I found this article and the ensuing discussion extremely interesting, I actually am grateful to those who started it. To those who think that this discussion should be held elsewhere, I think you should be glad that people use this blog to actually put their intelligence into practice, or at least try to.

But to the issue that has garnered so much vehement and benign attention-
I know that America has an immense amount of faults and an extremely poor government, but those of you who advocate the idea that America is the bane of the planet earth I cannot help but think that you are incredibly short-sighted. Although America's current foreign policy is extremely flawed, and our economy is going down the drain, the world would be much worse off without America's former contributions. Our revolution sparked many other countries' struggles for independence and we were once an example for reforms in many of the countries that now condemn us as a virus to the good of human kind. We assailed Iraq for what the general population thought was a noble cause in fighting terrorism, but unfortunately, if it was ever actually for that purpose, the war strayed off that cause long ago.

I'm not saying that America is a supreme nation or that we even have our own country under control but I know for a fact that America is not nearly as horrible as many people would make it to be or even as it could be.

And please, those of you who think that praising America and insulting people of other nationalities is making any difference, it isn't. You are just making yourself look even more assanine and are contributing even more to the stereotype of pompous, egotistical and unintelligent Americans. The rest of us really don't appreciate it.

I am not ashamed to be an American like someone who posted before me, but i wish that our leaders would look inward toward the wishes of our countries citizens instead of outward toward monetary and other such conflicts.