Okay, but what have we done lately? Oh, wait...

"From 1945 to 2003, the United States attempted to overthrow more than 40 foreign governments, and to crush more than 30 populist-nationalist movements fighting against intolerable regimes. In the process, the US bombed some 25 countries, caused the end of life for several million people, and condemned many millions more to a life of agony and despair." - - - William Blum

*** UPDATE: Michael Miller left this comment:

"Once you've looked behind the curtain, there's no going back," a gentleman in the Atlanta airport told me three years ago.

You know, the worst thing for me wasn't the goddamned lies that launched the war - it was looking behind the curtain. I still have my ideals and I still want the America i grew up believing in, but now I know so much about what we've really done... You can love your country and detest it's actions but the truth is, we are what we do as individuals and as a nation. America does great things, but we do horrible, unacceptable, morally depraved things too.

We as citizens today have more information available to us than any previous generation. Perhaps that's why we - those of us who make the effort - can see behind the curtain so clearly. The long term implications of this are what keep me going.

For those of us (like Mr. Miller) watching from our stumps in blog-o-land, I would say that it's kind of like being nearsighted and leaving home without your glasses... you can see (and therefore know) what's going on, but it's just not clear enough to see all the details.