Random thoughts about the American system

Is freedom as defined in America only for americans or is it a universal principle?

I do not visit the U.S.A. For one : I would have to get a damned retinascan-passport although these things have not even been tested, are bloody expensive and Do Not Work Properly. If I don't get one I won't get into America. Although I do not have anything even remotely like a criminal record I am treated as one by default. If you do not call that curtailing people's right to freedom, dismantling the 'innocent until proven guilty-idea' as well as spreading paranoia and hate of foreigners I don't know what is.

Further more there are numerous stories in the american press(from left- to rightwing in this case) that are either all lies or that contradict any 'everything-is-hunky-dory'-opinion. There is no way in Hell that you can call someone like for instance Jerry Pournelle left-wing yet one can read scattered stories there about 90-year old pure american grandmas getting into trouble over a knitting-needle. Stories of people not allowed to carry a nailfile on a plane... As Robin Williams joked in december 2001; "What are they thinking? YOU! Take this plane to Washington or the bitch loses a cuticle!"
Not having plastic cutlery on the plane anymore, by Jove! Ever tried to eat with one of those crapthingies? They break if you handle them without love and affection. How is one supposed to force a plane down with a plastic fork?

It has gone to the extreme and I have to admit immediately that, although the european countries have not gone that far yet, they are definitely following a lot of the American rules. I believe strongly that politicians just love to spread this F(ear) U(ncertainty) and D(oom). It keeps the people on edge and insecure. I also think politicians should be booted out of office for this kind of behaviour as it is the exact opposite of what they are supposed to work for. But of course nowadays the people/voters are there for the government, not the other way round...

Now I wish to make it plain; No, I have not travelled the length and breadth or the U.S.A. although before 9/11 I had plans to do so during a long vacation. The plan was to hire a van or something and just drive into America. Because do not get me wrong ; I believe there is much to be seen and enjoyed in the U.S.A. and much of it seems beautiful to me. And I'm not just talking about mountains and other landmarks, I'm also talking about the people. the culture, etcetera.
I also believe that politicians do not define a people, they only define the "image" of a people to the outside world. Europe consists of a couple of dozen countries and they are all very different. Hence my objection to people trying to define Europe as a whole. The new European Constitution was flagged down by the people and every country's people had different reasons for it. Europe is a quilt of nations at best.

However; although I do not consider the European Union a democratic institution at all, the same can be said for a big chunk of the American system. How come that if a president is "lucky" and several judges in the supreme court die, he gets to completely change the outlook of the Supreme Court for who knows how long? How can it be that one person can rule over his own political grave? After 8 year he is gone and if this president has been able to get lets say 3 judges elected they could be there for ever. As a matter of fact ; your supreme court justices typically grow to be very old. If you consider the U.S.A. to be a complete and utter democracy(for instance), how can it be that the winner takes all in politics, thus shutting out a(usually) very sizable minority? That is called a Republic and that is what the U.S.A. is. It may be a democratic republic but a republic it remains. Compare this to the Netherlands where the winner does not get all, he gets exactly what he deserved; proportional representation. This forces compromise into the system and prevents stuff like those idiotic Fillibusters that the american democrats now have to use to get compromises from the republicans.

I do not think that America is the 'baddie' of the world as so many others do outside the U.S.A. but neither is Europe. And it is disturbing to see how so many americans assume so much that just isn't true while at the same time responding incredibly protective when it comes to the pitfalls of the American system. Both are far from perfect and - to put it a bit extreme - it does not do to glorify the one crucify the other.

TM.