Dramatic suggestion found in British newspaper

The British Press makes for interesting reading. The internet makes it possible to read the paper the same day it is delivered. You can also read the archived articles of any columnist who strikes your fancy.

I like the British press. It gives something other than the propagandized press releases of the corporate think-tanks, the political parties, and the bias of the newspaper owners.

David Nicholson-Lord wrote a controversial article in the New Statesman on Dec 25th on the US "democracy." He alleges that there is a dire threat to the well-being of the planet.

The article concludes with a plea for Britons, and all civilized people, to boycott the goods and services of the United States (and Canada by association). This is a rather dramatic suggestion to say the least. Why does he advocate such a thing? I will make no effort to give all of his reasons, but for those who have Internet service I suggest you read it for yourselves.

"The US is a Corporation disguised as a nation." He says. This quotation is an extension to the statement by Green candidate Ralph Nader. Nader campaigned saying that George Bush was a Corporation disguised as a person.

Nicholson-Lord's call to action starts with "US democracy is flawed; its human rights record poor; its greed threatens the planet. Is it time for the rest of us to act?" He goes on to say that "the recent presidential election charade was a thing of amusement in Europe. It made the politics of home look a little less insane." As for the voting in Florida he says, as only the English can, "and that counting by hand might be unconstitutional - which is rather like outlawing running as a sport because nowadays everyone drives."

His main concern appears to be the lack of effort shown by the US (and Canada obviously) in the effort to curb green-house gases. These gases, according to the majority of the world's scientists, are of monumental concern. George Bush shrugs the whole thing off. A "non-issue" in the mind of one hell-bent on drilling for oil in sensitive areas, regardless of the consequences.

"It (global warming) affects all of us -- for many, it is an issue of survival. This is partly because it undermines life-support systems, such as food production and the availability of fresh water, and partly because it is a potent generator of disasters - flood, drought, fire and therefore famine. In the southern hemisphere, it promises to extinguish entire, albeit small, island nations.

Under a Gore presidency, we might have hoped for progress on climate change. Under Bush, we might as well forget it," he continues. George will charmingly proclaim, "God bless America" for the umpteenth time in an effort to show he has God's blessing for his mandate.

In defining the US he is less than flattering. "It is an empire, but whereas the Greeks gave us culture, the Romans law and the British, arguably, a sense of fair play, history may well come to view the American empire's defining triumph as the export of junk to the rest of the world - from genetically modified food to burgers, bad films and worse television." He is also highly critical of the Bush administration's determination to pick up the military lobby's Star-Wars project. This was set aside by International treaty, but now that the US is the only major super power, they are being hawkishly assertive. The fact that a new cold war could result is inconsequential.

The article is not totally negative and anti-American. He concludes however with "By boycotting America and its products, we might start making Americans think -- which at present they are not showing much sign of doing. We might, in other words, be doing the US a bigger favour than it could ever imagine."

I could end here but interestingly there are quite a number of Americans who responded positively to the columnists critical article. One said in part, "I write to encourage Europeans (indeed, all people of good will throughout the world) to join together in such a boycott in order to bring about a more just and equitable and peaceful United States of America. Call us to live up to our own national ideals, so that we can recover a sense of what it would mean to be America the Beautiful, instead of America the Murderous and Merciless."

Another said in part, "But the cruelest joke foisted on us is the way "Democracy" and "Capitalism" are constantly mentioned together, as if they were somehow the same. Even the most casual observer will note that Capitalism is about as undemocratic a system as one can find. What is even remotely democratic about a system that uses state repression and economic privation to enforce a rigid hierarchy of command and control? We may have a some-time political democracy, but when it comes to the workplace, it's 'shut up' or get fired."

Have a nice day.