Do you guys not have the right to peaceful protest?
The current US govt. and increasingly the right-wing Conservatives in Canada, don't like protesters and will throw riot police at them at the drop of a hat.
I'm glad the US robber baron reign of Bush and company seems to be coming to an end and that Canadians are keeping the Conservatives in a minority govt. so they can't do much damage.
Uhhhh.... How would you know what the US Govt likes in regards to protests? Considering where I live and we see protests by illegal aliens here all the time, I have not seen one occasion where riot police have been used. I also grew up in the SF Bay area, and never have seen anything of the like there. Can you give us an example?
An example I can give is Pruits furniture in Phoenix on Thomas. I have driven by it during the day several times over the last month or so. Regularly I see protesters, groups as large as 100+, on the sidewalk calling Pruits, "Racists", "Fear Mongers", and even "Fuck Pruits Furniture" on large signs. They protesters have stopped traffic on several occasions, they regularly have blocked the entry from the street when the police are not there, once for me when I was there to work on their network. My own experience is that my car was hit, kicked, and I was cursed at in Spanish and English. If you like proof of damage I will be happy to take pics and show you my dented fender and scratches on my hood and roof. This is all because Pruits does not want Illegals congregating in front of it store because of the trash and damage done to its property by those picking them up. So they asked Sheriff Joe to get them to stop. Thats when the peaceful protests started. Oh and the police would not let me file charges against the guys who damaged my car. I have to go after them in small claims court. Funny, they did not have any ID with them and the PH#'s and the contact information was completely false.
I have a few other questions regarding your points but I think this is a good start.
Do you guys not have the right to peaceful protest?
The current US govt. and increasingly the right-wing Conservatives in Canada, don't like protesters and will throw riot police at them at the drop of a hat.
I'm glad the US robber baron reign of Bush and company seems to be coming to an end and that Canadians are keeping the Conservatives in a minority govt. so they can't do much damage.
Do you guys not have the right to peaceful protest?
We used to in the UK. Now you need permission for a gathering of over a certain amount and you need to discuss the route of a march with Police. They can force you away from certain areas.
eg. I think the govt used antiterrorism law to remove a peaceful protester who was outside of the House of Commons (kinda funny thing to call it these days).
I find it funny that we all go to war to bring democracy to countries that don't have it whilst we attempt to destroy it at home in the name of the very reason we go to war.
Pacifier, That was my point but being rather sardonic in my approach. I was really hoping to read lalunette's response on what general examples he would have showing the opposite.
I always find it interesting when people blame conservatives for reducing the ability to speak freely here in the US, and Canada, yet I see evidence proving quite the opposite. Conservatives have not been passing speech code laws removing the right to speak freely about subjects in countries such as Canada and the US. I wonder who has?
Conservatives have not been passing speech code laws removing the right to speak freely about subjects in countries such as Canada and the US. I wonder who has?
Not sure about speech code laws, never heard of those, but a piece of legislation called the Patriot Act comes to mind... and that was definitely the US conservatives. Allows them to spy on pretty much anybody in the US, weakens civil liberties and allows the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records without a court order. Ouch!!
As for replying or giving examples as you requested earlier I don't intend to since I only threw that video on there to make people think, aka, stir things up. LOL
Wanna hear something funny, since the US has been in such dire straits financially lately they announced on the news recently that the FBI ect. could no longer afford the phone bills necessary to maintain all the phone taps and so forth. Did anyone really believe this shit could continue?
I have spoken about these issues with many people in-depth, and its tragic.The patriot act is nazi fascism at its best, there are so many commonalities between the ww2 Nazi party and the current US gov't.
Our economy is crap!
Our reputation in the world is crap!
Our job market is crap!
Our morality is crap!
Our schools are crap!
Our roads are crap!
Bush and Cheney are crap!
This war is crap!
They're idiots, they've weakened us so bad now...bullshit elected officials.
The only guy I like never gets press coverage at all! Ron Paul, while being one of the only people to talk about what our country needs will NEVER get airtime...sad but true!
