Pajamas Media

230 Comments

1. Steve Bronfman:

Dumb friggin’ Eurodhimmis

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:43 am 2. Mary Jackson:

Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:48 am 3. J.J. Sefton:

The simplistic answer is bitterness and jealousy at our success, which is built on immigrants who fled the old world’s persecutions, depradations, etc. Plus the European left wing media’s propaganda war against us, as stated in the article. Interesting how the MSM here is doing the same thing but the public, at last, ain’t swallowing it, or at least is starting to reject it.

Now sharia comes to the UK. The hatred to come will make the last 50 odd years look like a 2-year old’s hissy fit. Click the link.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:56 am 4. Peter Gee:

I disagree Mary. My experience all over the world is very few peoples have the least clue about other countries. It’s just anti-American bigotry that singles out the USA. However, those who live under totalitarian regimes have a great deal of knowledge about the outside. They have to, if only for yearing. I’ll bet the average educated Burmese, for example, knows a lot more aboutthe USA or EU than any citzen of those countries

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:08 am 5. Bosch Fawstin:

Thanks for the ammunition, good stuff, but for this record-skipping passage:

‘….a common stereotype is that Americans are individualistic…..’

Americans are Individualistic and America is the Land of Individualism, which is a Great thing, in spite of your seeming suggestion that it’s something to apologize for.

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:10 am 6. Explaining the Gap:

[...] And why such explanation is necessary. [...]

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:23 am 7. Akatsukami:

I think, Bosch, that both you and Kern are confusing “individualistic” with “atomistic”. Yes, Americans are the former; but, despite anarchist propganda that the latter is desirable and progressive propaganda that it is the unfortunate result of anomie, there is no indication that it is generally so.

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:43 am 8. Ed Wallis:

Sorry, “Mary Jackson,” 3:48am, but YOU’RE likely talking about the silly “interviews” (those most entertaining GOTCHA shows which highlight the somewhat less bright among the living…).

Agreed, there are plenty of Yanks who can be seen there…but NOT any sort of “mirror image equivalent” to the sort of anti-American propaganda being spewed by many Europeans.

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:55 am 9. el gordo:

Mary,

British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.

The difference is obviously that Americans are not obsessed with believing the worst of the Brits, rather the opposite. There is no anti-Britishism or anti-Germanism and even our jokes about the French are fairly harmless, come to think of it. One French leader like Sarkozy who seems to appreciate America, and all is forgiven.

In this regard, it is not Americans who have to explain themselves.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:01 am 10. ozziepat:

These distorted ideas don’t just happen. They are the end result of limited, one-sided media output over a long period of time. Control the media amd the school curricula and you can build any set of societal perceptions you want.

Social activists call the process of gaining this control “the long march through the institutions”, echoing Mao’s successful efforts in turning China into a communist state with party control of all institutions including the schools, media and judicial system. Look around. It’s happening in the US and has been for decades.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:07 am 11. rdgh:

Okay, that first question asked, regarding polygamy, must have been phrased confusingly, interpreted wrongly, or simply the interviewer led them. Me, none of my family, and certainly none of my friends believe that polygamy is legal in the US. (Clicking the link I see the original question was is it legal in *some* parts of the USA, not just generally, so it’s not quite as horrific as first made out). As for the medical care one, I can probably believe that. But polygamy? 50%? My mind boggles.

Disclaimer: I’m doing a scientific work and was doing research for a year in America previously (Boston), so my ignorance level may be slightly less. But only slightly.

Most of the answers are just guesses as you most likely fathom. It’s not so much we are daily “spoon-fed” information (or lies) about the USA but really just don’t hear about it much. You get the occasional story, and as most of us know, the *bad* stories tend to get pushed. No big news station reports the ordinary, and for most people they have no need to know such facts and information about a foreign country, even if it is one like America. We (or at least I) don’t hear about Russia much, or even France that much (fortunately there is the internet nowadays). That said, the American election gets at least as much media/air-time than the British ones, which tends to say something. Not much tends to change here with regards to politics, and thus I guess that means we tend towards the status-quo by default. That might explain the ‘threat to world peace’ result — probably most people are thinking that the USA is more likely to upset the ’status-quo’ than world-peace. The USA’s actions could result in more world peace I would say (certainly more so than Iran!), but they’re much more likely to upset the current status-quo because they have the ability, drive, and resources to do so. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is not really relevant to the discussion. Some things just have to get a bit worse before they can possibly get better. It’s the time-scale you look at it on that changes the result. Just my interpretation.

I would hope the article in general is aimed towards the true anti-americanists because it does seem slightly harsh and perhaps bitter to just scoop 50% of the populace here into the scum bucket and leave it at that. While I am sure there are many who actually really do hate America and its ideals, that seems an overly large proportion. For the most part, I would say 60-70% probably won’t have any strong feeling one way or the other. Apathy is pretty much the order of the day, and you can blame British politics for that.

Just to reiterate, I feel that the article – at least with regard to *Britain* – over-exaggerates the ‘anti-americanism’ present. A lot here don’t hate America, and heck, some even *like* it. So, I just hope you all don’t hate us arbitrarily too — even if you don’t know much about the UK/Europe.

Thanks.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:22 am 12. RE:

Mary,

In watching Britain’s decline and inability to deal with its self-induced Muslim problems, it seems like the Brits are pretty clueless about their own identity and just what they are all about themselves.

Brits are sailing without a rudder. Distracting themselves with anti-Americanism probably isn’t the best reaction to the problems at hand there.

And with all due respect, you can shove your Russell Brand.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:27 am 13. Lynn:

re; rgdh
saner heads can prevail if truths come out. I would like to see more balanced reporting in the BBC and a few more of the European press. I, like most other Americans, do not hate arbitrarily. But, when reading the European Newspapers, you would think Americans eat their children, have no moral conscience, and are imperialistic warmongers.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:03 am 14. Mary Jackson:

you can shove your Russell Brand

You probably don’t get him.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:12 am 15. Judy, NYC:

the fact that america hating muslims have insinuated themselves into western societies is the reason we are hearing this anti-american propoganda from europe. the brits have not stood up to these creatures, and of course, neither have the french. if barry obama is elected the fanatical muslims will hold sway here. nice thought for america’s future. vote mccain-palin, and maybe we can rid ourselves of muslims, here. bad economic times make it even worse to have them hanging around. history has shown what can happen. ask the germans how that worked out for them.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:25 am 16. Donnie Mac Leod:

Where do folks get these views from???? Your own media that has it’s own personal axes to grind. When you air your dirty linens in the public supposing they be snow white, if the person putting them on display soils them enough, the impression of crap sticks.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:38 am 17. uburoi:

But, but, but many Europeans speak two and sometimes three languages! And have nothing wise to say in any of them.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:38 am 18. jbb:

Read the BBC’s “Have Your Say”. It will open your eyes. They put things in there just so the US can be bashed. Their other media isn’t any better. I’m sure they just love us, just check it out for yourself. When they say it’s only the Government not the people they despise it’s BS.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:48 am 19. Donnie Mac Leod:

Then again your own free thinking political hacks in Hollywood with an agenda against your own government, presenting the movies showing your own police forces, government agencies, and courts as corrupt, isn’t fair or conducive towards having the world view you Americans positively. When Michael Moore can win Awards as a person creating Documentaries it becomes evident that something stinks in the higher realms of mass propaganda.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120671,00.html

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0313-06.htm

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:48 am 20. Agoraphobic Plumber:

“Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.”

I’ll cop to being mostly ignorant about Britain, and most of the rest of Europe. I’ve never been there (yet), and most of what I know outside of American media comes from online versions of their papers, plus Romanian and Brit ex-coworkers and a few odd email exchanges. That’s hardly enough to go on in order to make comprehensive condemnations of Europe or Europeans. Heck, a lot of what I love about America came from various parts of Europe. Even our independence comes basically as a gift from France. The fact that at the time they were simply more interested in sticking it to the Brits than helping us does not lessen the positive impact they had on my life today.

I only wish that Europeans in general would return the favor of not passing judgement until they know us better. The America I read about in Spiegel or the Guardian is not the one I see around me every day.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:49 am 21. Dark Helmet:

The difference being that we not dependant on any other nation for our ultimate defense of freedom.

There is no where on earth that is true of besides this nation.

europe would do well to recall how hard we fought for them. They have not a clue as to what we will do for ourselves. Let me restate the history, the greatest navy and army got it’s ass handed to it in a hat just not to be told what to do.

500,000 Americans kill each other and come up with some of the most destructive weapons on earth with no quams in using them on each other, for unity and an end to slavery,

Spain is trounced.

The mooslimes are easily defeated. ( you’re having a little trouble there aren’t you? Enjoying supporting terrorists with your social programs? )

Japan is turned into 1,200 degrees for a moment or 2 rather than deal with a few million misinformed peasents who believe the ruler is a god.

The entire soviet union is stopped and dies after only 75 years

The biggest threat to our nation are the people who look to the rest for approval.

They are the most like the surrendor monkies running their mouths and the pathetic show on the other side of the pond.

You can have them all.

We are Americans and are the toughest, meansest and most ruthless sons of bitches on earth.

We are also the ones that keep the rest of your sorry asses safe.

We don’t need any of you. You need us.

So enjoy the ride in the back seat, shut up, stop whining and try not to get your dumb ass fingers caught in the window. You are after all, baggage.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:50 am 22. cedarford:

I generally sympathize with Soeren’s POV. Lots of undue anti-American venom in Europe and whacked-out beliefs about how things are in America. (Though Americans are tremendously ignorant themselves about much of the rest of the World – thinking only America and it’s “ideals” matter – and viewing the rest of the world through very distorted Left and Right Wing prisms)

But this is bunk:

The majority of Britons believe that since the Second World War, the United States has more often sided with non-Muslims than with Muslims. In fact, in 11 out of 12 major conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims, Muslims and secular forces, or Arabs and non-Arabs, the United States has sided with Muslims and/or Arabs.

Perhaps he should have said – except regarding America’s dear Special Friend Israel. I omitted US sidings with them in major conflicts

1956 – Sided with Arabs against Israeli, French, and British invaders.

1948, 1967, 1973, the Lebanon invasion, 1st and 2nd Infitadas, 2006 Summer War against Hez and Lebanon – All where the US sided with “The Special Friend.”

Add that most Europeans see the Iraq War as neocon manipulation with Israel’s best interests considered 1st, not America’s. As will any US attack on Iran. No one outside America believes the “we only did it to liberate noble freedom-lovers” crap.

That makes the score 8-1 against Muslims in major conflicts involving dear Special Friend Israel. 7-1 if you drop off the Euro theory of Iraq being done mainly to benefit Israel’s security and stick with established facts of the US tilt to Israel in the other major conflicts.
And the rest of the world sees the ME as more important and symbolic in US taking sides than Balkan matters.
Then you have to add the huge impact outside the USA of 28 US VETOs in the UN Security
Council on behalf of Israel and against Muslims on issues like Settlement expansion, water grabs, restitution of grabbed Muslim land and property, efforts to grant Palestinians full human rights as specified in international law.

Add in that – outside all the actions for Our Special Friend seen as anti-Muslim – the US clearly backed the non-Muslim side in many other major conflicts. East Timor, the Moro War in the Philippines, Thais against Muslim independence regions, Ethiopia against Somalia, the famous 1953 coup in Iran to preserve Brit investments and American ones against Muslim takeover.

The dislike of America is easy. We aren’t going to bomb the EuroLeft for it, unleash our tanks and secret police as the Soviets might have done if they were given such shitmouthing – or today’s Russia cowing Euroweenies with gas and oil shutoff if they vex Russia too much. Dislike of America is socially acceptable – like in America, it is OK to belittle Fat People but not say you really have complete contempt for the inner city black underclass.

Our “Muslim antipathy” is not as pervasive as the Euros allege, but Americans are blind if they don’t think the constant intervention, huge aid, and UN Vetos for Israel against area Muslims “shouldn’t count”, but Kosovo and Bosnia do, and we deserve only credit and praise for being so “pro-Muslim” in Muslim and Euro populations.

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:11 am 23. Mary Jackson:

The America I read about in Spiegel or the Guardian is not the one I see around me every day.

No, I bet it isn’t. Neither is the Guardian’s version of Britain – Guardian writers live in la-la land.

…the surrendor monkies..

Well, you’re clearly better at fighting than writing.

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:16 am 24. Mary Jackson:

Actually, I too thought America sided more often with non-Muslims than Muslims. However, I thought this a good thing, and I think American support for Israel is a good thing.

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:25 am 25. airbound dude:

we have to remenber that when the chips goes down for european, we are the ones they cry for help. russia invaded georgia and poland (who were not american friendly sudddenly wanted us and fast.

when the muslim’s at their door (they are now) and when the europeans are with their last chips and the endgame…they will cry for our help.

if it were up to me i would say what president ford said to new york in the 70’s:”drop dead”. but then europe is a staging area for radical muslims. then they’ll go to canada (already there) and then to us.

it’s battlefield europe all over again

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:36 am 26. rr:

Anti-Americanism seems to be like anti-semitism; irrational and not based in reality. Anti-American leftists in America live in America but are indistinguishable from the ones in Europe.
In other words, anti-Americanism is a psychological disorder.

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:44 am 27. Ex-fetus:

“Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.”

I used to have Briton as a co-worker. He explained to me the difference between the British and the English. I never had the heart to tell him I didn’t really care.
Why would any American care what Old Europe thinks about anything? Old Europe is the sordid past. While there might be some hope for New Europe, I suspect they will end up rummaging thru the atic for those old ‘Learn to speak Russian in 3 easy lessons’ text books.
America’s future lies on the Pacific Rim.

Sep 15, 2008 - 8:00 am 28. WJO:

A great conceit of the Democrats is that with the election of The One, the whole world will just love us. Their love will come about because the “arrogant cowboy” has left the scene.As an American who has spent half his life abroad I say that this is an illusion.

There was anti-Americanism before Bush and there will be anti-Americanism after Bush. Anti-Americanism is the by-product of envy (at American success, material and otherwise) and disgust (at statist ideology being proven assailable). Anti-Americans, like Democrats, believe that the vast majority of Americans are rubes who are easily duped and led. How else to explain their “clinging” to religion (”I mean, c’mon, who really believes that Christian stuff anymore when we have Foucault.”)

Americans and America can only win the good opinion of the anti-Americans when they and it behave like them: i.e, be full-throated cheerleaders for statism and bureaucratic internationalism. Once President One decides that something the anti-Americans feel is important (a very low threshold where the personal is the political) and acts in American (gasp) self-interest, then their love will vanish like the dew on morning grass.

In other words, as long as the “hyper-power” with its “anglo-saxon capitalism” is neutered and supine, then the dolce vita illusion can continue. A self-confident America that is mindful and assertive of its sovereignty is a danger because it is, in their minds, a roadblock on the pathway to statist nirvana.

BTW, no one accuses the Japanese of being “uncivilized” and Japan too continues to have capital punishment. It is telling that no one in Europe would put the issue of the reinstatement of capital punishment on a referendum ballot (except the Swiss).

Sep 15, 2008 - 8:39 am 29. penny:

Who is really surprised, the monopolistic BBC is rabidly anti-American along with other assorted lefty rags like the Guardian. And, why wouldn’t we be hated in europe, the US so far thank God hasn’t capitualated to European Nanny state socialism.

It also doesn’t help that the self-loathing weasels in Hollywood with their anti-American product is the erroneous window for too many Europeans and Third World people into our culture.

Britain is a disaster thanks to the Tony Blair/Labour legacy. Muslim immigration is out of control, crime is rampant, the Nanny State gets more ridiculous every day, and there is significant immigration by natives out of there. Sorry, Mary Jackson, we know a lot about Britain. You are very wrong.

Sep 15, 2008 - 8:50 am 30. Mary Jackson:

we know a lot about Britain

You just think you do. A first step to knowing is knowing how ignorant you are.

Sep 15, 2008 - 9:03 am 31. JFM:

Some reasons for European hate of the United States:

1) Having usurped Europe’s God given to rule the world: the first time antiamericanism in France reached really heinous levels was after Spain’s defeat in 1898 ie when it was realized that America could take not merely Spain but any other European nation and win. It is then that were issued the first calls to European unity against the “aliens” (given the tensions with Germany about Alsace-Lorraine it was remarkable that anyone in France even contemplated an alliance with Germany). It was then that there were theater plays and novels about the vast conspiracy from American businessmen to rule the world.

2) A way to take eyes off of Europe’s own crimes. You will hear people telling about Indian genocide (sorry, but I don’t have time to debunk that here. hint: how many Indian tribes were wiped out by the United States: zero while several ones were destroyed by other indians in post-Mayflower times) and how this amkes them hate America all while having no problems with… Germany or France’s role in Rwanda’s genocide and the indiffernce of French public to it, a sin who doesn’t lie on the great-great-great-fathers but on the presnt generation of France.

3) America’s subversive social model on Europe. There are rich and poors in America but there are no masters and servants. In Europe this distinction is everywhere: electoral systems are designed in such way that the people have no saying in the selection of candiadtes and can only vote for who their betters (the party apparels have decided for them). In many countries the decision about who will govern is taken after thee election completely behind the backs of electors. In America they have primaries. European senators are elected by mayors and similar not directly by citizens. In European courts, the professional judges vote in the jury along with the members of the citizenry and while judges are minority if they get one third of the cizen juries to vote their way, the judges win.
This fear of America’s model made Hubert Beuve Mery, founder of France’s most influential news paper to write: “We must at all prices prevent contagion of America’s model of society”. And how to do it? By inciting hate of America.

3) Influence of socialist ideas. As a beacon of capitalism America was a natural enemy of socialists but in addition it was dangerous: the American dream with its examples of blue collars reaching the top threatened socialist grip on the masses: they feared the “proletarians” could get ideas about fighting the obstacles set by the dominant class instead of
fighting for socialism.

4) “I don’t have enemies because I never did any good to anyon”. Unfortuantely, it is human nature to feel humiliated by the good someone did to you. Be it France’s liberation, bailing out the British in WWII, Marshall plan, feeding the starving German and Russians after WWI, protecting Europe during Cold War (allowing both european welfare and making euopean products more competitive since Europe wasn’t funding its own defence) America has given far too many reasons to be hated.

5) Stockholm’s syndrom. You accuse the good guy of being bad and hate him because you know in fact he will not harm you. That is better than accusing Al Quaeda, and fearing that it could poison the water of a major city because you know its people wouldn’t hesitate a second if they had the opportunity.

Sep 15, 2008 - 9:05 am 32. Dark Helmet:

“Well, you’re clearly better at fighting than writing”

Yes we are, it’s the reason that one has the right to be good at writing.
It’s even in our Constitution. You should read it sometime, it’s what makes us great.

Tell me Mary, do all libs resort to being crass and snobs when they have no argument, or is it just the people who have already surrendered to any will greater than their own?

