What is the basis for the belief that whenever the U.S. gets involved

[KlatooBNikto]

in an overseas war, it is to benefit those people?

[JuniorPlankton]

1. because we are, by definition, good!

[lectrobyte]

3. God is on our side. Haven't you heard?

[KlatooBNikto]

4. Even if we kill millions of those people, lay waste to their land and

plunder their resources?

[JuniorPlankton]

8. It is for the greater good

Even if some people (the dead ones or their relaitives) cannot see it this way.

[rkc3]

12. You're absolutely correct!

We'll give those bastards democracy if we have to kill every one of them.

[samwisefoxburr]

2. I don't know but here is another one to think about...

How does killing people on the other side of the globe protect our freedom? The only people that can take any of our freedoms away are the ones that run our country!

[helnwhls]

5. No basis in a belief whatsoever

pure marketing. "we are bringing democracy" sounds better than we are bullying this country to steal it's oil.

[amber dog democrat]

6. Well that is how the powers that be

sell it to the home constituents. This helps out with the congnative dissonance so much in demand by the armchair patriots. We can't go killing and maiming innocent people and non combatants with out some benefit. It kinda evens the score.

I wonder. Where did that quote " you've got some star spangled nails in your coffin " come from ?

[proud patriot]

7. That's always been what the government tells us

people who blindly trust government and
who naturally have faith in the good of
America are easily made to believe that
our governments intentions are genuine.

IMO

[Owlet]

9. basically a modern version...

...of the British Empire rationale of the 'white man's burden'.

http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/922/

"Take up the White Man's burden--
Send forth the best ye breed--
Go, bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait, in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild--
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.

Take up the White Man's burden--
In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain,
To seek another's profit
And work another's gain."

Weirdly familar-sounding, isn't it?

[On the Road]

10. Wow -- Never Saw the Words to That One

and it says "the threat of terror," huh? Some things never change.

[izzie]

11. I do think it came from the Marshall Plan.

Most winners take the spoils and we re-build both Japan and Germany. They were to be great trade partners and they are. It was like the GI bill. More people were educated under that than we had ever educated and we did not have trouble with the riots they had after WW1. Both done to help our self even as it helped all in these plans.

[Serenades]

13. People

People in general are inherently gullible. Also, they are ignorant of many things. People in Europe are more skeptical and see things in a different life because their perspective is different than those from America. People in Europe have endured World Wars, famines, depressions and the like while in America we have it relatively easy. Sure, we were involved in lots of wars and had people killed but we never saw it with our own eyes. We never saw people getting shot in the streets. We never saw buildings getting blown up by airplanes, women and children being raped by soldiers from some other country, and having to scrounge for food and water, etc.

So, the media or government can concoct the idealized notion that we are always right. We are always on the right side of wars, disputes, or whatever. People believe this because they believe we alone stopped Nazism, Reagan stopped Communism, we went to Kosovo and busted butt, etc.

Americans haven’t seen blatant corruption by their governments and when they do they dismiss it as partisan hogwash. Look right in front of your eyes. People are blinded because their belief that the US can do no wrong. Look at Florida and Louisiana. No one actually believes there was voter fraud but us. This is information right there for anyone to see – just as plain as day but no one realizes or believes it.

Primarily, the only ones skeptical of our government’s practices are African Americans. My parents are skeptical about anything that anyone in government says because they lived through the 50s and 60s. Their parents were barely a generation out of slavery. There is a general mistrust of people who are Caucasians. They hate George W. Bush and will vote for John Kerry. They do not believe that John Kerry is all that much better or interested in people’s well-being but he is perceived as the lesser of two evils. Most people I know don’t vote for Democrats because Democrats say it is the party of inclusion or prosperity but because it is not as bad as Republicans. People see that Democrats are just as concerned with lining their pockets with cash but at least the poor get the crumbs. Whereas, when Republicans are in office no one gets anything.

So, in summation, Americans are gullible because they have a general trust of what they are told. They do not question because they believe that America is the beckon for freedom and we have not wronged anyone in our history. People believe that we have always stood on the right side of whatever conflict. Even in Vietnam people think we were right but dumb hippies ruined it by their pesky protesting.

[Eugene]

14. Manifest Destiny

The doctrine of Manifest Destiny said that
America would rule all of North America,
dominate the western hemisphere and
influence the world. Americans would
sweep the globe as invading liberators.
Under this principle, we "liberated" Cuba
and The Philippines in 1898.

Even earlier, we tried and failed to liberate
Canada in the War of 1812.