Every one has an opinion, on every thing.
At some point every one of us is wrong.
Not one of us understand the full issue,on any subject.
But we must question those who find fault only on one side.
Steven rightly reminds us,history is just that, we live in today.
Our failures just like our successes is ours to own, not any one else's.
America too has been used and abused,by some Poirot says are victims of America.
America helped remove Russia from Afghanistan, after Arab states asked it to.
Removed Saddam from another country, after being asked to by Arabic states.
Yet from within Saudi Arabia like Pakistan, the very worst terrorists operate, are fed and sheltered even funded.
As China by now has been given the wreckage of that crashed America helicopter by Pakistan, wait and hope.
Hope the day this world yet again faces the reality War is a tool for self interested country's that America can, yet again save the west.
And some may, I never will, forget the deaths of innocents through out the area we talk of not at American hands but the ones some see as saints.

Belly,

Contrary to your opinion, I don't believe that America is the repository of all evil. However, I am realistic about its its exploits and its self-interested and influential artifices. As I pointed out, it's a powerful entity and it often uses that power to feather its own nest...there is nothing particularly unusual about a powerful country acting in that manner.

"Yet from within Saudi Arabia and Pakistan the very worst terrorists operate, are fed and sheltered and even funded."

mmmm....interesting, that. Isn't it fascinating that when the U.S. ascertains the threat emanating from two such countries, it mobilises all its might - and promptly bombs the countries next door.

And lets not forget, Belly, that The U.S. was bosom buddies with Saddam while he was using their backing to bash the daylights out of Iran - and this was with Americas implicit knowledge that Saddam had used gas on his own people.

So Poirot cites Naomi Klein as source of her insights into world affairs.

Mmm...why are we not surprised!

http://runningofthebulls.typepad.com/toros_running_of_the_bull/2008/05/johan-norberg-o.html

SPQR,

It's simply an antidote to the usual fare of spin and bullsh!t.... and of which your link is a prime example.

: )

the south africa experience is very apt
ok they want their cuntry back..so lets make sure they got no control

we saw much the same mindset
when howard gave 25 billion in tax cuts
that krudd immediatly adopted...[had it sen howard re=elected..he wouldnt have gone through with them...they dierectly [now]..are affecting the worse budget surplus..giving the opposition air..

but by the same token their absurd expenditrures on the nbn[or digetal top boxes]..again mainly thanks to howard..for selling telecom/telstra..and installing that yanki...

who stopped upgrading the system..
[while letting in overseas telephone operators]
as we fell behind the world..[all in the name of capitalist=isms]

the change over to digetal is another howhard legacy
murddock..kept the bandwidth..even managed to get the heavey specrum[big abuse of limited specrum]version...so as to not be forced to make more programing..

anyhow those who lead us are so clever
at keeping the status/quo in their place

yet any of these bad binding commitments...
could be dropped by a vote to the people[by referndumb]
but the clever guys keep that to themselves

howrard was prepared to go back on the tax cuts
if he was given a win..[the new treasuror/leader
would have made some easy out comment somewhere

[we just havnt found it yet]
[they all ways set these brair rabbits for others
like when frazier sacked the pm
[or when juliar sacked the pm]

sack the lot of em
before they ransac us
like they done 'america'

Simply an antidote?
It sounded more like you were doing this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltsv40vCP7g

But I have to agree with you, the usual fare IS spin and bullsh!t.
Though I think the usual fare is that which is being espoused by you and Naomi.Which can be succinctly put as: the big bad West caused all the woes of the world –and now must bankroll everyone else.

It’s very much de rigueur at the ABC, SBS and with many of our “progressive” journalists and politicians. And many perhaps most in
education fields ( just take a look at most of Squeers posts) ;-)