Talk:United States/Archive 15

message: I dislike the emphasis made in the opening papragraphs on the U.S. , as being practically nothing but a Power: almost as if the World should fear it, or that it exists to bully the World. Hey, the U.S. is my home. Most of the the people I love live here. This is where I learned about the world, grew up to be a man. This is where I learned that I am the master of my life. I think for myself. Yet I also learned to be responsible, productive, respectful. Having the ability to speak and do what I want with my time, doesn't mean I should always say what is on my mind or do whatever I please. Yet what I like the most about the U.S. is I am fairly free to figure it out all on my own, to work something out that allows me to coexist, at peace, with my fellow citizens. This is where I learned the value of a fair and ordered society. I feel safe and secure in my home. I don't worry about my future. My life is a life of the mind. I only wish I had more time to learn all there is to know!
I want the people of the world to feel as free and safe as I do. To never know hunger, civil war, unemployment, or persecution. Yet it is not all happiness. I don't always like the people I have to deal with, or my job, or where I live, but it is not so bad when I consider other things going on in the world. If people were more educated and less impulsive, I'd be happier. If I were more willing to take risks and explore and find a job or hobby that really sustains my mind, I'd be happier. If I could live a healthier life, I'd be happier. If the population stabilized and housing demand decreased and developers didn't keep bulldozing every last inch of open space, I'd be happier. We in the U.S. have a lot to do, to make this nation better. 
Yet all I can do is try to be the best person I can be. I can either "write it all off" and remove myself from society or blame it for making me unhappy, or I can reject such defeatism and be a force for good. This society hungers for leadership. I am no leader, however. I just think it is important to be in the moment, to treat each little thing as something worthy of care, of effort, no matter how mundane. If I know I'm doing a good job (even if somebody says otherwise) that is enough for me! Just feed me and clothe me and give me some good books and I'll be fine. On the flip side, if I think I'm doing a poor job (even if somebody says otherwise) then I'm unhappy no matter how much I'm paid or rewarded.
If you must judge a nation, judge it by its people. And not just a few people, or the loudest, or the most brutal, but all people: including the quiet, the caring, the just. I refuse to be grouped among the imperialists, the warmongers, the racists, the classists, and the prejudicial haters in this nation. I am not a pacifist, however: I freely admit I do hate what some people do and say to each other in this nation, or anywhere in the world, and demand justice. But I hate these people, not the nation, or class, or race. I am tolerant, and sometimes I am forgiving: I'd rather be your friend then your enemy. Yet we must have justice. Not only here, but everywhere. 
When are we going to stop with our state-centered view of the World and make it a people-centered view? It should not matter if you live in the U.S., or Mexico, or China, or Iran, or wherever, we are all citizens of the planet and should live together in peace, freedom, dignity, and mutual respect. I love the U.S., but I'm not attached to it, just to those good things within it. Just as the U.S. has no monopoly on goodness, it also has no monopoly on badness. Good and evil run in all circles.
: Are you running for congress or something?  This is an encyclopedia, not a campaigning platform.  If you have a point to make, could you be a little more concise?
::: Answer to the above question: Why the harsh tone? Calm down. No, I'm not campaigning for anything. Just speaking from the heart, trying to give readers an example of an American who doesn't want the U.S. to control the world, to beat everybody up. Take it or leave it. You know, if you don't like it, you can always delete this whole comment. I don't care, now, since the site changed and my concerns were dealt with!
:: Note : The following paragraph was added before the previous paragraph was inserted: 
::I have to agree to a point, and have added something to the opening paragraphs about the country's philosophical founding which truly did represent a sharp break from what had gone on before. I'm sure it will be gone by tomorrow, but we really do need to have *something* that deliniates just how radical the governmental ideas were by 18th century standards, even if several countries have bypassed the U.S. in political development within the past two or three generations. Haverberg 18:12, 14 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: More than just a Power

message: Maybe it should be mentioned in the human rights section that the US is the only country (except from Somalia) that has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Not trying to bash the country or so but it is a rather glaring controversy.
--Torsken 20:05, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It should be mentioned briefly, but with a comment on why the US did not ratify it. Thank you for pointing that out.--Ryz05 23:28, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: The rights of children