USA

Many of us, have a fascination with America? They seem to have an undue influence on the world. Every period of history has a power that is the dominant force on the globe and in my lifetime, so far, it is the good old US of A.

We have had much greatness emerge but equally just as many awful influences. I am not going to dwell on either, as this will put me in danger of getting into "list" mode and going off on a rambling tangent which is not my intention. I'll probably do so anyway, as is my want!

At present America is in the run up to the election of the next President. I find it unbelievable, that the Republican Party have endorsed Mitt Romney as their candidate! Have they turned into the American version, of the  long time British "joke" party, The Raving Loony Monster Party. A party, who offered alternate candidates, knowing they had no chance of winning but engaging the voters, to highlight the often nonsense, that surrounds politics.  
Surely this Mormon based buffoon has no chance against the present incumbent, Barrack Obama? Although this is America and stranger things have happened! 
Now I confess, that while I don't claim to be very knowledgeable about the in and outs and nuances of American politics and it is not always easy to implement your agenda, when dealing with the USA's governmental system, after having high hopes, Mr Obama has been sadly underwhelming. I think we were taken in by his oratory and apparent gravitas, underneath which, there is not as much substance as we may have thought. Granted his presidency has coincided with a economic downturn, the like of which we had not seen but on the world stage and domestically he seems to have been hamstrung by the weight of what it is to be the "leader of the  free world".
Having said all that I do not believe that Mr Romney, has "a cat in hell chance" of defeating him. Perhaps knowing that it would be difficult to topple Obama, the Republicans, are keeping their powder dry until the next election, when they may have a more credible opponent to run against the Democrats, whom themselves may struggle to find a credible replacement for the current President?
Does it matter? Well yes it does. With that much influence in the world, the leader is very important. You only have to remember the Bush and Blair years (a man who could slip under a snake wearing a top hat!) to see the damage these two war criminals did to the planet, a damage which continues to cause suffering . That however is a whole other discussion.

There is another subject, which I personally find alarming about Americans, it is religion, or to be more specific the unhealthy wave of the population and official bodies including some of the government, that believe in Creationism or Intelligent Design as they have tried to re-brand it. More alarming is that, in many States this is at the expense of teaching any alternative such as natural selection (Darwinism) or replacing such teachings, as being against god! The bible belt of the country seems to have a disproportionate hold on the political system, which has written in it's constitution that God and State should be separate. It appears that far from being separate, they are married in unholy wedlock and in my opinion that is extremely dangerous. There is no candidate in America, for any political post who would be foolish enough to engage in a religious debate and expect to get elected! It is a no go subject and political suicide!
I declare that I write, as one who is an atheist and do not believe in any god, so naturally I see things from a particular bias. 
It is utterly beyond my comprehension, that anyone has faith or believes in a supreme being who created the earth and man, when there is not a shred of evidence to support such a premise and a mass of scientific evidence, which overwhelmingly refutes any such notion. However, that is another subject which, though I no doubt will return to it, is not the main thrust of today's blog. 

What capitalism and is the most evident in the USA, boils down to is wealth and power. It is a corporate world we live in where profit  and wealth is the aim for those who run these massive conglomeration's, this has become the mainstay of all business and political will and the no government of any stripe can afford to upset the very hand that feeds them.  It is catch 22! A simplified view, yes but not any less true for being simple. 
Fortunately there always seems to be at least a minority of those who will speak out against such greed, corruption, undue influence, lobbying etc and yes, even those billionaires, who still practice some altruist-ism, thus displaying some hope, about what happens to our planet and the people on it. 
Nature will eventually destroy mankind (unless we destroy it and us first!) because we are the biggest pest the planet has ever seen and I am sure we will end up being eradicated, as so many species have, most of them because of us!

So America, good or bad, a nation that has left an indelible mark on history and events, whilst seemingly cherishing and promoting, many of the ideas that others outside of its borders (and many inside) find abhorrent. I believe, fundamentally it  is a country that  wants the rest of the world to like and respect it but that is juxsupposed, with the desire to be the recognised as the policeman and conscience of the world, whether right or wrong! 
The danger with so much power and accepting, those who wish to cultivate alliances with such a powerful country, is that you really never know exactly who your friends are. 
Clearly America believe they know who the enemy is. Who?  Clearly they are prepared to fight that enemy. Who? When you have so much wealth and power, it is oh to simple to abuse it. These abuses have far reaching effects that do irreparable harm to many other nations and cultures, that only historians of the future may be able to chart. 
Independence is a precious commodity and should always be guarded jealously, however we must never forget we cannot always impose our values on others simply because it suits us or because we believe that our way is best. We all know and have seen, to many examples of where that leads.
America love her or hate her, it is a fascinating mix  and one that will no doubt keep me interested for the rest of my life. 
But Mitt Romney.........................please you cannot be serious!!!!!!!! 

P.S I do wish to point out before anyone gets too angry, that I do not hold the USA solely responsible for all the worlds ills. There are many other regimes  that are far worse and many other cultures and religions that promote unhealthy doctrines and hate, cause wars, carry out genocide, human rights atrocities and many other evils. There are also a number of powerful nations that are as responsible for and more so, in some cases, the worlds problems, than the United States of America. 
Americans have done their major share of championing, the defense of freedom and justice, throughout history, for which their nation, has paid the price with many lives!