Which Country is Best?

[Ooberman]

Which Country today (or if you want to propose an ancient culture) has the best balance of laws according to your moral standards, religious views, etc?

Let's remove, for the moment, the actual actions of people within that society, but only focus on the general themes and laws (let's not get bogged down in details) of those countries.

For example, I am inclined to see Holland as leading the way in terms of social laws.
America ain't bad, but there are some laws I feel are anachronistic.

[AdHoc]

Ok i had to google anachronistic but "America ain't bad"?

I take the view that there are no good countries all have some blemishes.

I do not deny that America has done a lot of good, in probably every discipline but she has done some really bad stuff too.

[Choir Loft]

Which Country today (or if you want to propose an ancient culture) has the best balance of laws according to your moral standards, religious views, etc?

Let's remove, for the moment, the actual actions of people within that society, but only focus on the general themes and laws (let's not get bogged down in details) of those countries.

For example, I am inclined to see Holland as leading the way in terms of social laws.
America ain't bad, but there are some laws I feel are anachronistic.

The best? Politically? The democracy of Greece established by Pericles. It's generally accepted to be the one and only original democracy.

The United States isn't a democracy, by the way. It's constitutional form is that of a republic - representative government. That's the theory anyway. In actual fact, the United States has become in recent years a fascist police state.

America isn't bad? Your blind nationalism is showing. America is the country that has set up fascist dictators all over the planet. America is the most self serving, self worshipping nation on the planet.

"Don't let anybody make you think that God chose America as His divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justice and it seems that I can hear God saying to America, 'You are too arrogant. If you don't change your ways I will rise up and break the back bone of your power.'"
- rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (circa 1967)

"The US government is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."
- King 1966

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
- Rev. Martin Luther King, jr.

Let us not consider for a moment that these observations are limited to the religious bias of a good Christian figure like Dr. King. What is true of America is true in the eyes of all who see clearly. Let's also consider the words of one of the foremost play writes and political commentators of our time Gore Vidal. The man happened to be an atheist, but his remarks are similarly scathing.

"We should stop going around babbling about how we're the greatest democracy on earth, when we're not even a democracy. We are a sort of militarised republic."

"The United States has always been a nation of ongoing hustlers from the prisons and disaster areas of old Europe. I do not think that the American System in its present state of decadence is worth preserving. The initial success of the United States was largely accidental. A rich empty continent was exploited by rapacious Europeans who made slaves of Africans and corpses of Indians in the process."
- Gore Vidal

If the purpose of this thread is to glorify the American flag above all others, then one must accept the fact that there are a lot of feces on it - wiped there by our corrupt and debauched leadership who care nothing for the good of our nation or for consideration of the people of the world around us. The stains have not been cleaned but rather smeared throughout by citizens who deliberately turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the crimes performed in our good names.

The most highly decorated Marine Corps General in US history, Smedley D. Butler understood all too well the real nature of the US Marine Corps and US foreign policy in general when he concluded after his retirement in 1931 that;
"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service, and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism."

Of course the common response to these revelations and observations will be that nobody is perfect, that no nation is perfect. No nation on earth has so drenched itself in slavery and blood as America. Adolph Hitler admired Americas genocide of native Americans and enslavement of Africans and he modeled his fascist financial system after our own! No nation on earth has abused the good will of its people and the peoples of the earth as America.

It's time to step out and make a nation that fits the illusion we've been carrying with us for over two hundred years. We can do that by admitting to ourselves that we've been criminal in our actions and goals. We cannot make America the best nation, or even a decent one, until we do that. Worshipping a flag that no longer stands for justice and right won't do it. Such actions will only encourage greater injustice.

As for the best kingdom on earth, I believe that to be the Kingdom of God and the best leadership that of Jesus Christ the son of God.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

[dusk]

Considering more recent politics I would vote Holland down and put my money on Sweden, Norway. As civilizations I would say they are most advanced but who wants to live so far north in these dark winters.

[Choir Loft]

Considering more recent politics I would vote Holland down and put my money on Sweden, Norway. As civilizations I would say they are most advanced but who wants to live so far north in these dark winters.

You may have a point there. The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful......

and the hospitality is legendary.....

or so I've been told.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

[Ooberman]

Considering more recent politics I would vote Holland down and put my money on Sweden, Norway. As civilizations I would say they are most advanced but who wants to live so far north in these dark winters.

Agreed.

I heard an interesting story. A bus stopped to pick up passengers. On of the passengers was in a wheelchair. 4 people got off the bus to help the guy onto the bus.

In America, this would be an outrage that we'd have to do something like that. Sure, there are people who would, but there seems to be a difference in civility.

[Choir Loft]

Considering more recent politics I would vote Holland down and put my money on Sweden, Norway. As civilizations I would say they are most advanced but who wants to live so far north in these dark winters.

Agreed.

I heard an interesting story. A bus stopped to pick up passengers. On of the passengers was in a wheelchair. 4 people got off the bus to help the guy onto the bus.

In America, this would be an outrage that we'd have to do something like that. Sure, there are people who would, but there seems to be a difference in civility.

Your anecdote about the current state of American culture is accurate to a fault.

The American culture has become mean spirited.

Stand up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (he's on Netflix & You Tube - pretty funny) once did a routine about visitors. It goes like this....

Not so long ago when someone came to the front door the family was excited and happy about it. "Company! We've got company," everyone would shout. And everyone would rush to the door, happy as puppies that a visitor had come to see them.

Today? Not so much. Today when someone knocks on the door everyone hides (unless the arrival is first announce via cell phone). If greeted at all, the visitor might be treated to a brandished weapon.

When Sebastian does it, it's real funny and like all really funny things - true.

The good old days of America are dead and gone. Our situation reminds me of the words of a popular country song "Gone".

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

[southern cross]

Is there a country without people? That might be nice.

[dusk]

Or a country without borders. Without land. Without citizens.

[southern cross]

Especially without politicians? Or perhaps USERS of any kind? Oh well Dusk, tis but a dream, alas their god made us differently..........perhaps.

like your posts