I used to think it was just the US but the world in general is in for some deep shit. RFID ect and a one world hierarchy is definately on the horizon, lol all thanks to our own governments insighting fear in the masses. They can make you believe anything...
Speech code laws such as pastors/minister/clergy speaking out about certain sexual lifestyles. Even individuals who publicly denounce, criticize or dissent Canadian law and political represenatives. Its illegal and punishable by imprisonment in Canada and many have been sent to prison. http://www.issues-views.com/index.php/s ... icle/24000
Now in regards to the Patriot Act, I dont know or have heard of any US citizen that has happened to because if it did happen it would be all over the news here and I am sure you would know about it up in Canada also. In regards to not needing a court order for records of various types please give an example. Again if it did happen it would be a enormous story all over the airwaves.
The problem with video's like that, as in the 911 conspiracy ones, as they are made up of innuendo, half truths, and outright lies. All it does is perpetuate more idiocy.
Under the current type of liberal run govt. that Canada has, are your less or more free than I am here in the US?
Not sure about speech code laws, never heard of those, but a piece of legislation called the Patriot Act comes to mind... and that was definitely the US conservatives. Allows them to spy on pretty much anybody in the US, weakens civil liberties and allows the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records without a court order. Ouch!!
As for replying or giving examples as you requested earlier I don't intend to since I only threw that video on there to make people think, aka, stir things up. LOL
Dire straights financially? Well if the politicians would learn some basic economic theory such as don't spend what you don't have and, taxation kills economic prosperity, we would be in better shape. But cities, states and federal govt tends to spend what they don't have. Now I wonder where that kind of thinking and policies come from?
I would love to see how your draw the similarities between fascism and the patriot act. Do you know the history of fascism and where it comes from? That would be a wonderful discussion.
Is our economy really crap? Other than the subprime issue, our economy grew.
Our reputation in the world is not crap, its only bad with the liberal left in the world. Has that really changed? It was crap when Kennedy was president and it has not changed.
Our job market is crap? According to the BLS. (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm) our rate is at 4.7 nationally. Historically that is very low, and I am old enough to remember what the 60's through the 90's were like job wise.
Our morality is crap? Well I would have to agree with you on that one. There are so many examples to choose from on both sides of the political spectrum, but I would say there are far more from one side than the other. Care to discuss?
Our schools are crap? Well that is true and not true at the same time. Having school age children I personally chose to home school mine them when we were living in California. I can give many examples of how bad California schools are, and how I, and my wife, were harassed by the Dept. of Education of California for choosing to educate our children that way. FYI, one daughter 8 is in 5th grade, the other 11 is a Sophmore in HS. Now who do you think has been in charge of education policy, procedures, and curriculum in schools here in the US over the last 4 decades? Care to discuss?
Our roads are crap? Yes they are and where do you think all our state dn federal gas taxes are going? Who's policies and programs are they being used for? Care to discuss?
Bush and Cheney are crap? Well I do not agree with both of them most of the time, I would not give such disrespect to any president regardless of if I agreed with their policies or not.
War is crap? Actually war is hell, and I will make an assumption that your just to young to know any better because 1: you never served in any theater and therefore never have seen combat, and 2: neither yourself, or anybody in your immediate family, has ever lived under a socialist or totalitarian govt. in such times that war was a factor.
Fear in the masses? Like man made global cooling, man made global warming? heterosexual aids epidemic? DDT is more harmful than malaria? killer bee epidemic, and on and on and on... But that did not come from the govt. did it. Now where did it come from?
Wanna hear something funny, since the US has been in such dire straits financially lately they announced on the news recently that the FBI ect. could no longer afford the phone bills necessary to maintain all the phone taps and so forth. Did anyone really believe this shit could continue?
I have spoken about these issues with many people in-depth, and its tragic.The patriot act is nazi fascism at its best, there are so many commonalities between the ww2 Nazi party and the current US gov't.
Our economy is crap!
Our reputation in the world is crap!
Our job market is crap!
Our morality is crap!
Our schools are crap!
Our roads are crap!
Bush and Cheney are crap!
This war is crap!
They're idiots, they've weakened us so bad now...bullshit elected officials.
