Gerhard Schreoder’s Liberal Democratic Party won a closely fought election this week. The election’s major battleground seemed to be which party could bash America the loudest, denouncing our policies as “self serving” and accusing us of Imperialism.



Well now.



First off, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m prouder, as an American, today, than at any other time. Mr. Schroeder and his opponent demonstrate, by their exercise of free speech, just how “imperialistic” America is and has been in the last 60 years. For their very freedom to bray on is due solely to America’s and NATO’s fifty year stand against Communist imperialism. For the country where Her Goebels’ “Big Lie” was invented to now give such a perfect example of free speech as to denigrate their liberators and to impugn to them acquisitive motives only proves the opposite. Could an American "puppet" speak this way? Hardly.



"Here's your country back, don't fall all over yourselves thanking us."



For those less aware of recent global history, the Cold War started after WWII, when the Russians refused to return the eastern half of Germany, and the eastern half of Berlin, to the rightful owners, the German people. Since Berlin is located deep in the territory then controlled by the Russians, they clearly thought that by closing the only road leading to the West, that by starving Western Berlin, they could win it all. The Russians built a wall across Berlin, dividing the city in two. America and her allies began the “Berlin Airlift” flying in tons and tons of supplies. The Cold War was born. For fifty years, the West, lead and funded by America, defied the Soviet powers, opposing their attempts to acquire Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and the Western half of both Berlin and Germany. Undermined at home and abroad, the US pulled out of Viet Nam, saved only half of Korea, and merely funded and trained the “Mujahideen” or “holy fighters” who threw the Soviets out of Afghanistan.



Did “imperialist” America keep any of these countries? Not even by installing puppet governments; as Herr Schroeder’s actions prove. South Korea undercuts our manufacturers and timber industry, and the Mujahideen were lead by Osama - who is clearly no American puppet.



Neither were the most recent government of Afghanistan, the Taliban.



Fifty years later, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, and the German people went right back to their xenophobia, perversely accepting the immigration of large numbers of poverty stricken refugees from around Europe, while a vocal component of their ‘native’ population hated those immigrants with alarming rhetoric.



And today, Herr Shroeder’s anti-American rhetoric is credited with wooing the German people into voting for him.



We lived for a year with an East German girl in our home. She was clean, fairly honest, conducted herself honorably and took able care of our children. Chillingly, she viewed Herr Hitler as a good man with good intentions who overstepped himself by attacking Russia too early in his campaign. She devoutly believed, and asserted that her neighbors all shared her belief, that Dresden was bombed after the war ended. And yet, the country which more than any other laid her historic hero low, which bombed her home city to flaming rubble, in her view “Just for spite, after the war ended” , is the one she was prepared to violate the law in which to remain. I’m still scratching my head over that one.



Never mind the French, whose country we shed blood and treasure to redeem, and then return. They’ve despised us for a long time, always happy to Hoover up those tourist dollars while sneering at the people spending those dollars. Guess nothing has worked out for them since Napoleon met his Waterloo, eh? Have they renounced imperialism, or is it merely sour grapes? Hint: Ever seen Napoleon’s tomb? You physically can’t, unless you kneel. "Feeling a tad marginalized, guys? Try reinstituting any kind of reward for excellence in your economy and/or culture, you might just turn your train-wreck of an economy around."



And the Russians? As the most recent expansionist/Imperialist ideology/state on the planet, the wreckage of whose empire is still where all the trouble-spots on the planet lie; well, they have every right to point their fingers, it’s just that I can't watch them without feeling the urge to snigger. 200 missing Nukes in Ukrain alone, and people seriously worry about America going after Saddam? Jingoism, pure and simple.



Look, guys, socialist fantasies aside, all countries are different sizes, somebody's got to be the biggest kid on the block. I understand the big guy is always the best target. Rabble rousers of all stripes will take their shots, and such is an important hallmark of the kind of free society America promulgates, by her example. But on the one hand, we're expected to lead the world in emmisions-per-capita retuction, aid to poor countries, etc, but we're supposed to feel awfull about how we recognize a threat and act to eliminate it. But before you bewail the fact that the somebody happened to be America, consider the alternatives, and consider our proud tradition of giving countries back to their owners after paying for the land with our own blood, and just judge us by our actions, not by your politicians' rhetoric.



Hey, just who's values are they mapping on to us, anyway... hm....... couldn't be... their own, could it?



Just my .02

Perhpas he is bashing Bush... not America

Like him and his idiology or not, realize that a lot of Americans agree with the President of the United States. Not that we want to go to war or want to piss off the rest of the globe, we realize that at some point you have to put up or shut up. Sodam Insane would like nothing more than to kill a few million Amercan civillians and run the west into the econimic sewer (right where the Middle East is). Something must be done to prevent that from happening, be it containment or elimination.



The abysmal foreign policy of the US over the past 50 years has lead us to this point. It is not the sole responsibility of any politician or political party but the net effect of a half century of supporting the thug that liked us and undermining the thug that didn't. American policy has always favored American interest. Guess what, that is how Sodam Insane rose to power. We used him to keep Iran and it's radical mullahs in check after the 1979 revolution. We ought take out the bastard and apologize to the whole darn region for creating him in the first place. Problem is, what thug will we put in power next? See, its a vicious cycle.



Rather than criticise the ambitions and intentions of the leaders of the US, perhaps Europe and the Middle East should look upon the situation and come up with a few of its own ideas for fixing it. Appeasement, inaction and the status quo are not the answer (see Hitler). There will be no overnight solution, in fact it may take decades to fix, but the region is in shambles and needs a rennisance (sp?) badly. The right answer may not even be in the best interest of the United States, but one that adds security and stability to the region is certainly better than the alternative. Think globally, act globally.