64 years ago, my mother saw the Americans liberating Strasbourg, France, my hometown. Today she is proud that Strasbourg was up to the visit of the U.S. President, in giving him a warm welcome. She also saw the French-German border collapse on the Rhine, and was proud to watch the NATO allies meeting this week on the “Pont des Deux Rives”, which materializes the former check-point.

Mom called me from France today to make sure I had not missed the event on TV. But she also wanted to make sure that the American media did not put too much emphasis on the anti-NATO demonstrations held on the sidelines of the summit. “Just a few idiots and thugs” she said as to apologize. This is her city, she’s proud … and ashamed.

And it is true that aside from the overall warm welcome, some violent demonstrations took place in the suburbs of the city, against the Europe-US Alliance, against capitalism and against globalization. Not to say the word: against America. These events are not specifically French. They have become routine at most major international meetings. They were violent in London for the G20, as for all the latest “G” meetings. But from a US perspective, they take a special importance when held in a country which is viewed as the most anti-American in Europe. It’s a cliché (polls show that the anti-american sentiment is much stronger in Germany and Spain), but one must acknowledge that it is a cliché that many French politicians are likely to promote.

By showing respect and consideration for the European culture and influence, Barack Obama undermines the foundation of the French anti-Americanism. But it seems now that anti-Americanism gets fueled by the pro-American support Nicolas Sarkozy is showing in return. As the President of the United States gets more popular in Europe, anti-Americanism turns into “anti pro-Americanism.” Since we can’t blame the American president anymore , let’s blame the pro-american decisions of the French president. Pure rhetoric.

It will probably take more than the speech Barack Obama delivered in Strasbourg in a public meeting to put an end to this sterile antagonism. It will also require the media to report full excerpts of the speech, not just 5 seconds. In the excerpt of Obama’s speech reproduced below, the french media often broadcasted the first part only, while CNN pulled out the second part. Unfortunately, the “antis” on all sides have nice days ahead …

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

But in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious. Instead of recognizing the good that America so often does in the world, there have been times where Europeans choose to blame America for much of what’s bad.

(…)

So let me say this as clearly as I can: America is changing, but it cannot be America alone that changes.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

Post by Jean from Inside America

Right there on wordpress I saw the answer to VM’s request for the authors to post a bit. Typically warped the author over at another site is precisely why so many people get grouped as idiots on the left.

I could just as easily find right wing extremist places to blame the entire worlds ills on, but this is what I woke up to today.

HATE AMERICA FIRST

–by Patrick Sperry

I am so used to seeing stuff like this all over the web that I’m pretty much immune to it, but thought I’d share this with some of my readers.

How were these “tests” measured up in comparison with the other 193 country’s citizens? I have yet to see scientific proof anywhere how American citizens have proven to be the dumbest out of all 194 countries in the world. I debunked the ridiculous stereotype over here.

These ads above are made by Americans in America. They are made by clever Americans as the majority of non-American Facebook users are Americanophobic, and Americans know how to get their attention!!

Very clever. They know their users VERY well.

It’s no wonder why so many Americanophobic (not critical of the US government – there’s a BIG difference) groups on Facebook never get deleted despite user complaints.

Facebook would be NOTHING without all the Americanophobes and their American teenybopper mindless minions.

RELATED POSTS:

So, you think only yanks are dumb, right? Let’s see for real…

America’s Self-Critical Nature in the Media Goes Unnoticed All Too Often

This is about bait-n-switch, people. Listen the hell up.

I am a 24/7/365 stoned freedom-hating socialist Neo-Nazi America-hating liberal jihadist Ayers-humping homo that has sex with goats. That is why I voted for Obama.

Obama made many promises to which he has yet to fulfil. The Right was right. He’s nothing but an empty suit full of nothing but lies, lies, lies.

AND I AM VERY ANGRY.

I voted for the candidate I thought would hate America the most, who would be one born on foreign turf with no birth certificate, who would side with the terrorists, who would let me be lazy and still get a salary, who would not talk to those godamned Republicans on the other side, who would be 100% partisan and divisive, and who would help make America an Arabnegro Supremacist Kenyan-clone-country that would force us whites to be slaves, to wear purple and orange, eat KFC, chitlins, collard greens, watermelon and learn rap songs.

HE HAS DONE NONE OF THIS.