The only guy I like never gets press coverage at all! Ron Paul, while being one of the only people to talk about what our country needs will NEVER get airtime...sad but true!
I used to think it was just the US but the world in general is in for some deep shit. RFID ect and a one world hierarchy is definately on the horizon, lol all thanks to our own governments insighting fear in the masses. They can make you believe anything...
Our reputation in the world is not crap, its only bad with the liberal left in the world. Has that really changed? It was crap when Kennedy was president and it has not changed.
as a frequent traveler to Europe and with all my family living abroad, i can tell you that our reputation IS indeed crap ever since 2000. its not the individual that has the reputation but the govermental body that gets all the criticism. when Clinton was in office Europeans loved him, and it was "cool" to be an American. ever since Bush has been in office Eurpeans look at us as some dumbasses who just want to rule the world.
um, and our rep. was definitly not crap when Kennedy was president, everyone loved him as far as i know. anyways....
Take it from me, someone who is not in the US, that the reputation of the US is terrible.
um, and our rep. was definitly not crap when Kennedy was president, everyone loved him as far as i know. anyways....
Sorry dude but to the rest of the world he was a joke. While the circumstances surround his death are terrible, he was still viewed as a moronic womaniser.
Then I would think that we hang out in different circles. I was in Italy and Greece about 8 months ago. Spent a month there hanging out staying with family and friends along with making many new friends again. The minute I told them I was from the US it was like a new friend. The last company I worked for had me spending a lot of time in Asia and the minute I was from the US people wanted to be my friend and were more kind to me. I have traveled the world extensively, and being born in and partially raised in Europe I can tell you people do not think the US is crap, the leftists think so. I would ask if the US is so crappy, why it is the number 1 country in the world to immigrate to?
As for Kennedy I am wondering if your old enough to even remember him as president along with the Bay of Pigs and blockade of Cuba beforehand. Think those were popular?
What I am surprised here is the lack of historical perspective and knowledge of history in general like the usage of fascism.
Our reputation in the world is not crap, its only bad with the liberal left in the world. Has that really changed? It was crap when Kennedy was president and it has not changed.
as a frequent traveler to Europe and with all my family living abroad, i can tell you that our reputation IS indeed crap ever since 2000. its not the individual that has the reputation but the govermental body that gets all the criticism. when Clinton was in office Europeans loved him, and it was "cool" to be an American. ever since Bush has been in office Eurpeans look at us as some dumbasses who just want to rule the world.
um, and our rep. was definitly not crap when Kennedy was president, everyone loved him as far as i know. anyways....
Under the current type of liberal run govt. that Canada has, are your less or more free than I am here in the US?
Well, since the minority Conservative govt. has come to power, the liberal run govt. is fast disappearing. Conservatives have been successful in eliminating alot of programs that benefited minorities and womens groups. Canadian Conservatives favor a ban on abortion, war in Afghanistan, a reduction in social programs, etc... All the usual conservative stuff.
Both the Liberals and the NDP (socialist-type party) are not strong enough to form a majority govt. so they are leery about forcing an election. Therefore, the Conservatives are getting away with their reforms.
This has happened before. The political pendulum will ultimately swing again and things will change. What brought the Liberals down was 1. the sponsorship scandal in Québec and 2. they were too long in power.
Right now the Conservatives have a leader no one really trusts and the Liberals have a leader no one notices. Let's not even talk about the federal NDP. However, on a provincial basis, the NDP in Manitoba (my province) are enjoying high popularity and have recently won their third mandate!
What I am surprised here is the lack of historical perspective and knowledge of history in general like the usage of fascism.
Face it, you are not going to get historical perspective in a forum populated by mostly young males generaly interested in lowering or racing their Honda wagon. LOL
While I may not be old enough to remember Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs (1961), I was born in 1965 and did a major in political studies at university (mid-eighties) because I wanted to join the diplomatic corps.
Also, I am a self-confessed historical junky and have read up about the Seven Year War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (yes, it was a war, not a police action), and have followed Canadian and US politics quite closely since the eighties.
