War Between China and America, etc.

["John Gelles" <johng@xxxxxxxxxx>]

        Visiting our stores there seems to be nothing but love
        between American shoppers and Chinese products.
        But that can be deceiving. Low-end Japanese toys
        and trinkets sold well hours before Pearl Harbor.

        Free speech and free thought propel discussion on
        Pkt. But they do not stop the baggage brought by
        ideology, chauvinism, racism and competition, that
        feed hatred and ignorance in human affairs.

        Hitler's black hat was not seen by everyone who, in
        the end, made war on Germany. During the Cold War
        black hats were worn on both sides. Many millions of
        innocent Asian, East European and Latin American
        people were victims in that war. Millions of soldiers
        on both sides of the wars in Korea and Vietnam died.

        Free speech here allows blame for all this to be
        considered out loud.. It's absence in China and else-
        where does not. Chomskyesque hatred for American
        power is met by visceral rejection of his revisionist
        views of who did what to whom. He would be long
        dead if heros had not stopped red fascism from
        winning the Cold War and its accompanying hot
        wars.

        Does any of the above suggest war between America
        and China? Not much. China, Japan, Russia and the
        United States have a balancing act to perform in East
        Asia. Of these four powers, which is prettier, which
        wears the blackest hat?  Where do people willingly go
        to enjoy freedom? Which in a hundred years will be
        a military superpower? Which will not?

        Meanwhile, before things ran amuck on Pkt we were
        considering debt and exchange rates and what kind
        of economic regime would be best for the Japanese
        people, especially those who have suffered most as
        a result of unemployment, insolvency and capital
        losses.

        We were also considering the Canadian dollar and
        Canada's power to move left in its ensurance of
        social welfare for all its people rather than come
        closer to the American model of social neglect for
        no good reason.

        "Blame Canada" was one great song in the dirty
        animated movie "South Park".  It was intended to
        make no sense at all. And it did. It was pure joy
        to hear, and pure evidence of America's genius
        for comedy and ignorance of how to raise our
        minimum standard of living and minimum
        standards for raising the young to do that job
        -- as disparity grows and poverty persists.

        Warren Mosler suggested (and I think most agree)
        that, generally, any nation with the economic power
        to produce for use and/or profit can certainly ensure
        full employment and a rising minimum standard of
        living for all its people. It is a matter of national will
        and belief -- not a matter of American policy --
        political or economic. Not a matter of that policy,
        that is, anywhere but here.

        Now some of us our singing "Blame America".
        But which of us to blame? Academic revisionists?
        Political opportunists who reflect popular ignorance?
        Pktr's with whom you disagree?  Media moguls who
        profit from "South Park" but cannot make this a
        better world?  Hell, I blame Henry. He's half-way
        between an academic revisionist and a media
        mogul.

        John Gelles