its interesting how this thread devolved into a discussion of the american indians. The motto of the freaks that post the leftie shit on this board is "If you can't win, change the subject".
As a matter of fact ALL leftie freaks change the subject all the time, their position rarely can be sustained by rational arguments. Anti-americanism is basically an emotional pathology, people feel they have been wronged, so they blame America.
Buzzy, I'm not "crying over" the native Americans, just pointing out that the callous nature of these exploits has been transmogrified into a symbolism of American culture that completely ignores its callous nature. It was meant as a barb, not the as the body of my contention. I actually do think, as I have stated on another thread, that I think very highly of America; America as a model of liberty, justice, opportunity as a country. What I disapprove of -- vehemently -- is its insatiable desire to run the world. You can find plenty of examples where I talk about this in other posts and threads; I don't intend to go through it all again. And to answer your question re Latin America, I couldn't really answer you accurately, as I don't live in Argentina (and haven't really ever spent that much time there -- and no, I don't live in the US either). Yes, there is a social advantage to whiteness (and Argentines are famously arrogant for it) but it's not true to say natives are discriminated against. Certainly though, they don't enjoy the benefits they do in the US.
And the motto of conservative blowhards is "if you can't answer them intelligently, just call them lefties".
Actually, there are plenty of Americans that wouldn't be happier if the US stops spending money in other countries for whatever reasons. But US foreign policy exists because it is not in our self interest if 3rd world dictators blow up the same planet we live in, and because some people think that if we help other countries they will stop hating us. I don't believe that. I think anti-americanism is either a psychological pathology or an ideological problem. But America doesn't want to rule the world, I don't know where do you get those ridiculous ideas. The last thing US taxpayers want is to support the ignorant lazy whiny bums that populate other countries.
These people do not represent the majority and they don't even influence the government. Only an idiot would believe the fallacy than since a few american think america should rule the world, all americans think that way too. Geez, we even have an American al-qaeda fighter, does that mean all americans are al-qaeda?
Buzzy, it doesn't actually matter what "all" Americans think, or even what the majority of Americans think, or, hell, even what a sizeable chunk of Americans think. It matters what the Americans with the power to actually DO these things think. Now, ask yourself, who are those folks?
US senate and US congress, they are a mix of conservative, libertarian, moderate democrats and left-wing radical liberals.