"It is quite puzzling how a person that does not own a passport, cannot speak Arabic, has never read the Qa'ran, and perhaps cannot even point the country they are fighting out on a map can say, 'Well, we gotta get 'em'!"

A golden sentence worthy of praise! (just mispelled Qu'Ran) You forgot to mention how half the people that haven't read the Qu'Ran don't even realize that there are other serious spiritual/religious texts to be read, and don't even understand their own! Do these people even know the historical origins of their precious christmas day, of easter, of just saying "bless you" when you sneeze!? Idiots look at you cross-eyed if you ask them if they even know what the pentagram represents when they start sneering at it. Druids are nothing more than tree-hugging Dungeons and Dragons characters any more, polytheists are treated with the same artificial politeness as someone who is severely mentally handicapped, and the idea that there are religions that pre-date christianity is an urban myth.

All this, without even TOUCHING on politics.

Meh, I'd better stop while I'm still capable of containing myself. You wrote this piece quite well.

Finally...you got what was going on in the country today out. You sure hit the nail on the head that time. I too have these beliefs, I didn't want to join the army because I didn't want to throw my life away in a meaningless war. I was working at a movie theater when 'Farenheit 911' came out. I couldn't believe what the American people were telling the rest of the world. France and Germany were wise to back out of the conflict, I have respect for those countries. I lost that job because I was labeled a 'traitor' by people who were my age who loved Bush and the war. And I was wrongfully accused by something I hadn't done and got fired for it. I still don't know why Bush was reelected. Because he hated abortions, because of moral issues, BOHO this is not 1954 no matter how much you want it to be, and every person who walks this country is NOT A CHRISTIAN. "A True Patriot Questions It's Lying Government" I don't consider you a 'Communist' or a 'Terrorist', you are more American than most people ever could be in their lifetimes. My hat's off to you. Keep up your writing and do not ever look back.~Vortus Mordekai

This is a great subject I'm glad you were able to write about it so eloquently. This is definatly a great piece and you should try to get it published at some point, hopefully after Kerry is president.

most americans enjoy their soft lives with toys and gagets to entertain their blank and absorbed minds. few understand their civil duty to the nation. american's have forgotten how it is not to be free and abuse it. the only control, enforced on american society, are the norms and social chastisement of one's peers. we are blind to the world and live in a microcosm. history is important and often forgotten. humans are flawed and mistakes are made all the time. the shame is we never seem to care. war is the worst of our nature, and never will it be understood. why we hate each other is obvious, why we refuse to see past this life is not.

First off, I would like to say that not only have some very good points been made here, but they are very important points as well. These are two very big topics, both of which perhaps deserve their own papers. I liked how you used some historical basis for the nationalism part (id est the various dictators), but you didn't give much, if any, historical backround for imperialism. One of the earliest examples of blatent American imperilaism can perhaps be found in the Panama Canal, and on a more modern scale - the "war" on "terror." Which although you touched on this subject and it's horrible iniquities, I thought you could have tied imperialism into it a little more, and perhaps nationalism as well. Although this would probably make a few "Americans" a little angry (you know, those same ones blinded by what I see as a, forgive me for lack of a better word, poser patriotism and sense of nationalism. Yes, I am referring to those schmucks who never flew a flag before September 11th and then rushed to the local back-of-van-in-ally to get a two dollar flag to hang out their car window.) Must stop rambling...anyways, I would have also liked seeing something about other more modern forms of American imperialism such as the overshadowing mass media conglomerates like the vile MTV and the revolting Hollywood. Sure, this may sound a little too subjective, and that's because it is. But hey, it's my review. All in all, it was a fairly decent paper that brought about a lot of good points that need to be heard, even if some people don't want to hear them in this day and age.

I see this in my own country, too. There's invective directed at Europe, immigrants and the Middle East every day in the media, and the public laps it up.

^-^ Wowie, I bet you'll get a good grade on it.
You know that sports thing scared me. I mean really. Wonder if they had alot of people volenteer for that--I bet not. Ach.