Reply #11: They don't hate us because we're rich and powerful...

[Riktor]

This schmuck is so unbelievably banal it's nauseating. There he goes, spouting off the same tired, "They hate us because... our freedom/we're rich/we're powerful/we wipe with our right hands... whatever."

Most countries despise us because we have taken no issue whatsoever in interfering with their politics and their economies for our own benefit. Do you think Chileans hate Americans because of our wealth, or because we had their democratically elected leader assassinated and replaced with a murderous maniac? Do Iranians hate us because of our freedom, or because we supported their oppressive Shah financially and militarily? As much as Thompson would loathe to admit it, most of the American blood shed for "other countries" wasn't shed for other countries at all. Most of the time this blood was shed to protect American interests, like the Panama Canal, or to maintain a balance of power during the Cold War, like in Vietnam.

Every decision that was made during the Cold War has come back to bite us now. Every dictator we supported, every election we rigged, every kill squad we trained, every leader we assassinated, are all perfectly sound reasons for the world to distrust our intentions, and all are dutifully ignored by our leaders and the general populace.