I must remember to calm down, it’s only the news …

Aw, geez, for the luvva …

It is scarcely credible that the President of The United States could seriously consider bombing a TV station whose views he disagreed with. Especially one in the domain of a friendly power (Qatar). His advisors seem to have the mean-spiritedness of Richard Nixon, while he has the bumbling demeanour of Gerald Ford.

A lot of people witter on about President Bush. He’s this, he’s that. He seems to me to be a ‘good ole’ boy’, with firm Protestant moral convictions (except in business), out of his depth when dealing with countries that have hundreds of years more experience of skullduggery, venality and cussedness.

I think he’s being prodded by advisers who are looking to their own short-term business interests, rather than the greater good.

He has the same problem as Tony Blair; not rich enough to say "get stuffed" to those more powerful than him. No military experience, again like Tony Blah, so he doesn’t realise the terrible consequences of thinking you can have a ‘short, sharp war’.

I suppose it’s the difference between Hollyword propaganda and reality. The media defines our view of the world beyond our doorstep. American news is full of crime, so American are paranoid. UK news is full of political woe, so Briton are depressed. Show business was always the business of the beautiful, gilded lie. American media churns out thinly-disguised morality plays. Their themes are ‘family’, ‘teamwork’ ‘stick up for the little guy’, ‘prejudice is wrong’, ‘Go USA!’, ‘we’re sorry about all that slavery business’, "I love you Dad", "I love you too, son!", and my pet hate ‘It’s good to talk about your feelings’ (actually it can be very BAD, if those feelings are negative, but that’s a topic for another day). And a lot of people world-wide believe in it. I think Americans do too.

The reality is armed, fearful Biblical literalists holed up in the mountains, afraid of their own neighbours. Poor black people living in ghettoes. Poor white people living in trailer parks. Americans don’t seem to know much about how the other half lives, or other countries. One Arab country is probably very much like another. Except Saudi Arabia. America guarantees its security, and in turn the Saudis supply the oil, and the occasional generous donation.

I wonder what would happen if America and China ever fell out? America covets China’s markets. China owns a lot of American debt. America is a democracy. China is a dictatorship; they wipe their nose on the idea of civil rights. Funny thing is, because the only foreign currency most people are aware of is the dollar, America’s economy is probably safe for the time being. It’s unlikely its creditors will start offloading its currency, for what else could they put it into?

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