Sep 15, 2008 - 9:15 am 33. TomJW:

Judy, NYC:
Sep 15, 2008 – 6:25 am

The sad fact is that euros have been ‘anti-american’ since before the establishment of the U.S.A. Back in Franklin’s and Jefferson’s day, euros believed america breed people who who naturally short and less intelligent. Their attitude was based on the same thing it is today; their own ignorance and prejudice.

The liberal hate against U.S.A. and the infiltration of moslems into their society isn’t helping, of course. It’s preety sad to hear them smear us when they have demostrated that they are to stupid and lazy to breed. Their societies are collapsing due to a lack of young workers. The collapse is only sped up the elite ruling class’ embrace of pc, where they can’t do anything about the growing moslem problem.

This will be a problem for my son, and hopefully any children he has, but I can’t wait to rub euros’ noses in it when they copletely fall under the caliphate knife.

Sep 15, 2008 - 9:30 am 34. tim maguire:

I can’t believe nobody’s linked the Olive Garden screed yet. Allow me:

http://web.archive.org/web/20030416020456/http://www.lileks.com/writings/screed/olivegarden.html

Sep 15, 2008 - 9:48 am 35. zwenkwiel:

that America poses a greater threat to world peace than does Iran.

it definatly does

true as some (probably most) of your points may be
you imediatly ruin it by making the very un-educated assumptions you so clame to hate.

“The French, of course, are famous for heaping scorn on American fast food.”

an argument founded on defense is naturally biased, because you set out to defend the united states from the start.

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:16 am 36. Cletus:

Mary, you say that penny is ignorant, yet you don’t claim why. penny’s statement seemed pretty sound to me, so would you care pointing out the inaccuracies, and maybe help point us ignoramuses in the right direction?

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:17 am 37. Alvy:

USA: you are all immigrants. Remember that. I have nothing against Americans, but I’m starting to wonder after reading some of the racist s**t here.

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:22 am 38. zwenkwiel:

Judy, NYC:

if barry obama is elected the fanatical muslims will hold sway here. nice thought for america’s future. vote mccain-palin, and maybe we can rid ourselves of muslims, here. bad economic times make it even worse to have them hanging around. history has shown what can happen. ask the germans how that worked out for them.

you sound like a nazi
rid ourselves of muslims?? (disgusting)
(epsecially with the germany analogy)

why should they be denied to live there just because they cam a few 100 years later?? (you are all immigrants)

while I think the islam could be very dangerous. fighting it is not the answer
in fact I believe it is the problem
remember this little thing called the crusades??
we moved on
they didn’t
because they’re religous system was under attack it only grew stronger.
only thing that can stop fundamentalist-religions like that is knowledge and prosparity.
not violence
not hate

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:29 am 39. always right:

USA: you are all immigrants. Remember that.

Thank God for the fact ‘we are all immigrants’.

The America experiment had succeeded, otherwise we would be in the same muck as the europeans, the asians, the africans, …

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:37 am 40. A Stoner:

I dunno, maybe taking all of our Armed forces out of Europe might be a good idea. I mean, we need them elsewhere.

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:40 am 41. jbb:

Alvy,
People along time ago emigrated here from other countries, they were immigrants. I was born here, I am an American also we are not against immigration; please get that through your head. We are against illegal immigration (illegal aliens). Maybe the laws where different when my ancestors came here maybe some came illegally but that doesn’t cahnge the fact that I’m still an American. I think the American Indians not to mention African Americans would also have a problem with your comment

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:49 am 42. jbb:

“cahnge” = change
spell check

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:51 am 43. Dark Helmet:

remember this little thing called the crusades??
we moved on
they didn’t
because they’re religous system was under attack it only grew stronger.
only thing that can stop fundamentalist-religions like that is knowledge and prosparity.
not violence
not hate

Has nothing to do with getting that last little peckerwood to show up from the well after hundreds of years?

We are not at fault here. There in lies the dynamic comparrison as to why America will endure and izslime will fail regardless of how many europe nation cower.

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:52 am 44. Obama Love Across the Ocean « I’ve Gotta Fang:

[...] who, thanks to a lot of their rabidly anti-American media outlets who spoonfeed this crap, think that we do nothing but take multiple spouses, eat at McDonald’s for every meal, have absolutel…, who think that all we have to do get over our righteous bad selves is just travel more, just go [...]

Sep 15, 2008 - 11:08 am 45. CoolCzech:

Mary Jackson wrote:

“Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.”

- Well, YEAH, Mary: but when you come right down to it, we don’t hate Britain, do we? And come to think of it: in the greater scheme of things, Who the Hell needs to know about a “small, far off island about which we know little,” ANYWAY?

Sep 15, 2008 - 11:14 am 46. Dark Helmet:

jbb,

psssssssst little secret, the only American Indians are people who were born here from India.

A place is not a race, there goes the Africa first thing too.

Ohh shit ! Next thing you’ll say is muslim or jew isn’t a race either!!!!! Then you’ll say neither is a mexican!!! Damn it man.

When being an American or catholic is a race too, we can talk about it. ( and how F*CKING stupid it all is )

Sep 15, 2008 - 11:20 am 47. penny:

“Britain is a disaster thanks to the Tony Blair/Labour legacy. Muslim immigration is out of control, crime is rampant, the Nanny State gets more ridiculous every day, and there is significant immigration by natives out of there.”

You’ve replied saying nothing.

So, Mary Jackson, please feel free to correct any erroneous statement that I made. We all have access to British newspapers. Drudge has most of them listed together on his site. Information is pretty easy to come by on the current state of Britain in their own words no less. There are blogs that track the decline of Britain using the irrefutable facts at hand.

And, maybe, Mary, spending some time at CityJournal.com reading Theodore Dalrymple in the archives, a Brit, would be useful for you. He has documented very carefully with facts Britain’s decline and the rise of the crude yob culture, the Muslim problem, the Nanny State with its pc free speech muzzling and its cameras on your cars and garbage cans, and the immigration out. All of which can be found eveyday in British newspapers with more insights in the comments. Oh, and, google Melanie Phillips too.

If I’m wrong on any of this please present your facts.

Sep 15, 2008 - 11:32 am 48. Jeannette:

A few things for Europeans to keep in mind:

Unless we’re in Quebec or Brazil, we only need two languages to get around the entire Western Hemisphere. We tend to learn Spanish; other languages just aren’t that useful over here.

You tend to meet Europeans from most socio-economic backgrounds, as it doesn’t cost much to travel from one country to another. You meet mostly richer Americans in Europe, because it costs quite a bit to travel there from here.

We know about anti-Americanism and are therefore less likely to want to come over.

cedarford’s 7 AM post: “No one outside America believes the “we only did it to liberate noble freedom-lovers” crap.”. Hmm, you recognize that we believe it, but no one else really believes that’s why we went. That’s a bit of a logic pretzel. And the rest of your post just confirms that Europe still has serious issues with Jews.

A nation of immigrants, yes. Bill Murray’s character in “Stripes” described us best: “We’re Americans. We were kicked out of every decent country there is.”

Sep 15, 2008 - 11:38 am 49. Cory:

Awesome article!

Sep 15, 2008 - 11:51 am 50. jbb:

Dark Helmet,
I had a nice comeback but your not worth it. You post just to argue and your arguments are only insults. So go for it, have fun. Pretty soon your mom will make you get off the computer.

Sep 15, 2008 - 12:12 pm 51. Per Andreas:

Conservatives always jab about how they love being hated by the cowards in Europe, but some of this indignation seems to indicate otherwise.

The thing is, though, that America isn´t really that hated. And when people throw insults at America, it´s mostly on a very superficial level. You would not believe the amount of attention American politics get in my tiny country (Norway). Far more than European, let alone Norwegian politics. And it isn´t because of hate, nor hope that Barack Obama will destroy America..

Sep 15, 2008 - 12:14 pm 52. jbb:

Dark Helmet:
After reading your other posts I may have failed to see the sarcasm of your post and if that is so, my apologies. After telling Boris to do his own damn research I need to do mine.

Sep 15, 2008 - 12:21 pm 53. Mary Jackson:

Who the Hell needs to know about a “small, far off island about which we know little,” ANYWAY?M

I rest my case. You are ignorant, and proud of it, as well as being barely literate. Well done.

Penny, your comments are too sweeping and too generalising to be answerable or even worth answering.

Theodore Dalrymple writes at my website, the New English Review. He does back up what he says with facts, unlike you. One thing to bear in mind, though – does critical comment by British writers on Britain – and the relative absence of it in America – mean that Britain is worse than America? Or is it simply better informed and less smug?

Sep 15, 2008 - 12:29 pm 54. Dark Helmet:

jbb,

Your apology is humbly accepted along with the hope that I will be as gracious about these type of situations as you have been. Thanks for taking a momnet to consider the things I had to say.

Gotta go, Mom is coming down the basement stairs!

Best regards,

Dimmed Headgear

Sep 15, 2008 - 12:36 pm 55. SAF:

Keep in mind that the MSM keeps bashing the US for being evil, stupid, fat and depict the president as a moron etc. With all that bad publicity coming from our own country why would anyone expect the US to be admired?

Sep 15, 2008 - 1:12 pm 56. uburoisc:

Cedarford, you have all the the depressing hallmarks of the European intelligentsia when it comes to the Middle East. The sneer you elicit every time you mention that arrogant little country, Israel, is exactly the one I usually find at dinner parties, university soirees, and media events across Europe–and the one that has been peddled as received wisdom among the cognoscenti for decades. You’re not really Dominique de Villepin are you? (Actually, your tone and perverse selectivity of events reminds me more of Gore Vidal on one of his Israel-baiting rants.)

BTW, the real problem isn’t how America backs Israel; it is the pathological and irrational hatred Islam reserves for Israel, and for Western Civilization in general, that puts America against the Muslims in the ME most of the time.

Sep 15, 2008 - 1:39 pm 57. CoolCzech:

Mary Jackson:

Who the Hell needs to know about a “small, far off island about which we know little,” ANYWAY?M

I rest my case. You are ignorant, and proud of it, as well as being barely literate. Well done.

…and the irony of a Czech paraphrasing Neville Chamberlain’s comments about the “small far away country about which (the Brits) knew little” – you know, Czechoslovakia, sold out by the Brits at Munich in ‘38 – just went sailing right over your literate little liberal head.

Ignorant, ill-educated imbecile.

Sep 15, 2008 - 1:58 pm 58. penny:

Excuse me, Mary Jackson, your quote attributed to me wasn’t mine. You need to review my two prior postings before you launch an ad hominen attack on me as “illiterate”. Again, in anything I mentioned about Britain nothing was factually incorrect. I’ll stand by it. YOU need on the other hand to produce a link refuting what I posted. If Dalrymple’s descriptions of Britain’s decline are factual as you admit in his voluminous writings, then, I am correct. All of the problems in Britain that I listed I can easily link to his archives besides other sources.

Until you have factual links that refute what I stated your silly indignant denials are worthless. I have no intention of answering your questions as it is changing the subject at hand and allows you to ignore my challenge to refute me.

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:08 pm 59. Mary Jackson:

Until you have factual links that refute what I stated

You didn’t state anything; you made vapid generalisations, which are, as mathemeticians say “not even wrong”. They cannot be proved right or wrong because they are not specific.

I apologise for the “barely literate” comment; that was aimed at Cool Czech.

Cool Czech – I recognised the quote, but so what? You are proud of your ignorance about our country. Fine.

By the way, America only faught in WW2 when war was declared on it. It faught for its own interests, and not, as is smugly, self-righteously claimed, to save Europe. It suffered nothing like what London did in the Blitz. Most Americans posting here were not born then, but like nothing better than to play the keyboard warrior and bang on about how tough they are.

It’s very tiresome and rather pathetic.

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:23 pm 60. Mary Jackson:

Fought, not faught – you’re making me fraught.

Basically, you can find a writer like Dalrymple who is very critical of the UK and backs up all his points with arguments. But his is only one side of the story – in fact he does not see the full picture on Islam.

The fact that we have thoughtful, critical writers is a point in our favour. We are not kidding ourselves that we are wonderful – unlike the good ol’ US of A.

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:31 pm 61. statecraft:

Meanwhile, six years after 9/11, growing numbers of Germans think the U.S. government is responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center.

LOL. And?

The rest of the world knows that the U.S. government is responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center. It’s only dumb Americans who don’t know the truth. We’re down in Bolivia right now trying to stage a coup on an elected government.

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:40 pm 62. Red Blooded American:

Get over the inferiority complex people.

Anyone who agrees with sweeping generalizations about national characters and/or religious characters, either pro or con, has a seriously limited capacity to perceive reality, and should not be entrusted with any serious responsibility.

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:54 pm 63. JaimeRoberto:

A couple of points based on my years living in Europe:

1) Some of my most heated conversations were with people who claimed to know everything about the U.S. even though they never came here. For example, did you know the U.S. has 52 states? Americans are fairly ignorant about other countries, but generally, we are willing to admit it.

2) In comparison to Europeans, we are pretty fat. Yes, you can find specific exceptions to the rule, but in general, we’re pretty hefty. I chalk it up to inexpensive food (a good thing), the availability of cars (again, a pretty good thing in my book), and we smoke less.

3) I’d be willing to bet that there is a substantial minority, if not an outright majority, of people who support the death penalty in Europe.

Sep 15, 2008 - 2:57 pm 64. cedarford:

Alvy:
USA: you are all immigrants. Remember that. I have nothing against Americans, but I’m starting to wonder after reading some of the racist s**t here.

The dumb “We are ALL Immigrants!” trope ignores that EVERYONE, save a small pocket of blacks near where homo sapiens was evolved, is a direct, or a descendent of immigrants – in their present country.

Nor do other countries maintain a “pecking order” where longest settled has some magic set of rights and privileges over newcomers who arrive under the premise of equality in citizenship.

I have little respect for those that say that Native Americans deserve more because “we stole their country”. Actually, to get ensconced in the Western Hemisphere, native americans were the 3rd, 4th, and 5th waves of New World settlement. They 1st had to take land from others in Siberia to get to the Bering Landbridge, and they appear to have wiped out the 1st two waves (possibly more as we get more DNA tests) of immigrants 2,000-5,000 years ago.

And it is beyond stupid to then claim that since all countries are “nations” of immigrants, many who paid huge prices in blood to get their stable, present culture and settle on agreed norms of society – that they are all honor-bound to have Open Borders to new immigrants. Who may share nothing of their norms, culture, or ethnic heritage.

==================
Jeannette

cedarford’s 7 AM post: “No one outside America believes the “we only did it to liberate noble freedom-lovers” crap.”. Hmm, you recognize that we believe it, but no one else really believes that’s why we went. That’s a bit of a logic pretzel.

No, you created the “we all believe it in America” from false inference. You drew that because no one outside America believes the Bush-Sharansky “New Wilsonian Crusade of Democracy and Liberation by military force” -ergo – you think – “he means therefore” ALL people IN America MUST believe in it. Which is your own logical fallacy, a classic one.

Clearly, if you have looked at any news or followed anything about American people’s response to the overseas wars, you would know the Wilsonian drive to save the 3rs world from themselves by military intervention is not wildly popular.

======================

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:03 pm 65. GL:

Mary Jackson – “By the way, America only faught in WW2 when war was declared on it. It faught for its own interests, and not, as is smugly, self-righteously claimed, to save Europe.”

By the way Mary, America FOUGHT in WW2 when Japan launched surprise attack on Pearl Harbor… not as is smugly and self-righteously claimed by you – because it was in it’s interests to save the European appeasers.

Your smug arrogance personifies the European elite mindset most Americans find so disgusting, and yet so little deserved in reality.

It’s the same smug arrogance your like use to moan and cry about the death of mass murderers, multiple rapists, and serial child molesters… while simultaneously urging the continued and unabated genocide of innocent unborn human children.

It’s the same smug arrogance you display when proudly talking about socialized health care in countries where newspapers are rife with stories concerning patients being forced to wait months for needed treatment, procedures, or being unable to receive care at all. With 50% of British citizens unable to obtain dental care at all… with British cancer survival rates lagging behind US rates as much as 16 to 22%…. with British citizens dying while awaiting needed MRI scans or medical procedures… with citizens who smoke or who are overweight being denied needed medical procedures for conditions which may or may not be related to their personal life choices… etc… etc… etc… you still feel justified in looking down your nose at the worlds unquestioned leader in Health Care – the US.

It’s the same smug arrogance you employ when discussing fantasies of “American Empire” and “American colonization”… secure within the borders of countries that truly DID support colonization and Empiric designs throughout history.

So please take your smug European arrogance, and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine honey. We aren’t buying it any more than most of our ancestors did when they left western Europe to build a better land here in America. With all of it’s faults and sins (and there are many), America is so far beyond good in comparison with Europe… it truly is a shining city on a hill.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:09 pm 66. egorbrandt egorbrandt:

“But Britons are not the only Europeans who hold unbalanced views of the United States.

Take Germans, for example. The majority of them believe that America poses a greater threat to world peace than does Iran. This after the United States helped Germans rebuild their country after World War Two and then provided for their defense during five decades of the Cold War.”

omg, what kind of reasoning is this? the absence of logic makes me wonder how the writer “earned” his title of senior analyst and what kind of label fits the Madrid-based group he’s writing/thinking(?) for. it stopped me from further reading: EU-based b.s. or USA-based has that effect on me.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:09 pm 67. w34vi1:

It’s Britain not Briton. You might want to use spell check the next time you write something like this.

And I would like to see the sources in which you got all these so called statistics from. If you can prove that all these stats were taken and by whom, then more readers would believe you.

so remember, SPELL CHECK and SITE SOURCES.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:16 pm 68. w34vi1:

*Cite

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:17 pm 69. 888:

Years ago, I lived in the Gulf, and there were all these Gulf Air and British Air female flight attendants who dated American military members stationed in the Gulf. I hung around with a group of British expats, and these guys used to criticize “the bloody Yanks” for being loud at the pubs, for being ignorant, unworldly, uneducated, you-name-it…They said all the usual criticisms Europeans, especially Brits, normally threw at us. They liked me hanging out with them because I was their little sister who gave them a unique insight into the American way of thinking. They took care of me, and they listened when I defended my kind, but it went out the other ear because the bottom line was, they were extremely jealous of the American guys getting their British girls, at least in that part of the world. The analogy I’m making on a larger scale is that one of the reasons for the Europeans’ anti-American sentiments is because of their innate jealousy of all things American, especially as the general thinking is that prosperity and success (”the American Dream”) seems to come so easy to Americans. Whereas from the start of their ancient civilization, Europe has gone through hundreds of wars, suffering, gloom and doom. Even now you would think that a devalued dollar with an inversely strengthened euro and sterling would give Europeans much glee back home in Europe, but, instead, what the shrinking dollar has done is increase US exports exponentially at the same time that it is decreasing European exports on the same magnitude. So there again is another reason to hate America — when conventional wisdom is that America should be brought down, just the opposite occurs.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:26 pm 70. TomJW:

Red Blooded American:
Sep 15, 2008 – 2:54 pm

Well, the euros don’t have much in the way of personal responsibility. The state takes care of much for them. The state doesn’t make any demand that the adults defend their society either.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:45 pm 71. Johnny Foreigner:

“With 50% of British citizens unable to obtain dental care at all… with British cancer survival rates lagging behind US rates as much as 16 to 22%…. with British citizens dying while awaiting needed MRI scans or medical procedures… with citizens who smoke or who are overweight being denied needed medical procedures for conditions which may or may not be related to their personal life choices… etc… etc… etc… you still feel justified in looking down your nose at the worlds unquestioned leader in Health Care – the US.”

