If you have to ask why Americans unite you obviously haven's spent much time overseas among other cultures. Look at Europe. Dozens of countries, scores of languages, cultures, religious preferences, governments, histories,etc., etc. Now, you say that America also has all of the above. That is right, save the part about the many countries, but what is missing in America is the 1,000 year history of conflict that Europe has.

In America we killed off or marginalized all those people who used to own the land we now occupy. So now we don't open our front door each morning, look across the street at a neighbor whose grandfather stole the land on which he now lives from our grandfather. Our land was stolen fairly and squarely from the Indians and they don't matter anymore.

Remember that the ethos of this country was established by rebels. People with a fiercely independent streak who had been persecuted at home and were now going to find another place to live. To make this place work each had to be responsible for his/her own welfare. To look out for their own families, to unite in times of trouble. They had to create an entirely new country out of a basically uninhabited (save for the original owners) land. Those who immigrated after these people came with the same attitude and goals.

This is one reason that many European countries, esp. Germany, was so happy to see many of their people immigrate to the States. By letting them go these countries were exporting their dissidents and their lower classes. This is one reason that Mexico is reluctant to stem their flow of illegals. They export any potential revolutionaries and in return get billions in hard currency back into the country. Sounds like a good deal to me.

In most countries around the world people live among their historical enemies. The animosity never dies. Look at Ireland-900 years of hating your neighbor. Belgium, a country the size of your living room, divided north and south by language. England doesn't like Scotland and Wales, and the reverse is true. North Germans think southern Germans are lazy and drink too much, plus they are Catholic. Neither likes the East Germans. Look what happened in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovakia , the Czech republic, Bohemia, and Albania. Look at Spain and the Basques. And then when all has settled down here come the Hun-gars, Goths, Celts, Huns, etc.

This is why there will NEVER be peace in the Middle East. America treats Iraq as if it were a untied country. It is not, has never been and will never be. Iraq, and all the other countries between there and the Mediterranean, were created by the British and French in the '20 I believe with absolutely no regard for old tribal boundaries, family alliances, or religious leanings. For America to go in there and try to change the fabric of the area using American money and the blood of our next generation is the height of both arrogance and ignorance.

This united response to tragedy is not solely an American trait. The British worked en masse during the Blitz. Other countries have done the same. As commendable as this 'united response' may be remember that a group is far more easily led than 300 million individuals. Bush used this to lead us into Iraq. He had no proof of any of the allegations he used to start this war, yet much of the American public followed him waving flags and seeking revenge against a country that; one, had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, two, that was basically set up and supported by the US to fight a war against Iran, whom we had also set up, and three, was never in its wildest dreams any kind of threat to the US.

What I am saying is don't be blinded by the glitz and glitter of America. It is a great place to live but believe me I lived over seas for 20 years, in many countries, and have seen that there are a number of other countries that have perfectly viable lifestyles and that are a pleasure in which to live. You would be surprise how quickly one realizes that one really doesn't need the choice of 20 kinds of toothpaste, or 40 kinds of dog food, or a fast food shop on each corner. Americans are notoriously xenophobic and very reluctant to admit that other societies might just work. But they are out there and they do work. Keep an open mind.