Email 6
From J
Why so anti US in your view point?
_____
Steve's reply
I am not anti-America. I am anti-American
policies and policymakers.
I feel like a child who was raised in
a comfortable home with all the advantages. He believed he had
the most wonderful family in the world, until one day he found
out that his family was severely dysfunctional, that his parents
were really leading a double life. In public they talked of fairness
and tolerance, gave to charity, praised the Bill of Rights and
the ideals of democracy, protested the suffering of the poor and
disadvantaged.
But, in truth they were liars and hypocrites,
expoiters of the poor and the weak, violators of democratic ideals,
mass murderers.
He had a choice to make: he could say
nothing and go along, or he could tell family, friends and neighbors
the truth. He decided to talk.
Of course, most of the people he spoke
to were horrified by his decision to air the family's dirty laundry
in public; they saw his decision as misguided and wrong. They
said he was unappreciative of all the things his parents had done
for him; that his parents could not have done all those awful
things, but even if they did, they must have good reasons for
doing so; they must know things others do not.
Although his family had provided him with
many advantages, he knew that what they were doing was wrong;
they had to be stopped. He could not keep silent.
He exposed his parents' crimes, in order
to stop them from committing more of them. He was condemned for
his actions, because few people were willing to believe that his
parents could do such horrible things. Of course, these people
were wrong.
I know about the advantages I have enjoyed,
but in the name of decency, I must do what I can to make Americans
aware of the lies their government tells them daily and the crimes
their government commits in their name.
***
From CL
Best site on the internet. Period. ...
your work is having a profound effect, and young people I know,
we're passing around the URL and site excerpts.
***
From AE
There are mistakes on your description
of Francisco Franco.
(1) "Spain's first free elections
in 1936".
The elections that brought the Second Spanish Republic where held
in 1931 not 1936. And those were not the first free elections
in Spain. The coalition of powers that conspired against the Republic
were, the Catholic Church, the Oligarchy and the Military. Franco
came into dominance of the rebellion by accident, after the death
in an airplane crash in Portugal by the leader of the rebellion
by General Mola.
(2)"1975, Spain became a democratic
republic once again."
Spain became a Democratic Parliamentary Monarchy with Juan Carlos
I as the king.
***
From AD
I stumbled across "thirdworldtraveler.com" while looking
for references to, oh, it doesn't matter. But I'm puzzled. Every
link I click on seems to be focused on (even obsessed
with!) the USA, and Americans' relationship to foreigners, and
not to the third world as such. Am I just unlucky?
To be honest, the deeper I've gone into
the left wing thing, the more it seems to relate the "third
world" (whatever that is) with America. This mysterious third
world doesn't seem to have any noble existence on its own.
I'd be much obliged if you could point
me towards any references towards the third world that *doesn't
mention* America or Americans on some page!
_____
Steve's reply
Europe shaped the world before World War I; the U.S. has shaped
it since. The impact of our policies is enormous, and the lives
of many third world peoples have been profoundly affected by us,
most often to their detriment. In the name of democracy we have
overthrown democratically elected governments and installed and
supported militarily dictatorships and authoritarian regimes across
the globe. In the name of freedom we have undermined it everywhere.
We still do. Look up William Blum's Killing Hope (excerpted on
this site) to begin to recognize the enormous damage we have done
in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The mal-developed countries of the world
have always been and still are valued by the first world as sources
of cheap labor and raw materials, and as strategic military locations,
little more.
Economically, the countries of the third
world exist in the context of globalization and the hegemony of
transnational corporations. For these corporations, the world
is just one big mall, and they troll for bargains in every third
world "shop". But their impact is not only on the third
world. As neo-liberal policies increase their grip, the social
structures of first world countries will continue to move in a
third-world direction.
As a result, we will continue to see the
"thirdworldization" of America: increased disparities
in wealth, decreased support for the "have-nots", increased
numbers of disposable people, the exportation of jobs to third
world sweatshops, continued loss of economic power by the middle
class, a growing prison-industrial complex and an escalating prison
population, especially of minorities, climbing military budgets
and militarization of the society, and corporate control of the
politicians, the political process, the media, the culture, the
country.
