| Q: |
What is the date of Independence Day? |
| A: |
That depends how you define "independence".
In many ways, significant parts of the population are not yet independent. The textbook answer is July 4, 1776 – but
many Afro-Americans and women did not gain the right to vote (an essential feature of independence) until the 20th
century. At times it seems the way many Americans live today is not all that different from the way feudal serfs
in Europe lived a thousand years ago. Can those at the edges of poverty actually be called 'independent'? |
| Q: |
Can the Constitution be changed? |
| A: |
Oh yes, easily. It happens all the time without people even knowing it.
Just create a secret agency that's accountable only to the President, and you are pretty much free to do as you wish. |
| Q: |
Name one purpose of the United Nations. |
| A: |
Well, it's an good venue for espionage. |
| Q: |
Who makes the laws in the United States? |
| A: |
The Fortune 500 companies do. Isn't it obvious that money is what moves the system?
The people with the most money have the most power. Politicians in general are
puppets. To get elected, they have to garner the support of a political base.
The bases that matter most have the most financial clout. |
| Q: |
How many senators are there in Congress? |
| A: |
Well, the senate is pretty much like a public auction. Lobbyists and special interest
groups essentially "buy" senators through various mechanisms. Special interest lobbies pretty much "own" certain politicians.
That's the way it is in most banana republics and increasingly how it is in the United States.
If any senator betrays the group that supports them, they will most likely be out of work soon. |
| Q: |
Name three rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. |
| A: |
Hmm. Since the Patriot Act came was created, I've wondered about that.
If the government decides someone is a terrorist, I'm afraid their rights are extremely limited. |
| Q: |
What is one advantage of being an American? |
| A: |
That depends on the social group you belong to. If you're an American Indian, you can look at the
people who killed your ancestors and sigh. If you're a young US soldier, you can get free overseas travel and earn a modest amount for killing. And if you happen to be in the upper 1% income bracket,
you can enjoy unsurpassed levels of luxury. |
| Q: |
Sorry, Mr. Newfields – don't seem to appreciate this great nation enough. |
| A: |
Actually, I'd rather be a citizen of the world than America.
Our allegience should be to the planet as a whole – not to any country. If humanity is to
avoid World War III and survive, then more people need to think of this planet
as a whole and not to any tribal-nation. If America elects cowboy-leaders, it places the whole world
at jeopardy. |
