Conflict USA

from the Ever Wonder collection (1996-2001)

I've been as curiously fascinated as everyone else by the Clinton sexual peccadilloes. What is most intriguing is the fact that, notwithstanding his alleged extramarital affairs, the American people have shown a growing support for their leader. A recent survey has indicated that the majority of the population of the United States is not concerned with what the president does behind closed doors as long as he gets the job done. One wonders what job the American people are referring to, but let's assume it is to lead the country as he was elected to do. I wonder if there is more to it than that. I suspect it may have something to do with the affair that the American public has with contrasts.

Consider the contradictions inherent in the birth of this world super power.

Puritans sailed across the ocean to stake a claim on the shores of a new world. We are told they came to escape the shackles of an oppressive society that did not recognize their right to freedom of religious expression. I wonder if they fled because their rigid view of their bible backed them into a corner. The ancestors of these same settlers later decided that the imperialist rulers across the waves had no right to tax them for goods sent to their communities. What did they do? Revolt! Hardly consistent with puritan sensibilities, eh?

During the Civil War Era the Americans were at each other's throats over an inconsistency in ideology. The South was proud to boast of the lifestyle afforded on the backs of sanctioned slavery and the North largely pretended to admonish their southern citizens while profiting heavily from cheap raw materials for their northern factories.

The contradictions of the two World Wars were many. Generally, it became clear that the people of the U.S. of A. wanted to stay away from the global conflict until it became apparent that their government could make a profit from the war. In WWII the Japanese couldn't have played better into the Americans' hand by attacking Pearl Harbour. After the bombing the population would have a righteous reason to enter the fray, while smiling all the way to the bank.

Is the current state of the Union just as confusing? Consider the fact that most of the population confesses regular church attendance and a strong believe that God has a direct influence on their lives. These same people will have a gun rack on the back of their pickup and a handgun in their bedside drawer.

So, the people of the USA see the President having what they all want. Here is a president who will do what he's been elected to do while getting a little bit for himself on the side. Isn't that the American Way? No wonder he's popular.