It’s the Scottish people that make the British health stats go down I’m pretty sure. The W.H.O stats confirm that 21 of the top 30 health care systems in the world are European. The UK’s is 18th on the list, the USA’s 37th (1 place below Costa Rica, interestingly). France is numero uno.

The main problem with this whole argument is that Europeans are being grouped together in one supposed anti-american coalition. The EU is roughly about the same size (geographically) as the US, but encompasses 27 different countries, with many nationalities that cross state borders (like the Basque region) and has at least 5 different national religions. The UK has 7 nationalities for Christ sake!! What someone in Albania (where the majority of people are Muslim) believes in or thinks about is going to be a far cry from someone in Ireland – just as I’m sure many people in America have different views.

The United States of Europe hasn’t kicked in yet, although I believe it will one day, so don’t lump us together.

Sep 15, 2008 - 3:53 pm 72. Mary Jackson:

America FOUGHT [corrected - M.J.] in WW2 when Japan launched surprise attack on Pearl Harbor… not as is smugly and self-righteously claimed by you – because it was in it’s interests to save the European appeasers.

Duh. Talk about missing the point. My very point was that America acted in its own interests. It entered WW2 when it was attacked, not to save Europe. Yet it is claimed, ad nauseam, “We saved your ass [sic]“. You saved your own “ass”. And you were late to the party – Britain stood alone against the Nazis until 1941.

America is so far beyond good in comparison with Europe… it truly is a shining city on a hill.

Dream on. That survey of 5,000 people (out of 60 million), with its rather misleading questions, is taken as gospel truth here. Yet a comparable survey, plumbing the shallows of your average American’s knowledge about Britain would be declared biased in no time at all.

You’re kidding yourselves.

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:32 pm 73. CoolCzech:

Cool Czech – I recognised the quote, but so what? You are proud of your ignorance about our country. Fine.

By the way, America only faught in WW2 when war was declared on it. It faught for its own interests, and not, as is smugly, self-righteously claimed, to save Europe. It suffered nothing like what London did in the Blitz. Most Americans posting here were not born then, but like nothing better than to play the keyboard warrior and bang on about how tough they are.

It’s very tiresome and rather pathetic.

Sep 15, 2008 – 2:23 pm

The so-what, Mary Jane, was to point out to you that Americans HARDLY have a lock on ignorance of other countries: certainly the Brits haven’t distinguished themselves on that score in the past.

Indeed, as an immigrant married to an immigrant from Korea, with relatives in France and Uzbekistan, I can assure you that by and large Americans are some of the most open-minded, tolerant, and eager-to-learn about other cultures people on Earth.

Just a little TRULY international perspective to share with you…

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:40 pm 74. CoolCzech:

“By the way, America only faught in WW2 when war was declared on it.”

- Mary Jane

YEAH? And who’s fault was THAT?

Could it have been that of people with the same mentality that are distraught that Bush took on another dictator this century? Does “isolationism” ring any bells for you?? Aren’t Liberal Democrats the stalwart isolationists of today?

You might also wikipedia “Lend Lease” while you’re looking up “isolationism”…

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:44 pm 75. Mary Jackson:

Seventy percent of Britons think the United States has done a worse job than the European Union in reducing carbon emissions since 2000; in fact, America’s rate of growth of carbon emissions has decreased by almost ten percent since 2000, while that of the EU has increased by 2.3 percent.

From what? If you’re 300 pounds, it’s easier to lose ten per cent of your weight than if you’re 140 pounds.

An understandable mistake, the way the question was phrased. Fact is, America has a glut of gas-guzzling cars.

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:46 pm 76. CoolCzech:

“The United States of Europe hasn’t kicked in yet, although I believe it will one day, so don’t lump us together.”

Sep 15, 2008 – 3:53 pm

**********

Too bad it didn’t kick in before Sharia law did in Britain: congrats, on the pending demise of a millennium of Common Law. At least you can count on America to stand up for it. When WILL you eurotypes finally pay for your own defense, by the way? It’s quite pathetic and tiresome for American taxpayers to have to continue foot the bill for defending an entire continent of juvenile delinquents that simply refuse to move out on their own after 60 years now, wouldn’t you say, Mary Jackson?

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:49 pm 77. CoolCzech:

Fact is, America has a glut of gas-guzzling cars.

Sep 15, 2008 – 4:46 pm

Fact is, Europeans don’t ’cause they can’t afford them. A slightly embarrassing fact for Europeans… but we’ll just chalk that up to classic ENVY rather than high-minded environmental ethics, OK?

Sep 15, 2008 - 4:51 pm 78. Mary Jackson:

Fact is, Europeans don’t ’cause they can’t afford them. A slightly embarrassing fact for Europeans… but we’ll just chalk that up to classic ENVY rather than high-minded environmental ethics, OK?

Well which is it? First the original article claims we’ve got it wrong about the Americans – they’re environmentally friendly after all. Now, apparently, they’e gas guzzlers and proud of it.

Which is it? Make your mind up.

As for defence, we have fought in most of your major wars except Vietnam – how well did that one turn out by the way?

You’re happy enough to use our countries for your military bases – entirely for your own interests. Why the hell should we be grateful for that?

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:04 pm 79. Ex-fetus:

“The EU is roughly about the same size (geographically) as the US, but encompasses 27 different countries”

Nonsense! From the coast of Spain to the Eastern Border of Poland is about 1/3 of the USA or roughly the size of the part of America between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic coast. That is one of the major differences between the way Americans think and Europeans think.
IIRC it was Alistair Cooke who said ‘Americans think 100 years is a long time, Europeans think 100 miles is a long way.’

3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km²) USA
10,180,000 square kilometres (3,930,000 sq mi)Europe + western Russia and the former Warsaw pact states.
So you have to include parts of Eurasia that are not historically thought of as European to get the same land area as the USA.

I have often wondered if that Americans living in New England are so European in their outlook because they have the same short horizons the Europens do. Population density in the Blue states approaches European levels also.
I have never had the time or interest in doing the research to prove my theory.
Hopefully after Nov. 04, 2008, there will be a bunch of people leaving for Europe. I would love to see an exchange program, where the Americans that want to see America more like Europe and the Europeans that want to see Europe more like America swap places.

“An Englishman is a person who does things because they have been done before. An American is a person who does things because they haven’t been done before.”
Mark Twain
US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:05 pm 80. Johnny Foreigner:

Cool Czech, if laws are a millenium old, maybe they need updating.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:07 pm 81. Johnny Foreigner:

You can’t knock me on the health care facts though.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:19 pm 82. WJO:

Mary Jackson:

You did fight in most of our “major wars” because two of them were with you. You may recall that it was another Jackson from Tennessee who played an important part in ending the second one.

What makes America different is that historically we did not fight in most of your major or minor wars. Consequently, we don’t have the guilty conscience you have for generations of imperialism.

George Washington warned us about entangling alliances. NATO, like the UN, involves us carrying more of the burden for less of the benefit. Perhaps it is time for those of you in EUtopia to look after your own national defense.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:22 pm 83. uburoisc:

Cedarford, I couldn’t agree more with your critique of the “we’re all immigrants” mantra; it is nonsense, and doesn’t reflect the tremendous differences between cultures and tribes on their respective contributions to the good governance of the United States.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:23 pm 84. Red Blooded American:

TomJW:

you said: “Well, the euros don’t have much in the way of personal responsibility. The state takes care of much for them. The state doesn’t make any demand that the adults defend their society either.”

Last I checked, both Germany and France had compulsory military service. I believe Spain and Italy do as well. As someone who has spent time in most western European and many eastern European countries, I can tell you that the attitudes of most of the people there are very similar to the attitudes of most americans. Get the government off my back, too much taxes etc. Except when they need help, when they come running to the government, just like in the USA. You have the conservatives and the liberals in Europe just like you do in the USA and once you get past the languages and a few superficial stylistic things you’ll find that people are pretty similar. People in Europe work hard and have created prosperous societies that are indispensable trading partners and friends of the USA. They need us and we need them. There is so much hyperbole, hate and vitriol flying around it makes me ashamed for the human race. This is not a conservative vs. liberal thing. It is pointing out the mindlessness of xenophobia.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:28 pm 85. CoolCzech:

You’re happy enough to use our countries for your military bases – entirely for your own interests. Why the hell should we be grateful for that?

Sep 15, 2008 – 5:04 pm

Quite honestly, Mary Jackson, I would pull our troops out of Europe in a heartbeat. It would be fun to see you guys suddenly discover that Russia is a big bad place after all, and the Germans perhaps haven’t changed all that much since 1945, either.

Careful what you wish for, Mary…

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:36 pm 86. CoolCzech:

Johnny Foreigner:
Cool Czech, if laws are a millenium old, maybe they need updating.

Sep 15, 2008 – 5:07 pm

Good thinking, Johnny. What do ya think: well your daughter look good in a burka?

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:37 pm 87. Mary Jackson:

Consequently, we don’t have the guilty conscience you have for generations of imperialism.

I, for one, don’t feel the slightest guilt for “imperialism”.

There were all kinds of empires, not least the Islamic one. Of all the empires, the British did the most good. It spread civilisation to all corners of the globe. The best countries in the world, USA included, are part of the Anglosphere.

The US has much to be grateful for.

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:45 pm 88. penny:

Theodore Dalrymple writes at my website, the New English Review.

Mary Jackson, just curious, could you link from your site’s archives what Theodore Dalrymple has written FOR your website, linking to him elsewhere, of course, doesn’t count.

You are saying he has provided original material for your website, am I correct? Care to share it with us?

It’s a simple request. I’m sure you can provide his posts for us.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:11 pm 89. Javelin:

Mary Jackson:

Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.
And the rest of the world too!

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:14 pm 90. Mary Madigan:

Of all the empires, the British did the most good.

I think that the opinions of Britain’s former subjects, in places like Ireland, India and America, are far more relevant than the opinions emanating from the soggy remnants of formerly Great Britain.

In any case, when it comes to spreading civilization, the Brits can’t compare to the Romans. The Romans gave us irrigation, architecture, chimneys, roads, science, mathematics and astronomy (ok, they stole that from the Greeks) the rule of law, indoor plumbing and Latin.

The Brits improved on the law, introduced their language, but they lost track of the whole indoor plumbing concept. And they gave the world a cuisine based on beans on toast and kidney pie. Really, there’s no comparison.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:16 pm 91. Javelin:

GL
talk about smug, you are smugness personified, but I guess that is acceptable when you work so hard to be so perfect and save the rest of the world, it’s tough to handle any criticism.

Mary
True that Japan’s attack got us into WW ll, but FDR went out on a limb with Lend Lease and blatant, neutrality defying and secret, pro English naval action in the North Atlantic against German subs and raiders. Even after Pearl Harbor, the Marshall plan called for 90% of US strength to be sent to Europe.

Sep 15, 2008 - 6:24 pm 92. Donna:

By the way, America only faught in WW2 when war was declared on it. It faught for its own interests, and not, as is smugly, self-righteously claimed, to save Europe.

Well, Mary, since you delight in calling other people illiterates, may I point out that the word you seem to be having trouble with is spelled “fought?”

When reading the comments section of the British papers – the Telegraph as well as the Guardian – I have noticed that on one hand, we are commonly damned as bloodthristy warmongers, and in the next breath, damned again because we took our time jumping into the World Wars. If anything, our initial unwillingness to become entangled in European feuds show that we are not, in fact, rarin’ to rush out and stomp on creepy foreigners. But then, we are cursed by the Muslims for our decadence and uppity females and scorned by the Euros for our supposedly prudishness.

Anti-Americanism really is as irrational as anti-Semitism. And yes, just as there are self-hating Jews who perpetuate negative stereotypes about Israel and Jews, so there are self-hating Americans eager to run down their own country.

It doesn’t really doesn’t matter what we do – like my grandfather used to say “The lead dog always gets bit in the *ss.”

It suffered nothing like what London did in the Blitz

I have always admired the grit and courage of the Brits during the Blitz. However, I’m not sure why we are supposed to defer to you just because Nazi bombers could reach London and not NY.

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:17 pm 93. Donna:

It’s Britain not Briton. You might want to use spell check the next time you write something like this.

“Great Britain” is the name of the country. A “Briton” is an individual who is a citizen of that country. Kern’s use of the word is entirely correct.

So spell check yourself, bud, before you set yourself up as language cop.

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:27 pm 94. NumberNine:

This is probably a dead thread but I’ll comment anyway. Some great comments on this thread.

To GL, CoolCzech and WJO:

With regard to U.S.A and our involvement in wars, I always say it is a damned if we do, damned if we don’t situation. Therefore, we shouldn’t give a rat’s behind what any country thinks; they’ll always say we should have done the opposite.

To Ex-Fetus:

I love your idea of an exchange program! We can start with everyone in Hollyweird!

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:39 pm 95. Dark Helmet:

No Mary, it was the Romans that took your island into the main stream. Along with most everyone else. If you must quote history, at least try to get it right.Spotted dick dear?

Sep 15, 2008 - 8:18 pm 96. WJO:

NumberNine: America is a special place. My ancestors came here to build a better life for themselves and their children. It was not without it hardships or disappointments and sorrow. However, I’ll take my little piece of America over the greatest palace in Europe.

In America the people are still sovereign. That is something your typical statist cannot stand or comprehend.

Sep 15, 2008 - 8:23 pm 97. Michael Hiteshew:

Mary Wrote:
“We saved your ass [sic]”. You saved your own “ass”. And you were late to the party – Britain stood alone against the Nazis until 1941.

Mary, a point of contention here. The US was supplying the Brits with weapons during those years. They went across the Atlantic by ship past “wolfpacks” (I believe that was the term) of German U-boats to deliver them. Many, many American mariners were killed in those deliveries.

It’s often forgotten, but FDR got elected in 1940 on a platform of keeping the US out of yet another European war. We all like to criticize Chamberlain for being an appeaser, yet few of us Americans truly understand the horrific level of carnage that was WWI. Look at the casualty figures some time. 750,000 men killed in fighting around a single town, that sort of carnage. Chamberlain wanted desperately to keep the Brits from getting entangled in another war like that.

Tragically, of course, it only encouraged Adolf. That, I think, is the lesson American statesmen and historians learned – to stop these people before things become uncontrollable. Something, I think, many Europeans take as aggressiveness in US foreign policy.

Americans, by contrast, don’t generally comprehend what WWI and WWII did to Europe. How it was completely devastated, how many were killed, what sort of Dante-esque nightmare it was for them. It was like their fighting the American Civil War twice(!) in twenty years; only with far, far more killed and far, far more damage. That goes a long way to explaining modern European pacifism.

Americans, by contrast, see Europeans as unwilling (or not willing enough) to share in the hard tasks around the world. I remember in the 1990’s Americans were astonished as Europeans stood around and watched as Yugoslavia devolved in ethnic cleansing, each government pointing at the other saying, “You should do something! Me? Why don’t you do something!” Right in Europe’s back yard and you were unable to act.

So maybe the USA has been too aggressive. And maybe Europeans have been too passive. I think there’s plenty of criticism to go around on both sides.

By the way, the amount of hatred and venom around here is really out of hand.

Sep 15, 2008 - 8:25 pm 98. Danny:

Cedarford, Israel wasn’t the US’s “special friend” until after 1967. Care to name – outside of words – exactly how the US “sided” with in 1948?

Mary Jackson, the US basically armed the UK during 1939-1941. Without US oil and parts, the Brits would not have been able to fly their planes or had any guns or bullets in their fighters – care to speculate on how long the UK would have lasted in that state? Also you weren’t alone, the germans were focused on Russia. The reality is that the UK was a half-hearted front for 6 months at the most.

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:05 pm 99. BMoon:

When I dialogue with Europeans, I am usually shocked, not so much by their ignorance on America, but on their ignorance of themselves. While they sniff and sneer at George W. Bush and America, there seems to be some kind of strange “stupid virus” pervading the European mind when it comes to understanding their own history of war, genocide and totalitarianism in the 20th century, a kind of bizarre death wish to fulfill George Santayana axioms. While European wags wrangle about contrived right-left dichotomies, their strange addiction to the poison of Nietchsze, Marx, Hegel, existentialism, post-modernism and all the benighted utopian, relativistic, humanistic garbage continues unabated. Consider this 1921 quote from Mussolini that really captures the seed-thoughts of destruction and mayhem that inevitably have produced and always will produce the same fruit:

“In Germany relativism is an exceedingly daring and subversive theoretical construction (perhaps Germany’s philosophical revenge which may herald the military revenge.) In Italy, relativism is simply a fact…Everything I have said and done in these last years is relativism by intuition…If relativism signals contempt for fixed categories and men who claim to be the bearers of an objective immortal truth…then there is nothing more relativistic than Fascist attitudes and activity…From the fact that all ideologies are of equal value, that all ideologies are mere fictions, the modern relativist infers that everybody has the right to create for himself his own ideology and to attempt to enforce it with all the energy of which he is capable.”

Much Euro-antipathy for America is not so much that we confuse England for Britain, or cannot speak French, but because the majority of Americans have remained untainted by these virulent ideas that, despite the unimaginable human destruction they have wreaked, most Europeans still believe are somehow innocuous, trendy, and relevant.

Sep 15, 2008 - 10:14 pm 100. Azores:

On what concerns the Berlin wall. Germans make the possible and the impossible to hide the Soviet occupation and the American protection. Near the Brandenburg Gate there is a big monument to the Soviet troops that conquered Berlin but the monument to the aviators that saved Berlin by breaking the Soviet blockade is comparatively a joke.
This is the reality.

Sep 16, 2008 - 1:40 am 101. JFM:

Last I checked, both Germany and France had compulsory military service. I believe Spain and Italy do as well. As someone who has spent time in most western European and many eastern European countries, I can tell you that the attitudes of most of the people there are very similar to the attitudes of most americans.

Then you checked a looong time ago. It has been decade since France abolished draft, about the same for Germany and Spain. Also draft proves nothing; in France’s case, in draft times your average soldier fired about the same number of bullets in a whole year than US Marine in a single day.

Sep 16, 2008 - 2:03 am 102. Eric R.:

Anti-Americanism is really a flip-side of Europe’s even greater eternal hatred, anti-Semitism.

How many times have you read in European media in the past 5-6 years about how America’s role in the world would be so much more appreciated if it wasn’t run by the “Neocons” (code word for “Jews” in Europe).