As a proud and vocal non-believer, I am troubled by the growing association between right-wing religious groups and US politics. We have been able to resist this movement in Canada thanks to our clear separation of Church and State.
Over the years I have met many Americans and Europeans and, one on one, I have liked almost every one I met. However, I do know that some Americans like to pass off as Canadians to avoid trouble.
As for US popularity around the world, you reap what you sow. Where US intervention has been negative, the perception of the US will be bad. I know the US has a good reputation in many European countries as they are seen as liberators. The same goes for Canada. I know that I was seen almost as a hero myself when I lived in the Netherlands in the early eighties. Canada liberated most of the Netherlands and we enjoy high popularity there.
Cheers !!
P.S. I do know what fascism stands for and where it originated so I am not using the term lightly.
Then I would think that we hang out in different circles. I was in Italy and Greece about 8 months ago. Spent a month there hanging out staying with family and friends along with making many new friends again.
the same applies to me, i have many friends over there as well who think its great that im american and such. the people i know dont "hate" on the american people themselves but just the current governing body. i have yet to meet a eurpean who can say they like Bush and his party.
on the suject of Kennedy, i'll shut up about him since i really dont know anything about that =P
Dire straights financially? Well if the politicians would learn some basic economic theory such as don't spend what you don't have and, taxation kills economic prosperity, we would be in better shape. But cities, states and federal govt tends to spend what they don't have. Now I wonder where that kind of thinking and policies come from?
Unfortunately, we the voters have empowered these people.
I would love to see how your draw the similarities between fascism and the patriot act. Do you know the history of fascism and where it comes from? That would be a wonderful discussion.
Is our economy really crap? Other than the subprime issue, our economy grew.
Subprime isn’t the only issue, our private industry is tanking bad. Our money is circulated paper, no connections between our US dollar and precious metals. The Federal Reserve is responsible ultimately and the bill will come due to the American taxpayer.
Our reputation in the world is not crap, its only bad with the liberal left in the world] Has that really changed? It was crap when Kennedy was president and it has not changed. .
You really think the Middle East loves us? Personally I don’t care what super-rich arabs think of me but we’re not there for Osama Bin Laden. Iran, North Korea and Venezuela love us too but they don’t have enough oil for us to care last time I checked, right? I agree with Putin regarding our repore with them and other countries, we treat them like the uninvited guest @ the party. Could not have said it better.
Our job market is crap? According to the BLS. (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm) our rate is at 4.7 nationally. Historically that is very low, and I am old enough to remember what the 60's through the 90's were like job wise.
I love what our job market is now, a bunch of independent consultants whose main function consists of coordinating which Starbucks they’ll hold their next board meeting, our manufacturing and tech has become extinct. While our unemployment rate isn’t that of the double digit Reagan era, it isn’t that far away. Wait, will Wal-Mart greeter jobs will save us all?
Our morality is crap? Well I would have to agree with you on that one. There are so many examples to choose from on both sides of the political spectrum, but I would say there are far more from one side than the other. Care to discuss?
This country thrives on disposable youth, the dumber the better.
Our schools are crap? Well that is true and not true at the same time. Having school age children I personally chose to home school mine them when we were living in California. I can give many examples of how bad California schools are, and how I, and my wife, were harassed by the Dept. of Education of California for choosing to educate our children that way. FYI, one daughter 8 is in 5th grade, the other 11 is a Sophmore in HS. Now who do you think has been in charge of education policy, procedures, and curriculum in schools here in the US over the last 4 decades? Care to discuss?
You’ve chosen to home school, which I have considered a decade ago and am currently providing to my youngest. I have more than 1. Personally, my tax dollars pay for good children to become better criminals in our current system. I have witnessed 2 generations of a failed educational system and in my opinion, its getting worse. No criminal left behind…
Our roads are crap? Yes they are and where do you think all our state dn federal gas taxes are going? Who's policies and programs are they being used for? Care to discuss?
Appropriations for infrastructure are non-existent , war plain and simple.
The bridge collapse in Minnesota could have been avoided.
Levee break in Nevada.
