American political identity is continually changing also because of the incredible ethnic and cultural diversity within the nation's borders. When gender, sexual identity, socio-economic class, and other factors are also included in the mix, America's political philosophy is naturally heterogeneous. When new immigrants enter the United States, they contribute to the common ideals of a nation founded on principles like universal liberty and justice. "Debates about immigration and national identity cut to the core of our national self-image as a nation of immigrants, and invariably includes allusions to the past -- real and idealized -- as a way of under- standing and coping with social and demographic changes today," (Segura 278). White supremacist Americans are currently in a state of panic, which is a good sign. The president has African blood. Latinos have gained a significant amount of political clout. Women are no longer willing to accept patriarchy as the status quo. As Bell Hooks states, an America that is "dominated primarily by the voices of white male intellectuals and/or academic elites who speak to and about one another with coded familiarity" is an America to be challenged vigorously in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King. King noted that tension in political life is not a bad thing, but a positive sign of growth. "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that...
I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth." American political philosophy is characterized by tension because it is so diverse, but always dedicated to liberty and justice for all.
Religion and War As long as religion has been part of human history, it has been the cause of several kinds of conflict. These conflicts could be minor disagreements between individuals, such as the one regarding a certain point of theology. Arguments could also arise among groups, such as different denominations of Christianity. This is much like the above-mentioned theological differences; only on a wider scale. On a less friendly footing,
Even thenm once in a while the heads of the more powerful families would meet to work out differences (Meltzer, 1990, pp. 40-41). Still, striking at the mob could not be effected easily by the use of normal investigative methods alone. Indeed, the failure of the FBI to use even those methods in a concerted manner is noted by Kessler (2002), who reports that Hoover usually claimed that the FBI
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