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things ive learned about america

things ive learned about america

1. there is abortion on demand

2. there is a war on Christmas

3. there is a war on boys

4. there is a war on terrorism

5. giving tax cuts to the rich helps everyone

6. poor people deserve to be poor

7. there is a war on Christians

8. Christians are anti-women’s rights

9. Christians are anti-gay rights

10. Christians don’t think the environment matters

11. feminists hate men

12. feminists are lesbians

13. feminists believe they should terminate every pregnancy.

14. feminists are ugly

15. women don’t get jobs on merit, they only get them through trickery

16. women whine

17. women nag

18. women don’t play the game right

19. women want a double standard

20. women control sex in relationships

21. women control men

22. feminists are stupid

23. pro-choice people can’t organize

24. human beings do not impact the environment

25. Democrats/progressives/anti-war/greens are unpatriotic

26. Democrats/progressive/anti-war/greens are radical socialists

27. Democrats/progressive/anti-war/greens are immoral

28. The United States is a Christian nation and should be governed as one

29. George Bush is a strong, able, moral man

30. the media has a liberal bias

Your Logical Fallacy de Jour

Laurel, Md.: In many areas of the world, most noteworthy the Middle East, the Cold War created a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” mentality toward regimes we would otherwise not have approved of (Saddam and the Taliban come to mind).

Under either Clinton or Bush the younger, did most of the world ever come to see U.S. foreign policy as standing for anything right, or just for our nationalisitc interests?

John Lewis Gaddis: That’s sort of a loaded question — “did most of the world ever come to see U.S. foreign policy as standing for anything right” — and of course it’s impossible to answer precisely. But keep in mind one simple standard: how many people in the world would jump at the chance to move to the U.S. and become American citizens, if given the opportunity? Then balance that against the anti-American rhetoric that’s so prevalent, and see where you come out. The answer’s not obvious.

That’s not a simple standard, that’s a stupid way of arriving to a conclusion that not everyone hates America. How many people would jump at the chance of living in America, Canada, or Western Europe? A lot, and it’s not because they want to be ‘American’ or Western, etc., it’s because they want to live COMFORTABLY. Asking if someone from a third or second world country wants to be ‘American’ is like asking an average American if they want to be rich. What do you expect people in a lower position to say?

Some things to attend if you have the time

John Hopkins School of International Studies has been hosting some excellent events recently, this one coming up next Monday.

Former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey to Speak About Intelligence and War on Terror at JHU SAIS

R. James Woolsey, former director of Central Intelligence, will speak at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) on Monday, January 30 at 5:30 p.m. (a reception will precede the event at 5 p.m.)

Woolsey, currently a vice president with Booz Allen Hamilton’s Global Resilience practice, will speak at the inaugural lecture of the SAIS Intelligence Forum, addressing the topic of “The Long War of the 21st Century: How We Must Fight It.” He served as director of Central Intelligence from 1993 to 1995.

This event is being co-hosted by the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at SAIS and the U.S. Army’s Dwight D. Eisenhower National Security Series.

The event, which is open to the public, will be held in the Kenney Auditorium located on the first floor of the Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C. Members of the public should RSVP to 202.663.5837 or [email protected].

Last night

I went to the forum at John Hopkins with Bernard-Henri Lévy and William Kristol.

I will write a more thorough report that will be posted on Ablogistan.com and on PBH in the next couple of days. Until then, you can read my letter at Salon.

The Anti-Anti-American (In DC!)

The Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) will host a discussion with William Kristol and Bernard-Henri Lévy on the topic of “American Vertigo” on Tuesday, January 24 at 5:30 p.m.

William Kristol is editor of The Weekly Standard and one of the nation’s leading political analysts and commentators. Bernard-Henri Lévy is a renowned French philosopher and best-selling author.

Francis Fukuyama, the Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy and director of the SAIS International Development Program, will moderate the discussion.

The event, which is open to the public, will be held in Kenney Auditorium located on the first floor of the school’s Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C. Members of the public should RSVP to [email protected] or 202.663.5650.

Check out Levy — what an interesting figure!