In other words, Europe is so obsessed with its hatred of Jews, that it even shapes their hatred of America. The way they see it, if it weren’t for us lousy Jews running the place, all would be right with the world.

Cedarford up above is a perfect example of this.

Far from the USA being the “big Satan” and Israel the “little Satan”, to Europeans, it is the Jews who are the big Satan.

Sep 16, 2008 - 2:43 am 103. Mary Jackson:

Penny – here is a link to Theodore Dalrymple’s many articles for New English Review:

http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm?frm=1636&sec_id=1636

Sep 16, 2008 - 2:43 am 104. Ignorância gera xenofobia* « BLASFÉMIAS:

[...] Publicado por JoaoMiranda em 16 Setembro, 2008 Anti-Americanism in Europe Fueled by Ignorance [...]

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:09 am 105. tom:

When talking about Europeans, it is important to remember, “The strong left for America years ago, the weak died on the way, and only the cowards and wienies remained behind.”

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:11 am 106. Timekeeper:

JFM:
It has been decade since France abolished draft, about the same for Germany and Spain.

In a word, no. Germany still has conscription (9 months); a non-military option is available, but it’s still conscription. France abolished conscription in 1996, Spain in 2001, and Italy in 2004. Other European countries still require military or non-military service, including Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. (All of these countries draft men; women are allowed to join their military, but are not forced to do so.)

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:25 am 107. windingstad:

Azores:
On what concerns the Berlin wall. Germans make the possible and the impossible to hide the Soviet occupation and the American protection. Near the Brandenburg Gate there is a big monument to the Soviet troops that conquered Berlin but the monument to the aviators that saved Berlin by breaking the Soviet blockade is comparatively a joke.
This is the reality.

Ever occured to you that the Soviets had a somewhat different taste than the wezzies?
Giant sculptures and monuments is more the Stalin way, you know….true, the Germans may not have destroyed these remains, but that is a good thing. Soviet occupation is a part of their history whether you like it or not.

Furthermore, that the Germans somehow want to “hide” the US protection is just bollocks. Has it ever occured to you that the critical attitudes many Germans have towards the current US politics, is a result of very high expectations? And that these expectations are again a result of the particular German experience?
You should also keep in mind that the European scepticism towards the American conduct in the Iraq war is echoed in the US itself.

And again, even though I realize you enjoy being hated by European wuzzies, this hate does not stick as deep as you would like it to. Both France and Germany have elected US-friendly leaders. The entire former eastern Europe is very closely connected to the US. Britain still brags about their “special relationship”. Go to any of the (you call them communist) Scandinavian countries, and you will be welcomed by a population that:
- Speaks English as if it was their second mother language.
- Watches American movies, talkshows, tv-series, listens to American music, reads American books – on a daily basis.
- Knows the entire life story of Sarah Palin. I swear to you, she is all over the news and it’s driving me crazy.

I could go on forever, but you catch my drift. How could this occur in a culture that is hostile to the US? An American friend of mine just spent the summer working here (as a carpenter, mind you), and he was met by zero hostility – just curiousity. Sure someone would crack jokes about the religious right once in a while. But that’s no surprise, really, considering the fact that the daily show with Jon Stewart show airs on national TV , is it?;)

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:25 am 108. Mary Jackson:

Also you weren’t alone, the germans were focused on Russia. The reality is that the UK was a half-hearted front for 6 months at the most.

Rubbish. Germany didn’t invade Russia till mid 1941. Before that, we were alone.

Interesting, though, that you big up Russia in order to put down Britain, yet take credit for winning the war when it comes to the US effort.

Yes, America did help arm Britain during this period. But arming a country is not the same as fighting. For all kinds of reasons, America was late to the party.

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:32 am 109. Andrew Ian Dodge:

With the bile and vitiriol about the US being fed to the citizens by the MSM in Europe are you surprised. An interesting site on the prejudices that infect the BBC can be found on Biased BBC. You will never hear the BBC say anything good about the US (or Israel).

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:36 am 110. Pedro:

Iraquian invasionment was a dangerous undemocratic thing to do. Local people should do the revolution, not a foreign country thirsty of oil that didn’t care about the people being “saved”.

US is more dangerous than Iran. And that’s fore sure!
And stop eating so much! 66% of population represents a stupidly high percentage of waste of global food.

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:42 am 111. Pedro Pessoa:

Dear Mary Jackson!
Please do not include Britain in the whole family of Europe!
Be informed that in regard to your USA dislike, in Continental Europe you are far more unpopular and distrusted than USA is!
I can also add that most of Europeans would gladly remove UK from EU!
So please do not include us in your visions of British Europe!

Regards from Portugal

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:38 am 112. Azores:

Dear windingstad:
Facts:
(1) I am an European.
(2) To see a remainder of the Berlin wall on must go almost to the outskirts of Berlin. This is part of German History I guess.
(3) The same about the monument to the aviators that is near an airport far from the city center.
(4) Last time I visited check-point Charlie museum it had become an ugly place.
Sometimes I wonder if the politics of containment of the URSS was not an error. At least it seems that it was an intelectual failure as it is almost always protecting people that cannot and don’t want defend themselves. As Mark Twain noted: “Never should man save those that God wants to be lost” (well more or less).

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:47 am 113. 888:

Mary Jackson: “You’re happy enough to use our countries for your military bases – entirely for your own interests. Why the hell should we be grateful for that?” Ms. Jackson, your Government signed a deal with the US Government to have us be there. Those bases and American personnel are there to help and defend you and the rest of Europe, you sorry twit. Americans don’t stay in any country as conquerors. They’re purely there at the behest of the host government. Go to Diplomacy school before you run your mouth.

“But arming a country is not the same as fighting. For all kinds of reasons, America was late to the party.” With your ingrate attitude, perhaps America shouldn’t have come at all. Of course, had she not, today you and most of Europe would be speaking either German or Russian.

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:50 am 114. Mary Jackson:

most of Europeans would gladly remove UK from EU

Fine by me. I can’t stand the EU.

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:55 am 115. 888:

CoolCzech: You make America proud. Thank you.

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:57 am 116. TomJW:

Mary Jackson:
15, 2008 – 4:32 pm

We are not kidding ourselves. Your precious Britain is heading for sharia law. Oh, it’s only partial now? Give it time. Time you won’t use to get off your duff and stop it. But at least you spend your time productively mocking Americans. Enjoy the knife of the caliphate.

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:57 am 117. TomJW:

Red Blooded American:
Sep 15, 2008 – 5:28 pm

Militaries that are so useful they can’t get out of their own countries without support and transportation from the U.S. military. Also with ruling elites so useful they won’t allow the militaries to fight once we move their duffs out of their own countries. Yeah, I’m real sorry I did not take them more seriously.

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:02 am 118. RE:

Azores,

Thanks for the good Mark Twain quote.

“Never should man save those that God wants to be lost”

It’s worthy of contemplation and something for us to keep in mind moving forward.

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:10 am 119. TomJW:

Mary Jackson:
Sep 16, 2008 – 3:32 am

Mary, it was your party. If you knew how to hold a party, you wouldn’t have gotten kicked out of France or kicked around North Africa for so long. Amazing how you started winning the ground game once we landed on the other side of North Africa.

If you were children back in the 40’s, then yes, we adults should have intervened sooner.

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:12 am 120. Mary Jackson:

With your ingrate attitude, perhaps America shouldn’t have come at all.

Gratitude has nothing to do with it. As with the bases, America acted in its own interests, which happened to coincide with ours. Fair enough. All countries do – and should – put their own interests first. Just don’t get all holier than thou about it and claim to have been saving the world.

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:23 am 121. Europe’s anti-American bias depends on ignorance « HoodaThunk?:

[...] of this came to mind this morning when I read this article over at Pajamas Media on anti-Americanism in Europe. The statistics up front are pure [...]

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:38 am 122. Dark Helmet:

Maybe this will help you out of your confusion Mary. The interests of the USA is the interest of freedom around the world.

We’re not holier than thou, but the promise that America holds is.

So maybe the thing to do is to stop trying to one up everyone that knows that.

If your country spent as much time fighting rather than appeasing the mooslimes and their mosks to allah, you might of survived as a nation.

We get no joy seeing you all cower and the queen mother on her knees pleasuring the invaders.

This may help, get you guns back and grow a pair.

It can’t all be riding a pony named Crackers around the Ise of White.

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:39 am 123. moptop:

“British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.”

Good thing too. I spend a fair amount of time in Britain, including occasional stints lasting months, and If Americans widely knew what many Brits really think of us, they would be boycotting English muffins. However, there are places where Americans are not widely despised in the UK, outside of London. If you are going there, see the sights in London, then head for the countryside to spend time.

Sep 16, 2008 - 5:56 am 124. Pedro:

“The interests of the USA is the interest of freedom around the world.” –> LOL, the auto-nominated cops of the world.

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:00 am 125. Mary Jackson:

If your country spent as much time fighting rather than appeasing the mooslimes and their mosks to allah, you might of survived as a nation.

Perhaps if your country, with its gas-guzzling cars, had spent less money on Saudi oil, the Muslims jihad would not be so well funded. To say nothing of Carter’s craven appeasement in 1979.

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:01 am 126. Pinkblob:

I wouldn’t worry about what Europeans think of America, right now. I’d worry about what Pakistanis think.

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:10 am 127. windingstad:

Azores:

Dear windingstad:
Facts:
(1) I am an European.
(2) To see a remainder of the Berlin wall on must go almost to the outskirts of Berlin. This is part of German History I guess.
(3) The same about the monument to the aviators that is near an airport far from the city center.
(4) Last time I visited check-point Charlie museum it had become an ugly place.
Sometimes I wonder if the politics of containment of the URSS was not an error. At least it seems that it was an intelectual failure as it is almost always protecting people that cannot and don’t want defend themselves. As Mark Twain noted: “Never should man save those that God wants to be lost” (well more or less).

Dear Azores:
(1) Ok. My entire rant was not directed at you solely, though.
(2) I’m not sure what point this is supposed to prove, but I nevertheless disagree. For instance, the famous part between Westkreuz and Warschauer Strasse is located near the centre of the eastern part. I also recall accidentally taking a piss on the inner parts of the wall left in Mauerpark, Mitte. At any rate, the removal of the obsolete wall should be seen as a reaction against those who put it there in the first place. How that could be considered anti-american is beyond me.
(3) I miss your point.
(4) Well, if you reffer to Vietnam I guess this somehow makes sense.

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:24 am 128. Mike:

Mary Jackson wrote:

Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.

Maybe so Mary. But Americans don’t routinely sneer at Britons and their culture, or tell them who they should elect Prime Minister.

(I’m English, by the way)

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:33 am 129. cedarford:

You’re happy enough to use our countries for your military bases – entirely for your own interests. Why the hell should we be grateful for that?

Mary, you were doing well as a voice of reason against ignorant, jingoistic American bubbas without a lick of comprehension of history doing gratuitous Euro-bashing!
Now you sink to their level.
Before 1940, there were no US bases in Europe. Then there were! Amazing! And less bases after 1964, then a big, big drop after 1986.

Now, Mary, why was that?
I don’t credit the fools in the USA who claim the Commonwealth Nations and the USSR were peripheral to beating the Nazis. In fact, it is the other way around. The main burden was with them while we played an invaluable support role.
But with NATO and the Cold War, we had the lead, the main role. And those bases saved Europe from the Red Army marching in support of French and Italian Commies. Kept sea lanes open.

Now the remaining bases are guard against a revanchist Russia, and also there as logistics and force projection centers to help protect Europe against instability in the Muslim world spreading to their shores and also keeping Gulf oil flowing. Oh, and also to safeguard America’s “Special Friend”, Israel, thanks to the money and clout of it’s backers in the USA.

European bashers of America that hate America for tilting to Israel and the bases that support “ME adventures” have to ask if they are willing to see the US part of NATO go away and provide 100% of the defense of Europe and it’s vital sea lanes.

It would be a real money-saver for America, which would still get it’s base deals in other locales.
It would be fun to see the EU try to assemble a credible military for self-defense, logistics for humanitarian and strategic force projection, and sea lane protection. Do it without any US component as we shift to putting our main focus on Asia, the Gulf for purely US interests, and Indian Ocean. Let us all see the tremendous moral authority of Euro pacifists, human rights lawyers, and “soft power” safeguard Europe and let Europe be where the 3rd World turns to for moral guidance..

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:34 am 130. WJO:

Mary Jackson: The USA does not import more than 10% of the oil consumed from the ME. Our largest imports are from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela. On the other hand, EUtopia and the developing countries of Asia are larger importers of ME oil.
As well, we produce a sizeable portion of our own oil.

Do all the BMW’s, Mercedes, Saabs, Jaguars, Volvos, Volkswagens, Audis, Mini Coopers, Land Rovers and assorted European cars that populate American roadways (as they do in Europe) count as “gas guzzlers”? We have bigger cars because most of us don’t live in apartment blocks.

Moreover, “gas guzzling” is so passe. One can’t give away an eight cylinder SUV now. Why must you continue to live in the past?

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:36 am 131. Johnny Foreigner:

It’s the Isle of Wight but anyway.

This whole thread seems to have gotten into some ill-informed slanging match between British people “us Brits” and ”you Yanks”.

This is silly. Firstly, I for one am English rather than British and Britishness isn’t just Englishness – you’ve got Scots and the Welsh and the Irish and the Manx people who are also extremely proud of their heritage and proud that they aren’t English. The Britishness/Englishness confusion probably stems from the time when there wasn’t even an Ireland or a Wales, it was all England. This is actual fact, but it was a long time ago (Scotland is the only country in Britain that hasn’t been part of England).

As for the EU issue, Mary Jackson suggests that she would like to be out of it. However, most of the people who dislike Europe in my country are either old (if you grew up at war with a place you probably wouldn’t want anything to do with it either) or they are privately educated (the whole ‘Rule Britannia’ things goes over really well in our private schools). Most informed people believe that being part of Europe strenthens the country rather than detracts from it. The Euro is a good idea, and eventually Britain will lose the pound. You can travel work and live in any country in the EU for however long without a Visa. The list of advantages is endless.

The detractors will say that Britain will lose it’s independence and that everyone will be eating baguettes and speaking German by next week. You’ll notice that the only people saying this though are English, because the only perceived Britishness they will lose is Englishness anyway.

And as for the comments about the USA turning up late for the war, or Britain wimping out to the Germans, don’t effing belittle the struggle that went on over here. The Nazi invasion very very nearly happened and it was only the fact that we sit on an island that stopped it. Yes the Americans helped in the Battle of Britain. But so did the Czechs, the Poles, the Canadians, the French, the Norweigens, the Aussies, the Kiwis, the Rhodesians, the South Africans, the West Indians, The Indians, the Nepalese, the Burmese, the Spanish resistance, the Greeks, oh and maybe the British people too. Nazism was defeated by many nations, not just Russia, America and Britain. So pipe the hell down.

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:42 am 132. Mary Madigan:

Perhaps if your country, with its gas-guzzling cars, had spent less money on Saudi oil, the Muslims jihad would not be so well funded.

America gets less than 20% of its oil from Saudi Arabia. When our leaders cravenly appease the Saudis, they claim that they are defending the world’s oil supply, not ours.

Your leaders cravenly appease the Sauds. Our leaders do it, the Danes do it, even the Russians do it. I can’t name one world leader who deviates from this trend. Of course, if the Brits hadn’t given the genocidal Wahhaibi Sauds control over Mecca and Medina in the early 1920’s (over the objections of Churchill, T.E. Lawrence and the majority of Muslims), we all might not be in this situation.

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:54 am 133. TomJW:

Mary Jackson:
Sep 16, 2008 – 6:01 am

Talk to our euro-doofus wannabees, the Dems, to get drilling, refinery building, and nuclear plants going again. The funny thing is while they what to copy you, none of you are dumb enough to have stopped any of those things.

So, how did that appeasement with Sadr work out? Got all you wanted? Enough Iraqis murdered by your standards?

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:55 am 134. Michael W. Perry:

One useful additional fact. Several years ago I heard a history professor in CSPAN point out that there were more university professors teaching and writing about German history in the state of North Carolina that there were teaching American history in all of Germany, although the latter has about ten times the population.

How much effort have Europeans devoted to honestly understanding the United States? Apparently no more than they’ve devoted to understanding the Jews, hence they labeling of the US and Israel as the two greatest threats to world peace.

–Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

Sep 16, 2008 - 7:30 am 135. ReConUSMC:

In Truth you can thank our own main stream media for that massive effort . While in Paris on Vacation my Lady and I watched CNN International and read a NY Times in the Lobby of the Hotel we stayed at while they based Bush and the Iraq War none stop ….. It was horrible the beating America to death 24/7 .

On the other hand They actually liked Clinton’s Sexual Follies I heard while there . They also told us the America media always wrote nothing but good things about Clinton and America doing his 8 Years .

Yet all we heard from The French was just how terrible “the Government ” and everything in Paris is . The streets and smells were terrible .

Yet our own Media praises France and the French media never tells the world how bad things are in France or their “”health care “.

I was in Paris in 2004 and Paris was at war with the Moslem’s and still are there ….. Two months after we left Paris the temps hit around a Hundreds for three plus weeks and 19, 000 plus people in Paris died of heat since there is little AC there and you still can’t drink the water out of a tap just for the record .
86 % of all Apartments in America have AC or available free Fans …… Since most in Paris live in Apartments .
Even with all our Problems in America we are staying here since Europe is NO WHERE NEAR Heaven on Earth .
Believe me .

Sep 16, 2008 - 7:30 am 136. Mike:

This article sounds like it could be describing Obama-supporting blue-state Americans as well as Europeans.

Americans are fewer than 5% of the world’s population yet produce nearly 25% of the world’s goods and services. American businesses and universities lead the world and the American military protects the freedom of the majority.

The reason for this greatness is the simple concept that each individual person is born with innate rights. The American Constitution protects those rights FROM government.

Government is granted its power by the consent of the people through their elected representatives. It is a bottom-up model of government and ensures the freedom of each person to strive for his or her “individualistic” goals.

With such evidence in front of them, it is hilarious to see Europeans and others criticizing Americans for being “individualistic”. The stagnant and poor economies (you know who you are)use the socialistic “top-down” model where government grants rights as privileges.

Compare the freedoms, compare the results, and one sees what works best.

Sep 16, 2008 - 7:34 am 137. Sigurdrifta:

One of my favorite movies is something called “Barcelona”. It does a good job of summarizing a lot of the nonsense about Americans I hear from Europeans in these posts, particularly Mary.

Oh, and Mary…please note where these gorgeous Spanish girls end up towards the end of the movie!

Oh, and Mary…Please note that the Nazi Germans declared war on the United States after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Oh, and Mary… my son is a USAF fighter pilot in a squadron that started out as one of the “Eagle Squadrons”
flying for the RAF in the early, dark days of WW2. Go look it up. Those American boys (and they were boys) did not have to go fight for your country, but they did.

