KaylaLukacs

Frankly, we should not have to do anything to make other people like us. We should not sacrifice ourselves nor our beliefs just to be popular, just to be populists.

George Washington once said that in regards to foreign policy, America should be civil to each country and avoid conflicts if necessary. However, he stressed that we should not be "buddy-buddy" with any country, as each country is out for its own individual political gain and will be whatever they have to be in order to climb the political ladder of power.

As the old saying goes, "what is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular."

You bring up a very valid point, Kayla. America is not the perfect nation everyone claims it is. Every nation has its problems.

To accept the status quo is not only keeping us from advancing as a nation, but also it is a counter-productive way of viewing things. Change is a fact of life to which there is no escaping. As we learn more and more, we find that maybe our original ideas were not as valid as they seemed.

Emily (just because you know I love to play devil's advocate)- how would you define "right?" Right is such an ambiguous term that can be brought in many directions. I think I see the point you are bringing, but I'm curious about exactly what you mean to get across by ending with that quote.

Of course, you know how I feel: if this country is based on morals, why does it adopt that Satanic principle of individualism (Satanism, by the way, is based on the principle of doing anything to glorify the self and indulge the ego).

Yes, we shouldn't meddle in other countries' affairs, but isn't that what we have been doing to advance this nation for years? However, I believe Kayla is referring to the relationship with other countries, and not involvement with other countries.

As a proudly unchurched religious person, I feel we are idealizing the wrong values. Our president is quick to judge based on his religion, but he uses religion as a crutch for political motives. Religion holds no part in politics.

For example, Bush not only actively claims to be "Christian," yet supports capital punishment. Hmmm... Didn't Jesus tell us to "turn to him the other cheek?" and "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?"

It's an "abomination" to marry someone of the same sex (no matter how much love is involved), yet Jesus ate with prostitutes and taxcollectors. Christianity is not a values system, it's a practice of faith and love for all people, not just the people that love you back.

I don't think that we can do anything for other countries to like us. I do think that maybe if we mind our business some more that other countries just might leave us alone.

what can we do? STOP ATTACKING THEM!!! haha. I mean seriously we push our freedoms in their faces almost to say ha ha look at we have and look what you can't do! But then again we are proud of our own achievements but couldn't other countries look to us as examples of what to and what not to do...I mean we've made plenty of mistakes in coming this far so they can learn from us right? I just think that America claims so much but there is little there a lot of the time.

I really think that we need to start treating other people and other countries as equal and not undermining them. I think we treat other countires basically like crap so what do you think they think about us? Obviously they are going to dislike us and I think if we did treat other countires as equal we would have less terrorism problems and problems in general with other countries.