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The reality of contemporary USABy Paul J. Balles 15 August 2007 Paul J. Balles considers the reality of contemporary USA, debunking some of the myths that attract immigrants. He quotes some brave, lone voices from the wilderness who “tell unpleasant truths about what’s wrong with America ... voices for change, for an America worth immigrating to”. These are powerful voices coming from the wilderness. They're all revolutionaries worth following and worthy of guiding, each a true patriot, a modern version of American founding father and pamphleteer Thomas Paine. They. What's wrong with America (excluding Canada and Mexico)? Isn't "America" the great place that everyone yearns to immigrate to? Judging from recent debates about immigration policies, the US is facing difficulty keeping Mexicans from invading the country. For some, America is a better place to live than their home countries. I've heard successful businessmen praise the US for its diversity and ease of doing business. That diversity involves everything from cities full of entertainment and shopping facilities to farms and deserts and inviting mountains, lakes and streams. A prominent Arab businessman told me that it was easier to do business in the US than in his home country. He said that he could go to America tomorrow and set up a business within a few days, whereas it would take months to get through his local bureaucracy at home. After 38 years in the Middle East, it still amazes me that people here want to leave a homeland with no income taxes, where education and medical care are free, the price of petrol is low, housing loans are easy to get with low interest; and those who get a good education and are willing to work hard have well-paid jobs and opportunities for advancement. I've heard politicians in the West say that “people want to come to America because of our freedom". No one seems to ask what kind of freedom is so alluring. Of course, a Palestinian living under the guns and behind the walls of the Israel Defence Forces would look towards freedom from apartheid or worse. A number of years ago, an academic acquaintance went to America to enjoy academic freedom there. She'd had trouble in the Middle East for speaking her mind about sensitive political issues. I hope she doesn't mind having her phone tapped when she calls family and friends here. She will. She had also better not offend the major lobbies in the USA or she might find herself in the same boat with Victoria Fontan who was fired from Cornell University after a press release said she was "embedded in one of Iraq's resistance groups". Some young men have admired the freedom in the West to date girls, something that's not easy to do in the Middle East. Young lovers can get in trouble in this part of the world, just for being lovers. In the West, they find a freedom to go to bed with girls who are loose and easy, saving their praise for the virginity of their Middle Eastern wives and the hereafter. When you ask most people in the Middle East what freedoms appeal to them in America, they never speak of the kinds of freedoms that are major issues today or concerns about those freedoms that were incorporated into the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. So what's wrong with America? Here are a few of the astute voices from the wilderness: Craig Winters, from New Mexico, says:
Another voice from the wilderness, Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich writes from Southern California:
This cogent observation comes from Chris Floyd, an American journalist based in the wilderness of the UK:
From the wilderness of Washington comes the voice of journalist Mike Whitney:
Paul Craig Roberts, economist and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Ronald Reagan, said that it's old-line Republicans like himself who are the diehards in warning of the danger.
These voices point to only some of the things that are wrong with America today. There’s more, but none of it will get corrected by apathetic people who remain unconcerned and uncommitted in a deafening silence. These are powerful voices coming from the wilderness. They're all revolutionaries worth following and worthy of guiding, each a true patriot, a modern version of American founding father and pamphleteer Thomas Paine. They tell unpleasant truths about what’s wrong with America. They’re voices for change, for an America worth immigrating to. George Orwell, author of Brave New World, observed, "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." *Paul Balles is a retired American university professor and freelance writer who has lived in the Middle East for 38 years. For more information, see http://www.pballes.com. Copyright © Redress Information & Analysis. All rights reserved. |
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