People have the power!
My new favorite [old] song by Patti Smith: People have the power: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgXdJqWc1U4 Lyrics: I was dreaming in my dreaming of an aspect bright and fair and my sleeping it was broken but my dream it lingered near in the form of shining valleys where the pure air recognized and my senses newly opened I awakened to the cry that the people / have the power to redeem / the work of fools upon the meek / the graces shower it’s decreed / the people rule The people have the power The people have the power The people have the power The people have the power Vengeful aspects became suspect and bending low as if to hear and the armies ceased advancing because the people had their ear and the shepherds and the soldiers lay beneath the stars exchanging visions and laying arms to waste / in the dust in the form of / shining valleys where the pure air / recognized and my senses / newly opened I awakened / to the cry Refrain Where there were deserts I saw fountains like cream the waters rise and we strolled there together with none to laugh or criticize and the leopard and the lamb lay together truly bound I was hoping in my hoping to recall what I had found I was dreaming in my dreaming god knows / a purer view as I surrender to my sleeping I commit my dream to you Refrain The power to dream / to rule to wrestle the world from fools it’s decreed the people rule it’s decreed the people rule LISTEN I believe everything we dream can come to pass through our union we can turn the world around we can turn the earth’s revolution we have the power People have the power … |
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Been on TV all afternoon here on every station. Wonderfull to see the process of electing a president and wonderfull to see history in the making.  |
| my BF Adam has quite a following of fans for the work he does. Adam draws comic books, and has an online Yahoo fan group of over 7000 members world-wide. Tonight this was posted by one of his fans, and it really made me cry. I wanted to share it:
"I want to give to all of you, in my name as citizen of Europe, congratulations for your new elected president Obama. I´m proud to say, We Love You. You´re a great nation." |
| You (or s/he) didn't know this before?
It took a 2 or 3% difference in votes to prove it? I guess the whole airlift thing and 50 years of my taxes keeping communism from overtaking Europe wasn't enough. |
Ron wrote: You didn't know this before?
It took a 2 or 3% difference in votes to prove it? What that we are a great nation? Its one thing to believe that; its anther to have the citizens of the rest of the world tell you. The US is quite fond of thinking highly of itself, while the world watches and wonders. Its nice to hear from people that they too think highly of us, and have faith in us. I've lived overseas, and experienced what it is like to not live in America. I value what we have here very, very much. |
| Sorry, I edited my post while you were posting. |
Ron wrote: Sorry, I edited my post while you were posting.
giggle; me too! |
| If I recall correctly, I remember a lot of western European street protests in the 80's with "Death to America" types of slogans and hanging Reagan in effigy because he wanted to (and did) put nuclear missiles in Europe so that he could bargain them away in an arms reduction treaty with the USSR. At the time, western Europe was being surrounded by the USSR.
The plan worked, and an entire class of missiles was eliminated. I don't recall any apologies. Here is a take on the era: http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/art ... 1151.shtml As an aside and in support of what is said in the above article, I also seem to recall after the fall of the USSR an interview with a military man who talked about the Russian infiltration and support for the "Nuclear Freeze" and other "peace movements" that were in vogue then. |
| It's interesting to see the opinions of different age groups. My f-i-l is a WWWII veteran. The Baby Boomers. Generation X.
My son has suggested that voters have to pass a test on the issues before being allowed to vote. He is basing this on an interview he saw where the platform of candidate A was presented to the interviewees (sp?) as the platform of candidate B, and vice versa. It was amazing to watch how people chose to back anything as long as it was presented as their candidate's views. Not that you are going to approve of 100% of the platform of your candidate, but at least know what the platform is. |
Darth Snuggle wrote: The US is quite fond of thinking highly of itself, while the world watches and wonders. Its nice to hear from people that they too think highly of us, and have faith in us. Yeah, I laughed pretty hard at Lewis Black's observation that it is hard for someone to like you when you continually go around and poke your finger in their chest saying "I'm the best".
