America the Just?

In its foreign policy, the USA does not stand for freedom and democracy. In fact, time and time again, the USA has shown that it is a bully guilty of selfish nationalism. What matters most to the USA is being the biggest, the fastest, the first, etc., in economic and political affairs worldwide. The USA will cheat, swindle and steal from whoever to stay number one. The USA has shown the world that it is relentless in its pursuits and that it will go to great lengths to accomplish its goals.

First, the USA does not stand for freedom in its foreign policy. The US looks out for its interests first. Various European nations were taking over the most important ports in China. The US did not want to be left behind, therefore it had to act swiftly to gain what was left or forever lag behind the European nations in trading with China. China is a large country and the economic potential was too great for the USA to overlook. The USA persuaded the Filipinos to fight on their side against the Spanish. After conquering provinces and suburbs, they advanced toward Manila and were ready to conquer it. They were told not to advance until they received word form the American commander. The US took no chances because they would not leave without obtaining what they came for – an inroad into the Chinese markets. The US negotiated with Spain and arranged a token battle so that the US could go in and conquer Manila. The Filipinos were outraged, as they had done all of the work leading up to this point. They knew that the Americans would betray them. The US promised independence to the Philippines in exchange for fighting with them [US] against Spain. The US insisted that it had not established any colonies and their intention was not to do so. They did not keep their word, and the Filipinos were not going to accept this treachery without a fight. The Filipinos tried on many occasions to speak with and reason with the American people. No one would listen to them, nor were they allowed entrance into the Paris conference that would decide their fate. The newspapers in America, all privately owned, only reported what they wanted Americans to believe. This would cause the American people to be ignorant of America’s dealings outside of the US. All in all, the US had no reason to conquer the Philippine islands. Their only motive was selfish gain. They utilized propaganda and trickery to obtain their goals. What is sad is that most of the American people knew nothing about it. Strict censorship became policy. I’m sure that most Americans would be surprised to find what other atrocities the US government has committed and not allowed to reach their ears.

Secondly, the USA does not stand for democracy. A democracy is a form of government that is for the people and by the people. In a democracy, the people have a voice and those elected officials are to represent that voice. In the case of the Filipinos, the USA justified taking over Manila because they [USA] felt that the Filipinos were barbaric heathens that were unqualified to govern themselves. In spite of the fact that there were reports of civilized government amongst the Filipino people, the US would not give up on conquering the Philippines and "Christianizing" them. The Filipino people did not have a voice in the Paris conference that decided their fate. They did not want to be a colony of the US, and fought bitterly to avoid it. The US insisted and it cost many lives unnecessarily – for the sheer love of money!

The cost for the elitist attitude that America carries is an unquenchable hatred toward the USA by the world -- clearly the US is prepared to pay this cost. Or is it? I often wondered why the Word Trade Center was bombed when we were in peacetime. Could it be for some atrocity that the US government has committed that the American people know nothing about? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if it were. Yet many Americans paid for it with their lives. The US dealt unfairly with the Filipinos. They did not grant them their independence as promised until 1946. Was this a noble act? No. They were simply keeping their original agreement, albeit 50 years later! It was the least that they could do. And even then, it was independence in name only, with the USA propping up dictators, opportunists, and thieves like Marcos. Let those natives achieve a measure of democracy, and the CIA will be there in a flash, assassinating the democrats and arranging a military coup. After all, as Coolidge said, "the business of America is business!"