Lack of a humanitarian effort in New Orleans a few years back...
The State of California and many others freeing convicted criminals early…
Ect. Ect.
No money.
Bush and Cheney are crap? Well I do not agree with both of them most of the time, I would not give such disrespect to any president regardless of if I agreed with their policies or not.
Worse than Watergate, while it is not my bible, the book speaks volumes.
Actually war is hell, and I will make an assumption that your just to young to know any better because 1: you never served in any theater and therefore never have seen combat, and 2: neither yourself, or anybody in your immediate family, has ever lived under a socialist or totalitarian govt. in such times that war was a factor.
Fine, war is hell, your opinion. Assuming, I or anyone else here should be held accountable to some predetermined criteria in your mindscape is just as negligent as you believing you are better than me or anyone else here. Don’t assume anything about me or others here or I’ll assume you don’t give a shit. If you want to assume that I'll assume you don't appreciate our company.
Well since you do not know me I will say I am not any of those. An if he is not becoming a friend then why did he invite me, my wife and daughters to stay with him at his home in Vincenza for a week? I met him in a cafe and we started to chat. A SRV song came on, of which we are both fans, and our family has has a friendship since then. Now he and I do not share common political views but do have some that are the same. Even though we disagree, we have wonderful discussions in politics. I have many such friends like this in Italy, and the rest of Europe, along in Japan, and Thailand. Some share many political views and others do not. Our family's exchange much with each other.
Why should Govt pay for all those programs? Why not just be responsible for yourself? Of course you say alot of programs are disappearing, care to elaborate?
The abortion issue is a big on here too. I for one see it as a states right issue not a federal one.
So the liberal and socialist parties are not strong enough to work together so the "Conservatives are getting away with their reforms". Would you say the same if the liberals/socialist were in charge? This is a good example of how liberals view conservatives. Not exactly the open mind that liberals proclaim to be.
Now why does the NCP, a very socialist party that resembles what Stalin promoted, not surprise me that they are popular.
Next time you look at your tax obligation and if you have as much freedom to say what you want, like here in the US, think how free you really are.
Under the current type of liberal run govt. that Canada has, are your less or more free than I am here in the US?
Well, since the minority Conservative govt. has come to power, the liberal run govt. is fast disappearing. Conservatives have been successful in eliminating alot of programs that benefited minorities and womens groups. Canadian Conservatives favor a ban on abortion, war in Afghanistan, a reduction in social programs, etc... All the usual conservative stuff.
Both the Liberals and the NDP (socialist-type party) are not strong enough to form a majority govt. so they are leery about forcing an election. Therefore, the Conservatives are getting away with their reforms.
This has happened before. The political pendulum will ultimately swing again and things will change. What brought the Liberals down was 1. the sponsorship scandal in Québec and 2. they were too long in power.
Right now the Conservatives have a leader no one really trusts and the Liberals have a leader no one notices. Let's not even talk about the federal NDP. However, on a provincial basis, the NDP in Manitoba (my province) are enjoying high popularity and have recently won their third mandate!
Also, I am a self-confessed historical junky and have read up about the Seven Year War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (yes, it was a war, not a police action), and have followed Canadian and US politics quite closely since the eighties.
P.S. I do know what fascism stands for and where it originated so I am not using the term lightly.
Really? Then I suggest you do some reading in the European (English, French, Italian, Spain, German, and so on) and Russian press and tell me if you still think the same thing. I could also add Brazil and other South American countries to the list also.
I would also ask how much of your family has a different political view than yourself? How many people do know with a different political persuasion than your own here in the US or in Europe?
Our reputation in the world is not crap, its only bad with the liberal left in the world. Has that really changed? It was crap when Kennedy was president and it has not changed.
as a frequent traveler to Europe and with all my family living abroad, i can tell you that our reputation IS indeed crap ever since 2000. its not the individual that has the reputation but the govermental body that gets all the criticism. when Clinton was in office Europeans loved him, and it was "cool" to be an American. ever since Bush has been in office Eurpeans look at us as some dumbasses who just want to rule the world.
um, and our rep. was definitly not crap when Kennedy was president, everyone loved him as far as i know. anyways....
lalunette
familEE
Comments
The current US govt. and increasingly the right-wing Conservatives in Canada, don't like protesters and will throw riot police at them at the drop of a hat.
