Not so fast, my friend. The Congress is very upset that Bush has gone around the checks and balances provided in the Act that Bush is ignoring. Even the republican Congressmen aren't buying this one.
One big difference..........Rome pretty much disbanded the Senate. They had no power. Far cry from Bush and Congress. Like I said in an earlier post.......it's the job of each branch to attempt to gain more explicit power and the job of each branch to restrict as much power from the other branches. This ensures equality in the 3 branches of government. If the executive branch wasn't trying to extend their reach, the legislative branch would extend theirs easily. Give and take, checks and balances. If Bush did something illegal, it's up to the other branches to handle it.
All of us love America, chum. Waving the flag doesn't enhance your poor grasp of history. I give you one example. The US invaded Mexico in 1847, occupied the capital and didn't leave until they accepted our annexation of Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and Western Colorado -- all formerly part of Mexico. Ask any Mexican if he feels that America isn't imperialist. The Philipines, Guam, Puerto Rico, The Marianas, Samoa, the Virgin Islands, even Hawaii were all seized by America. All but the Phillipines are still American possessions. Yes, we did give back Japan and Germany to the locals, but you may have noticed that we still base ground, air, and naval forces there, just as Britain still maintains bases in many of its former possessions. We had bases in the Phillipines until the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo ruined the Subic Bay facility. You confuse colonialism with imperialism, martin. We are not a colonial power, but we are damn sure imperial. We go where we want to go, we do what we want to do and we do it anywhere in the world that we damn well please. This is imperial power and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Go back to school, martin and take your beating. America is an economic empire like nothing the world has ever seen. America's unrivaled Superpower status is also a clear indication of empire. Like Britain before us the US has taken control of the worlds oceans (most of the planet). We also control the airspace over most of the planet and all of the orbital space. Whose flag is flying on the moon? Your mistake is the blind assumption that all empires must be evil. Despite their problems, the empires of Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Britain, and America have all been very good things for the advance of Western Civilization. Answers.com--American Empire American Empire or American imperialism are politically charged terms sometimes used to describe the historical expansionism and the current political, economic, and cultural influence of the United States on a global scale. These terms are generally, though by no means always, used with a negative connotation. The debate over the concept of an American Empire usually involves three basic questions: 1. Is the United States currently an empire? 2. If the United States is an empire, when did it become one? 3. If the United States is an empire, is that good or bad? Proponents of the idea that the United States is an empire point to the unrivaled superpower status of the United States since the end of the Cold War, arguably making the country a hyperpower. Some believe that the westward expansion of the United States in the 19th century was the beginning of an American empire, and that subsequent overseas expansion and foreign intervention (military and non-military) are part of a legacy of American imperialism. Opponents of the terms generally believe that, while the United States flirted with the possibility of an American Empire at the time of the Spanish-American War, the United States has since rejected the role of empire, and to equate the superpower status of the United States with empire or imperialism is incorrect. Some believe that accusations of "American imperialism" are rooted in anti-Americanism, and take offense at the use of such terminology. Occasionally, the term "American Empire" is used to only refer to U.S. possessions which were once or are currently in the possession of the United States such as the Philippines or Guam, and has no connection with U.S. influence outside of these areas
America is an empire, but not in the same sense of empires before us. Although a long time ago in our past, we were imperialistic to spread the size of our country, we are no longer. Even though we possess a few lands that red pointed out, we do not really control them & relations are generally good. We aren't exactly forcing them against their will, unlike empires of the past.
"economic empire" is kind of a silly term when used in any useful context. you cannot compare an "economic empire" to the real empires of history any more than you can compare a sports battle to a real battle. it is a totally different context. a sporting event is a battle, but you cant compare the superbowl to the the battle of the bulge. so it is stupid to compare the US to these other empires. ok, now compare that to the places the french and english have colonized. like india. india is not a tiny meaningless island, it is one of the biggest countries in the world. that illustrates the diffence between the "empires" pretty well i think. calling the US an empire is just a stupid way for anti-war morons to claim we are trying to spread our military too far. and then when questioned, to claim they mean "economic" or cultural empire or whatever, thats just word games, and a waste of everyone's time. don't compare the US to these other empires, it is cheap and it isnt accurate. we realize america is rich and powerful, and you can define empire loosely enough to make any really rich and powerful country and "empire" if you want. you shouldnt use the word "empire" in an economic and cultural sense and then apply it back in comparison to the historical military conqueror empires and think you have made a point. exactly. it is a bad comparison if you are using the word empire in two different contexts.
Again, value judgements are being placed on imperialism that aren't always warranted. Imperialism is not inherently bad and evil. Imperialism is simply an overbearing domination and it can sometimes be benevolent.
most of the time in discussions like these, in times like these, when the US is called an empire, then compared to all these historical expansionist military empires, the person doing the comparing is trying to make a pointed and negative observation about our current policy. if they werent, why would they bring it up? to remind us that we are a rich and influential country? we know that. people generally make this point with the intent for it to have a political edge. they arent just randomly anouncing it.