As corporate totalitarianism takes hold
and a small elite of powerful corporate CEOs become the de facto
government, America will become a democracy in name only. Following
the model of "show-elections" in many U.S.- supported
"democratic" third world countries, our elections even
now allow only politicians to run for office who support the established
structure of wealth and power and who are anointed by the ruling
elites. And, our once-great country "of the people, for the
people, and by the people" is gradually becoming a distant
memory.
The only thing that can stop this process
is an informed American populace. This website is my small attempt
to get Americans to wake up before it is too late.
For references to third world countries,
or the United States., unrelated to reality, try a travel agent.
***
From JW
Congratulations on a very well organized and comprehensive site.
I have travelled extensively through S E Asia, Asia, Europe, Middle
East and the US. The US presence throughout the world is obvious
in its many forms no matter where you go, and has always been
a source of great concern for me. For the last 12 months I have
been searching for material about US foreign policy and the third
world, since Sept 11 it has become a passion. One night my girlfriend
and I were trying to define what 'third world' actually meant
so we typed in "definition of third world" into Google,
and up came your site. It was exactly what I have been looking
for. Thanks for the amazing work you have put into it, it must
be a passion for you too. One question, have you spent any time
in third world countries and witnessed this stuff first hand.
___
Steve's reply
Thank you for your comments. I have traveled extensively in the
Third World (I just got back from Mali in West Africa). I saw
lots of Osama bin Laden t-shirts. Even though he is an international
criminal, he is not considered an enemy there because many of
the poor and disenfranchised in the world view the U.S. government
as the "bad guy". Americans, however, are warmly received.
***
From PR
I was just looking at the front page of your website and noticed
that you don't have anything from Thoreau's Civil Disobedience.
Not only is it a classic consulted by Gandhi and Martin Luther
King, Jr., it fits your world view excellently.
In closing, I implore you not to engage
in propaganda the way you purport the corporate structure does.
A true sign of responsible media coverage is a balanced view in
which the audience is allowed to discern their own opinion. Yes,
Chomsky has his points, but doesn't also Microsoft have theirs?
An educated populace is advantageous to our society, but "educated"
does not (necessarily) denote "radical."
_____
Steve's reply
Thank you for our comments. I read Civil Disobedience a long time
ago. It's time that I read it again.
propaganda
1. The systematic propagation of a doctrine
or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests
of those people advocating such a doctrine or cause.
2. Material disseminated by the advocates of a doctrine or cause:
the selected truths, exaggerations, and lies of wartime propaganda.
I do not suggest that the material I present
on my website offers a balanced view of the world, because it
does not. But, I'm not sure it should be considered propaganda,
since I offer it only to those who visit the site. What I am trying
to do is give an alternative point of view to balance the suffocating
bias of the corporate media.
The misinformation that we are exposed
to each hour of each day on every TV channel, on every radio station,
and in every newspaper, could more accurately be called propaganda.
It is truly the 'systemic propagation' to the American people,
by government policymakers and their corporate press, of a world
view that is, in my opinion, false, will ultimately lead the country
to make war on many in the third world, and result in 'blowback'
to America and Americans everywhere.
It is inaccurate for you to equate the
influence of Noam Chomsky with that of Microsoft. Although, both
have valid points of view, Microsoft has a forum in the corporate
media (it owns major media) and Noam Chomsky does not. As far
as 99% of the American people are concerned, Noam Chomsky does
not exist, because of the consistent censorship of his views.
Microsoft on the other hand has no such problem. So much for balance.
In my opinion, the present policy elite
in this country are morally unwell people, and should be considered
international war criminals. Yet, Americans accept their leaders'
deranged decisions with little thought. Dr. Strangelove is alive
and well.
Unquestioning acceptance of the policies
of those in authority must end. Fascism is rearing its ugly head.
As in Nazi Germany, where the leaders of the Third Reich were
able, because of the silence of the German people, to commit their
egregious crimes against humanity, only an informed and aroused
American people can change the direction in which our political
leaders are taking this country.
It will take persistent, intensive, non-violent
efforts, to get Americans to wake up and see what their government
is doing in their name. If radical is defined as fundamental,
then I will accept that label, because only fundamental change
in the way Americans see the world, will have an impact on the
actions of our elected leaders. Henry David Thoreau, I think,
would have approved.
