I don't think enough pointless speculation has been generated over the fact that we can refer to our people, our government or even our military as "US". As in U.S. This usage casually blends with "us", the second person plujunctive prepossessing personal pronoun (might've made a mistake there). I just read the headline: Newfound Iraqi confidence pleases, worries US, and of course, it irritated the hell out of me. Because, first of all, the framing is "family expansive" meaning that they are using an (imagined) standard family model and expanding it to create a metaphor. Basically, WE (the US) are terribly worried about Iraq (the teenager) getting keys to OUR CAR. But it pleases US to see Iraq (the teen) have a new-found sense of independence. We are not the world's "Daddy" country. In fact, this attitude of "Daddy" to the world, "Mommy" at home is offensive. But that model works when the Government wants to push fascism on us. At home, Mommy rules. Outside of the US, that's Daddy's territory. Different rules when you're in Daddy's world and Mommy's. That's why we are (apparently) so damn comfortable with this notion that there are different laws for Americans and Foreigners. Once you make an exception, the exception is the rule (if it happens to serve power). Which is to say, once you create Guantanamo Bay, everywhere is Guantanamo Bay.

We are not a "family". And even if we were, not every family consists of separate "spheres" of "duty" that do not ever intermix (Mommy's world of pies and cakes, and Daddy's world of DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING ASK DADDY WHAT HE DOES WHEN HE LEAVES THE HOUSE, YOU HEAR ME YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL SON OF A BITCH!). Not everyone is like that. But people who are think that everyone else should be... apparently. I don't know. I don't want anything to do with it, you fucking Nazis. The problem is, of course, that those Nazis overextend themselves and get us COMMITTED to their worldview. Ahh, fuckit.