It's hard for most of us (me included) to remember that the rest of the world doesn't understand what we have here, and we do not understand what they have there. |
Ron wrote: It's hard for most of us (me included) to remember that the rest of the world doesn't understand what we have here, and we do not understand what they have there.
Actually, 40 years ago that was probably true. Perhaps even to a lesser extent a quarter of a century ago. Today, much of the rest of the world has a pretty good understanding of what you have here. So much of American culture is exported. Not just the media -which could lead to, and most certainly has in the past - very skewed impressions, but in so many other ways. They're bombarded with it every day. Look at this forum. Do you think most European participants have a fairly good idea of OES in "America"? Do you think most of us have an equally good idea of OES in Britain or Australia, for instance? Better than we may have had in the past, but still not an equal exchange. They know us better than we know them. In addition, you have a culture with great transparency. Or as one Brit put it to me - a case of the pot calling the kettle black if their gossip rags are anything to go by  - "Americans absolutely insist on hanging their dirty laundry out for all the world to see".
It's quite obvious why the rest of the world follows American politics with greater interest than the converse: the US' ability to impact and to some extent dictate to the rest of the world. They have a stake in who runs this country, but no say in the matter. Interesting quanundrum. When they are pleased with the political outcome of an American election take it for what it's worth at its core: enlightened self interest. They believe they have cause to breathe a little sigh of relief in terms of the matters that impact them. I was still living in Norway during Reagan's first term. I moved to the US in time for his second term. Though we didn't burn effigies as I recall, well, certainly I did not  ,I won't go into how differently that presidency played out in real terms on "the other side" of the Atlantic. So perceptions and understanding both matter. But in this case, ironically precisely due to American geopolitical prominence, the rest of the world is one up on us.
Kristine |
| On this web site there are reaction photos to the news of Obama's win from all over the world: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/0 ... 41187.html |
Mad Dog wrote: I was still living in Norway during Reagan's first term. I moved to the US in time for his second term. Though we didn't burn effigies as I recall, well, certainly I did not Please do.
,I won't go into how differently that presidency played out in real terms on "the other side" of the Atlantic.I'd like to know how Norway fared under a Reagan Administration, and the results of the administration's impact on Norway. PS is "That Presidency" like "That one"? |
Ron wrote: Mad Dog wrote: I was still living in Norway during Reagan's first term. I moved to the US in time for his second term. Though we didn't burn effigies as I recall, well, certainly I did not Please do. ,I won't go into how differently that presidency played out in real terms on "the other side" of the Atlantic.I'd like to know how Norway fared under a Reagan Administration, and the results of the administration's impact on Norway. PS is "That Presidency" like "That one"? Some day when I have more time maybe, but in the mean time feel free to consider the difference in perspectives and why his rhetoric may not have played quite the same in, for instance, Oslo, as it might in, say, Iowa. 
His lofty goals of saving the world from the evils of communism - i.e. a system that was already failing and proving its own worthlessness economically as well as politically - played well for him domestically, because, domestically, he needed an external enemy to pull the American people back together and remind them after a series of economic and political blows in the 70s that they should be proud to be Americans. However, his willingness to sacrifice his allies best interests to that domestic pursuit if need be significantly weakened the nation's standing internationally. He created a threat where there had been at worst a contained one. It was not a pleasant time to be an American abroad. Even a part time one.
It goes far beyond Reagan and you have to look at the bigger picture. There's a certain price to pay for being a super power, and part of that is maintaining credibility. If you want to be a world leader you have to lead like the world matters, not just your own country. It's a very heavy burden and no nation-state has or ever will sustain that position indefinitely because of that. It will be very interesting going forward to see what Obama brings to the table and how well he can balance those some times competing interests. Kristine |
I don't remember who said it in this discourse - but someone mentioned that the rest of th eworld follows our politics more than we do theirs. watching news while overseas (and now BBC on Cable  ) I would like to add I think the rest of the world follows our politcis more than the average american does. the leader doesn't fall far from the tree as it were - most americans are only interested in their own affairs leading to a country that is self centered. One of the interesting things I think Obama brings to the table is he really has lived elsewhere - perhaps the first president to do so since the founding fathers? |
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