***
From J
I just wanted to say thanks if you are
the one who put up this website. I often cheek out thirdworldtraveler
for all kinds of information, from the media to the military.
What a wonderful job you have done putting so much information
on a variety of extremely important topics, you could read for
a year straight.
I've tried to get progressive books through
the Rhode Island library system and found they have few to none.
And I have little money to spend buying books, so your site has
helped me to learn about a variety of subjects that would other
wise been hard to access. I will continue to tell my friends about
this site. keep up the great work.
***
From JW
Congratulations on a very well organized and comprehensive site.
I have travelled extensively through S E Asia, Asia, Europe, Middle
East and the US. The US presence throughout the world is obvious
in its many forms no matter where you go, and has always been
a source of great concern for me. For the last 12 months I have
been searching for material about US foreign policy and the third
world, since Sept 11 it has become a passion. One night my girlfriend
and I were trying to define what 'third world' actually meant
so we typed in "definition of third world" into Google,
and up came your site. It was exactly what I have been looking
for. Thanks for the amazing work you have put into it, it must
be a passion for you too. One question, have you spent any time
in third world countries and witnessed this stuff first hand.
___
Steve's reply
Thank you for your comments. I have traveled extensively in the
Third World (I just got back from Mali in West Africa). I saw
lots of Osama bin Laden t-shirts. Even though he is an international
criminal, he is not considered an enemy there because many of
the poor and disenfranchised in the world view the U.S. government
as the "bad guy". Americans, however, are warmly received.
***
From SS
I love your web site. Not that I agree with everything published
on your site, but it does give me a better perspective on our
country. Do you have any material on South Africa? Apartheid is
not dead - it is not even terminally ill. It seems to me that
the only thing which has changed here is the colour of the people
who sit in parliament. I have grave misgivings about the ability
of our fledgling democracy to survive. White people still control
most of the capital in this country, and most of the media is
owned and controlled by "big business". White people
are angry and hostile to the new government, although why they
are so hostile and angry is beyond me -it is not black people
who tortured and killed white people, but the other way around,
and it is black people who have a right to be hostile and angry.
White people also complain incessantly about how "bad"
things are and about the dollar exchange rate and complain about
every thing which does not really affect the lives of millions
of people in South Africa, namely black people.; White people
make fun about how black people speak and pronounce English and
it never enters their minds that this not an English speaking
country!! I could go on and on and on, but I won't - it is for
these reasons that I ask whether you have any material about us.
____
Steve's reply
Thank you for your comments.
I have very little on South Africa, since
my focus has been on the state of democracy in the US and the
impact of US policies on third world countries.
However, your picture of South Africa
is a description of the direction the United States is moving.
The trend in the US today is to the right, and in favor of those
with money. The concentration of wealth and power continues. Race
is not the main issue, although it's presence in our society is
a constant.
10-20% of the US population is doing well
and the rest are either falling behind or were left in the dust
long ago. Corporations control the wealth, and the politicians.
The image of the United States as a haven from oppression and
a land of opportunity is fading fast. Those in our society with
advantages either do not see that they have advantages, or find
excuses why they deserve them.
Racism has a long US history as well.
Slavery, and the US government's role in supporting apartheid
are not proud moments for most of us . And, if you have ever read
Jonathan Kozol's books about inner-city education in the US, you
will quickly see that 'de facto' apartheid is alive and well here.
It is sad, but the country that proclaims itself the champion
of freedom and justice, continues to deny them to many of its
own citizens.
***
From RG
I have a question to you. Is it possible to get an autograph from
Sir Henry Kissinger? I am a big fan from him, but I didn`t had
that chance to met him. So It was not possible for me to get an
autograph from him. I hope you can help me. Of course I will pay
for it.
___
Steve's reply
Sorry, I don't have that information, since I haven't requested
"Sir Henry's" autograph for myself. You might contact
Augusto Pinochet in Chile, the Suharto family in Indonesia, or
some of Pol Pot's relatives in Cambodia.
