Imagine what would be ...if we all stand up and say no... ( Archived) (282)

How come you think that we want to be Americans and live in your country???

I for one would not, being a single mum of 2 children, getting my bachelors degree, I'm sooooo much better off in my own country...

There is a world outside the US, and it's about time you aknowledge that!

True and proud of it

But I've lived in this country for 10 years now and I'm sick of hearing about freedom. The word is overused to the point that it's meaningless. I've been to many countries and I've never heard anyone but Americans say "We are the greatest country because we have freedom." And yes, they are just as "free" or not free, I should say. Freedom and being able to vote are not the same thing. If we had complete freedom I could drive as fast I want, I could walk naked on the street, I could smoke in church (not that I wanted to smoke or go to church). Basically I could do as I please. That would be real freedom and it would also be ludicrous. Laws may be different wherever you go, but more or less we have the same degree of freedom, if you will. However, we now live in a time when you should get over the fact that you are able to elect one of the most incompetent people as president and stop celebrating the illusion of freedom while comparing yourself to fourth-world countries like Eritrea, Somalia, Afghanistan or Haiti. That's really an accomplishment to be proud of.

Will Accountability Prevail?
From Watergate to Gonzogate

Col. Dan Smith is a military affairs analyst for Foreign Policy In Focus , a retired U.S. Army colonel, and a senior fellow on military affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation

Quote _:
Gonzales had at least three weeks notice of the hearing in which he reportedly "rehearsed" his answers to questions posed by Justice Department officials role-playing as the Senate committee. The shooting incident at Virginia Tech on April 16 prompted the Senate committee to postpone Gonzales' appearance from April 17 to April 19. Despite all that time available to search records and calendars, the Attorney General, under oath, responded 74 times--45 times before the committee broke for lunch--with some version of "I don't recall specifically," "I have no recollection," "I don't recall remembering," or "I can only testify as to what I recall." (Alternate counts say 64 "I don't know" answers over five hours--either way, quite a few.) Were that not frustrating enough for both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, Gonzales went out of his way to assert and reassert: "I firmly believe that nothing improper occurred." This is virtually an epistemological miracle: even though he could not remember any details of meetings he attended and conversations he had, he is sure everything done was proper.

Cripes I wasn't going to post to this thread again! Can we be any more ignorant and misinformed? Iraq was not in a mess, indeed Iraq was one of the bright spots in the Middle east. Its women were free and its population the best educated amongst all Arab countries. The quality of life was pretty good. You could sit in Basra on the Shat-Al-Arab river and have a beer in a beer garden that wouldn't have been out of place in Bavaria. Granted Saddam was a murderous tyrant but if you didn't fall foul of him life was pretty comfortable and safe.

We attacked and destroyed the country. You said it takes two to fight well what are we doing in someone else's country? What was our compulsion to go there?

To the uninformed:

Norway has the highest living standard in the world. Thanks to the bountiful oil in the North sea and the wise policies of its government. Norway also tops the list of best places to live. Trust me Norwegian people aren't clamoring to be made American. And who can blame them seeing some of the specimens on this site?

Minnesota was built by Norwegian settlers. You can still hear the lilt in the English spoken on the farms. We are an egalitarian society, with the highest standards in education and health. We are also the healthiest place to live in the US. Thanks to our Norwegian fore-fathers (and of course mothers).

plarkin you're wasting your breath. This woman thinks we went in because the country was destroyed and the Iraqis invited us. :):)

That reminds me of a trend I've noticed. I'm referring to the northern hemisphere from now on (that's what I have the most knowledge of). It seems to me that the farther north you go the more liberal and intelligent the people are. More evolved so to speak (for those of you who believe in evolution). Not necessarily in a proportional way, more like two blocks separated by a fuzzy line.

This trend seems true within America and within Europe and also between the two. To give a perspective: Paris, for example, is more northern than Fargo, ND! Even most of Italy is still north of New York City.

I don't know if the sun is drying out the southern brains or if the more temperate climate gives people more resources, easier living and consequently more time to think.

Anyway, this is a little off-topic, but I thought I'd throw it in

Actually, a lot of countries loathe the fact that the U.S. is playing self-announced world police bullying other countries into submission. Especially when it is unilaterally. Bombing a country certainly does not constitute "help".

I don't want to discredit anyone who with good intentions is trying to help someone else (if it's not through war). I know there are plenty of those people in this country. However, I don't know whether it is the media or just the ignorant believe of some folks, but The U.S. are not the only country helping other people in need nor are they always the biggest contributor. Take for example the tsunami disaster a few years back. A disaster dwarfing the events of 9/11. Yes, the United States offered financial aid among other support. What most people do not know is that there was a small international outrage over the initial amount that eventually forced the U.S. government to significantly increase their pledge. At first, Germany alone and also Australia donated about twice as much as the American government. Additionally, public donations in Germany matched that amount almost tripling U.S. public support. Considering the wealth of America and the much bigger population than those two countries, it was a much bigger sacrifice for them. Not to mention countless other countries with similar relative contributions.

All I'm saying is, the world wouldn't fall apart if there wasn't an America. A little humbleness would go a long way and would probably gain back some respect that you didn't even know you've lost.

Even more off topic:

There was quite a good article about Norway on the 4th of May in the NYTimes...if anyone is interested...

"Norway Keeps Nest Egg From Some U.S. Companies"