the author, although still waiting for an example of how a country should be run. It seems there are few academics willing to say much that is positive about Australia either.

I have sometimes wondered if the press creates as many problems as it solves, and is this similar with the US. Do they start as many wars as they finish, and is this driven by a desire to drop bombs in another country, in the belief that it makes the US into a strong and powerfull country.

The author could have mentioned a few other issues with the US. A largely pop culture that lacks substance, simply awfull TV programs that we are being subjected to, often highly violent movies that we are being subjected to, the home of rap crap music that we are being subjected to, the home of modern feminism that we are being subjected to, and more and more news about US politics that we are being subjected to.

I live in the real world, Mr O’Neill, not the Alice in Wonderland universe which you occupy.

For the Pakistanis to complain about breaches of its territory, when it itself has officers of the Pakistan Army actively helping the Taliban and Al Qaida, organizations which themselves do not recognize any international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, is the pot calling the kettle black. I would have thought that any fool could understand that, but you are obviously in a class by yourself. The most notable feature of anti everything pseudo-intellectuals like you, is that you are totally unable to grasp the double standards which form the basis of your odd thinking.

Pakistan may be considered “a country” according to international law. But the self evident reality is that it is not. If the Pakistan Army is too frightened to go into some areas, and if representatives of that government are not in residence, because they will get promptly murdered if they even try to assert control over local leaders, then it does not take a Mensa from the local Audubon society to figure out that what we call “Pakistan” does not exist as it is portrayed on maps.. Even a Densa like you should be able to figure it out.

Dumb people like you seem to think entirely in absolutes and are incapable of thinking around a problem. You seem to have been programmed to believe that the USA is evil, and you spend your time looking for confirmation of that delusion. The fact that the USA is killing terrorist leaders being sheltered in what the maps say is Pakistan, is proof positive to you that the USA is evil. But to me, reality is more important than illusions, so what the yanks are doing is smart. That Yanks are smart and Pakistanis are dumb, might be confirmed by simply looking at the differences in the social progress and economies of both countries. A smart person would criticize the failed ideology and praise the successful one. But you are never going to do that.

It seems to me that most of what Hamish wrote is self-evidently true and that there are no serious arguments to counter what he has written.

I would also suggest that the work of Andrew Bacevich confirms what Hamish has written. Bacevich comes from a military family,was a colonel in the US military and is essentially a conservative, and a Catholic.

Check out The Warfare State - Washington Rules Americas Path to Permanent War

Plus After Iraq War Is Us by Bacevich

Also the excellent truth telling website Tom Dispatch which also features The Complex by Nick Turse.

Well, Jimbo, LEGO has said it all.

Instead of responding to any of the points I made you simply reference left wing academics. Confirmation bias, indeed. There's something very unhinged in a mind that thinks of a significant western democracy only in terms of militarist conspiracy theories.

Never mind, you can hide in the herd of anti-American academics.

Meanwhile, Saddam and bin Laden and Gaddafi are dead and the world is a better place. Or did they have redeeming features discernible only to types like you? Iraqis executed Saddam; Libyans summarily executed Gaddafi. But haven't you thought of a way to blame the US yet? It must have been the Yanks, right?

Vanna,

Sounds like you've never actually been to the US. Your criticisms are vacuous and certainly do not reflect the reality or complexity of one of the world's great cultures. If you're so upset with what you see and hear on Australian radio and TV complain to them or just stick with the ABC, which will feed you a consistent left wing line on everything. But you'd better stay away from ABC FM radio: too much rap crap there.

Makes you wonder why those who hate, despise and revile the west so much should choose to live in it.

Impregnable hypocrisy.

Ford speaks the unpalitable truth.http://www.ae911truth.org/
http://patriotsquestion911.com/ We either stand up to tryanny or be consumed by it.

The banksters who have controlled the US economy since the instigation of the US Federal Reserve in 1913,create all the new money for the Govt and their economy to function.They control the UN,World Bank,Congress,the Media and thus who our leaders will be.

So the choice is ours,freedom or fascism ?