***
From SC
Hello! I am a ninth grade history teacher who has just been surfing
and looking at the web site of the foremost America hater, Howard
Zinn. I was wondering if there were any forums to exchange ideas
with people who buy into the unrealistic thinking of a supposed
historian like Zinn, and where I could get some arguments that
are a little less off the wall. I am truly grateful that I live
in a country where people who have such loathing for their own
government can express their ideas, and also a little saddened
that people hold onto dated beliefs about their own country. This
is not the sixties where "my country right or wrong"
was replaced by "my country always wrong". Where does
your organization really stand on terrorism? Do you think that
negotiating with savages like the PLO and Hamas will change things?
Also, your boy Zinn's barely concealed anti-semitism could use
some polishing. Do most Israelis believe giving up occupied territories
to murderers will make them safe? Anyway, good luck in this climate
getting people to hate themselves after the attacks we have been
through.
___
Steve's reply
Howard Zinn does not hate America. He is dislikes immoral American
government policies. He is a dissenter in a period of thoughtless
obedience to authority; in an era of jingoism and war profiteering,
while politicians and pundits scream for blood.. He criticizes
the conformity of the media. And, he morns the silence of the
American people, when their protest would be a more appropriate
response to Washington's violations of international law, and
its evisceration of the civil liberties of those who dissent,
or who are different, in appearance, religion, or ideology.
The bombing of the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon on September 11th, was not a declaration of war.
It was an international criminal act by an Islamic fundamentalist
gangster organization. And, it should be treated as a criminal
act, by seeking out those responsible and trying them in an International
Criminal Court. Bombing an already devastated nation and its long-suffering
people back beyond the stone age, has already resulted in many
more deaths of innocent civilians than were suffered in New York.
But, because they are - the other - not Americans, not Christian,
not white, it seems not to matter. This is not a rational action
of a caring and democratic people, but an act of state terror,
another crime against humanity.
When there is no dissent allowed, state
crimes usually result. In the absence of effective dissent, the
Roman government killed Christians in the name of all Romans.
In the absence of effective dissent, the German government killed
Jews in the name of all Germans. In the absence of effective dissent
the Russian government killed Poles, Czechs and Romanians in the
name of all the Russian people. Now, in the absence of dissent,
the American government is killing Afghanis, and Iraqis, and Palestinians,
in the name of all Americans.
The problem is not Howard Zinn (or me).
The problem is an atmosphere in this country where dissent is
considered un-American; where anyone who questions the actions
of our government is "abetting the enemy"; where the
civil liberties upon which this country was founded are being
taken away, and a new McCarthyism is raising its ugly head.
It is neither "My country right or
wrong", nor "My country always wrong." It is "My
country when right to support it, when wrong to make it right."
*
SC replies
I respect your right to dissent all you want. But please, have
some dissent with a little originality.
The civilian deaths from the air war are not nearly as high as
the terrorist acts, and I am sure that the families of the victims
of the bombings would be horrified to hear you equating them.
Also, where the hell do you get your figures?
You must be a big Chomsky fan. You put out numbers that cannot
be proven. Anecdotal evidence does not fly, not even in your mythological
International Court of Justice. Maybe we can get the Superfriends
to sit on the jury. Wake up! The years of coddling these savages
are over.
Lastly, the anti-semitism your boy continues
to spout is alarming. We do not kill Palestinians, and the Israeli
government is remarkably restrained considering the animals it
is surrounded by. Do I have sympathy for the innocents who do
not engage in violence? Of course. The sanctions against Iraq
are barbaric. When innocents die, I grieve. But guess what? We
just had 3,000 innocents of our own die. I have no problem hunting
the perpetrators down and killing them. That is what you do to
an animal who has gone bad. By the way, let me guess. You think
Mumia is innocent also.
___
Steve's reply
I am Jewish, not an anti-semite; I am just "anti-Israel's
polices". And yes, I think Mumia is innocent.
*
SC replies
What in the name of God do you read to get your information? He
killed a cop in cold blood. He is as guilty as the day is long.
Maybe you are not an anti-semite, but your boy Zinn certainly
has no love for the jewish people, no matter how much he may protest
that he loves everybody. What would you have Israel do? Give all
the land back? The palestinians and arab nations have demonstrated
through words and deeds that they care only for the complete destruction
of Israel. Peace does not work with savages. That
may offend liberal ears, but Hamas, Yasser "Munich '72 murderer"
Arafat and all the others care about killing Israelis, not living
with them.
