Joe, we won't look down on you for that. ;)

Many of the things cited that were done by the American Government are indeed deplorable. Then again, many things done by EVERY government have been deplorable. The simple fact is, folks tend to lose perspective when they get in charge and figure the REASON why they are doing something justifies them doing it. So they lie and break laws and lie about breaking laws. Those that do NOT lose perspective get accused of lying and get people digging into their past because NOBODY is really like that. In most Western countries, these actions generally come out into the light of day fairly soon after. It is the totalitarian regimes that get me worried with what they are doing...

Actions taken by individual Americans are, many times, done so out of the ignorance that springs from the view of the world they have. Just like most folks. Americans of Irish descent living in the 1920's were often times the children of famine immigrants with a HUGE complaint about the British Government of the 1840's and 50's. Their children received no new information to change that view. Does this justify them sending funds to support any of the alphabet-soup splinter groups that are lumped together as the IRA? Not in my mind.

However, many times such funds are raised by conniving, underhanded people who know that most Americans, even those who are "connected", have a hard time sorting out fact from the massive amounts of nonsense they get inundated with. Simply put, they get snookered - they are told the proceeds are for some effort or other when in reality they are going elsewhere. The crime they are committing is being trusting and sometimes being quite elderly. (Having recently needing to explain to my elderly mother that the NEXT time she gets a nice letter and flyer asking for money to help people in Northen Ireland, let one of her kids read the fine print...)

Am I ashamed to be an American? No. Do I trust ANYONE to rule the world? Not particularly. Do I have a shortlist of countries I do NOT want to rule the world? You bet.

Pete