American patriotism assumes that a citizen of the United States concur with the idea of setting free a nation or group of people that the American government would define as oppressed under a cruel and communistic dictator of that country. Oppression under a dictatorial regime would mean the country's ruler is either committing genocide against his own people - by killing massive amounts of them, a form of "indentured servitude," or blatantly ignoring the needs of a certain people within that country.

If either of these events is reported to the American government, when it is in their best interest to stop such cruelty, the American government will intervene by committing American troops and applying policing to that country. Once all threats have been made from the American government toward the dictator, and all diplomacy efforts are exhausted, the American government implements military force as a solution.

Giving all due respect to the efforts of America to desire peace throughout the world, the first problem with this whole scenario is the fact that America intervenes at all. No country is paying taxes to America to police their communities as much as America's own citizens do, so why respond to the beckoning of countries in trouble, over-extending our own resources and manpower?

Suspicion arises as to what motivates the American government to take on such responsibility. There are problems throughout the world in various countries and cultures that we have no knowledge of solving because of the country's own history. We cannot begin to understand the complexities of land partitioning between rival nations that have gone on for thousands of years. And it would be dangerous to try.

We cannot begin to know what sacred traditions - and possibly violations of those traditions - cause age-old wars between two or three cultures of humankind dating back long before Columbus stumbled onto the Americas. Therefore, how can we begin to know how to solve these problems using some new age form of anger management or conflict resolution?

If there is a blatant act of oppression going on anywhere in the world, it is probably due to a prophetic cleansing of the land of some sort, or uprising against a cruel leader. It has happened here in America, during the sixties, and will probably happen again in the near future. Yet, no country came to police the state of America neither during the era of racial oppression nor during slavery, so why does America feel it has to go to the rescue of other nations during their trials.

The answer is in the difference between freedom and imperialism. Freedom means being able to live life absent of slavery or bondage. Many countries live this way. Who says that any other form of government other than capitalism under a Democracy is oppression? This is what America would have people to believe, that anything other than a pseudo-Democracy is oppressive. Therefore, the definition of freedom on one side of the world is not the same as it is on the other side of the world.

Millions of children grow into their native cultures, live life void of America Democracy, and grow to see and believe that their society is no different from any other. The life they live is as normal to them as it would be to someone anywhere else. If a person were born in the eastern hemisphere under the rule of a communal society, they would deem that life normal, having food and raiment suffices.

Nevertheless, here in America we are taught that life anywhere else is more horrendous than life is here and that we should want no other life but here. Who knows what lies outside of America? Again, if born anywhere else, would not a person grow just as happy and content? The problem is the American definition of what life really is and the world's definition of life. America is not even one-third of the world's population, what room do we have to speak?

Indoctrinating its citizens with such knowledge - that America is the greatest and there is no other - is how they justify colonizing the world. Though it is no longer called colonizing or nation building, it is now under the politically correct term that pacifies it citizens, called coalition building. Whereby, America joins forces with other countries and persuades them toward the concept of Democracy.

This persuasion comes with promises of freedom - America's definition. The freedom of speech, religion, and the pursuit of happiness; in reality, it is an extension of the U.S. Constitution into other countries. Once any country falls under the rule of an America Democracy, they quickly become allies with America and supported by America financially, militarily, and culturally. Look at Japan, a once communist nation. Though they reign supreme in technology, their culture mirrors that of American culture, thus they are losing their own culture.

Other countries avoid the spread of Democracy and the vision of American imperialism and refuse to submit. Not that they are hardheaded or rebellious, these countries just do not agree with the way American society is run and would rather keep their own values and traditions. They may lack financially, but they are a healthier and happier people. And because they do not submit to America, they are then deemed potential enemies of America and make the list of future, troubled countries ruled by a dictatorial hand or iron fist. And the game continues.

Freedom comes from absence of oppression - something America itself has yet to eliminate - and imperialism comes from a desire to rule the world. Much like a mother who invades her daughter's home: she says she is there to keep the peace between her daughter and her daughter's husband, but her real intensions are to rule the home herself.

© 2004 by CR Hamilton