The American Spectator

br> Americans had become frightened. The public’s hysterical response to the subsequent collapse of Enron and World Com and the selling frenzy of a Stock Market were predictable. It’s a well known aspect of human behavior: the first thing that gets compromised when people are in survival, is their integrity. We had a chance to take a stand and support the people of Tibet whose oppression by the Chinese is well documented. Yet, when it came time to reject China as a world trading partner we caved into the pressures of open markets. “Bringing China into the world market means jobs.” /p>

Has it gotten that bad? Have we become so incapable of caring for ourselves that we must compromise all those things we stood for as a Nation? Must we prostitute ourselves and lay down with an oppressive nation to avoid the irrational fear of economic extinction?

It’s apparent that we, as a Nation, no longer make decisions based on ethics, morality and compassion for suffering. Oh, we thump our chests and make a lot of noise about humanitarian concerns abroad but the truth is, we are blinded to the reality others see. The truth is apparent to all the world. All those sweet sounding gestures, all that political rhetoric about “the land of free and the home of the brave,” all the speeches about taking a stand for freedom are no longer getting the world’s applause. We’ve damaged the way the world listens to us by selling out to economic interests. They know it, we know it but no one wants to be first the first to ask “What is that smell?” and acknowledge the hypocrisy. What, and risk loosing the bucks? I don’t think so. In public they will be silent while extending their hands for the dollars we give them. But, behind our backs they sneer at us with contempt….

The ignorant ones, those who feel guilty, respond by throwing money at the problems, both here and abroad. That only worsens matters: it rewards the behavior and invites more of the same….

Sadly, it doesn’t end merely with throwing money around. The guilt has become so pervasive that we no longer bat an eye at throwing young American soldiers at the problem. Even in the shadow of Vietnam, even with all the unacknowledged pain that conflict caused our young people, there is talk of attacking Iraq. As before, we talk a good act and speak of the evils of the Butcher of Baghdad. But, underneath, everyone knows it’s about oil. It’s about the economics of survival.

I doubt we will make an unprovoked attack simply to remove Saddam Hussein. To do so is to risk our relations with the Saudis and jeopardize our oil supply. In that contest, as with others, our economic interests will prevail over our principles. The almighty buck is now king,

No, this problem didn’t begin with the Saudis or the Chinese. It’s been around a lot longer than most would dare admit.

If those who died during the American Revolution and afterwards, were to speak now, I wonder what they would say? Would they be proud of us?

p>Or … would there be tears? br> — Art Bianconi /p>