I'm glad the US robber baron reign of Bush and company seems to be coming to an end and that Canadians are keeping the Conservatives in a minority govt. so they can't do much damage.
How could you possibly ever question your governments actions?
And if you do have the right to peaceful protest and the government stops you, why aren't you guy growing some balls and doing something about it?
so much for "freedom of speech"
An example I can give is Pruits furniture in Phoenix on Thomas. I have driven by it during the day several times over the last month or so. Regularly I see protesters, groups as large as 100+, on the sidewalk calling Pruits, "Racists", "Fear Mongers", and even "Fuck Pruits Furniture" on large signs. They protesters have stopped traffic on several occasions, they regularly have blocked the entry from the street when the police are not there, once for me when I was there to work on their network. My own experience is that my car was hit, kicked, and I was cursed at in Spanish and English. If you like proof of damage I will be happy to take pics and show you my dented fender and scratches on my hood and roof. This is all because Pruits does not want Illegals congregating in front of it store because of the trash and damage done to its property by those picking them up. So they asked Sheriff Joe to get them to stop. Thats when the peaceful protests started. Oh and the police would not let me file charges against the guys who damaged my car. I have to go after them in small claims court. Funny, they did not have any ID with them and the PH#'s and the contact information was completely false.
I have a few other questions regarding your points but I think this is a good start.
We used to in the UK. Now you need permission for a gathering of over a certain amount and you need to discuss the route of a march with Police. They can force you away from certain areas.
eg. I think the govt used antiterrorism law to remove a peaceful protester who was outside of the House of Commons (kinda funny thing to call it these days).
I find it funny that we all go to war to bring democracy to countries that don't have it whilst we attempt to destroy it at home in the name of the very reason we go to war.
I always find it interesting when people blame conservatives for reducing the ability to speak freely here in the US, and Canada, yet I see evidence proving quite the opposite. Conservatives have not been passing speech code laws removing the right to speak freely about subjects in countries such as Canada and the US. I wonder who has?
Not sure about speech code laws, never heard of those, but a piece of legislation called the Patriot Act comes to mind... and that was definitely the US conservatives. Allows them to spy on pretty much anybody in the US, weakens civil liberties and allows the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records without a court order. Ouch!!
As for replying or giving examples as you requested earlier I don't intend to since I only threw that video on there to make people think, aka, stir things up. LOL
I have spoken about these issues with many people in-depth, and its tragic.The patriot act is nazi fascism at its best, there are so many commonalities between the ww2 Nazi party and the current US gov't.
Our economy is crap!
Our reputation in the world is crap!
Our job market is crap!
Our morality is crap!
Our schools are crap!
Our roads are crap!
Bush and Cheney are crap!
This war is crap!
They're idiots, they've weakened us so bad now...bullshit elected officials.
The only guy I like never gets press coverage at all! Ron Paul, while being one of the only people to talk about what our country needs will NEVER get airtime...sad but true!
I used to think it was just the US but the world in general is in for some deep shit. RFID ect and a one world hierarchy is definately on the horizon, lol all thanks to our own governments insighting fear in the masses. They can make you believe anything...
http://www.issues-views.com/index.php/s ... icle/24000
Now in regards to the Patriot Act, I dont know or have heard of any US citizen that has happened to because if it did happen it would be all over the news here and I am sure you would know about it up in Canada also. In regards to not needing a court order for records of various types please give an example. Again if it did happen it would be a enormous story all over the airwaves.
The problem with video's like that, as in the 911 conspiracy ones, as they are made up of innuendo, half truths, and outright lies. All it does is perpetuate more idiocy.
Under the current type of liberal run govt. that Canada has, are your less or more free than I am here in the US?
Dire straights financially? Well if the politicians would learn some basic economic theory such as don't spend what you don't have and, taxation kills economic prosperity, we would be in better shape. But cities, states and federal govt tends to spend what they don't have. Now I wonder where that kind of thinking and policies come from?