—> I am still required to keep my job. Obama has yet to replace my full-time salary with a government pay check so that I can be unemployed for free — leaving enough time for me to get fat and watch Oprah all day.

—> I am pissed because he talks to white people.

—> I am pissed because he hasn’t gone on vacation yet.

—> I am pissed because he talks to Republicans and even asks their opinion.

—> I am pissed because he talks to religious people and wants to be in with them.

—> I am pissed because he said it was wrong to jump on fallen bodies at Walmart. As a liberal, I like to jump on bodies and cause human suffering – especially to infants.

—> He is still not a dictator.

—>Osama still hasn’t made us wear brown shirts yet.

—> I still have free speech and I fucking hate that goddamed stupid retarded idiotic free fucking speech.

What the hell is going on here????

Bait and switch.

I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!!

Please support me, and let’s impeach that piece of shit liar!

Okay, I know that “firsters” isn’t really a word. But it is descriptive. So, we have a new President, and supposedly the world rejoices. Here is a clip that shows the joy…

I love Barack Obama for what he has done. Maby terrorists wouln’t hate america so much if they stopped putting their nose where it certainly does not belong. And stop acting like it’s the best country in the world because it is NOT!!!! With Obama I think America will see a lot more peace. I certainly hope so! He knows what he is doing.

source

I think that the person that has that blog is from Britain. Is then Britain “the best country?”

note: the post was left sic.

–post by Patrick

There are people out there who come to the US repeatedly (masochists?) and then return to their Utopias to complain that the airport treated them like “terrorists”.  Every national that comes to visit the US on vacation is apparently suspected of being a minion of Osama Bin Ladin.

A renowned world traveler just recently visited Lima, Peru, and she reports back:

The flight was very straightforward and laid-back. By that, I mean that we didn´t have to remove our shoes, throw away lighters, matches, liquids and water bottles, that we were not questioned endlessly by immigration service and that we had real cutlery on board. No paranoia here and it was very nice to fly without feeling like potential terrorists.

Anyone with 1/4th of a functioning brain knows very well that this woman was talking about the United States. More evidence of the country in question can be found here:

Borders… sorry to say but it’s not just me or just a bad experience. US borders suck. Never seen that anywhere in the world and I traveled quite a bit. Nowhere on earth do people get questioned, searched, profiled and verbally abused. Happened to me when I was in transit several times. Hello, I’m 20 yrs old, I have a valid French passport, return ticket to Canada, sufficient funds etc. — what else do you want from me? I don’t even want to go to the US — I’m in f&?%$ transit here waiting for my next plane!

My hubby always has trouble as well… how many times was he accused of having a fake passport… he was born in China, raised in Canada, speak perfect English (spent his whole life here). Yet when he cross the border, his passport is held on the side. Fake. Er… no.

Backpackers usually don’t like going through the US immigration border. Pain in the ass. Australian can be tough as well but not as much.

Am I denying these claims? No. Could there be a possibility that some people are just way too sensitive, spoiled, and call out “verbal abuse” at the drop of a  hat? Most definitely. Could there be a bit of hyperbole? Why, of course!! How else could one garner the sympathy of other non-Americans who are also petrified that the big fat elephant is “out to get them”?

Yes, the same people calling the US paranoid, are the ones who are equally or even more paranoid.

“They’re out to get me because I’m a foreigner and they hate all foreigners” — is the mindset here that I am challenging today in this post.

Treating this situation with the urgency and seriousness it deserves, I would suggest that those people who hate being accused of  being part of the Taliban network and/or suspected of being a suicide-bombing-jihadist conspiring to wipe the US off of the map while you try to transit your way back to Toronto – to stay away from America – even in transit. People like me are tired of the incessant abuse of the “victim card” especially when Americans must go through the EXACT SAME process and be treated like “possible terrorists” too!!

Perhaps America needs to be a bit paranoid? Could customs, immigration and security be overly-paranoid? Absolutely. But I most certainly believe that we have reasonable cause to be paranoid following 9-11 as any other country in the world would REACT THE SAME! While I refuse to live my life in fear both religiously and politically or fear anybody for that matter, I find it quite the norm for countries to resort to inconvenient measures to do whatever they can to prevent future attacks. While I disagree with the Patriot Act, I agree that it was America’s shut eyes and feelings of invincibility that helped make 9-11 possible.

