US says it has right to kidnap British citizens

[Mush Martin]

If they want you they will come and get you
dont believe me ask Manuel Noriega.

The main difficulty is that america sees itself
through a distorted lens

in general the impression I get from the many
americans I have known and met over a lifetime
two miles from the border is this

they seem in general (excepting their true critical thinkers)
to feel that the world view of america should be the same
as their view of themselves.

well in this of course they dont percieve other cultures
distinctions. if you say im a canadian and I am critical of
the U.S. they will point to those parts of american culture
we have adopted and say your opinions not relevant you
want to be us.

which in general we dont.

I saw a USMC pilot in the first Gulf War who after a mission
came down and to the reporter said "its a great day.
I am proud to be an american over here to free these people
in the interest of the USA oh and by the way the worlds too.

they are noble sentiments and the USMC offers the best of
the american military but this fellows statement struck me
not for its patriotic nobility but for the supposition that his
interests and mine were the same.

we all see what we want to see and they will see it their way.
but might has always made right

Sancho Panza maybe.

(Sancho Panza steals my chickens Teddy Roosevelt steals my chickens
what do I care who is in charge)

I love the interview with Tariq Aziz on CNN during the first gulf
war where he says
" I have no doubt that you people can bomb my country to
dust tommorow but my country has been here ten thousand
years and it will still be here a thousand years from now."

the implication being that you may change to government their
but you cant change that they are a people or nation
borders change governements change policies change
but weve been willing to go over the border and pre emptively
defend ourselves since before the carthiginians.

the simple truth is that what causes this smugness and self justified
behaviour is the knowledge that we have the power to do so with
relative impunity. Once we find ourselves in that position we are all
tempted.

power corrupts and ultimate power corrupts ultimately.

who wouldnt if they had the power of relative impunity wouldnt use
it to make america behave better

so I ask are we really different men here in the future.
and inspite of the real cultural and national differences
are we different than they or any in this respect.

M