I am sorry guys that this is sooooo long again! I thought I had posted the 1st last weekend- but I didnt- maybe I just thought about it-
I enjoyed “dominion from Sea to Sea” – obviously because after every chapter read, I wanted to change my paper topic- it was very interesting and easy to read and understand for me. It really gave a different perspective in all topics covered. My whole outlook on globalization has changed! Our country has an outlet (as Cumings put it) to every place on Earth- when I sit back and think about that, it is amazing to me. I have always known that- but never really put any real thought into it.
The cotton industry was how the US became dominate in world trade and it could not have been as successful as it if it were not for the slaves- I think this was paper topic # 4 for me. Texas notable contributed to the cotton trade as well as the slave trade. After the Civil War, Texas became a Jim Crow state. Once the cotton gin came about the plantation owners could have their cotton ginned (I guess you would call it) but huge plantations that never made a comeback after the civil war. Southern states like Texas began a new type of farming- cattle production- what we think of as the wild west- cowboys and cattle. This was an easy way to make money because you could buy some cattle and turn them out into the wide open- they are pretty rugged and eat almost anything that grows from the ground. Cattle driving came and went quickly. Oil was next for Texas, generating 4/5 of US production. This is where it gets confusing for me because if I am correct, whoever finds the oil, owns the oil. Now- what is it is no one’s land- if you struck oil- was it yours?? Was the land then yours aswell? I think I may be thinking too much into it and straying away from Cumings main points. The rails and telegraph shrunk time and space, people were free to move about and free to venture where ever they pleased- from gold, to cattle and oil- if you could find it- it was yours for the taking!
As I read Cuming’s book, I always remember a section of Scholte’s book (p5) – Globalization is “a progressive increase in the scale of social processes from a local or regional to a world level “the heart of globalization is the transcending of established boundaries and boarders of time, space, & territory, an increasing interdependence & interaction of peoples and an emerging consciousness of what’s happening.
- This to me is the essence of Dominion from Sea to Sea – it makes me think of the colonist, Lewis & Clark, Native Americans, Cotton, Slave Trade, World Trade, Steam Engines, Continental Travel, Oceanic Travel, Military, Military Bases Abroad and most of all America.
America is everywhere- I never thought about it much until I read Scholte’s book and especially now after reading the last few chapters of Cumings book. To me, bases abroad was the norm- I kind of even (I am totally embarrassed to saw) looked at those countries who accommodated US bases as fortunate to have us. I saw or still see, just in a different light US bases abroad as defense for all those who fall under the idea of “good order” or good morals. Even after living in Japan and frequenting Korea as a Marine and seeing both the good and loved side of being a Marine and seeing the hated side of being a Marine- from those we called “the Japanese Mafia” or some people called the “Nips” not me- sounds racist to me- I was stationed 30 min train ride from Hiroshima- that’s where we would go to party all weekend- and the younger generation LOVED us and the older seemed to hate us. I never really thought that much about it other than WWII but it goes so much farther than that- we really have taken over so much of their land. I don’t think anyone who has not been to every US base on mainland Japan really know how much land we occupy on the mainland- not to mention Okinawa which is 75% US bases. We even have a base at the foot of Japans highest mountain- Mt. Fuji where marines train in various areas, as well as climb the mountain- it is very “Americanized” anything is when you put 500 Marines in uniform around it.
Americanization is more of a word to me know- I guess in a way we are Americanizing everything and every place we can. We can’t really help it due to the fact that we are everywhere and our military readiness is first class. US military men and women are plentiful, unfortunately expendable and ready to deploy with only 72 hours notice- that’s for the average marine- they expect you to have a family care plan in order to care for dependents, always have a sea bag packed and dog tags on. They continually practice redness exercises- its packing allllllllllll you and your commands shit up, staging it, putting it on float (boat) or in a bird (plane) taking it wherever and then unloading it alllllllll and setting it up. That’s allllllll we did in Iwakuni Japan because there was nothing else to do- practice being ready to deploy – I was a logistical embarker – the name says it all- shit packer, shit shipper and shit set-er- upper – and honorary hole digger of frozen ground. Woo- sorry to get off track- I am just really realizing now just how “everywhere” we are –
we even practice to go everywhere when there is nowhere to go!!
A friend sent this to me not long ago- in remembrance of all our crazy ass 2 am hole digs- I just goggled it and found it. It’s a perfect example of our readiness to be anywhere alllll the time- we are everywhere even when there’s nowhere to go :)
http://www.marines.mil/unit/mcbjapan/Pages/2010/100730-invincible.aspx
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