Sep 16, 2008 - 7:38 am 138. Mary Jackson:

Americans don’t routinely sneer at Britons and their culture…

Yes they do – on this very thread.

or tell them who they should elect Prime Minister.

Do most Americans even know who the main party leaders are?

Sep 16, 2008 - 7:51 am 139. Danny:

Mary, read a history book. Germany turned away from the UK at the end of 1940 and started to focus on Russia – with a number of campaigns in between such as the Balkans campaign and Crete. You can see it in the number attacks on the UK which declined rapidly after Oct/Nov 1940, leaving just nightly blitzes and Germany didn’t even start attacking the UK until August 1940. So saying UK held off Germany for 6 months is generous.

Arming isn’t the same as fighting but exactly how do you think the battle of britain would have gone with no fuel for fighters and no ammunition and no artillery or tanks – you left most of that behind at Dunkirk. Bottom line no US aid=German victory.

Nobody claims the US “defeated” the Nazis. Most of the fighting was done on the Eastern front – and also in 1942, the USSR was kept alive by the US aid – but the US did indisputably hold back the Russians from the rest of the West as well as paying for establishing your health and social services. Certainly the UK’s contribution wasn’t so much on the fighting side – think cracking the enigma and the start of the atomic programme as well as acting as a base for the US to attack Europe from.

Sep 16, 2008 - 7:52 am 140. Dark Helmet:

Mary, you prove my points and have no where else to go by changing the subject.

That is the way of a liberal.

pedro,

Anytime the rest of the world wants to stand up for what is right, they are more than welocme to do so. Talk about showing up late, how about never?

The un thing is going quite well for you ninnies, isn’t it?

We are the meanest, toughtest most ruthless sons of bitches on earth. Be happy we are not russians or chinese.

Sep 16, 2008 - 8:05 am 141. DaveinEurope:

As an American who has lived in Europe (multiple countries) for nearly 20 years, I would like to point out that I love both Europe and America– but if I had to get all my news and commentary from the European press and other media, I would be anti-American too. The fact is not that most Europeans aren’t interested in America, but that most of what they think they know about the USA is wrong. Generally, the political “elite” in most European countries is anti-USA (until they need us), and since most of the media is government-controlled or strongly government-influenced, that attitude is all that the average European ever hears. Even the supposed US media available in Europe (e.g. CNN and NPR) tends to be highly anti-US. US is certainly not perfect, but most Europeans never have a chance to hear about our good sides– though most who have visited the US come back with much improved attitudes.

Sep 16, 2008 - 8:06 am 142. BC:

In the words of Mark Twain, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Indeed it is.

I wish that were true.

I love this article, but Twain was wrong. Many who travel maintain narrow-mindedness and bigotry.

German tourists are among the most egregious: the same supercilious intolerance and self-righteousness that they arrive with, they leave with.

The Sept. 11th hijackers had lived in the US for months or years before their never-ending hatred became mass murder.

I have hundreds of other examples.

Travel is most certainly NOT fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Conversely, it is not a necessary condition: one can be free of prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness having not traveled at all.

Sep 16, 2008 - 8:33 am 143. Dark Helmet:

“It’s the Isle of Wight but anyway”

Thank you for the correction. But I stand by the wight pony being named Crackers.

What a day…..

Sep 16, 2008 - 8:37 am 144. Pedro Pessoa:

Mary Jackson:

Americans don’t routinely sneer at Britons and their culture…

Yes they do – on this very thread. (Long after you have insulted all Americans)

or tell them who they should elect Prime Minister.

Do most Americans even know who the main party leaders are?(Do English people know!?)

Sep 16, 2008 - 8:42 am 145. Sandra M:

Hollywood and the advertising world don’t give a great picture of Americans and America.

When we have natural disasters, people surface who are heroic and what I consider real Americans.

Nonetheless, I haven’t seen Americans as attractive as Todd and Sarah Palin in many years. I don’t just mean their good looks. I mean their character and personalities. Today, I read a wishful thinking article about the Sarah Palin bubble soon to end. When did they ever build her up? Sarah will be around for a long time and will be a great example to the world of the best of America.

Sep 16, 2008 - 8:51 am 146. Bloodthirsty Liberal » Fatwas We Can Believe In:

[...] PS: Of course, that may be because Europeans are so stupid. [...]

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:13 am 147. W::

I’d love to have you all over for Christmas this year just to listen to hours of this.

I travel fairly regularly to the UK and find no more anti americanism among those great people than I find in Santa Monica. (especially with a lot of bumptious rich russians in London now). What i do find (the point of the article I believe) is a disconnect between the US as it is and what they read.

If you relied on UK media, you’d think every American totes a semiauto, eats at McDonalds and wants to invade every coutnry we can find (like I’d conclude that everyone in the UK was being knifed this summer, or you couldn’t go to Paris without encountering rioting, car -burning “youths” not long ago).

They don’t “get” guns anymore than I get their royalty and regular pub hour; their judgmental view of the death penalty is mostly among the same people that oppose it here: out of touch self styled elites that would switch overnight if they encountered a real criminal–or if the people had a right to vote on it as we do here.

They don’t understand that a lot of decisions here are made directly by a vote: to have a Three Strikes law; to reinstate the death penalty etc. That is a popular will; not a dictated result from some council of the out of touch.

The ignorance of the young in Berlin is not much diff than here: my oldest superbright kid admitted to UCLA and Berkeley has little understanding of the 80’s and almost none of WWII: the Berlin Wall? Junk bonds? S&L crisis? A glimmer at best.

About 40 years ago the authors of the Ugly American had as one point–the failure of the US to promote itself and its ideas. Not just its acomplishments. Some teachers here are often ashamed of the US. They assume its a default condition of the world because they dont know better.

The US consistently assumes that freedom and the choices made to sustain it–not just military ones but civil ones like guns, the first amendment, our tedious legal system, the 4th amendment, etc–are self obviously desireable. And that all the lessons we learned from history (all those amendments to the constitution) ought to be self evident to everyone. They’re not.

Sometimes people get it: Canadians caught a glimpse this year of what it means when you don’t have a First Amendment: you get an anonymous official charging an author with a crime and saying “free speech is an American concept.”

For all the complaining that the US has “no sense of history,” its often people elsewhere that do not. But we’re not helping much, and we are the ones that ought to be doing the preaching. A lot of it. We ought to have good tour guides instead of indifferent hacks with bad microphones; better hostels with “About the US” DVD’s and foreign education programs better than the obviously miserable ones we have now.

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:36 am 148. Aureliano:

To Mary Jackson and the other avatars of a dying civilization:

Let me see if I can explain something to you.

It is entirely appropriate that Americans know less about Britain than the British ‘know’ about America, because America is THE most influential, central nation on the planet, geo-politically, economically, culturally, technologically, militarily, etc., etc., etc., and relatively speaking Britain is a much smaller player on the world stage.

It is also entirely appropriate that the British know less about Bandladesh than the Bandladeshis know about Britain, because Britain has a much larger presence on the world stage relative to Bangladesh.

In other words, Britain is to America what Bandladesh is to Britain.

Thus your biting at the ankles has no effect at all to the psyche of the average American. I mean, are you all that concerned what Bangladeshis think of you?

By the way, how much do you know about Bangladesh? Heck, how much do you really even know about Estonia, Portugal, Morocoo, or Iceland?

I rather suspect you know almost nothing about those places, all of which are in your own backyard (at least from the perspective of someone who hails from a rather large country).

Sorry, girl. Euro-bigots are simply ignorant of the world — including America — for the simple reason that they think they cannot be.

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:48 am 149. W::

Mary Jackson: you are right of course: we were late to the party. But who wasn’t?

The USSR hid its head in the sand; Britain sold out Czechoslovakia, hoping the problem would go away. Churchill was installed only when disaster was at the door. The French…don’t get me started.

We acted no differently than you did, ignoring it till we had to deal with it. We may have a somewhat better excuse, too, not being bound by treaties to several involved countries, and being a bit of a distance away from it all.

The best summary was Churchill’s, the UK which had “been half blind” held on till those who had been “half ready” got in.

The UK was indeed the sole power holding the fort at and for a critical time. If it had collapsed and made peace, the world would have been plunged into darkness for generations. We know it. We know it. We thank all those airmen and soldiers,those code breaking scientists, those ULTRA code grabbing sailors and people that did without. It was a splendid moment in history, absolutely splendid.

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:53 am 150. Mary Jackson:

You can see it in the number attacks on the UK which declined rapidly after Oct/Nov 1940, leaving just nightly blitzes and Germany didn’t even start attacking the UK until August 1940. So saying UK held off Germany for 6 months is generous.

Tell that to the people who suffered in those “nightly blitzes” while you stayed well out of it.

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:54 am 151. rightwingprof:

“Hmm. British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.”

Cite your evidence.

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:56 am 152. MarkD:

There’s never a shortage of extremists, is there?

If I believed half of what was written about the US by the American press, I’d probably not like this country much either. I won’t opine about Europe – I’ve been there, seen a little, been treated politely everywhere I went, and have a good opinion of the place based on my superficial experiences.

My daughter lived well off base in Southern Germany for almost 3 years. Fifteen months of that time she was alone, while her husband was in Iraq. Her neighbors were good people and helpful. It’s much appreciated.

My father probably had a different opinion, being a fighter pilot over there during the war…

I spent the better part of five years in Japan, and got to know a lot of Japanese from teaching some volunteer English classes. If you haven’t actually lived somewhere for a while, your opinion really isn’t worth much. Until I married my wife, my knowledge of Japan was pretty superficial. I think after marrying a girl whose parents survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I have a little idea about how a few ordinary people in a pretty extraordinary country think – about their country and mine.

I never expected to hear my mother-in-law say that bad as it was, at least it ended the war. There’s some luck, loss, and suffering involved that I won’t go into here. Suffice it to say she was an extraordinarily generous and gracious lady. I miss her.

I know that only the foolish generalize anything about hundreds of millions of people.

I went to school with enough journalism majors to be highly skeptical of their reports. Of course I’m ignorant of Britain – why wouldn’t I be? What I “know” comes from an untrustworthy media. I’ve never been there and probably will never go. If I travel again, it will be to Japan to see the in-laws. I’m not anti-European; my life and family are not there.

Sep 16, 2008 - 9:58 am 153. Nick:

@Lynn: “Americans eat their children, have no moral conscience, and are imperialistic warmongers.”
I’m German, have travelled the US intensively and can state from my own experience that, no, Americans do not eat their children, do have a moral conscience and are not imperialistic warmongers.
The American government, on the other hand, has been a different matter altogether in the last handful of years… Vietnam. Chile. Iraq – goodness. They should ask the American people when common sense is required.

Sep 16, 2008 - 10:00 am 154. BC:

I liked your comment, W. Worth noting: this is a populous and diverse land. Life for a family on a Mississippi River houseboat bears no resemblance to an L.A. apartment dweller’s life. Downtown Pittsburgh is quite different from Miami. Hawaii and Alaska have little in common. Texas and Boston are worlds apart in lifestyle.

I would bet a Briton would say the same of Kent and Llanrwst, Scarborough and Cornwall, Crouch End and Glasgow. And those differences are to be found in a far more homogeneous populace than you’ll find in the Euro- Afro- Asia- Native Middle-Eastern mix that is the USA. I may be wrong but we are probably the most genetically diverse nation-state on earth, aren’t we?

Sep 16, 2008 - 10:06 am 155. Mary Jackson:

We acted no differently than you did, ignoring it till we had to deal with it. We may have a somewhat better excuse, too, not being bound by treaties to several involved countries, and being a bit of a distance away from it all.

Very true, and on the Islam issue the UK – and perhaps in time the US – looks set to repeat the mistake of burying the head in the sand.

Sep 16, 2008 - 10:30 am 156. Occam's Beard:

British ignorance about America is dwarfed by American ignorance about Britain.

I lived in the UK for almost half of my working life, and would say that Americans are in fact pig ignorant about Britain. On the other hand, the British know a lot about America, but 99% of it is nonsense. They just think they’re knowledgeable, but aren’t.

For example, last year one of the UK national dailies had an article about Cheney possibly getting the push from Bush in a Cabinet shakeup, apparently not realizing that the VP is elected, just as the President is. The President can no more sack the VP than the converse. This is not a parliamentary democracy.

Oops. A pretty egregious error for a political journalist pontificating on American politics. How can someone understand the internal dynamics of the American government when he doesn’t understand something that fundamental?

Sep 16, 2008 - 10:34 am 157. Tood:

Read why the US will still be the only superpower in 2030.

Also, in the article are links that prove that the EU’s economy is 22 years behind the US in development.

Sep 16, 2008 - 10:42 am 158. Jeannette:

Okay, Europeans, which is it? Do you want us to get more involved in Eastern Hemisphere wars (Mary re: WWII), or less? Just make up your minds. And let us know which US military bases you want us to abandon. Ask Puerto Rico how much trouble it is to get the US military to leave. Ask the Philippines.

We use more gasoline because it’s a big country, as noted before. It’s more sparsely populated, so it takes a long time to get from place to place. Also, your governments have huge taxes on gas, so it’s a lot more expensive per gallon. Also, we drive bigger cars because we have bigger families.

When groups like WHO rate countries’ medical care, what do they rate? If they measure how much is covered by the government, then it’s only a measurement of how socialist the country is, not how good the medical system is.

Mary, I’ll admit that while I knew that Gordon Brown is PM, I didn’t know which party he is (but I Googled it and now I know he’s Labour). I tend to know when there’s an election but not otherwise; my memory is slipping.

While it’s probably best overall that we were a British colony rather than Spanish or French (looking at the outcome of former British colonies vs. former French or Spanish), I’m glad we’re not into colonialism. No hard feelings, and I’m glad we’re allies.

Sep 16, 2008 - 11:34 am 159. lee:

Americans know even less about Asia than Europe (in my opinion) but their “ignorance” doesn’t lead to any agendas. In fact, outside of a few charged issues like the war in Iraq, most Americans don’t gnash their teeth and lose sleep over anti Americanism. Contrast that to some certain nationalist countries where even a sliver of perceived slight of their country from a super power is enough to whip their people into a frenzy.

Sep 16, 2008 - 11:49 am 160. Jim C.:

“I found in traveling around the world that a great many people believed the most arrant nonsense about the United States. In particular, a great many people, apparently well educated and sophisticated, were convinced that the people of the United States were in the grip of terror and that free speech and free press no longer existed here. They believed that the United States was fomenting a third world war and would presently start it, with Armageddon consequences for everyone else, and that the government of the United States smashed without mercy anyone who dared to oppose even by oral protest this headlong rush toward disaster.

“These people could ‘prove’ their opinions by quoting any number of Americans and American newspapers and magazines. That they were able to quote such American sources proved just the opposite, namely that we do continue to enjoy free speech even to express arrant nonsense and unpopular opinions, escaped them completely.”

From “Tramp Royale” by Robert Heinlein, *1953*

Things haven’t changed much, have they?

Sep 16, 2008 - 12:08 pm 161. TomJW:

Mary Jackson:
Tell that to the people who suffered in those “nightly blitzes” while you stayed well out of it.
Sep 16, 2008 – 9:54 am

Mary, it was your war. It was not our responsibility to fight it for you, unless you claim the British were not adults back then. The magnificant stand of the British under Churchill only happened because Aden did not become Prime Mininster (a near run thing).

Today, it seems like only Paul McCartney is standing up to moslem terror in your country. What is wrong with you people? Are you going to make up more nonsense, Mary, that the U.S. must somehow save you from the moslem threat in your own country? Grow up. Be responsible.

Sep 16, 2008 - 12:14 pm 162. Rex:

Americans are pretty ignorant about America, too. I don’t know how many Californians have visited my part of Florida and asked me about the Ku Klux Klan and whether it’s safe to walk outside the city limits. Just about the same as in California, guys. And it always seems to be the ultra-sophisticated coastal sorts who are clueless. Why is that?

Sep 16, 2008 - 12:46 pm 163. RE:

World War II is over, folks.

People who didn’t fight it bickering over it are starting to sound like blacks asking for slavery reparations to me. All countries involved suffered – nobody owes anybody anything. It is over.

Sep 16, 2008 - 12:54 pm 164. Ex-fetus:

Pouring OIL on the water, You cannot look at History in chunks. History is a chain, with one link connected to another. The biggest advantage of a nation with consensual government and a monster bureaucracy is that once a particular program gets into place, it takes a LOT of effort to stop it. When Nixon went to China, he was acting out the tail end of a history chain that the USA started almost 200 years earlier.
America Picked the Anti-German side in WW1 mainly because the Germans tried to overthrow the Mexican government and use Mexico as a proxie to attack the USA. That is because the USA was helping the French and English (British, if you insist) with logistics. Germany was starving by 1916 and the USA could have sent food, since the British would not have dared stop an American ship passing thru their blockade. The point is the USA had no dog in that fight.
President Wilson, who was pretty much a scumbag, tried to ensure peace in Europe with his 14 points and the League of Nations. The French wanted all the loot they could squeeze out of Germany after WW1 and the Bits wanted a cut too, so no Just peace. Congress knew what a sleezeball Wilson was and rejected the League of Nations. All this is part of the chain that led to WW2.
Germany knew it was the fault of America that they lost WW1, since US food shipments would have kept Germany going and forced the Franco-Angles to negotiate. Remember, the Germans WERE NOT beaten in the field. WW1 was fought in the low countries and France.
This is why they held WW2.
From the American POV, WW2 was a do-over. One that needn’t have been. If the dam Frogs and stubborn Brits had treated the Germans THEY couldn’t beat better, there would not have been a WW2 for more Americans to die in.
So round 2 was fought to a conclusion. German was pounded to rubble and divided up among the victors. No chance of claiming they weren’t beaten in the field. This time around we didn’t let the greed of France and England start another war. We did the Marshall plan and paid off EVERYBODY. Except the Soviets.
When you whoop someone, you help them up when it’s over, treat them with respect, buy them a beer and talk about cars or tell hunting/fishing stories. That might get you a friend. If you lift their wallet, then disrespect them, you are setting up another fight.
Post WW2 the Wilson idea of converting the world to democracy took hold in Washington. The theory was contain the Socialists and they would collapse. Then the UN and WTO would turn them into Capitalist Democracies.
I think that is a crackpot theory, but the guys in charge went for it. Anyway, that is where we are now. The bureaucracy in D.C. has got the bit between their teeth and they are tight with the ‘wait for them to collapse’ plan. Only the latest set of foes WILL NOT collapse. Theocracies seldom collapse. Now the bureaucrats are half way thru a cycle. It takes 16 years for the bureaucrats to turn over and grasp an new idea. Once McCain starts adding his selections to the Bureaucracy, the Administration will get up to speed on the GWoT. America can win the GWoT without Europe.
Europe is mad at us mainly because they see no need for the GWoT. They want to sit on the sidelines and watch the game, not get out in the field and get all sweaty. They will keep trying that even though the Muslims will not let them. So the Euros blame America for attacks on them by America’s enemies.
Sorry this is so long, but it’s hard to get 100 years of history into a few paragraphs, or at least for me it is.

