Call me stupid, but I'm with RealName on this one. What exactly is the point of your article?

Is it to ask why things seem to have gone so wrong for the US from a PR perspective in the past 6 years?

My own answer to this question is that there is a greater awareness by the people, and a melange of other factors that have unified the people. The internet, alternative media, and the broad discontent of the American and world population are all coming together to cause the have-nots to wonder why the haves are doing so well, and they aren't. The rank hypocrisy of Bush and his followers is evident, and the people are not content. They are not swallowing their Soma as usual. A little discontent goes a long way. Unemployment, homelessness, poor and unfunded healthcare. Wouldn't you be unhappy, too?

Please explain the purpose of your piece. I may be too thick to get it, or perhaps I'm overreading things. If there is some deeper meaning that you are trying to get across, please enlighten us.

As always...Magna est verdad, et prevalebit.

Please get a handle. Of course you are right, about la verdad. Glenn, care to explain your underlying point?

Americans live in a system that has an illusion of democracy, but it is clear that neither of the major parties represent the will of the average man. The difference in incomes between the lowest and the highest is something like a multiple of 450 times, and the poorest in your country have little hope of escaping poverty and ill health.

The American Dream, and Horatio Alger stories are no longer sufficient to keep the masses in check, and as a result the USA has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the western world, rampant drug abuse, and more deaths by violence than just about any other country one can name.

It would be hard to argue that this is the type of democracy that many people would wish to have.

Of course, the US does not have a democracy in the sense of the wishes of the majority of the people being represented, anyway. The system of the Electoral College, ensures that there is not a direct vote by the public for any one candidate. Their representative in the College makes the ultimate choice.

This failure to meet the needs of its own people is certainly one cause of the loss of prestige that the US has suffered.

Hypocritical notions of spreading democracy to others when your own people are suffering is something you can't get most people to accept.

When and why this decline in standing has occurred seems to be a rather trivial matter. The point is that the shepherds aren't tending to the flock. Not very moral, and not very Christian either. The rest of the world simply see the sheep being ignored.

The only way to get America back to its shining former self is for the rulers to start being empathic, and caring for their fellow man. With who you have in charge, there is no sense holding your breath.

As always, you have produced a cogent piece that articulates your point well. The state of journalism in the US is abysmal.

This is the case in many locations where there are monopolies controlling the flow of information. As smaller companies are swallowed up by the Murdoch's of the world, the number of opinions that are expressed diminishes.

The reporters themselves are just cogs in the wheel. The real power is the editors and owners. Reporters learn to self- censor, or are relegated to the sidelines. If you want to have career advancement produce articles that the bosses want.

One aspect of this which I had not understood until recently was that of the legal threats that are made against organisations which do report things that go against the mainstream. Threats of law suits and years in court, can deter even more moral competitors to just not bother.

It is a sad day for the American people, not to mention the world, that corporate interests are devoted to misinforming their customers, and promoting hatred, division, and continuing suffering.

This course of affairs is unlikely to change without government regulation, and restrictions of ownership, as well as a less legalistic climate where you can't simply sue anyone for anything. Of course, you would need a government that wanted to do that in the first place.

The one good thing that can be said about Bush is that he has accelerated the disparity between the haves and the have-nots, and has pushed the tipping point for change to the near future.

It remains to be seen if the people will seize the day, or if they will just roll over and accept their fate.