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THe American Empire?

georg jetson

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Sep 14, 2009
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I've suggested that the US exist presently as an Empire. Others have disagreed pointing out the lack of success we have "occupying" other nations. Here's an interesting article touching on this subject.

http://personalliberty.com/2012/04/03/empires-then-and-now/?eiid=

The answer is that Washington’s empire extracts resources from the American people for the benefit of the few powerful interest groups that rule America. The military-security complex, Wall Street, agribusiness and the Israel lobby use the government to extract resources from Americans to serve their profits and power. The U.S. Constitution has been extracted in the interests of the security state, and Americans’ incomes have been redirected to the pockets of the 1 percent. That is how the American empire functions.
 
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()pen(arry

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Seattle, WA; escaped from 18 years in TX
Given a functional definition of the term "empire", valid debate could ensue regarding whether the term were applicable to a given nation. Since "empire" is one of those fuzzy concepts that people choose to abuse as best suits their predetermined opinions, I don't think anyone can reasonably respond to this topic as it is currently presented.

Would you like to give us an unambiguous, usable definition of "empire"? I rather think formulating that definition will entail quite a lot of consideration.
 

georg jetson

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Slidell, Louisiana
Given a functional definition of the term "empire", valid debate could ensue regarding whether the term were applicable to a given nation. Since "empire" is one of those fuzzy concepts that people choose to abuse as best suits their predetermined opinions, I don't think anyone can reasonably respond to this topic as it is currently presented.

Would you like to give us an unambiguous, usable definition of "empire"? I rather think formulating that definition will entail quite a lot of consideration.

The definition of "empire" that I would give would be the one ascertained from the context of the word in the article.
 

DrakeZ07

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Mar 26, 2011
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Lexington, Ky
The definition of "empire" that I would give would be the one ascertained from the context of the word in the article.

How about a -true- definition of the word. 'empire'?

dictionary.com said:
em·pire
   [em-pahyuhr; for 8–10 also om-peer] Show IPA
noun
1.
a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire.
2.
a government under an emperor or empress.
3.
( often initial capital letter ) the historical period during which a nation is under such a government: a history of the second French empire.
4.
supreme power in governing; imperial power; sovereignty: Austria's failure of empire in central Europe.
5.
supreme control; absolute sway: passion's empire over the mind.
EXPAND
adjective
8.
( initial capital letter ) characteristic of or developed during the first French Empire, 1804–15.
9.
( usually initial capital letter ) (of women's attire and coiffures) of the style that prevailed during the first French Empire, in clothing being characterized especially by décolletage and a high waistline, coming just below the bust, from which the skirt hangs straight and loose.
10.
( often initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to the style of architecture, furnishings, and decoration prevailing in France and imitated to a greater or lesser extent in various other countries, c1800–30: characterized by the use of delicate but elaborate ornamentation imitated from Greek and Roman examples or containing classical allusions, as animal forms for the legs of furniture, bas-reliefs of classical figures, motifs of wreaths, torches, caryatids, lyres, and urns and by the occasional use of military and Egyptian motifs and, under the Napoleonic Empire itself, of symbols alluding to Napoleon I, as bees or the letter N.

Or how about:

Urbandictionary.com; 6th description said:
Word meaning "cool". Started on the east coast of England. You heard it here first.
"That t-shirt is just so empire!"

Happy face? :D
 

()pen(arry

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Nov 15, 2010
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Seattle, WA; escaped from 18 years in TX
The definition of "empire" that I would give would be the one ascertained from the context of the word in the article.

So the article is written to prove that America is an empire according to the article's definition of "empire". That is known as begging the question.

Seriously, I think this would be an interesting discussion, but we need an objective definition to work with first.
 

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
Figures, now definitions from the dictionary don't count? What's next, reason... An Empire is anything we deem it to be.

Dictionary definitions are good but can be fallacious when ignoring the point being brought out.

It's like the we are not a police state argument recently had. Relying on the dictionaries definition and saying we have to meet all the requirements. You can be an empire, police state, communist, socialist, radical, whatever....without meeting the strict definition if the end result is the same or similar.

Of course that depends on "what the definition of is, is".
 
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