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US Slips Again In Freedom of the Press Ranking
npwa writes to tell us Reporters Without Borders has released their annual worldwide press freedom index. While developing nations like Haiti and Mauritania continue to gain ground developed nations like France, Japan, and the US continue their downward spiral. From the article: "The United States (53rd) has fallen nine places since last year, after being in 17th position in the first year of the Index, in 2002. Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply deteriorated after the president used the pretext of 'national security' to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his 'war on terrorism.' The zeal of federal courts which, unlike those in 33 US states, refuse to recognise the media's right not to reveal its sources, even threatens journalists whose investigations have no connection at all with terrorism."
1. The US has started (and "encouraged") more wars and murdered more humans in a 50 year period than anyone else before in recorded history.
Which period is this? Are you thinking of the period from 1850 to 1900, with the Civil War and the wars against the Indians? It certainly can't be 1950 to 1900, when the Soviets and Mao's Chinese killed many millions.
"2.The world constantly watches images of starving children whilst in the US people are dying of over eating."
And guess which country gives the most in money and food aid to feed those children...
"3. The US boasts that it has spent billions on being able to bomb anyone, anywhere on the planet. Meanwhile starvation, and premature death continue to affect millions of people worldwide whose only crime was being born where they were."
There might be a point there to discuss if you could connect the two unrelated sentences.
"4 The US makes virtuous speeches about fairness, liberty and justice then continues to enact policies designed to keep a third of the world in a state of constant starvation. For example, The US purposely stopped the supply of cheap non-brand Aids drugs to Africa just to placate the drugs industry. As a result millions will die who could have been saved."
From 2000 to 2003, the amount given by the US government specifically for AIDS relief in Africa increased from $118 million to $285 million each year. How much is the country you live in giving on this?
"5. The continual support by the US of regimes that oppress their people so that other US parties can gain an economic foothold."
We'll leave this for a time when you can provide specifics.
"6 The American belief that profit is all. People don't count."
Nice simplistic slogan. However, realize that all profits are made by people.
"7. American hypocrisy....."
"There isn't a continent on this planet that the US aren't killing people directly or indirectly."
First, a grammar correction. The United States, as it is one country, is a singular entity. The correct grammar would be "...the US isn't...". To deal with the point, there are only two continents where this is going in: Asia (Iraq and Afghanistan) and North America (where the US applies the death penalty for convicts).
"the US.... is the only country to have used nuclear weapons and poison gases to kill thousands of people."
One correction here: several countries have used poison gas in warfare.
"8. The continual military support of Israel and it's attempted genocide of the Palestinian people."
That is a GOOD THING. The only attempted genocide is that by the Palestinians and Arabs against Israel. Either you know little about the conflict, or you are antisemitic. So, basically, the US is "hated" because it refuses to stand by and let Hamas/etc carry out its planned extermination of the Israelis.
"9 The insane belief that most Americans in this NG..."
I will leave this until you spell out NG.
Where were you when the voynix came?
mod parent up.
However, as an organizing principle for the world, cultural relativism has become yet another excuse to believe without thinking. It's all good, so long as you are not the one being hurt by "different" meanings of the term "freedom" or "torture" or "following the law" (see: signing statements) or different ideas about the level of violence, repression, and mutilation which should be allowed to be inflicted by your "culture" on your daughters. Such cultural "traditions" are most often "practiced" ostensibly to support "religious beliefs" but isn't it interesting how they typically also serve to keep a tiny brutal minority in power and opulence while you suffer in this life, awaiting the next? Yes, that's right, I'm suggesting that the atheistic (scientific) notion of cultural relativism has escaped from the utility of thought experiment and runs rampant now as dogma and that among other things it has become tangled in the meme framework supporting theocratic oppression. Let's talk about that over a beer some time.
When they came for the knee-jerk libertarian computer geeks on Slashdot, there wasn't anybody left to defend you from the jack booted thugs. So sorry.
Stop accepting the dogma of cultural relativism blindly, and start thinking. It's definitely not all good.
Learn about the Founding Fathers. They warned us about compromising the democratic ideals given to us in The Constitution of the United States of America, a freely-licensed open source design pattern for democracy. Take a couple hours some evening to read and contemplate the document and the amendments, particularly the Bill of RIghts. You won't regret those hours. Consider them an investment in our common future.
If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Nice sig. way to troll.
...and that is all I have to say about that.
http://jessta.id.au