Americas' myths and contradictions:

[unkachuck]

....I'll start....Congress declares wars.

Actually, the President declares and begins wars and Congress, not wanting to be unpatriotic or 'against the troops', follows the desire of the President....strange, as citizens, we're expected to follow lowly laws while the intent of our supreme legally document is ignored by our political leaders and is never challenged....

[Sandpiper]

1. My Turn: "America is founded on principles of equality"

At no point in American history has the nation not viciously discriminated against an identifiable group of people:

Indians, Blacks, Women, Gays, etc.

[zmdem]

13. Liberty is what America was founded on

Liberty and equality are contradictory.

[Sandpiper]

17. Liberty for a few

And servitude for many is what America was really founded on.

[zmdem]

19. Liberty for all leads to inequality

Some are smarter, luckier, more ambitious, etc. Liberty accentuates this. That we are all created equal in the eyes of God doesn't mean that we will all be equally successfull in any regard. The question is how much liberty are we willing to give up for equality. On that question hinges the distinction between modern day liberals and conservatives.

[Sandpiper]

21. There was no "liberty for all" at the inception of the United States

There was liberty for white males.

[Must_B_Free]

2. Columbus Discovered America

Should have been "Columbus discovered America already had people living there".

[zmdem]

12. Let's not forget Ericson n/t

[DireStrike]

3. "Freedom of religion"

as long as you believe in some form of christianity.

[bobweaver]

4. "Americans are a free people"

Only property owners are free. Everyone else is enslaved to them in one way or another. In actuality, only about 5% of Americans actually have real freedom. Everyone else is restricted by barriers that can only be crossed over with money.

[CornField]

5. The USA is a Christian Nation

More to the point, that our founding fathers were Christians and built this country around the precepts of Christianity. While the majority of people in this country today might consider themselves to be Christian... our nation was not founded on Christianity or with the Christian God.

[bobweaver]

6. "The United States is a democracy"

Power in the U.S. is not distributed equally through the population. It is concentrated heavily in a tiny segment of the population. Only members of that tiny segment have genuine access to power. Some votes actually count more than other votes.

[zmdem]

16. A modern misconception

America is a republic, has been at least since 1788.

[rocktop15]

22. Actually America is moreless a polyarchy

We talked about this one day in Contemporary Political Thought class. Basically it boils down to the fact that:

1) Being a politician is a job now
2) Voting is encouraged---but no more activity because system would collapse if all were pro-active and got out and did work and saw the system for what it really is
3) Power is in the hands of a few elites

[juslikagrzly]

7. We have freedom of the press

BWAAHAAAHAAA

Actually, it makes me cry

[zmdem]

14. We do have freedom of the press

Whoever owns a press has the freedom to print what they wish. Anyone is free to own a press.

[bobweaver]

8. Myth: The American economic system benefits all Americans.

Truth: Capitalism benefits only the ownership class of the system, and exploits the labor class. Capitalism always excaberates inequality of social classes, it never leads to more equality. When uncontrolled, capitalism always makes the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. "Those that gots, gets." Only through massive, organized and often violent struggles has the capitalist economic system of the U.S. been periodically corrected to address the constant trend towards inequality.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

9. America is the greatest place in the world to live and everyone

in other countries would rather live here than in their home countries.

[maveric]

10. We have freedom od speech.

Why do we have Free Speech Zones?

[WMliberal]

11. Amendment X: All powers not listed in the Const'n are relegated

to the states.

EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO POT!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
MARRGIAGE TOO!

[UpsideDownFlag]

15. 'all people are created equal' nt

[ilovenicepeople]

18. GOD Bets America

[bhikkhu]

20. Our Constitution is what makes this country different

I grew up thinking that. Even after the disgrace of Nixon, Vietnam, the debacles of the Carter administration, the farces of the Reagan era... I believed that this country was somehow different and good because our constitution guaranteed our rights and spelled out the rule of law that all Americans lived by, from the homeless to the president.

Bush finally changed all that. Torture, secret prisons, assasinations, death camps, all occur at the whim of the president. I or my neighbors or friends could "disappear" as easily here as in any corrupt authoritarian state, and the supreme court, the constitutional enforcers, have proven to me that they either won't or can't do lift a finger. Our form of government is no better than a third rate military dictatorship, and the constitution is nothing but old words on an old paper.