Re: [GreenYes] Consumerism and renewable energy

[Muna Lakhani <muna@iafrica.com>]

RJayW2@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I'm not saying Americans should not go on a spending frenzy in order to
> appease other people and other governments elsewhere.  Our standard of living
> is the envy of the world.  

many of us out here are apalled at the resources the US consumes, so
that statement could be moderated a tad....none of my friends want to
live the wasteful lives of the US with no regard to harm caused in the
accessing of those resources....

> I kind of disagree with an earlier posting by Muna.  I believe
> some countries ENVY the U.S.A., not necessarily HATE it.  Of course there is
> a fine line between envy and hate, but one look at our immigration patterns
> the last half century and I'm sure all will agree the world does not hate the
> U.S.--the world wants to live here.

obviously - would you not wish to live where the resources are? It also
seems to me here, many miles away, that the marketing works on some
too....

please don't forget that your country has something like 40 million
children living in poverty, so it is hardly the heaven on earth some
claim it to be....
 
> Further, we are a compassionate people.  Double it?  Visit a military grave
> site.  We've helped liberate Europe twice.  We've made 21st century freedoms
> in many countries possible by our sacrifices and blood shed during the last
> century.  We've given more money to other less fortunate countries than any
> other country in the history of man.

sorry to say this, but apologists haven't changed a bit.. it is the
supreme arrogance of the US that is the issue here - the blood you shed,
over many years, in theatres of war where you had no right to get
involved; the constant and continual rape of resources that lead to
poverty, death and disease in the South; the muscling into markets
without concomitant access to your markets; the billions you spend on
arms; giving 3% of the money you make from raping Africa and the South
is hardly anything more than conscience, which I wish the US would
develop more of - it is the very compassion of which you speak that
should be coming to the fore, rather than trying to justify why you
should be loved....

sorry to be so straight forward - but many of us cannot believe that
citizens of the USA are saying "why us?" - are Americans really that
naive? 

> Do we feel the hatred of the "major part of the world?"  If so, we don't
> deserve that animosity.

just desserts is a lesson we all learn... if my friends wish to shield
themselves from the simple truth, there is nothing I can do - I share
these thoughts so that you can see what a simple, generally positive
person like myself feels around this issue - the depth of feeling that I
come across often is a 1000 times more to the point and much more
vicious...

may we all have our eyes opened through this terrible tragedy, and try
and find ways that do not perpetuate this global hatred for the US,
which, by all appearances, has taken the form of a low tech strike
against a bully...

violence will unfortunately, I fear, beget more violence - we went
through ever increasing vicious cycles of violence, with ever harder
cracking down on dissent and opposition to an unlawful government.. many
died... I do not wish the same for you.... we will be constantly sending
messages of peace to all of you, and hopefully our mantras will be heard
by the kindest spirits of the planet, and I pray that not a single more
life is lost....

many blessing and strength at this time, and always....

Muna


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