Sep 16, 2008 - 12:55 pm 165. Mary Jackson:

On the other hand, the British know a lot about America, but 99% of it is nonsense.

That’s true enough.

Sep 16, 2008 - 1:08 pm 166. W::

Rex: well, we here in California are all a bit worried about the established Floridian inability to work a simple voting machine. I’ll be crossing my fingers in November.

TomJW: I think the point is that it wasn’t just “their” war. It was everyone’s problem, and each country that should have acted sooner waited until way too late.

It would have been a disaster if the US had awakened one day to find the British fleet flying Nazi flags, the invasion base into France occupied by the heel-clicking guys, and it was going to have to fight the Nazis and the Japanese alone. There were Nazi symps in the US and in South America that would have been happy to align with the “winner.”

We were isolationist and barely maintained the draft in the midst of it all. If Hitler had been smart, he would have tried to restrain the Japanese until he had bled Britain out. We were very lucky he didn’t. Also lucky the British held on and FDR was not an isolationist.

FDR and Churchill fortunately knew this; they schemed all manner of ways around the isolationists until December 7 removed our refusal to see what it had taken the Brits so long to see: there were no “bystanders” in this war with a mad man. Two brilliant guys. To quote one of them, there was “glory enough at the end for all.”

Sep 16, 2008 - 1:31 pm 167. view from afar:

Thank you GL, although you are a bit harsh on poor Mary you are right on…I live in France and people are constantly telling me how wonderful it must be for me coming from my barbaric country…I actually try to point out that not all US states have the death penalty(except on the federal level when you kill a police officer… which is logical and yes, many people in Europe would probably vote yes in a referendum for the death penalty)
The United States is a gift to the world, I miss it, and anyone who hopes to bring progressive socialism to the US is ridiculously naive and takes for granted that they will still have all the benefits of the American system(higher salaries on the lower salary ends, the benefit level of US healthcare coverage as it exists in the US)
I understand that many Americans understand very little about the rest of the world, but not any less than anywhere else…

Sep 16, 2008 - 2:44 pm 168. orlandocajun:

Rex

“And it always seems to be the ultra-sophisticated coastal sorts who are clueless. Why is that?”

Because the ultra-sophisticated coastal (and European) sorts are clueless. They think that their lavish, spoiled lifestyle was given to them by tree-huggers, college professors, actors and gays. They spit on the graves of those who gave their lives so that they could be rich, spoiled and stupid. The same goes for many Europeans. Personally, I don’t give a damn what the Europeans think of us. If they ever get attacked again, who do you think they’ll call?

But, that’s part of what makes America great.

Sep 16, 2008 - 2:48 pm 169. Filipe:

Well, that shows our true European socialist education system at work.

God bless America.

Sep 16, 2008 - 3:41 pm 170. Trouble:

ex-fetus pretty well summed it up, except (IMHO) that theocracies do collapse, it just takes awhile, viz. imperial Japan (the emperor was a god figure) from AD ??? – 1945; the Islamic civilization from AD 632 until Genghis Khan showed up; Europe from AD ca. 500 – ca. 1700.

Sep 16, 2008 - 4:57 pm 171. Dan:

So, is this juvenile piece of writing what passes for journalism these days? How embarrassing. I wonder how many readers actually bothered to read your linked “evidence”?

Sep 16, 2008 - 6:02 pm 172. Roger Godby:

In nearly two decades of working in Japan with other language teachers (which brings me into contact with various foreign students and nationals), I’ve found the most reliably knee-jerk anti-Americans to be Canadians, especially those from Ontario and Ontario West (BC); it’s as if bashing the US is required to reassure them of their Canadian identity.

While I’ve met few overt pro-Americans, Iranians tend to be favourably disposed to the US because they hate their mullahs so much and LA’s Iranian community provides influence. Since Japanese live forever, there are many elderly who recall US postwar benevolence and aid, which probably tempers anti-Americanism. As the elderly die off, my prediction is Japan (or its media) will slowly become as anti-American as Western Europe(’s).

Sep 16, 2008 - 10:45 pm 173. Phil:

I think that the US Americans posting on here, who have no experience of Europe believe that there really is rife Anti-Americanism here in Europe. It’s just not true.
But gosh guys, some of your comments regarding Muslims would make a brown shirted German from the 1930s pale. That doesn’t do much to put us in any good light, ANYWHERE in the world.

Sep 17, 2008 - 12:49 am 174. Andrew Ian Dodge:

Phil well if they pay attention to the European media how could they think any different? The BBC/The Guardian/The Independent never has anything nice to say about the US….ever. There is quite a percentage of the elites in the UK who loath the US. That is, for some, until someone there offers them a job, then a sort of carthasis happens.

However ordinary people outside of London elites are actually quite fond of the US. Lord knows lots of them want to emigrate there. Even the act of marrying an American gets jealousy from some.

Most people I encounter in the UK are perfectly happy to be set straight about things American that they have the wrong end of the stick about. However if you spend your time only in certain areas of London while you are here you will get a fair bit of anti-Americanism.

Sep 17, 2008 - 4:11 am 175. sfcmac:

That’s funny. If the British were as ‘worldly’ and sophisticated as they claim, they’d have known better.

Trouble is, they share a part of the hemisphere as the rest of the Eurotrash who possess the same high opinion of themselves.

Sep 17, 2008 - 4:53 am 176. sfcmac:

Mary:

In 1976, I pulled my first of three tours of duty in Germany, so I am more than familiar with Europe. One of the sticking points for me is the incessent, stupid criticism spewed by the European effetes, who think they are so much more ‘culturally and morally superior’ to the United States.

Well, now that Dhimmification is rearing its ugly head in places like Britain, we’ll see how that works out. I’ve always said that anytime another country thinks its better suited to be the world cop and babysitter, step up to the plate. Funny how they always look to us for a bailout when things get tough.

American forces are leaving Europe as part of the final drawdown.

Aufweidersehen, Ta Ta, Au Revoir, and Ciao, Europe. Russia is starting to rattle its cage again.

Good luck.

Sep 17, 2008 - 4:59 am 177. Dan Kauffman:

“Alvy:

USA: you are all immigrants. Remember that.”

?? as I recall some of my ancestors were here before the first European arrived, so I would say your claim of “all immigrants” rather illustrates the accuracy of the title of this work.

Sep 17, 2008 - 4:59 am 178. Dan Kauffman:

“Dark Helmet:

jbb,

psssssssst little secret, the only American Indians are people who were born here from India.”

Technically you are correct in my case to be puncitilious I am “Ani Yun Wiwa” which translates into English as

The “Total of All Real People” but I use Indian or Cherokee for the sake of brevity.

Sep 17, 2008 - 5:05 am 179. Dan Kauffman:

“Mary Jackson:
Yes, America did help arm Britain during this period. But arming a country is not the same as fighting. For all kinds of reasons, America was late to the party”

I need to tell my father that he is under the mistaken impression he was fighting German Submarines convoying ships to Iceland to turn over to the protection of the Royal Navy.

Oh and while I am at it

FACT The North American Continent is a CO2 SINK. Yes our prevailing winds are West to East and if CO2 levels from off our West Coast are compared to those leaving the continent off our East Coast, one finds the level has decreased,

The US did not sign Kyoto, but we have lowered our CO2 output I do not believe any Nation which did sign Kyoto has done the same.

.

Sep 17, 2008 - 5:28 am 180. Fred:

Anti Americanism explains perfectly why Europe loves Obama so much. They would like nothing more than to increase their economic and political power at our expense. Obama represents their best chance for this.

Sep 17, 2008 - 5:43 am 181. 888:

Johnny Foreigner, all lives are precious, and we all recognize those were WORLD wars — thus, other countries came to Britain’s aid. But please don’t sell the Americans’ assistance short. American lives lost during WWII were 405,399 (with 183,588 in the Europe/Atlantic theater alone) and over 600,000 wounded, and 116,516 Americans died during WWI. Although they don’t compare to the multi-million Europeans who died in both wars, the American numbers are still staggering, especially in light of the fact that those brave souls left their country to fight the battles in faraway places so the people in those faraway places can live in peace. Thus, when Mary Jackson puts down America’s involvement in WWII, naturally Americans get offended. And I’m a naturalized American citizen, originally from another continent as well, but it still is insulting to me to hear those kinds of criticisms.

Sep 17, 2008 - 6:03 am 182. Dark Helmet:

Technically you are correct in my case to be puncitilious I am “Ani Yun Wiwa” which translates into English as

The “Total of All Real People” but I use Indian or Cherokee for the sake of brevity.

Kauffman.

Actually, pre paleo Bering Sea Sea pedestrian, but the proper term is aborignal. Also known as asian. But who really worries about being accurate, other than those who deal in reality, not political correctness.

If there were as many people who were from the Cherokee tribe that claim to be now, they never would of lost the war. They were a big help to the brits as I recall. Oops.

Sep 17, 2008 - 6:48 am 183. Dark Helmet:

“I’m a naturalized American citizen, originally from another continent as well, but it still is insulting to me to hear those kinds of criticisms”

Welcome to America. The land of opportunity, not entitlement. Hmmm….. that kind of shows the difference between the US and europe right there, doesn’t it?

Some of our greatest patriots are 1st generation. There you have it Mary.

Sulk, spew and attempt to condescend. The fact remains, people from all over the world want to come here because of opportunity and the American dream.

There is no place else like it on earth and obammy mammy will not be elected, we don’t elect people who hate this nation. How pathetic is it that the first black looking candidate is a miserable puke liberal leftist like the rest of your people?

We keep our doors open for those over there who would be free and love freedom, but clean your own house LONG before you EVER consider criticizing the very thing that has kept the evil at bay in your part of the world. A darker shadow than any of you have ever faced before stands ready to take your nation away and you lay down before it.

Perhaps if there is fault to be found it is because we keep saving your sorry asses everytime that happens.

We won’t when you don’t stand up for yourself.

God bless America and mo ham ed, kiss my red white & blue ass.

Sep 17, 2008 - 7:22 am 184. Susan Katz Keating:

The ignorance is combined with fascination. I went to high school in Ireland, and spent a fair amount of time on Britain and the Continent. I never got over the fact that people in Europe seemed to think they knew all about the U.S. and were qualified to speak about us with authority. Of course, most of their so-called information came not from news sources, but from watching Hollywood movies.

Sep 17, 2008 - 7:54 am 185. Dark Helmet:

Having an President that was an actor must of really got them going….

Seeing obammu mammy with the all the hollyweirds kind of adds to the irony.

Sep 17, 2008 - 9:20 am 186. Julie Cochrane:

The Europeans always forget, about WWII, that it was Japan that attacked us. We didn’t have to go over and fight Germany at all. They were allied with Japan, but they weren’t our war. Yes, Hitler declared war on us in sympathy with Japan. The only reason he gave two hoots about us was because we were helping the UK resist him.

The only thing that got us pulled into the war in Europe in WWII was that most of us like the Brits. That’s it. We didn’t want the motherland to fall to Germany.

We didn’t have to get Germany mad at us by helping out and supplying the UK. We could have just stayed out of it.

Late to the party? It wasn’t our party. Same thing in WWI. We feel a strong attachment to and affection for the motherland. Largely, I think, it’s that we have attachment to and affection for the rest of the anglosphere, generally.

On WWI and WWII, Europeans always accuse us of being late to the party and forget it wasn’t our party at all.

Sep 17, 2008 - 9:44 am 187. Julie Cochrane:

Oh, we also love the French. We gripe about them, but we love them. That’s why it only takes election of a Sarkozy for our ire at French attitudes to evaporate. Our people may intellectually forget history, but on a gut level, we never forget Lafayette.

I had the privilege, at the Joint Service Open House at Andrews AFB in DC, to attend a party hosted by the German Embassy in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. They were excellent hosts, and I enjoyed their party.

When my brother in law graduated from Ranger School, there were people who had come all the way from Arnhem to say thanks.

Sometimes it’s good for us to celebrate those of us to like each other, rather than give those of us who hate each other–the spoiled brats on all sides–the attention they so crave.

Sep 17, 2008 - 9:51 am 188. deguello:

These constant articles on the mentally moribund Euros,are getting boring;look:Europe is morally, intellectually, culturally plitically,and demographically dead already;what we see are the wriggligs of a corpse on life support.Turn em over they’re done!They gave us Marxism,Nazism, Deconstruction,the guillotine and appeasement.The Arabs taking over might actually be an improvement.Let’s use the space to discuss the living:more articles on Asia and South America!

Sep 17, 2008 - 10:13 am 189. TomJW:

Dan Kauffman:
Sep 17, 2008 – 4:59 am

Hate to burst your bubble, Dan, but that side of your family immigrated from Siberia.

Sep 17, 2008 - 10:19 am 190. Ignasi:

I am european and I love USA. If I am ignorant about it I will try to improve.

Sep 17, 2008 - 1:37 pm 191. Javelin:

Anti-rest-of-the-worldism in America is fueled by ignorance and self righteous belief in our innate superiority, and most of them love Rush and Palin.

Sep 17, 2008 - 6:20 pm 192. Nine-of-Diamonds:

“Anti-rest-of-the-worldism in America is fueled by ignorance and self righteous belief in our innate superiority, and most of them love Rush and Palin.”

As opposed to Blue Staters’ bowing to their Magic Negro idol, which is of course sane and rational…

Sep 17, 2008 - 10:29 pm 193. Dark Helmet:

And so arrives the javelin tooth pick. Wow, another talk radio remark, how origial, not.

You really just suck. Like most liberals. You would be soooo much happier in europe.

Sep 18, 2008 - 1:56 am 194. Jim Reynolds:

I hate to burst your bubble but several of the stats you listed above are false. The worst example is you reference to the divorce in the US. It acctually hasn’t droped below 50% in over 25 years; and even reached a high of 64% in 1999. You make plenty of good points in your acticle but if you allow yourself to fall into Micheal Mooreism (making up stats or reapeating made up stats) you run the risk of being ignorned just because of your false stats.

Sep 18, 2008 - 9:14 am 195. Nic:

Due to a combination of obsession with Hollywood celebrity and consumerism gone mad (both imports from the USA, incidentally), along with the fact that the Labour government has totally screwed up our education system, I doubt that 50% of Brits even know what polygamy means! I doubt many have expressed an opinion one way or the other on polygamy in the USA! It isn’t high up on people list of concerns here in the UK, in fact I can honestly say that NON of my friends/family have ever express an opinion on any of the subjects mentioned, with the exception of carbon emissions! And we already know that we aren’t exactly saints in that department either!

Yes, the USA is doing well with carbon emissions in some regions, but that is down to individual states taking the initiative whilst the Federal Government dithers! Credit for being amongst the first to introduce catalytic converters, but not so much for a distinct lack of reliable public transport in many cities which forces people into their cars. And the US does emit more carbon per capita than most, so you should really be taking the lead when it comes to reductions, so don’t expect praise for that! And stop having a go at China, they now produce most of the stuff you buy, and they can’t do that without using electricity!

This article is clearly based on an opinion poll full of loaded questions (almost all of them are designed to get the answers that the people who commissioned them want to hear) designed specifically to rubbish Brits! Why? Just because SOME Brits are anti-American (though most are actually anti-American foreign policy rather than anti-American, and still take their holidays in Florida every year)!? Grow up America and stop attacking everyone who doesn’t agree with you 100% of the time!

The rest of us already know that our countries/governments/etc aren’t perfect! And guess what, neither is the USA!

Sep 18, 2008 - 10:00 am 196. john parker:

I would encourage anyone interested in the phenomenon of anti-Americanism to have a look at the late Jean-Francois Revel’s book on the topic, which I reviewed 4 years ago for Asia Times. (Probably the most successful thing I ever wrote, with about 70,000 hits, they told me later.) Don’t be put off by the French name, Monsieur Revel was a lion among his countrymen who feared no one with his blistering rhetoric and earned his status as a friend and defender of the US the right way, with countless trips to America to talk to ordinary Americans. He deserves to be well remembered on both sides of the Atlantic.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FD03Aa02.html

Four years after reviewing his book, I unfortunately would say once again that little has changed. Fundamentally, anti-Americanism fills a psychological need for Europeans, as it does (in a slightly different way) for American leftists. I now see it as a form of projection: imagining that all the characteristics you despise in yourself are possessed by a malevolent “other”, who can then be demonized as a way of symbolically cleansing oneself. In my review, I mentioned the ways that the specific criticisms other countries make of the US have an uncanny correspondence to that country’s own historical crimes. Ex: Brits criticize the US for “imperialism”, Japanese and Germans bash its “militarism”, Frenchmen attack it for “cultural arrogance”, Chinese attack it for “hegemonism”, and so on. It never fails to amaze me, though, how these same people never notice this correlation until it is pointed out to them – a basic human failing, perhaps.

The future of anti-Americanism would be more of the same except for a few historical inevitabilities: namely, the rise of other powers (China, Russia, maybe India) which, one day, perhaps not too far in the future, will excite the same envy and fear in Europe (and elsewhere) that America now does. Interestingly, in recent months with the suspicion-laced coverage of the Beijing Olympics, and the Georgian war, this might be happening sooner than I expected. If the bear is credibly growling again, and China looks like an unassailable hyperpower which can send European economies reeling anytime it likes by ordering a few jets from Boeing instead of Airbus, anti-Americanism might instantly recede into the background noise of the European psyche, as the Euro man-on-the-street instantly rediscovers his civilizational kinship with the same “ignorant Bible-thumping rednecks” he loves to hate when he feels safe.

Personally, I like, respect and often admire Europeans. But I hope they remember that their position, flanked by Russia and the Muslim Middle East, is not indefinitely secure, to say the least; and that the default position of US foreign policy is isolationism. If they call for American help, and we do not answer, it is they – not we – who will have to suffer the results.

Sep 18, 2008 - 10:53 am 197. Nic:

Dear Soeren Kern

Now that I’ve read the actual survey I’m convinced that your entire article is skewed anti-British propaganda anyway, for example:

“Almost one-third of Britons believe that Americans who have not paid their hospital fees or insurance premiums are not entitled to emergency medical care; in fact, such treatment must be provided by law.”

Yes, but 54%, i.e. THE MAJORITY got it right! And the ones that didn’t were probably influenced by the American, Michael Moore, rather than any British media plot!

“Indeed, a new opinion poll finds that British attitudes towards the United States are governed by ignorance of the facts on key issues such as crime, health care, and foreign policy. The survey was commissioned by America in the World, a London-based group that hopes to push back against rampant anti-Americanism in the United Kingdom by dispelling widely held myths about the United States.”

Except that of the 20 questions asked, Brits (or rather the small sample of Brits who were asked) got 11 questions right, with another 5 questions either being a close run thing or the ‘don’t know’ answers outnumbering the incorrect ones!

