Saving Brand America

What happened to the American dream? In the early 90’s the American brand was in vogue. Fresh from the victorious end to the cold war and the march onto Saddam Hussein to force out of Kuwait, America was the best thing to happen to planet earth. It was Canaan. Every kid wanted to be Rambo. America was the super power. It dished out freedom and opportunity to those who dared ask. It gave promise of better things to those who wanted. Green cards, good life along with lots of American dollars. Those who dared harm their neighbours, like a one Saddam Hussein, soon had an elephant bearing down on them at their door front. Not withstanding crushing the Soviet Union like a folding chair, America gave food to poor people, and promised a passport to heaven to illegal immigrants. It even had the first ‘black’ American president, as Bill Clinton. That was then. This is now America cannot even win a simple war in small Middle East country, like Iraq decently, without wallowing in the bloody mud with a small ragtag group like Al Qaeda. Nobody even knows why the war was in the first place fought. Young militant Moslems dream about the big day when they will kill thousands of Americans. In Africa’s bars the talk about America is that of disdain. How does the most democratic country in the world make a mistake once and repeat it four years later. What sense does a person have in order to elect another George Bush president? Between now and then are a few things First, a long bearded fellow, a disowned Saudi Arabian with an engineering degree, sends his men to bomb two east African embassies for no particular reason killing a handful of Americans and hundreds of Africans. Trust Uncle Sam, planes fly into Nairobi and take out the Americans, only. Later, missiles target a small camp in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Sudan. The bearded fellow gets away unhurt and is promptly forgotten. Then the Republican Party wants to impeach a popular president with the first budget surplus in decades because he cheated on his wife. Somehow, the same party manages to rig the elections in Florida, and brings to the white house a man who has no experience in foreign policy, hardly been out of the US. The bearded fellow does something very dramatic on 9/11. Everybody is like Nooo, get him! George The Son is off to Kabul and bang bang, he misses the bearded fellow and his cohorts but quickly gets bored with the chase for this rag tag army. Meanwhile, a new idea hits him, like an inspiration from heaven. A perfect excuse to pay homage to daddy and all the folks that made Florida possible for me. Off to Iraq we go. Shock and awe. Cross the red line. No WMD’s later George The Son smiles in front of the cameras and claims victory. We are spreading freedom to the world. Apparently the bearded fellow has a few ideas up is sleeve. Sooner than later, Uncle Sam has a bloody fight on his hands. Hostile local population, hostile deposed government, different culture and language and the rag tag fellows. Nobody wants to help except Tony, the smooth Liar. The house is in a complete mess. A whole federal government cannot deal with a storm? Katrina? The world says, did we not warn you? We go to the ballot again and Americans reward the fellow with four more years. What the heck? Europe, Asia and Africa say in unison. Four more years of him, God No! The Son spends his time defending the decision to go to Iraq. The economy suddenly crumbles under its weight. Americans begin to regret the embarrassment they put in the White House. The American dream is no more, but not just yet. This young charismatic black man with an interesting genetic mix is impossible to fight. Ask Karl Rove. White background here, African father there, Indonesian school somewhere, Harvard in the picture, Hawaii is home, and community organizer everywhere. Americans and the world are willing to change the course. Bring back the good times. Get the children back to dreaming about conquering space. Save Brand America, climate change, the greatest economic recession since the great depression, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea. Only change can save Brand America. kelviod@yahoo.com