Meh i have no illusions about our fate. Our rise came first from
the rise of Coal, then from the Age of Oil, and we would
most likely end once this particular age ends much like the dead
cities along the Silk Road
The only way to prevent ourselves from becoming the dead cities
along the Silk Road is to make ourselves continuously relevant
on the chessboard of Life.
We have to find a place in the equation of all things and be a
useful component in the global grid - and to do so, we have to look
at the strengths of this Community, and reduce the weaknesses
by working to change these into strengths.
I never believed the United States would simply just collapse or
become Zimbawe overnight. But i think it would either become facist
(actually it probably is right now, just that the corporations and
banks are the dominant ones) and turn against the world or
simply fade quietly into the night like the British
Empire.
On the balance of the US history, the fact that the
US Constitution is the basis for all human activities, and the
principles of governance stated in the Constitution being enforced
by the Executive, the Legislative, the Judiciary and the
Administrative branches of Government - fascism cannot
possibly take root in the USA.
The KKK, the Malcom-X and similar Fascist groups
- that appear off-and-on through the tortured course of
US history - have all been beaten with the ring leaders
locked-up for life after public trials that give legitimacy to the
Constitution.
No single political party that assume political power will be
tolerated to tinker with the Constitution, which remains sacred to
the US Citizens - from the common folks to the political
leadership.
You once said the USA is great because people could
protest on the streets and criticize the government openly. But
that's only effective if the government is actually listening. From
what i'm seeing, that doesn't seemed to be the quite the case.
Perhaps your views that "the people's protest is not effective
as the government is not listening" is based on your Singapore
experience and not the USA ?
If the loud protests on the US streets were not
heard and taken seriously by the US government, will the Vietnam
War ended with such ignominious results that scarred the
memory of the US veterans that fought in that War ?
If the loud protests on the US streets led by Martin
Luther King were not heard and taken seriously by the US
government, will the Civil Rights Act be written and acted on
vigorously by the Federal Authority to crack down on any abuses by
State Authorities or by determined citizens to be racial
chauvinists ?
If the loud protest on the US streets led by the extreme Right
Wing were not heard and taken seriously by the present Obama
Government, will Obama have responded with double the vigor and
focus to tackle the skewed views that thrive on the ignorance and
fears purposefully pursued and taken advantage by the Right Wing
?
The Singapore PAP Government has always harp on the fact that
organised public opinion impinge on the authority of
an Elected Government and is therefore illegal when such
opinions from the Citizens have no basis of legitimacy.
The Singapore PAP Government had used the US experience as
an excuse where organised dissent is disruptive without considering
that when the Government bypass the Citizen's interests, then
the voice of the Citizen must not only be heard, but be taken
seriously.
Compared to the experience of Singaporeans with
the Singapore PAP Government, it has been allowing the
citizens voice to be heard, but that the government has already
decided before hand and has already considered all the possible
objections before hand, and unless some other more
persuasive objections are made by the Citizens -
nothing else will be considered.
Even in Hongkong and South Korea, public demonstrations on some
passionate issues that concern the Citizens have surely brought the
attention of the respective governments to focus on the issues
raised.
Public protests and demonstrations have changed the course of
history in Poland, the Philippines, East Germany, and also Soviet
Russia.
The PAP Government is aware and worried about the power of
such mass public protests that is caused by an accumulation of
public frustrations or concerns that bring focus on a single
issue.
Is Singapore in anyway better when the Citizens are made dumb
and their minds made blank by the PAP method of monopolising
political power that allow them to control every aspect of
Political Life in Singapore ?