There were only 4 questions out of the 20 where people were way off the mark, those being on carbon emissions, the US siding with non-Muslim countries (though I note they included the Iran-Iraq war, where they conveniently changed the criteria to Arab v non-Arab states, so I don’t know if the rest of the list is accurate without doing more research), selling weapons to Iraq and the percentage of Americans owning a passport (although that last question was slightly rigged – they used a figure of approx. 20% (1 in 5) when it is actually 34% – and how many Americans could answer that question either?).

Oh and Brits got the crime and health questions right by the way! So your comment: “British attitudes towards the United States are governed by ignorance of the facts on key issues such as crime, health care…” is inaccurate! But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good story!

Sep 18, 2008 - 10:55 am 198. Paul Tallman:

47.2% of statistics are made up and more people have been killed by ducks than nuclear weapons. Says a lot for facts and figures…..

Sep 18, 2008 - 2:35 pm 199. RE:

Does it matter? Europe is forfeiting itself to Islam. The Brits are now accomodating Sharia Law. I’ve no interest in making Europe safe for Islam. Let’s pull out of NATO – it’s become a very bad value for the US and Canada.

Sep 18, 2008 - 7:41 pm 200. Patrick Bateman:

I think what we need to focus on is intramural ignorance. For instance, I live in south Texas, and I met people from North Carolina that asked if everyone rode around on horses! Are you kidding me? Think for a second. Is that even practical? Give me a break! I’ve only rode on a horse once in my life!

Sep 18, 2008 - 10:39 pm 201. Zbigniew Mazurak:

So many misguided comments that I don’t have the time to address all of them. I’ll address only a few:
1) The Roman Empire gave humanity nothing besides violence. Latin is a difficult language, English is an easy one.
2) The British Empire contributed more than any other country. The English language is one of its contributions.
3) The US DID need to fight Germany. It wasn’t “Europe’s war”, it was America’s war. The US was attacked by Germany. The American Eastern Coast was attacked by German subs, which have also targeted American convoys in the Atlantic (many American ships were sunk just a few kilometres off the American coasts). If the US hadn’t fought Germany, it would’ve been obliterated. Germany even had an aircraft carrier. So the claims that the US generously chose to combat Germany and that the US could’ve avoided a fight with the Nazi empire are myths.
4) Having said that, though, America’s involvement was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to win. During WW2, the Allies and the neutrals spent almost $400 bn (in 1945 dollars) on their militaries. Almost 50% of these expenditures was made by the US, which spent $197 billion (in 1945 dollars; please note that in 2005 dollars that would be more than $2 trillion). The Axis spent $245 bn (Germany spent 65% of that sum, that is, $158 bn). So because the US was on the side of the Allies, the free world won. But if the US had not entered WW2, then, the Axis would’ve had a $44bn financial advantage over the Allies, and therefore, it would’ve won. Why is this relevant? Because waging a war without cash is impossible. Wars are fought by people, but without the funds to hire soldiers and purchase weapons for them, victory is impossible.

Sep 19, 2008 - 12:57 am 202. Zbigniew Mazurak:

Here’s my source:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/12/money_and_waging_war_the_myth.html

Of course, it also implies that the US couldn’t have avoided a fight with Germany, which is true.

It’s funny, BTW, that the Brits have accused the US of joining WW2 too late. Wasn’t it the Brits and the French who were appeasing Hitler in Munich?

Sep 19, 2008 - 1:02 am 203. Dark Helmet:

So many misguided comments that I don’t have the time to address all of them. I’ll address only a few:

And you fail by adding to them.

1) The Roman Empire gave humanity nothing besides violence. Latin is a difficult language, English is an easy one.

The Romans brought roads, fresh water, sanitation, medicine, organization, security and education to land where there was none when they came to britain. This is a far from complete list of what the Roamn empire brought to the rest of europe. Your railway system is based upon Roman design. Violence or the threat of it is the currency of mankind. The greatest will wins.

2) The British Empire contributed more than any other country. The English language is one of its contributions.

More of what? Let’s be very clear here, if it weren’t for America’s status as a super power, it would never of been a universal tounge. If American’s spoke martian, that’s what everyone else would speak as well. If the history of the world were a huge catered wedding, england showed up with a few extra folding chairs and an empty bottle of ripple looking for a refill.

3) The US DID need to fight Germany. It wasn’t “Europe’s war”, it was America’s war. The US was attacked by Germany. The American Eastern Coast was attacked by German subs, which have also targeted American convoys in the Atlantic (many American ships were sunk just a few kilometres off the American coasts).

We were attacked because we were sending war supplies to england. Idiot. We entered the war when we started providing support.

If the US hadn’t fought Germany, it would’ve been obliterated. Germany even had an aircraft carrier. So the claims that the US generously chose to combat Germany and that the US could’ve avoided a fight with the Nazi empire are myths.

The argument that we would be destroyed by germany is a joke. We beat them on their own soil. Your attempt to discredit American resolve of fighting for the cause of freedom is an insult to those who did and those who died doing it.

So on behalf of them, go eat shit choke and die.

4) Having said that, though, America’s involvement was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to win. During WW2, the Allies and the neutrals spent almost $400 bn (in 1945 dollars) on their militaries. Almost 50% of these expenditures was made by the US, which spent $197 billion (in 1945 dollars; please note that in 2005 dollars that would be more than $2 trillion). The Axis spent $245 bn (Germany spent 65% of that sum, that is, $158 bn). So because the US was on the side of the Allies, the free world won. But if the US had not entered WW2, then, the Axis would’ve had a $44bn financial advantage over the Allies, and therefore, it would’ve won. Why is this relevant? Because waging a war without cash is impossible. Wars are fought by people, but without the funds to hire soldiers and purchase weapons for them, victory is impossible.

At least you almost got this point right, without the USA being willing to put up it’s treasure and it’s finest men and women, the world would be under the thump of one dictator or another.

Maybe know some of you can see why we have a very bad reaction to european ingraditude and the lack of resolve you have to stand up against izslime. We have an interest in your countries becuase we have fought and died for the freedom of the people living there. Not your stupid flags or your bloodbathed borders.

Pray, pray that we don’t ever lose that interest or you are all doomed. Your history proves you can’t stand up for your selves. One day we may just cut our losses and stay out of it. We don’t have to fight for you.

We choose to protect those who embrace freedom who can’t defend themselves.

And your arrogence and disdain is our thanks. I suspect that those amoung you who feel that way are the very same ones that would of knelt before the germans and pleasured the troops before surrendoring. Just like your queen mother does now with mohamed. The entire sum of that population isn’t worth a single drop of American blood.

Sep 19, 2008 - 5:42 am 204. Nic:

One last comment, then I’m done with this post ’cause it seems to be degenerating into the usual name calling and abuse… but here we go, something most Americans don’t appear to know: WWII – GERMANY DECLARED WAR ON THE USA, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

Sep 19, 2008 - 5:52 am 205. Dark Helmet:

Excuse the spelling errors. The points are very clear, even with them.

DH

Sep 19, 2008 - 5:55 am 206. Jack Herman:

What a thread!

Mary Jackson, could you please fill us in on your extensive travel throughout the United States?

Sep 19, 2008 - 9:04 am 207. dragonbaby:

I agree. Interesting thread.

I’m curious about Mary Jackson’s extensive travel throughout the States too.

My own experience of meeting people who live in New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Netherlands, Mexico, Canada and parts of Latin America is their genuine surprise that I’m not the epitomy of “The Nasty Arrogant American” they thought I would be based on their preconceived ideas.

One of the Aussies I know moved her family to Houston, Texas due to employment for her husband this past June. She was full of heart wrenching anxiety because she was convinced every Texan would be walking around with a gun on their hip simply because Americans are known worldwide to treasure their guns and their freedoms to own them. She really expected to see modern day cowboys walking the streets with six shooters and automatic weapons tethered to their sides. She was greatly relieved to discover, “Texans look a whole lot like Australians living their normal daily lives with not a gun in sight”. Her words not mine. She’s finding life in Houston to be quite pleasant.

I’ve no doubt that outrageous Hollywood movies have greatly influenced the international opinion of how the average American lives. Truth is movies about average Americans would be rather dull and wouldn’t make any money.

I hope this thread offers a turning point for Mary to recognize not all Americans are horrible people.

Sep 20, 2008 - 2:16 pm 208. Hoover:

If European countries are so useless, unpleasant and ignorant, why do you care enough to post your rants about them?

Tha author of this article has taken a survey and presented it as if it matters. Sure, 50% of people may believe polygamy’s legal in the US. However that question should have been followed up with “but do you give a sh**?”.

It’s pure intellectual masturbation designed to excite people on the net. Judging by the comments above, it’s succeeded.

Sep 21, 2008 - 5:00 am 209. Kayleigh:

Muslims do nothing but cause trouble, I can tell you that now… and I’m a Brit. They are slowly taking over this country and it’s sh*t…

Sep 21, 2008 - 12:52 pm 210. Nic:

And for balance, as a Brit, I would suggest that a Muslim population of 3% could hardly be considered taking over! And no, they aren’t taking over Britain! And no, Britain isn’t sh*t! And no, I’m not Muslim!

And if someone wanted to offer an inaccurate picture of what Brits think… the last two posts could be put forward as a survey of British opinion on Muslims! “50% of Britons hate Muslims”, except it would be inaccurate to do so, which brings us back to the inaccuracy of the original blog!

Sep 22, 2008 - 4:56 am 211. sfcmac:

Nic:

That measley 3% muslim population has quite a bit of influence in your courts and your schools.

Welcome to Eurabia:

“Two schoolboys were given detention after refusing to kneel down and ‘pray to Allah’ during a religious education lesson.

Parents were outraged that the two boys from year seven (11 to 12-year-olds) were punished for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped.

They said forcing their children to take part in the exercise at Alsager High School, near Stoke-on-Trent – which included wearing Muslim headgear – was a breach of their human rights.”

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031784/Schoolboys-punished-detention-refusing-kneel-pray-Allah.html

You just can’t make up this shit:

“Police sniffer dogs will have to wear bootees when searching the homes of Muslims so as not to cause offence.

Guidelines being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) urge awareness of religious sensitivities when using dogs to search for drugs and explosives. The guidelines, to be published this year, were designed to cover mosques but have been extended to include other buildings.

Where Muslims object, officers will be obliged to use sniffer dogs only in exceptional cases. Where dogs are used, they will have to wear bootees with rubber soles. “We are trying to ensure that police forces are aware of sensitivities that people can have with the dogs to make sure they are not going against any religious or cultural element within people’s homes. It is being addressed and forces are working towards doing it,” Acpo said.

Problems faced by the use of sniffer dogs were highlighted last week when Tayside police were forced to apologise for a crime prevention poster featuring a german shepherd puppy, in response to a complaint by a Muslim councillor.

Islamic injunctions warn Muslims against contact with dogs, which are regarded as “unclean”.

……John Midgley, co-founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, said: “The police are in effect being overly sensitive to potential criminals and not being sensitive enough to the public at large who need to be protected.”
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4276489.ece

Ya think?

And yet another step toward the coming British Caliphate:

“The most senior judge in England yesterday gave his blessing to the use of sharia law to resolve disputes among Muslims.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips said that Islamic legal principles could be employed to deal with family and marital arguments and to regulate finance.

He declared: ‘Those entering into a contractual agreement can agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law.’

In his speech at an East London mosque, Lord Phillips signalled approval of sharia principles as long as punishments – and divorce rulings – complied with the law of the land.

But his remarks, which back the informal sharia courts operated by numerous mosques, provoked a barrage of criticism.

Lawyers warned that family and marital disputes settled by sharia could disadvantage women or the vulnerable.

Tories said that legal equality must be respected and that rulings incompatible with English law should never be enforceable.

Lord Phillips spoke five months after Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams suggested Islamic law could govern marital law, financial transactions and arbitration in disputes.

The Lord Chief Justice said yesterday of the Archbishop’s views: ‘It was not very radical to advocate embracing sharia law in the context of family disputes’.

He added there is ‘widespread misunderstanding as to the nature of sharia law’.

So, I guess we just ‘misunderstand’ the opressive, misogynist, violent nature of Sharia Law.

……Lord Phillips said that any sanctions must be ‘drawn from the laws of England and Wales’. Severe physical punishment – he mentioned stoning, flogging or amputating hands – is ‘out of the question’ in Britain, he added.

Yeah, right. Just wait until that, as well as ‘honor killings’ are argued before a British court as part of Sharia Law.

……Barrister and human rights specialist John Cooper said: ‘There should be one law by which everyone is held to account.

‘Well-crafted laws in this country, drawn up to protect both parties including the weak and vulnerable party in matrimonial break-ups, could be compromised.’

Resolution, the organisation of family law solicitors, said people should govern their lives in accordance with religious principles ‘provided that those beliefs and traditions do not contradict the fundamental principle of equality on which Britain’s laws are based.’

……Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think tank, said: ‘Everybody is governed by English law and it is not possible to sign away your legal rights. That is why guarantees on consumer products always have to tell customers their statutory rights are not affected.

‘There is not much doubt that in traditional Islamic communities women do not enjoy the freedoms that they have had for 100 years or more in Britain.

‘It is very easy to put pressure on young women in a male-dominated household. The English law stands to protect people from intimidation in such circumstances.’

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve said: ‘Mediation verdicts which are incompatible with our own legal principles should never be enforceable. One of the key aspects of our free society is equality. This should be understood and respected by all.’

The Ministry of Justice said: ‘English law takes precedence over any other legal system. The Government has no intention of changing this position. Alongside this, it is possible to resolve civil law dispute by other systems.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031611/Sharia-law-SHOULD-used-Britain-says-UKs-judge.html

Hope you bought a burka and prayer mat, bub.

Sep 22, 2008 - 11:15 am 212. Nic:

sfcmac: You say “You just can’t make up this shit”… and then quote the Daily Mail… I guess you must be American, ‘cause almost everyone in Britain knows that the Daily Mail can, and often does, make up stuff, or at least twists the facts to suit their agenda… try referencing a reliable source and I might take what you say more seriously!

As for The Times article, that may well be true, the British police seem to have totally lost the plot of late so anything is possible. They were so heavy handed with Muslims in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and 7/7 that they could we’ll have decided to take things to the other extreme now in order to avoid any more embarrassing events (like shooting innocent men and wrecking family homes based on totally unrealiable information). They may be treading softly because they can’t afford to pay out for all their cock-ups!

What you need to bear in mind is that most of these crack pot ideas aren’t coming from Muslims, are either exaggerated by the press and/or they are coming from white, left-wing, do-gooders. There was a story in some of the papers the other Christmas saying that Christmas decorations has been banned in council offices so as not to offend Muslims, the directive came from white non-Muslim lefty council management. When the media actually interviewed Muslims who worked there they said that not only did they NOT find the celebration of Christmas offensive, but that they too celebrated (if in a slightly different way) the birth of Jesus, who is after all a Muslim Prophet! They seemed quite upset that they were being misrepresented!

As for your comments about Sharia Law, you are totally misrepresenting what is happening, any Sharia court will operate in the same way as Jewish Beth Din courts, they will deal with civil cases amongst the Muslim community, they will NOT deal with criminal cases! In fact, some are already in operation and few people seem to have noticed, so they are hardly going to affect the every day lives of ordinary non-Muslim Brits any more than the Beth Din affects the lives of non-Jews!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4749183.ece

As Ian Ringer commented on the above article: “There is no such thing as Sharia ‘law’. In Britain, only one system of law exists. It is vital the that Muslim and Jewish systems of unofficial arbitration are not confused with law. If the people of these faiths wish voluntarily to submit themselves to this arbitration, then so be it.”

Finally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, well not too many people take him seriously even within his own church; he seems to be rather out of touch and is in very real danger of splitting the Anglican church! Most Anglicans I know want him gone as soon as possible! That said, just to be fair to the man, he was somewhat mis-quoted and mis-represented (especially by the likes of the Daily Mail), here is what he actually said:
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/1581

Sep 23, 2008 - 4:58 am 213. solicitor in bulgaria:

Those who know the least about America seem to hate it the most.

Sep 23, 2008 - 7:39 am 214. David Hewitt:

Mary Jackson and the other people at the New England review are some of the Brits standing up against Islam in the UK, I have read many articles by Mary over the last couple of years and respect her greatly, even if I disagree with some of her views.

I used to work for an American company and visited Hartford many times, I like Americans vey much finding you a generous and friendly people. Amercia is what Europe should be like if we had not destroyed ourselves by two wars, the first totally senseless and the second created by the poor decisions takn after the first.

As an avid reader of history I am well aware of USA aid during the second world war, I am also aware of FDR’s problem in joining the war. I am also aware that it was only within the last couple of years that the UK paid off the final part of its debt to America from the second world war. I also know that it was a policy decision of the USA to see the British Empire dismembered. US popular culture also does its part, take the film over the capture of the German code machine, it was a British ship and a British officer, but Hollywood turned that into a US one. Of course that is likely to be the Hollywood elite driving a wedge between like minded folk…

I am pro American and try to read up as much as I can about it, I read US blogs, written by like minded people, over the last five years I have come to understand a lot more about the USA.

However ignorance of the US in Europe is created by the left wing controlled media and what the governments teach, for example my French wife and I regulalrly have strong discussions about that health care issue, I know that there is social medicine in the USA and try to explain the system, my wife buys into the Socialist propoganda that it does not exist. Every negative story about the US is shown at the start of the news, while any positive stories are downplayed or not shown at all. Do you remember that mentally ill woman who died in a Hospital waiting room, that got aired high up in TF1 the main French news, but never stories of old people dying in Britain in corridors in hospitals, I wonder why?

Recently some French friends of a friend went to the USA on holiday, I told them that they would find the American people very nice and they did and came back with a very positive view of the USA.

I respect America and I appreciate what its people and its soldiers are doing, I also know what British soldiers are doing, I also know what French soldiers are doing, do not foget before these French soldiers were killed in that ambush, 2 French special forces troops had been captured by the Taliban and executed, I do not buy into this anti-French, Anti-British or anti-American, the French can be self-centered and arrogant, but they are on my side, even if most of them have yet to realise and that is the shame of it all.

So continue with your anti US, anti Brit and Anti French attitudes or even anti Europe, you might be right with your anti EU attitude too (I hate the EU like Mary does), but understand that you have your moonbats and left wing idiots, in Europe those people are in power, if Obama wins you will find out what it is like to be a European…

Rant over…

Sep 24, 2008 - 12:04 am 215. Jimmy Reynolds:

Our own media do a pretty good job of demonizing the US, so we can scarcely fault Europeans for not doing better.

The best book about the relationship between mass media and radical politics is probably Thomas Frank’s The Conquest of Cool; Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. This remarkable cultural history traces the ascent of radical media from the 1950s onward. It is a damning indictment of media culture and of what I choose to call the media-industrial complex. Frank’s status as an outspoken lefty only makes it that much more credible.

