I don't give a good goddamn on a personal level what the Spaniards did! I'm not a Spaniard.

I do care about what my country does. I care about what my family does. I care about what my kids do.

On a grander, philosophical level I care. And I have a different standard for what I am associated with than I do for that which I'm not. As I've said before, if your kid steals a candy bar so what? If mine does, that's a big deal.

Abu Ghraib. Mai Lai. Overthrowing Mossadegh, Allende, the list goes on, and on and on Rob.

What you got for the good side. George W. Bush set up a loan program to fund the purchase of drugs for AIDS in Africa. The money could be used only to purchase those drugs from American producers at full price and had to be repaid. The headlines read that America was supplying $1 billion to Africa for AIDS.

WWII, even, was fought over money. The Japanese set up a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere to replace European colonialism. The US liked that the Europeans were colonizing (exploiting, creating economic slavery) and didn't want the Japanese involved. So we provoked WWII. We knew they had to attack us, just didn't think it would be Pearl Harbor.

Show me where I've got blinders. Heck, even the Marshall Plan money had to be spent in the US. Which does make sense, but limits the altruistic value.

One thing the US has done lately that was SMART. Ronny Reagan, when a Marine Corp barracks was bombed in the Middle East with 247 dead Americans, DID NOT invade Iraq. He brought the troops home. Smart. real smart.

Why does the US, with NO REPEAT NO threats, maintain 137 military bases overseas. To protect your ass?

Where are the blinders? You said blinders. Hell, our foreign aid goes to Israel, a rogue state, with WMDs, to oppress the Palestinians. We are paying for that wall.

First Gulf War. Israel said it would go to war and screw up things, costing untold American lives, unless the US gave them $3 billion and guaranteed (give) another $10 billion in "loans" . And we were already fighting the Iraqis to protect, among others, them. Maybe that's what you're proud of. I don't know.