Erica Ritz
The Blaze
5/2/2012
Bill Ayers spoke at the University of Oregon last week on the subject of teaching and organizing for “social justice.” His speech was not free of the radical sentiments he is well-known for espousing (especially in the company of America’s youth). Case in point: he spoke of the end of America, a new world, and what our role ought to be in all of it…
…When Ayers spoke, it was largely of how the “American Empire” is over, and what this means for her citizens (though there was a fair amount of “the wasteful American” theme throughout as well):
The great challenge for our generation [is] to find a way not just to live differently as individuals, but to find a way to think differently about what work means, to think differently about citizenship means, to think differently about what it means to be a ‘citizen of the world.’ One of the great dangers that we live in right now, is I don‘t think there’s any question, and I don’t think any of you would question, that the American Empire is in decline–that economically, and politically, and in some ways culturally, that we are in decline. And yet, the United States remains the most powerful, weaponized military system the Earth has ever known.
That’s a treacherous combination. A declining economic power, and an expanding military power. And we are going to have to find ways to re-imagine what it means to live in this coun–in this world. And here we are 4% of the world’s population, 4.5% of the world’s population, consuming vast amounts of natural resources, consuming vast amounts of finished goods, and no politician will say that the empire is declining and that the game is over.
It’s over. Now what? [Emphasis added]
The article continues, with video, at The Blaze.
At HotAir.com, Video: Bill Ayers awfully confident that America’s best days are behind us.
…Though imperfect, America has consistently been a force for good in the world, not the evil empire people like Ayers believe us to be. Whether America’s influence on the world stage diminishes in this century is a choice we face, not an inevitability. Will we continue to borrow against our future prosperity at an unsustainable rate? Will we allow runaway growth in entitlement spending to choke off investments critical to our long-term security? Will we allow those sowing cultural division and class envy to succeed in setting us against each other? Ultimately the choice is simple even if the path ahead will be difficult: will we remain exceptional or will we succumb to the designs of those who are busy “re-imagining” a world where there is nothing great about America?
Read the whole thing.
Update: Bill Ayers: America is in Decline And You Better Accept it. HillBuzz weighs in.
