The following is a hypothetical situation:
You are part of an organization of businesses. Your business is the most successful and you host the meetings of this group at your lavish company headquarters. One business in your organization is treating its workers badly and is employing slave labor. There are also allegations of fraud within that business. You want to take over that business and liberate the workers from the tyranny of the business owner. Other businesses stop you and say, “Let’s try to do this through discussion and see if we can’t get the offending business to sell to us.” You’re not enthusiastic about that suggestion and damage the reputation of the businesses that suggested it. Against the wishes of the leaders of this organization (who exist to ensure fair practices), you engage in a hostile takeover and liberate the workers. The owner of the offending business is forced to sell and you acquire the shares of the company and claim that you will help the workers to rebuild the company rightly. You then lead a charge to disband the organization that you are part of because you didn’t like its criticism of your (possibly illegal) actions.
OK boys and girls, raise your hands if you think this is a ludicrous and completely selfish move for the most successful business to take. *multitude of people raise their hands* Wonderful. You all get gold stars. Now… how many of you understand why I’m putting this hypothetical situation forward.
*sees raised hand*
Yes Johnny?
Ms. K-M, could it be because there are seriously deluded people who never paid attention in their History classes who think that the U.S. was right to launch a smear campaign against France and suggest that the U.N. be disbanded because they don’t agree with us and criticized us for going into Iraq on charges of WMD that are yet unproven?
Very good Johnny. You get a cookie.
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This is the foolishness to which I am referring:
I call right now for the US to establish a group of allies and dissolve the UN. As the world’s sole superpower and leading democracy, the US should now create a new multilateral association of countries limited to countries that are broadly and successfully democratic and display a committment to to peace for all. This body of allies would promote peace and democracy throughout the world. The US would be the fulltime chair of this group, and membership in this group of allies would be a privilege not a right.
OK… it looks like this person slept through U.S History because they have obviously missed the ball on this. Evidence? Well… they didn’t know that the U.S. *does* have allies — the group is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (a.k.a. NATO). Membership *is* a privilege as many former Warsaw Pact countries are having problems gaining admission. It was started to combat communism and the former Soviet-bloc nations formed the Warsaw Pact.
Another thing: since when are we automatically “right” because we happen to be the wealthiest nation? I have many issues with this as our culture has replaced elements of other cultures and much of our pop culture is damaging to the cultural mores of other nations. We have 5% of the world’s population yet control over 50% of its wealth and consume 60% of its energy. Does this really sound like the kind of nation you want running the show? I seriously think NOT!