Twaddle!
I get really annoyed when Americans say people hate them for their freedom. It is absolute nonsense.
I happen to like Americans! My girlfriend is American. I've spent some time in America and the people are very friendly, always polite. I was in North Carolina just a couple weeks ago and it's amazing how easy it is to strike up a conversation with people.
It's America's government and foreign policy that rattles everyone. Unfortunately, Americans are very ignorant about the activities of their own government abroad and a comparatively small percentage of American people travel abroad, get to see foreign culture and meet people with different religious views etc etc.
My brother worked for a charity in Iraq after the invasion. 2 things struck him more than anything else. The first was the friendliness of the Iraqi people. The second was the incredible level of destruction caused by America's military might.
Some estimates calculate as many as 1 million people have died in Iraq since the invasion of the country by America and Britain. I repeat 1 MILLION people
Thats a 9-11 a day, every day for nearly a whole year.
America is fighting this war in Iraq for oil and to ensure that oil stays priced in dollars. The dollar is an oil backed currency. When Saddam Hussein decided to sell his oil for Euros, he unwittingly declared war on America. Now Iran is also selling its oil for Euros, further undermining the dollar which is losing its value on the foreign exchange markets ever more rapidly. Today, gold is $768oz! Oil is over $80 a barrel. America's empire is unwinding fast.
American administations have toppled democratically elected governments in several countries and replaced them with dictators in order to serve the American oil companies and corporations. Chile was a democracy. Their government was toppled by the CIA and replaced by Augusto Pinochet, a fascist who went on to kill thousands of his own people. The CIA also backed a coup in Venuzuela in 2002to topple Hugo Chavez, a man who despite having socialist leanings has done wonderful things for his people. The American governemnt has funded wars all across Central and South america to protect its interests, Panama, Nicaragua, Bolivia.....the list goes on.
Then there is the middle east.
As Ron Paul has pointed out several times, the CIA toppled a democratically elected government of Iran in 1953 and installed the Shah of Iran, another dictator who murdered and tortured many of his own people.
The British, not to be outdone, fought wars in Iraq between the wars to pillage their oil.
The British and Americans created Isreal and millions of Palestinians were thrown off their land.
They fought wars in Korea and Vietnam where millions died including very many American soldiers.
America has be involved either directly or indirectly in every single war that has been fought since 1945 anywhere in the world.
So please, spare us the 'They hate us for our freedom' BS! That's the insane rhetoric of Bush and the NeoCons and they use it to justify evermore death and destruction across the world.
Do a goolge search on some of the really top journalists and educate yourself about American foreign policy. John Pilger and Greg Palast would be a good start
