koh's Journal: #1 - Help, the USA are bashing at my door ! [cynical tone]

This journal entry was originally meant as a reply to kevkar's post attached to this thread in this story. Since the reply was getting huge I made it a journal entry and linked back here in my post.

Some people think that US law is enforceable anytime, anywhere in the world. That's understandable, proof is quite abundant (DeCSS anyone ? and many others, but this is a journal entry, not a phone directory) that in our Harsh Real World the US can and will enforce their laws, whatever the stupidity level or the corruption ratio, anywhere it damn pleases them.

However this is still quite an isolated phenomemon, and we don't have to call to arms right now. We have to keep aware of the possible influence of the US on our lives, and hope our local government stands firm if needed, period. Any superfluous crusade is an additional case in those not-watching-our-ads-is-stealing people's folder.

The US are not nation conquerors (yet). AFAIK their presence is becoming quite heavy worldwide, but _if_ the almighty US of A had whished to declare war, say, on the whole EU, they would have done so back then when we were still divided, and they would certainly have won, and nobody would have said a thing.

Instead, the USA conquer by expanding their customs, media, and way-of-life, just like any advanced human civilisation tends to expand itself. AFAIK any (human) US citizen you ask thinks his way of life is better than the whole outside world's.

My point is, the USA have laws. Good thing. They have a constitution. Good thing. They currently think they're at the top of the foodchain, and they are currently governed by self-interested individuals. Fair enough. In my own country (which still claims to be the Land of Freedom), 50 years ago our government collaborated with the reich and killed thousands of people. But still nowadays you can meet respected individuals that deny this mere fact. And we made an extreme-right-wing candidate to presidency scare us all a few months ago (2002-05).

I'm concerned by the expansion of the USA, as many people are, and I'm concerned about its current government, as many people, especially US citizens, are. Don't think all US citizens are poor dolts. Look at history. Remember the people.

French citizens threw away their government for the first time a long time ago (yes, I'm french), and have always done the same if needed since then (though I admit we're cows nowadays, remember 1968-05).

US citizens threw away their government a long time ago, and since then from time to time they change it if needed, but in the US way. Talented individuals stand in the way of the government. Martin Luther King... Malcolm X... JFK (ouch)... Many others... That is the US way to react to oppression.

There will be global war long before US laws apply to any citizen in the EU, Japan, Russia, and China (at least). Long before your average Amelie Six-Pack is arrested in Europe for US law violation.

The US are threatening enough to win on the few tries they made at expanding their laws to foreign countries. I think there is a threshold somewhere, and the US government is (still) smart enough not to cross it. They do remember what US citizens did during the viet-nam war (they had to invent britney spears to counter the free speech tainting the population caught at the time).

Getting at odds with countries such as the EU or Japan for such petty concerns is just not the right way. The US government realizes its own nation doesn't like its recent laws... they won't try too hard to enforce them abroad. Look at history. Some have made the same mistake before, I didn't do them any good.

It seems logical, but who can tell however ? Recently our nation had a convicted nazi collaborator, responsible for many deaths, out of jail because of "old age and illness". I have to trust the US citizens, but I think I can. I think if their government goes too far, they'll get rid of it the instant they realize as a whole they have no other choice.

They can always invoke "old age and illness".