The US is less susceptible than the European masses to the standard media memes, not because we are rugged individualists or superior people, but because we are farther along on the saturation media learning curve.
The US, after all, invented saturation media as a factor in national life; and we are therefore the first to reach a stage of skepticism, suspicion, and, ultimately, rejection. This process is by no means complete, but the rise of “new media” including the internet, makes it inevitable. Its spread to Europe is inevitable as well and this may partially explain the desperately strident tone of many anti-American media.
Centralized media are dinosaurs and the asteroid is bearing down on them.

Sep 24, 2008 - 3:21 am 216. Suffering Group of Owner of Industries of Bangladesh:

APPEAL FOR JUSTICE TO SAVE FROM OPPRESSIVE LAWS

Dear Sir
From 1972 after independent ,Bangladeshi Nationals started to Established Industries investing family resources ,adopting innovative technology as SELF EARNER & to create job for million of unemployed & to achieve economic freedom when everything were damaged and leftover ,taking all the risk
Government also started to help these growing PRIVATE SECTOR INDUSTRIES having fund from International Grant Offering Agencies and stated to distributed through different Bank. From 1979.
But unfortunately Owner of Industries becomes victims of deep rooted conspiracy & Anti Propaganda .. The Bank Official refrain themselves from ascertaining production capacity of imported machineries and to provide required working capital loan in time extending total non-cooperation, negligence or even were reluctant to receive back their loan money if any Industrial Owner decided to pay back the loan for non-banking activities These have been done willing to jeopardize the Government decision & Policy of Privatizations.
As a result Hundreds & Thousand of Industries of Private Sector of Bangladesh have been destroyed by Bank Officials & Policy Maker who are not aware of first changing Technology. .
Due to Such conspiracy , negligence’s , fraudulent activities including Non Banking Activities of Bank Official & Policy Maker, most of the these Industries have became in-operative or closed & have lost their Cash Capital, Expatriate Capabilities. And became helpless victims of such deep rooted conspiracy. Having no Legal Protections and remedies throwing large number of WORKER & STAFFS JOBLESS who were engaged in these Industries for their livelihood.
In 1992 &1996 the Sick Industries Rehabilitation Cell were formed by GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH & have Identified and Registered these Industries as SICK INDUSTRIES declaring not as defaulter but victims due to Violation of Contract, Negligence, Fraudulent Activities, Malpractices of Bank Officials including Policy Maker. And due to lack of Accountability .which are no more hidden matter .
Although The INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRENEUR of Bangladesh are looking desperately for JUSTICE but the same have been closed for unknown reason may be to serve the purpose of Vested Interest .
Industrial Entrepreneur of Bangladesh are completely deprive of Legal Right due to enactment ARTHA RIN ACT ACT ( Money Landing Act ) on 1989 which were amended several time till 2007 and Bankruptcy Act on 1997 treating the INDUSTRIAL ENTRPRENEURS OF PRIVATE SECTOR as like as SLAVE of Primitive Age.

But these laws are not applicable in Nationalized Sector where Billions of Dollars are invested with no result.
Total outstanding Defaulted Bank Loan are about 60 to 70 % lying with Government Sector / Nationalized Concern ,
And less then 10 % Bank loan are lying with Small & Medium Size Industries of Private Sector & Bank Official can explain well about the balance of the remaining out standing Loan.

LAW OF TORTS ARE MOST COMMON LAW IN USA , EUROPE or AUSTRALIA and even in our SOROUNDING COUNTRIES , BUT NOT APPLICABLE IN BANGLESH YET DUE TO WHICH BANGLADESH HAS BECOME A HEAVEN FOR REPRESSION / EXPLOITATION BY BANK OFFICIAL AND POLICY MAKER INCLUDING AGENCIES forcing the Process of increasing – Poverty in Geometric Ration .

INDUSTRIAL ENTREPRENEUR OF PRIVATE SECTOR CAN NOT CLAIM ANY COMPENSATION OR SET OFF on the Suit filed by the Bank Official or Loan Giving Agencies FOR VIOLATION OF CONTRACT, NEGLEGIENCES, MALPRACTICES, including fraudulent activities of Bank officials instead of huge loss and damages although Bangladesh is commonly known as a Democratic country and never was a Socialist Countries .
As a result CONDITION OF SICK / DISTRESSED INDUSTRIES are in deplorable now due to lack of Accountability of Bank Official / Policy Maker & due to restriction as per SECTION NO 18 ( 2) & ( 3 ) of ARTHA RIN ACT allowing total Indemnity to Bank Official / Loan Giving Agencies .
These have been done to hide out existing high profile Malpractices, Corruption and Negligence as per opinion of Expert Personals depriving the Industrial Entrepreneur from Justice like those of Common PEOPLE WHO ARE FACING ANOTHER TYPE OF REPRESSIVE LAW KNOWN AS CERTIFICATE LAW for realization of Taxes , Agricultural loan , including weaver Loan etc.
The Owners of Industries in Bangladesh have no legal right to protect themselves and from the oppression of Bank Official & Policy Maker which are no more hidden matter rather a part of deep rooted conspiracy till date .

Bank official have given absolute Indemnity for Violation of Contract , Negligence Malpractices & Fraudulent Activities
Industrial Entrepreneurs can file a separate suit for compensation in separate CIVIL COURT CREATING MORE complicacy for life long litigation WITH OF NO RESULT due to restriction to obstruct or resist any order / decree of ARTHA RIN ACT / COURT by any other DECREE OR ORDER OF OTHER COURT or even of by HIGHER COURT. THE RIGHT OF EQUITY OF LAW HAVE COMPLETELY BEEN DENIED TO THE INDUSTRIAL ENTREPRENEUR OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN BANGLADESH

Sections 12, 12 ( khan ) 18 ( 2 ) & (3 ) 19, 20, 21, 34,40, 41, 42, 44, 47 and 50 of ARTHA RIN ACT are directly repressive types violating of ARTICLE NO : 8, 15, 26 and 27 of BANGLADESH CONSTITUTION and self contradictory to the policy of Government to resist Malpractices and Corruption and Privatization programmed ax Mentioned in Industrial Policy adopted time to time having no force of law at all.

Now there are no other alternative way but to draw the kind attention of Concerned Authority Including International Community / Organizations seeking help for JUSTICE and Support to save & protect the OWNER OF SICK OR DISTRESSED INDUSTRIES OF Bangladesh under Private Sector, including their properties from such deep rooted conspiracy and oppressive laws as well to protect the interest of large number of workers, staffs of the Private Sector and also for CHANGE of such oppressive laws to restore Accountability of Bank Official / Loan Giving Agencies including Policy Maker to ensure for National Interest

( A ) – Humble appeal before the Government of Bangladesh to kindly allow Industrial Entrepreneur to claim Set Off or Compensation on suit filed by the Bank or loan Giving Agencies. or allow to Run Compensation Suit Simultaneously with suits file by Bank Officials under ARTHA RIN ACT with equal opportunity and equal right.

( B ) – All suits of Artha Rin Court may kindly be transferred to Civil Commercial Court providing Equal Right and Opportunity to prove and fix up the actual responsibility immediately .

(C)- Considering the Heavy loss and Damages of Government Registered and Identified SICK INDUSTRIES of 1992 & 1996 of Private Sector since last 25 years due to Non-Banking Activities of Bank Officials and Policy Maker may kindly be allowed 100 % weaver of all type of Bank loan liabilities to minimize their heavy loss and damages to certain extent

( D )- The system of mortgage of Land & Properties from the Industrial Entrepreneur by Bank or any Loan Giving Agencies as Securities are mostly responsible for Malpractices and ever growing Corruption, Malpractices & Fraudulent Activities in Banking Sector, which are now proven matter and may kindly be completely abolished as apart of reform programs at earliest possible time to ESTABLISH ACCOUNTABILITY and Check Malpractices, Fraudulent Activities which are now growing by large in Banking Sector or in other Loan Giving Agencies upto root Levels

( E ) – And the above mentioned Sections 12, 12 ( khan ) 18 ( 2 ) & (3 ) 19, 20, 21, 34,40, 41, 42, 44, 47 and 50 of ARTHA RIN ACT may kindly be abolished immediately to restore accountability & check against existing Negligence , Malpractices & Fraudulent Activities of Banking Sector.

(F) – And Section 28 ( Ka ) of BANKING COMPANY of 2001 which explain WRITTEN OFF does not mean Weaver were enacted to misguide the International Community & Bangladesh National so as to serve the interest of the Vested Group & to hide out the above

( G ) – It would be an extreme favors if your good self kindly collect the PRINTED COPIES OF THE ABOVE MENTION LAWS for confirmation of mentioned facts .& to help the Suffering Groups by circulating this appeal among Honorable Member of your Organization and Partner’s Organizations & to Publish in WEBSITES or News Bulletin or News Media, Electronic Media of your territory to bring to the knowledge of Concern Authority including International COMMUNITY OR ORGANIZATIONS working for HUMAN RIGHT & FUNDAMENTAL / Democratic Right of People to prevent legal abuse for immediate help and support to protect the Owner of the Sick Industries / Distressed Industries of Bangladesh and their properties from such OPPRESSIVE LAWS for which they all would be ever grateful as well for change of all types of oppressive laws restoring accountability at all organization of Bangladesh.

********* N.B. the Summery of above mentioned Section of Artha Rin Act at a Glance:

(A)- In section 18 ( 2 ) & ( 3 ) Defendant or Owner of Industries will not be able to claim any set – off or to make counter claim against the Bank or Bank Official nor will be allowed to claim any Compensation by submitting any Suit against Bank ( Plaintiff ) analogously or simultaneously in Artha Rin Court due to violation of contract, fraudulence activities including negligence, malpractices of Bank officials.
(B)- Section 21: Settlement Conference between Borrower and Bank is a misnomer of Law of Arbitration or just to divert the attention of common people in the name arbitration or to make everybody fool .
(C) -As Per Section 19 (6) of Artha Rin Act of 2003 no suits can be declared to be dismissed or discharged for default or above mentioned fault of Bank Official. As per Section 20 regarding any order or proceedings of Artha Rin Act can not be raised to Higher Court or to any Other Superior Authority without paying 50 % of claimed or Decretal Amount if the order is totally misleading or against any law or illegal one even .
(D) – As per Section 34 Defendant or the Owner of Industries in Artha Rin Adalat Case can be put to the Jail for compelling or forcing him to pay the Bank Money without considering the fault or negligence’s of Bank Official without allowing him to proof the matter of violation of contract, fraudulence activities , negligence, malpractices of Bank officials. V- As per section 41 and 42 -The Owner of Industries are not allowed to file any appeal or revision to High Court or Superior Court against any order of Artha Rin Court without paying 50 % of the claimed amount or Decretal amount in advance , But the Bank Official are not require to pay any amount in advance in the Higher Court, allowing A Great Disparity of Law and Justice.
(E) – Under section 47 and 50 , The learned Court under Artha Rin Act of 2003 have been bared to make any exemption of principal loan amount for Violation of Contract , Negligence’s Malpractices, including fraudulent activities or any fault of the bank official uni laterally

(F)- Section 12 ( Kha ) Imposed a bar for filling write petition to Higher Court which are direct violation of human right and constitutional right of the citizen and reflects the negative attitude of Policy Maker and the Law Maker .

Suffering Groups of Industrial Entrepreneurs of Bangladesh

Sep 30, 2008 - 7:25 am 217. Elektryk:

About 80% of people in Poland support the death penalty. Only democracy-hating European establishment imposing on us their ideological regulations.

Oct 4, 2008 - 12:14 am 218. lived abroad:

Yes. The ignorance is PROFOUND. I lived in the UK for 10 years and had to deal with the ignorance and hatred on a DAILY BASIS!

It is mainly perpetuated by the media and ‘hollyweird’. The “Springer Show” seems to be a popular ‘representation’ of how we live in the US……which is ridiculous. Most citizens of the US despise the show, however it is exported with great glee by our socialist media in the US to our
allies abroad.

When asked by a ‘regular Joe’ on the street in the UK where I was from…..the person asking thought the race marches were still going on!
I’m from a wonderful and beautiful place! I’m proud of my country! But……ssshhhhhhh! Don’t say THAT in the UK…let alone in the US. Shame, shame. The UK lost their patiotic opinion YEARS AGO, thanks to socialism.

Oct 4, 2008 - 7:28 pm 219. lived abroad:

Oh, and might I add….while living in the UK for all the while (married to a Brit) I was NEVER allowed to have an opinion. Even about the weather.

My husband, children, and I gladly reside in the US, now. We have the freedom to be patiotic (while it lasts), proclaim we are Christians (while it lasts), and teach our children manners, courtesy, decency, self-worth, and respect for authority (while it lasts).

Oct 4, 2008 - 7:42 pm 220. ZEUGS: Bush spricht Spanisch, Anschläge im Wahlkampf und der NSA-Bikini « USA Erklärt:

[...] Denn offenbar brauchen die Briten, die keine Sprachbarriere als Entschuldigung haben, dringend ein eigenes USA Erklärt: More than 50 percent of Britons believe that polygamy is legal in the United States (…) [...]

Oct 12, 2008 - 6:45 pm 221. Jonas:

I agree that there is a lot of ignorant Anti-Americanism in Europe. I feel sorry for all the genuinely wonderful American travelers, who have to counter it.

But as a European who lived in the US and would love to do so again, let me communicate how the rest of the West as well as probably the entire Rest sees the impending Iran conflict.

First of all, see it against the backdrop that Iran shares borders with two countries that are occupied by one of their archenemies, Iraq and Afghanistan. Now how would that make the US feel? The US media never mentions that aspect.

So the US censors Iran for possibly developing nuclear capacities, even though its intelligence services are shouting out it isn’t so. The irony is that a super power that may have reduced some of its nuclear stockpiles but basically owns more nuclear weapons that the rest of the world combined – weapons that are by the way also continuously becoming more technically sophisticated and which the US government has implicated it would use on a limited scale – cites the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, which it constantly violates.

We are witnessing a massive war crime in the making, a war of aggression. None of the presidential candidates demonstrate the sanity to “take the military option of the table”, but at least one is willing to “talk to the Mullahs”.

The lack of understanding in the US about Anti-Americanism stems from the fact that abuses by the US, like the torture and killing of journalists by US forces, carpet bombings, cluster bombs, use of uranium-depleted munitions etc. are underreported. Granted, they are also underreported in Europe, and Europe is clearly much more complicit than its population thinks.

Europe’s view on the US, on the other hand, can be explained by the lack of knowledge by Europeans about the genuine generosity, tolerance, embracement of multi-culturalism, resourcefulness and ingenuity of ordinary US citizens. Too bad the European public does not take the time to find out that there is an America beyond its leadership!

Oct 20, 2008 - 4:11 am 222. aramkr:

No one seems to recognize that it is utterly natural for the people of the US, the most powerful and influential nation on the planet, to be less informed and interested in the myriad less dominant regions of the world than visa versa. It’s like wondering why the Sun is more visible from the earth and the earth is from the Sun. And if that sounds chauvanist, tough.

Oct 31, 2008 - 3:38 pm 223. Not Economically Viable:

I have seldom read such arrant drivel as some of the “arguments” on this board. I am English (not “British” – as it says on my passport; British is a manufactured identity to suit past political needs, it is a meaningless one now) and my wife is American. We live in the UK but have also lived in the US. I can confirm that Americans are, generally, ignorant about the UK, Europe and, indeed, everywhere else. I do not condemn them for a moment. Why? Well, since the US news media barely mentions foreign affairs, where do they get their information? Since most Americans get so little time off work, one week being the norm across most of the southern states, overseas travel is all but impossible. So, where would they get their personal experience? As for people in Britain being knowledgeable about the US, that is a joke. They are filled with ludicrously exaggerated stereotypes and propaganda by the media. Their personal experience generally comes from two weeks at Disneyworld or some other south Florida resort, or maybe a long weekend shopping trip to New York City. The truly knowledgeable are hard to find, though they do exist in small numbers. Real anti-Americanism here is the province of the burgeoning Muslim population, who regard the US as the puppet and tool of an international Zionist conspiracy. Lower-intensity anti-Americanism is rife among the Neo-Marxist Left, who are to be found in every university, town hall and every branch of the UK government. You can usually recognise them by the name of their political party ” The Labour Party”. (Despite this, the upper echelons of Labour can usually be relied upon to do Washington’s bidding, e.g. Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia, etc., when few others will. An odd dichotomy, no?) Nobody else really gives the US a second thought. I hope this clarifies matters somewhat.

Nov 6, 2008 - 4:22 am 224. Hail the Messiah, hate America « Gegenkritik:

[...] nur eine legitime “Kritik” an der Regierung Bush, wurde vor einiger Zeit schon durch verschiedene Studien als Lüge entlarvt. Viel mehr verweist die Gleichzeitigkeit der Abneigung gegen die USA als Hort [...]

Nov 6, 2008 - 8:52 am 225. ignorance:

God, an I wonder why America is the laughing stock of the world.

Nov 28, 2008 - 3:26 pm 226. Европейский антиамериканизм: мифы и факты - Feelov: Чужой Подход:

[...] Anti-Americanism in Europe Fueled by Ignorance. Послать ссылку на эту запись другу по ICQ или E-Mail:Разместить у себя на ресурсе или в ЖЖ:На любом форуме в своем сообщении: Поделиться ссылкой / Добавить в закладки Ваш голос будет первым!  Loading … Германия – Идиотизм – Испания – США – Франция [...]

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:26 am 227. Jordan:

umm im american and “Seventy percent of Britons think the United States has done a worse job than the European Union in reducing carbon emissions since 2000″ is actually true, did you read the kyoto protocol? the one we americans didnt sign?? lol

Apr 15, 2009 - 10:12 pm 228. Facts Only:

Some of the most uninformed people in the world are Europeans. They believe all the anti-Amerian propaganda their media throws at them, and they think they are so much more educated because of it! And they wonder why Americans laugh at them and never take them seriously. Americans certainly don’t waste nearly as much time obsessing over the world the way the world does them. Deep down, this is why europeans suffer from such a bad inferiority complex.

Sep 2, 2009 - 3:17 pm 229. SCFC JACK:

Firstly I find a lot of what you wrote hard to believe as I live in Brittain and nobody I’ve met believes polygamy is legal in the USA secondly the point you made about pollution is irrelivant because the USA are second only to China in C02 emitions therfore a figure expressed as a percentage isn’t a fair representation of the USA’s efforts to reduce pollution thirdly your point about anti-American propaganda in the media couldn’t be futher from the truth in my opinion I am a free minded minority who refuses to accept the positive potrayal of the USA in the British media.

Sep 11, 2009 - 6:44 pm 230. No More Rocket Ships:

“McDonald’s success is spreading throughout the rest of Europe, too, where sales growth is outpacing that in America. McDonald’s is now one of the biggest private-sector employers on the continent, with a workforce of some 300,000.”

This is NOT a good thing. Seriously, we’re talking about McDonald’s here. Are there actually adults who think their food is good?

Sep 18, 2009 - 6:12 pm

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