I am an American and I think our culture is changing -- going backward, in fact. This is partly the fault of the neo-conservative movement in our country.

There are two major modes of thought here in the U.S. One is progressive and the other is conservative. Now there is a third -- neo-conservatism. Neo-conservatism, which started in the 1950s and was based on the beliefs by a philosopher named Leo Strauss, is an extreme form of conservatism that has infiltrated our republican party and is turning it on its head. Neoconservatives feel that “liberalism” is a threat to our society and they intend to eradicate it. They think they know better than everybody else where this country should go. What does this mean for us? It means a loss of democracy.

I’m not trying to be extreme here – most American’s here in the US (democrat, republican, or other) can sense something strange going on. We can all see that far-right Christian fundamentalism is finding its place in government. Why? Well, the Neo-conservatives feel that there is evil in the world that must be eradicated by the good. Who else shares this idea? Christians. In the 1970s, the neoconservatives, in an attempt to unite the people by giving them a shared purpose, needed a large voting base, so they made allies with some fundamentalist Christian preachers who were able to get their congregations to vote. This is how the neoconservatives (people like Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, and Cheney) were able to get a foothold in government under the Regan administration. And they've stayed in power (these are the same people who have been advising GW Bush today).

How does this affect our society? New shows have popped up on TV. For example, there’s one called “Justice Sundays.” This televised program has Government officials standing on a religious pulpit with fundamentalist Christian preachers saying that we have to put prayer back in school and that we need a supreme court judge with Christian values to interpret the laws. This may lead to the re-evaluation of the infamous Roe v Wade decision which made it possible to have an abortion IF YOU WANT (this decision allows for the CHOICE of abortion which is performed by a doctor -- safely). If this decision is overturned it will outlaw abortion (not giving you the choice).

Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against Christian values; but I do have a problem with people telling what to believe and how to behave.

I don’t ask that my beliefs be made into law. Democracy is all about setting the ground rules and allowing the people to do and believe what they want.

We all need to be aware of this neo-conservative movement and how it will endanger our culture and probably the culture of other countries (meaning that rather than compromise with other cultures, it will try to destroy them).

Just look at the news today: Pat Robinson, a Christian preacher, just called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez (the Venezuelan President) because of his “liberal” values. This is not democratic behavior, and certainly not behavior synonymous with a religious person.

My thoughts on the USA. The big boss. US government loves to think it's world's boss and nobody likes bosses, so that's why people hate the USA, not all the people, but a good part of it, yes. 

I think the USA is a big country that's getting lost into its own greatness. It's the richest country in the world, it has the biggest and well-trainned army in the world, it has the best technology in the world, but in the other hand, it has people starving in Lousianna, it has lots of social problems, it has lots of prejudice regrading other people and culture.

I think it's a great country in need of good politics to make it going on, because if the american politics keep on as they are, I'm afraid the USA will face some bad moments in a near future.