I would love to see how your draw the similarities between fascism and the patriot act. Do you know the history of fascism and where it comes from? That would be a wonderful discussion.
Is our economy really crap? Other than the subprime issue, our economy grew.
Our reputation in the world is not crap, its only bad with the liberal left in the world. Has that really changed? It was crap when Kennedy was president and it has not changed.
Our job market is crap? According to the BLS. (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm) our rate is at 4.7 nationally. Historically that is very low, and I am old enough to remember what the 60's through the 90's were like job wise.
Our morality is crap? Well I would have to agree with you on that one. There are so many examples to choose from on both sides of the political spectrum, but I would say there are far more from one side than the other. Care to discuss?
Our schools are crap? Well that is true and not true at the same time. Having school age children I personally chose to home school mine them when we were living in California. I can give many examples of how bad California schools are, and how I, and my wife, were harassed by the Dept. of Education of California for choosing to educate our children that way. FYI, one daughter 8 is in 5th grade, the other 11 is a Sophmore in HS. Now who do you think has been in charge of education policy, procedures, and curriculum in schools here in the US over the last 4 decades? Care to discuss?
Our roads are crap? Yes they are and where do you think all our state dn federal gas taxes are going? Who's policies and programs are they being used for? Care to discuss?
Bush and Cheney are crap? Well I do not agree with both of them most of the time, I would not give such disrespect to any president regardless of if I agreed with their policies or not.
War is crap? Actually war is hell, and I will make an assumption that your just to young to know any better because 1: you never served in any theater and therefore never have seen combat, and 2: neither yourself, or anybody in your immediate family, has ever lived under a socialist or totalitarian govt. in such times that war was a factor.
Fear in the masses? Like man made global cooling, man made global warming? heterosexual aids epidemic? DDT is more harmful than malaria? killer bee epidemic, and on and on and on... But that did not come from the govt. did it. Now where did it come from?
as a frequent traveler to Europe and with all my family living abroad, i can tell you that our reputation IS indeed crap ever since 2000. its not the individual that has the reputation but the govermental body that gets all the criticism. when Clinton was in office Europeans loved him, and it was "cool" to be an American. ever since Bush has been in office Eurpeans look at us as some dumbasses who just want to rule the world.
um, and our rep. was definitly not crap when Kennedy was president, everyone loved him as far as i know. anyways....
Take it from me, someone who is not in the US, that the reputation of the US is terrible.
Sorry dude but to the rest of the world he was a joke. While the circumstances surround his death are terrible, he was still viewed as a moronic womaniser.
As for Kennedy I am wondering if your old enough to even remember him as president along with the Bay of Pigs and blockade of Cuba beforehand. Think those were popular?
What I am surprised here is the lack of historical perspective and knowledge of history in general like the usage of fascism.
Just because someone treats you nicely, doesn't mean you're their friend.
The typical North American (OK, lets just say USA because everyone loves the Canucks) is perceived as loud, fat and obnoxious.
Well, since the minority Conservative govt. has come to power, the liberal run govt. is fast disappearing. Conservatives have been successful in eliminating alot of programs that benefited minorities and womens groups. Canadian Conservatives favor a ban on abortion, war in Afghanistan, a reduction in social programs, etc... All the usual conservative stuff.
Both the Liberals and the NDP (socialist-type party) are not strong enough to form a majority govt. so they are leery about forcing an election. Therefore, the Conservatives are getting away with their reforms.
This has happened before. The political pendulum will ultimately swing again and things will change. What brought the Liberals down was 1. the sponsorship scandal in Québec and 2. they were too long in power.
Right now the Conservatives have a leader no one really trusts and the Liberals have a leader no one notices. Let's not even talk about the federal NDP. However, on a provincial basis, the NDP in Manitoba (my province) are enjoying high popularity and have recently won their third mandate!
Face it, you are not going to get historical perspective in a forum populated by mostly young males generaly interested in lowering or racing their Honda wagon. LOL
While I may not be old enough to remember Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs (1961), I was born in 1965 and did a major in political studies at university (mid-eighties) because I wanted to join the diplomatic corps.