Let me start out by saying that the death
penalty as it is employed is a mess. The only people getting executed
are the poor. I believe in a death penalty, but not the one we
have in place. As for mumia, the only thing that was thrown out
was the sentence, there was no evidence to back his claims of
innocence. i am well aware of the racism practiced by the police
at the time, there is simply no evidence of his innocence. Sharon
is not the murderer here. It is arafat and the Palestinian Authority
that let's suicide bombers thrive. the arabs have stated and continue
to state their unwillingness to let Israel exist. They worship
Hitler and sided with him in Ww2. The other Arab countries have
had ample opportunity to absorb the palestinians, but continue
not to do that. Israel cannot be expected to cave in to the people
that want them dead.
_____
Steve's reply
We agree on a few things: our justice system is unjust; Israel
has a right to exist, secure, and free from threats to its existence;
Arafat is no hero; the wealthy Arab countries in the Middle East
should have both taken in Palestinains a long time ago and have
helped Palestinians build a stronger economic system in the West
Bank.
We disagree on some other things: Mumia
Abu-Jamal may be innocent. Thousands of people around the world
have come to believe that he was wrongly convicted and have demonstrated
in support of a review of his murder conviction and the granting
of a new trial with new evidence, and including a competent defense
team.
All of the leaders of Israel, past and
present, were "terrorists" when they fought to bring
into existence the state of Israel (so were those who fought the
British to found the USA). The British handed over land in Palestine
to Zionist leaders. This act was unjust to the people who lived
on the land, and they with their leaders, including Arafat, fought
back with violence, and the Jews successfully responded in kind.
After a reality check some years ago,
Arafat and the Palestinian Authority finally agreed to delete
their call for the destruction of Israel. The Palestinans, who
have essentially lived in a concentration camp for over 50 years,
have the right to be a free people and to be able to offer a decent
future to their children. But, Israel, under right-wing leaders,
with the financial support of U.S. taxpayers, has decided it wants
more than just Israel - it wants West Bank land and it wants Palestinian
water. The Jewish settlements in the West Bank have essentially
so divided up the area that Palestinians cannot have a viable
state. The area is now a jigsaw puzzle, with the settlers and
Israel holding most of the pieces.
Ariel Sharon is a war criminal and should
be tried at The Hague for crimes against humanity for, among other
things, the cold-blooded mass murder of Palestinian refugees in
1982. As Israeli Defense Minister, he allowed Israeli Defence
Forces to stand by as Lebanese Maronite Christian militias under
his control entered the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in southern
Lebanon killing 2,000 Palestianian refugees, including many women,
children.
I don't know if the PLO supported Hitler's
policies, but any list of Nazi-supporters would be a very long
one indeed, and would have to include numerous political and business
leaders from the United States and Europe. Hitler was a hero of
Henry Ford, and the Ford Motor Company along with RCA, GM, Standard
Oil (the Rockefeller family), Chase National Bank, Dupont, ITT
and other businessmen and US-based corporations supported Hitler,
provided him with war materials including telephone equipment,
gasoline, trucks, etc., and made huge profits along the way. In
addition, even when the US government knew what was happening
to the Jews in Europe, the isolationist political climate in this
country prevented the Roosevelt administration from allowing fleeing
Jews to enter the US.
So, there are not many heros, on any side.
We need to acknowledge that our history includes both good and
bad acts by our government. Injustice prevails in the world and
in our own country. Once we recognize that, we can begin the job
of trying to make things right as best we can. The website is
my attempt to do that.
***
From J
Hi. I'm a college student from Seattle going to school in Idaho.
I've been overwhelmed by the variety of things there are to do
here in the Potato State, so I've had a lot of free time on my
hands. I'm in an International Politics class right now, and while
I was studying for a research paper I came across your site. Since
then I've spent hours browsing the articles you've compiled, and
I can't believe how much new information I've gained. Your website
is the most interesting thing online. The authors you have there
are great. I bought Agee's book, "Inside the Company"
and have enjoyed it. These issues are totally absent from the
education of the average American citizen, and it is amazing and
shocking to me that this information isn't more widely available.
This material should be given as a requisite. I just wanted to
thank you for providing this resource to me and other people,
and I hope you can keep it up and running.
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