The poverty line in the US has the poor with things like Cable TV and what not.
The democrats get the poverty line raised every year as a means to getting the minimum wage raised in the US, which is now above 5 dollars an hour. That's well above the poverty level in china which is somewhere below 5 dollars a month I think.
Yes the US military has accidents. But usually (not always) they are in warzones. The vincenzes happened while they were fighting a surface engagement. The chinese embassy was a tragic mistake, but these things happened, and we apologized for it and did what we could to make it better, including assist to the family and where applicable immediately aiding and repatriating the dead or wounded.
Lets not forget that we are usually there at someone else's request, not because we want to. The US provides aid and stability to many regions of the world.
The Japanese want us there, though they may occasionally complain when something tragic happens as it is DIRECT AID to the Japanese government so that they don't have to spend resources to protect themselves from China and other perceived threats.
All of that Balkans crap was at the request of Nato. We weren't driving it contrary to what you want to believe. The problem is that the rest of Europe has gotten to the point where it can't really defend itself or its interests, and the bosnia was a war of survival, not for bosnia but for the coutries into which the refugees were pouring.
We spent 68 BILLION dollar bombing bosnia basically to repatriate 1 or 2 million people. The price tag keeps coming in. Why? Because the neighboring countries would have collapsed under the weight of the refugees.
Governments will make mistakes. Its happens all the time! It is how the government acts in the aftermath of the event that is most telling. Because The US is so large, there will be numerically more tragedies. Our country is made up of 200-300 million humans. Humans make mistakes. When we do we apologize and do our best to rectify it. In the mean time, we are doing FAR more good around the world that goes completely un noticed, untill we stop doing it, then once again we are evil incarnate.
So Icarus, insult the USA all you want, the next time someone invades your country or God reaches down and smites you with a natural disaster, you will be first in line looking for assistance from us. You make it so easy for people to justify returning to our pre WWII Isolationism, which is fine with me. You don't seam worth my tax dollars
Cheers
Wino
PS. A USA abortion (the numbers of which you way overstate btw) is a woman's CHOICE. Whether you agree with them or not, it is about a woman's right to do with her body as she pleases. It is not the US government coming in a ripping her child which she wants from her body as it is in China. Apples and oranges dude, but everyone sees it, and I am just pointing out the obvious to you.
Maybe a few forced surgical procedures on you would fix ya.
[This message has been edited by Wino (edited 23 April 2001).]