Also, I am a self-confessed historical junky and have read up about the Seven Year War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (yes, it was a war, not a police action), and have followed Canadian and US politics quite closely since the eighties.
As a proud and vocal non-believer, I am troubled by the growing association between right-wing religious groups and US politics. We have been able to resist this movement in Canada thanks to our clear separation of Church and State.
Over the years I have met many Americans and Europeans and, one on one, I have liked almost every one I met. However, I do know that some Americans like to pass off as Canadians to avoid trouble.
As for US popularity around the world, you reap what you sow. Where US intervention has been negative, the perception of the US will be bad. I know the US has a good reputation in many European countries as they are seen as liberators. The same goes for Canada. I know that I was seen almost as a hero myself when I lived in the Netherlands in the early eighties. Canada liberated most of the Netherlands and we enjoy high popularity there.
Cheers !!
P.S. I do know what fascism stands for and where it originated so I am not using the term lightly.
the same applies to me, i have many friends over there as well who think its great that im american and such. the people i know dont "hate" on the american people themselves but just the current governing body. i have yet to meet a eurpean who can say they like Bush and his party.
on the suject of Kennedy, i'll shut up about him since i really dont know anything about that =P
fwiw, i'm more nearly libertarian than any other pat category. Do whatever you want, just don't do it to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_act
I referred to Nazi Fascism, was I or the Wiki wrong?
Subprime isn’t the only issue, our private industry is tanking bad. Our money is circulated paper, no connections between our US dollar and precious metals. The Federal Reserve is responsible ultimately and the bill will come due to the American taxpayer.
You really think the Middle East loves us? Personally I don’t care what super-rich arabs think of me but we’re not there for Osama Bin Laden. Iran, North Korea and Venezuela love us too but they don’t have enough oil for us to care last time I checked, right? I agree with Putin regarding our repore with them and other countries, we treat them like the uninvited guest @ the party. Could not have said it better.
I love what our job market is now, a bunch of independent consultants whose main function consists of coordinating which Starbucks they’ll hold their next board meeting, our manufacturing and tech has become extinct. While our unemployment rate isn’t that of the double digit Reagan era, it isn’t that far away. Wait, will Wal-Mart greeter jobs will save us all?
This country thrives on disposable youth, the dumber the better.
You’ve chosen to home school, which I have considered a decade ago and am currently providing to my youngest. I have more than 1. Personally, my tax dollars pay for good children to become better criminals in our current system. I have witnessed 2 generations of a failed educational system and in my opinion, its getting worse. No criminal left behind…
Appropriations for infrastructure are non-existent , war plain and simple.
The bridge collapse in Minnesota could have been avoided.
Levee break in Nevada.
Lack of a humanitarian effort in New Orleans a few years back...
The State of California and many others freeing convicted criminals early…
Ect. Ect.
No money.
Worse than Watergate, while it is not my bible, the book speaks volumes.
This war is crap, unnecessary.
Fine, war is hell, your opinion. Assuming, I or anyone else here should be held accountable to some predetermined criteria in your mindscape is just as negligent as you believing you are better than me or anyone else here. Don’t assume anything about me or others here or I’ll assume you don’t give a shit. If you want to assume that I'll assume you don't appreciate our company.
Why should Govt pay for all those programs? Why not just be responsible for yourself? Of course you say alot of programs are disappearing, care to elaborate?
The abortion issue is a big on here too. I for one see it as a states right issue not a federal one.
So the liberal and socialist parties are not strong enough to work together so the "Conservatives are getting away with their reforms". Would you say the same if the liberals/socialist were in charge? This is a good example of how liberals view conservatives. Not exactly the open mind that liberals proclaim to be.
Now why does the NCP, a very socialist party that resembles what Stalin promoted, not surprise me that they are popular.
Next time you look at your tax obligation and if you have as much freedom to say what you want, like here in the US, think how free you really are.
I would also ask how much of your family has a different political view than yourself? How many people do know with a different political persuasion than your own here in the US or in Europe?