On Thu, 19 Dec 2002 02:30:57 GMT, "mp" <
[email protected]> wrote:
>> In all honesty, I don't care much at all for the general 'win at all costs' profit-driven mindset
>> of most American corporations. It's emabarrasing and sickening to me. I think I'm one of the few
>> here who was actually happy to see the Dow hit 7500. I'd like to see it go lower to put things
>> back in perspective and I've already lost quite a bit of $$$.
>>
>> I don't like the fact that my government feels the need to meddle in the afairs of every single
>> country on the planet and in the afairs of everyone of its very own citizens -- it flies in the
>> face of our Constitution which I feel is probably the most perfect political document in
>> existence. It bothers me deeply that our corporations can buy laws that are blatantly
>> unconstitutional safe in the knowledge that no one will be able to contest those laws because of
>> the prohibitive cost of doing so.
>>
>> What I do know is that in a few years time it'll be my generation running the show and I know
>> that we don't really care about what country X is doing and why so long as they aren't pointing
>> rockets at us or bothering our citizens. Alas, we are still in the minority here so it'll be a
>> while longer until we can make some changes and get back to the basics -- like our Constitution
>> intended.
>>
>
>Hmm...all this from the fellow who just a couple days ago said that americans had the god given
>right to do what ever they wanted, in whatever country they wanted to do it in.
>
>Changing your way of thinking are you?
>
I fully stand by what I've already stated. I also stand by what I stated above. The assumption, on
your part, when I defended my nation was that I agreed wholeheartedly with my government's
policies. I don't. How could I? Our president can't even tie his shoes for Christ's sake. Nor do I
care for 'Corporate America(tm)' and the 'it's all about the shareholder' mentality. Quite the
contrary, I consider the practice to be un-American, if anything. I would love to see a return to
the foreign policy and corporate mindset that prevailed prior to World War II combined with the
current global economic ties as they are right now. I don't know if that's workable but it's
something I'd like to see.
I don't know why Americans in general think they have a right to butt in elsewhere. Perhaps it's
because we're a country of immigrants and maybe we still care about 'the old country.' Maybe we feel
_that_ way because of some of the things mentioned in the article below:
**** BEGIN QUOTE****
A TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES
This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing. Widespread but only partial news coverage was
given recently to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian
television commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as printed in the
Congressional Record:
America: The Good Neighbor.
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the
least appreciated people on all the earth. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy
were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave
other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining
debts to the United States.
When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their
reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring,
59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now
newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States
dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing
Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all
the International lines except Russia fly American Planes?
Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about
Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get
automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon -! not once, but
several times - and safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to
look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and
most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at
home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans
who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned
them an old caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you
name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was
outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get
kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are
entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope
Canada is not one of those."
****END QUOTE****
I'll say it again -- America IS a great country. I love it, would never leave it and would fight to
the death to defend it. It's great because of the people and the principals behind the nation. I
don't agree with everything we, as a nation, do. If you don't like us that's just fine by me. If
you're from a country that allows you say in such matters then vote for someone who feels the same
way and is willing to do something about it. If not, well, sorry to hear that but you don't want our
help anyway.
