Thomas Friedman: The US is a benevolent elephant nourishing the world

[Karmadillo]

Talk about the blind men and the elephant.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=21&ItemID=9466

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Friedman gives a lovely quote from the professor’s recent book, “The Case for Goliath: How America Acts as the World’s Government in the 21st Century.” The U.S., Mandelbaum writes (to Friedman’s applause), “is not the lion of the international system, terrorizing and preying on weaker animals in order to survive itself. It is, rather, the elephant, which supports a wide variety of other creatures – smaller mammals, birds, and insects- by generation nourishment for them as it goes about the business of feeding itself.”

“The best evidence” for this benevolent "elephant" thesis, Friedman feels, “is the fact that no military coalition has ever formed to counter America’s global governing role – as happened with other hegemonic powers in history.”

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Who has done the killing and wounding? By IBC's meticulous account, based on multiple verifiable media reports, anti-occupation forces have killed less than 10 percent of the total number of the nearly 25,000 dead for whom killers can be identified. "Criminal elements," who have thrived in the lawless environment created by the destruction of Iraqi civil authority, killed 8,935 or 36 percent.
The biggest killers have been U.S.-led armed forces, who ended the lives of 9,270 Iraqis or 37.3 percent. And "at least 21,000 of the 45,000 reported injuries," IBC adds, "were caused by U.S.-led forces."

In separate databases that include real-time observations from reporters on the ground, IBC presents a number of journalistic accounts of Iraqis killed by their supposed American "liberators." IBC's "Falluja Archive" contains (to give one among many examples) an April 2004 Associated Press (AP) story relating how more than 600 Iraqis, "mostly women, children, and the elderly," were butchered during Uncle Sam's massive "retaliatory" (after the resistance killed U.S.-funded Blackwell Security mercenaries) campaign in Falluja. "Iraqis in Falluja," the AP noted, "complained that civilians were coming under fire by U.S. snipers."

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Most of the planet’s politically cognizant populace actually sees Friedman and Mandelbauam’s friendly elephant the U.S. as the single greatest threat to world peace and prosperity. The preponderant majority of the world’s citizenry, we can be sure, supports the development of effective international institutions and rules to “counter America’s global governing role,” which consigns more than 2 billion people to life on less than a dollar a day. Absent such institutions and rules, military coalitions to check deadly Uncle Sam are a certainty in the 21st century.

more...

[cliss]

1. This man is living in Delusion-Land.

Here are the ugly facts for Mr. Friedman: the U.S. is like a giant vacuum cleaner. We suck out about 25% of the world's natural resources. We burn through about 30% of the world's oil supply.

Each and every day we use up 20 million barrels of oil. That's not gallons, that's BARRRELS. If every country on earth tried to live like we do, we would need 4 plants to do so.

We are an elephant, all right. But not the kind Mr. Friedman describes.

[400Years]

2. I've heard Friedman interviewed before and he is very limited

He sounded like a child repeating a newly discovered phrase or idea.

The man is very low on substance.

[SoCalDem]

5. He's the Dr. Phil of "foreign policy"

platitudinous crap dispenser

[bpilgrim]

16. consider his audience

americas elite and easily entertained

peace

[kenny blankenship]

3. It's official: Friedman is a Nazi

The publication of this notice should in no way be construed to imply that there is anything remarkable or surprising on the occasion of Thomas Friedman's official debut in Party issue brown shirt and khaki gown.

The fact that we can get away with murder means in killing there is no murder.

LET US CONTINUE TO NOURISH THE WORLD WITH THE MANURE OF MASS MURDER!


PILE the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.
--C. Sandburg

[SoCalDem]

4. Should read:

The rest of the world is wallowing in elephant dung...a mile deep..while the elephant gobbles everything in sight, and steps on anyone who protests :)

[LostInAnomie]

11. That is exactly what I was thinking.

The elephant tramples and crushes everything in it's path devouring any resources it desires. The rest of the world gets the scraps the fall from its slobbering maw, and the chance to pick through its shit.

I guess the rest of the world should thank us. :sarcasm:

[zbdent]

6. Essentially correct . . .

when you consider how an "elephant" "nourishes" the land as it grazes . . .

What the US casts off as trash, many small countries could re-use and eat from. Think of how much of a Happy Meal gets thrown in the trash once the kid gets the toy . . .

[Touchdown]

7. Who paid this Loon's psychiatrist off?

Friedman needs to be hospitalized for his own safety. "Benelovent Elephant" "Flat World" :wtf: . He is a true basket case.

Really. I'm a liberal, and this man truly needs help. Won't you give just 2 cents a day to take care of Tommy Friedman?

[NoAmericanTaliban]

8. Who cleans up after the elephant?

Just because we are powerful doesn't make us good. It is what you do with that power that matters & right now we are doing more bad that good. The potential for us to do so much good makes what is happening now even worse. Sure...people kiss our ass, but that doesn't mean they like us.

[Cults4Bush]

9. Friedman mainlines the purest Koolaid these days, he used to just cut

it with baking soda and smoke it like crack but he has moved onto the serious stuff now.

[Efilroft Sul]

10. At times like this, I'm reminded of Harvey Keitel's "Pulp Fiction" quote..

The Mustache of Knowledge: “The best evidence” for this benevolent "elephant" thesis, Friedman feels, “is the fact that no military coalition has ever formed to counter America’s global governing role – as happened with other hegemonic powers in history.”

Keitel's "Wolf" character: "Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks just yet."

[mattclearing]

12. It's simply wrong. China and Russia are emerging to challenge the

American role. The second we overstep our bounds, they will make it clear to us what is to happen. China owns this country now.

[txindy]

13. He must mean 'fertilizing' the world

With elephant sh*t.

Friedman is delusional.

[Javaman]

14. I knew and elephant called stampy, he crushed everything it's path. n/t

[applegrove]

15. As they go to climate conferences, the UN and ICC and obfusicate and

put up road blocks. They put up blocks on reducing African debt for years.

Every time they slow some movement down - a corporation gets its wings for a few more years.

Big Tabacco lasted 20 years longer than it should have.

[NNN0LHI]

17. Aren't elephant's afraid of mice? n/t

[dusmcj]

18. we produce giant balls of shit ?

I always suspected, but with an authority like Friedman to confirm it, there's no doubt.

Julius Caesar before his installation as Imperator: "be sure to give the elephants their purges in time, I don't want the procession to be held up by giant mounds of dung" (at least in HBO's version of history)