Gennifer Flowers.

[Dill]

(10-08-2016, 01:50 AM)hollodero Wrote: Despite all, we are just not so sure if you are the ultimate "good guys". We know you're less bad, for sure, you're inherently better, we would always choose you over anyone to run the global show. But you do have your dark spots and especially Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and all the torturing taking place really had a bad impact on your reputation as "the good guys". On the respect we feel for you. I'm not sure if the American people are fully aware of that.

So well, Europe. We do not really need you to "rattle your sword" and bomb someone once in a while so we are assured you still are capable of bombing someone. But we sure need you to be able to. We also need you to spend huge amounts of money in your military to keep your supremacy - so we feel safe and can use our money to spend on social security and our welfare state instead and making fun of you not reaching our social standards. But sometimes we also feel (as you do, obviously) that you overdo it. Many wars nowadays aren't fought by aircraft carriers, you know that and I do, too. But still. This is a hot iron and only the sincere man can carry it the whole nine yards (or so) - and I certainly can't.

I don't think we need to be the "ultimate" good guys. But respectful partners is be a good start.

You don't think we should rattle our sword, but one of our presidential candidates is already doing that, and insisting our NATO partners pay up, and suggesting Japan could build its own nuclear deterrent.
I was going to say more on that subject, but given the events of the last few hours, I think our demagogue may be bowing out this week, mooting the issues I wasraising.

Anyway, i really appreciate your answers.

PS I was living in Germany when the Yugoslav war began. One difference between German and US Press coverage was that Germans showed much more graphic images and video footage; also German's felt the war more directly. Some refugees entered the country and Yugoslavia was a beloved vacation destination--now inaccessible.  The U.S. is so distanced from most world conflicts today, and our media representation of war is so filtered, that we are slow to react when we might do good and reluctant to followup (nation-building).  The one exception is 9/11 and the schizophrenic response.