Reply #46: Can Americans live the way that we live and

[kaitykaity]

have the things that we have without the military and
diplomatic power that we have? I don't think you can
neatly separate our economic might from our military and
diplomatic standing. They reinforce each other.

Those questions go to the sustainability of this consumer-
based economy. I have my doubts about that, and I have a
feeling that the military and diplomatic power we have abused
so far will be put to even more barbarous uses as the basis
for our lifestyle, petroleum, becomes less and less available.

In an ideal world, you would be right. I think the first
step is to change regimes and have a real leader in place,
someone who can go to the world and apologize for the Bush
abberation. Then we would go from there.