ENEMIES OF THE STATE: Why the U.S. Is Hated

Uncommon Knowledge web site ^ | July 2002 | Hoover Institute

[freeforall]

Robert Higgs: In my mind what is genuinely unique about America is the ideal of creating liberty--a free society where people would be able to make their own way without interference whether cultural or especially interference from the powers of government. Unfortunately as a result of the way our history has unfolded, our government has grown big and intrusive and pervasively involved in directing every aspect of the lives of individuals in this country. So that the ideal has been throttled over time. We're still rich so we attract people from other parts of the world.

The crux of the issue.

[jodorowsky]

The crux of the issue.

bump.

[freeforall]

America is the ideal of creating liberty--a free society where people would be able to make their own way without interference

Why doesn't the rest of the world embrace that?

[freeforall]

FYI

[knighthawk]

Maybe they hate us because we choose to be free, and not want to submit to their religion of terror? Just a wild guess.

[NEWwoman]

Good guess.

[freeforall]

Dinesh D'Souza: We're talking about Europe. Europe used to run the world and used to run the world by force. I mean the British ruled India with a heavy hand; they had a hundred thousand troops there. The appeal of America that is astonishing is it is not primarily the appeal of force. You walk into a hotel in Barbados or Bombay and the bellhop is whistling the theme song from Titanic. That's a different kind of appeal. You know, and as an immigrant from India in my case, it seems to me that my reason for coming here has little to do with America destroying my country and everything to do with the fact that if I lived in India, my destiny, my life, would to a large degree have been given to me--shaped for me. Whom to marry, what to become, what to believe, all these decisions are in a sense enforced by the society--by parents, by culture, by norms, by rules. In America by contrast, I feel that to a large degree, I can shape--I can write the script of my own life.

I think he's on to something there.

Dinesh D'Souza: The idea of America is based upon the self-directed life. Most of these societies--Islamic society and Islamic theocracy being the radical contrast, it's based on the idea that somebody else, the Mullahs, the Sharia, is going to tell you how to live your life. And that's why young people are naturally attracted to America. Because America says to young people, whom to love, who to marry, what to become, what to believe, that's something you decide for yourself. That's the appeal of America. That's why the immigrants come. That's why young people love the idea of America. It is the idea if you will of being the architect of your own destiny.

This idea was brought to Europe by alot American,British and Canadian troops during WW2.I am sure the Germans would have made a very different society had they prevailed.When the war on terrorism is won an imposition of western values must follow like what was done in Europe and Japan.That was one of the mistakes America made after WW1 and Vietnam.

Knighthawk Could you ping the people on your list if you think they may be interested?

[knighthawk]

Islam list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[Travis McGee]

I agree, spot on.

[Post Toasties]

I can see from this that Gore Vidal is an inveterate America-trasher. Just the person whom the America haters look up to for justification. So, in a sense, it's Vidal, Chomsky, Fisk and their ilk who are responsible for 9/11 and the hate behind it.

[McGavin999]

I don't really care why they hate us. They come over here and partake of our freedoms and plot against us. They have the nerve to use our legal system against us, to protest in the streets, to cry "victem" at every turn. For the most part, they are a dispicable people. No, I'm not saying that all Muslims are dispicable but most of them are thoroughly decadent. They rape women and young girls and find that perfectly acceptable. They lie. They are unbelieveably lazy expecting things to be given to them. They are unwilling to fight for their own freedom. They DEMAND that the world provide food and aid for them. They have no pride, no honor, are filled with hate and lust and envy.

Nope, I don't care why they hate us.

[Leto]

SO Old Gore (Vidal not al) thinks that Germany, Japan and the US are the 3 MOST corrupt goverments in the world.

Not Zimbabwae
Not N Korea
Not Communist China
Not Cuba

Yeah right Gore.

Another bitter aging leftist, who can't stand it when the US starts moving in the right direction.

BTW DInesh mopped up the floor with these 2 wusses, not Dinesh is an immagrant and Viadal is a 'native American'.

[Post Toasties]

What's worse, Vidal, Chomsky, etc. are morally equivocating America-trashers working from their own selfish agendas and short-sightednesses. If you listen to them, you can hardly discern where they make reference to any reason not to use any megadeath causing terrorist or genocidal tactic or policy to fight Westernism and the US in particular, since they can be counted on never to put in its proper perspective the human suffering and the flouting of the rule of law, freedom of religion and human rights which Islamist terrorism against civilization and its backers are responsible for.

[Post Toasties]

This is largely, I suspect, because Chomsky, Vidal, etc. are viscerally opposed to any capitalistic world power (e.g., the US). They refuse to give up, even for a moment, the fantasy that if they continually proselytize for it, that the 'right' socialist state will majikally emerge, and all will bow down to the atheistic peace and utopia that would then rule the world forever, amen.

I have news for them. These Leftist fools have no right to effectively sacrifice civilization to theocratic barbarism because of their delusions of socialist grandeur.

[Madame Dufarge]

Maybe they hate us because we choose to be free, and not want to submit to their religion of terror? Just a wild guess.

Bingo!

Watching the video, I almost felt sorry for Gore Vidal, pompous ass that he is. Sneeringly repeating all the liberal boilerplate pap, while informing us that his family "invented" America.

There was a brief moment in the past when I enjoyed listening to him, during his wonderful catfight with Truman Capote. At least he was amusing then. Now he's just pathetic.

[river rat]

Fine!
Cancel all visaa, and expell all nationals that are citizens of nations that are not fully cooperating with the war against terrorists... NOTICE - Arabs are not selected for this treatment -- ALL ethnic terrorist supporters are included.

Refuse to grant any bulding permits for Mosques - until an equivilent number of permits for Christian and Jewish places of worship are granted for construction in each and every moslem nation, including Saudi Arabia.

Hate of American -- should come at a high cost....
Freedom is not free.
Semper Fi