See, people like Zhu wish that America was as lax as it was prior to 9-11. (Do people like her even remember the old America before 9-11? Were we lax enough then?) More than likely, she advocated the terrorists boarding the plane with box cutters to achieve their goal. Why would she really give a rat’s ass, anyway? It’s not her country. Why would a terrorist attack anywhere have an effect on her? So long as one feels safe in their own cozy little well-to-do-daddy-will-pay-for-it cocoon, why would they give a flying freak what happens outside of it, and what happens as a result of what happens outside of it?

This is a phenomenon especially in young people and/or pollyannas. Naivete, innocence, and ignorance about the world doesn’t allow one to grasp complex ideas to work out why certain countries behave as they do. The USA airport security IS paranoid. And for a damn good reason. This doesn’t mean that I agree with the extremist approaches or the way they treat both Americans and foreigners. But some sense of watchfulness is EXPECTED.

And once again…

EVEN AMERICANS ARE TREATED AT THE AIRPORT in the exact same way.

Who knew?

Americans everyday are being questioned, “verbally abused”, fondled at the airport, interrogated, detained, their baggage and every little detail inside checked meticulously causing them to miss flights, and treated no differently than these little precious spoiled princesses that hail from other lands. If the same thing happens to Americans, why do these people feel so entitled to special treatment just on the grounds that they’re from another country?

My guess is that if say, Canada experienced a terrorist attack on a large scale, their airport as well would be having their passengers remove their shoes, throw away their lighters, chewing gum, maxi pads and water bottles. Their passengers would too be questioned “endlessly” by the “racist immigration service” and be detained on the premise and pre-conceived notions that all foreigners had real “cutlery” on board and found profiling justified. Canada as well, would be just as paranoid. So would Australia. So would China. So would Peru. So would India.

Get over it, you spoiled little brats! With that primadonna attitude, it is of no surprise that some get “verbally abused” by those bully AmeriKKKans.

Stay home.

If anyone scared of the big boogieman that is America, is reading this, do me a big favor:

• Ask Japan why non-Japanese have to be finger-printed at the airport to stay over there.
• Ask the Japanese why Koreans who were born and raised in Japan must carry around an “Alien Id”?
• Ask the Japanese why things like this are able to go on in their country.
• Ask Canada why Americans can’t go over there for skiing trips because Joe Blow smoked a joint back in 1975?
• Ask Russians why they shot at a commercial Korean Airlines jet crossing over in the 1980’s if it is just Americans that are paranoid.
• Ask Russians why must so many non-Russians be anally checked going in and out of their airport?
• Ask Russians why they still have surveillance in the hotel rooms and how travelers cannot get full privacy?
• Ask why foreigners are watched going to the bathroom in Russia?
• Ask Europe and Japan why foreign faces are being scanned now at European and Japanese airports for incoming and outgoing passengers?
• And then ask all those “xenophobic redneck Americans” that you met at the airport why the US is like this, and why the United States is the most racially and ethnically progressed nation in the world?

If you come from Europe and other places, you have no right to talk about how Americans treat other foreigners.

My advice: Clean up your own places first before you point your fingers.

On many occasions, I have run into Americanophobes that boast very boldly that they can speak between 4-9 languages — depending on the Americanophobe.

I used to believe them.

Then I realized that they had only mastered the art of being able to say,

“You’re a typical, self-entitlement-oriented, inbred, insular, nationalistic, inherently violent, unfashionable, paranoid, arrogant, unsophisticated, fat, lazy, vulgar, greedy, racist, spoiled-rich, ignorant, stupid, humorless, loud, obnoxious, gum-chewing, carbon-emitting, baby-killing, gun-toting, bible-thumping, flag-waving, and self-centered, globalizing, uncouth, swearmouthed and boorish non-human Neanderthal American obsessed with sex, celebrities and McDonalds that demands the entire world revolve around herself”

in Russian, French, English, German, Cantonese, Malay, Hindi, Thai, and Arabic.

Oh yes, and the basics like hello, where’s the toilet, my name is [...], death to America, how much is that, how do I get to [...] from [...], nice to meet you, I am from India, thank you, you’re welcome, and Yankee go home.

Before you brag to random Americans about your “linguistic expertise” expecting us to take you seriously, ask yourselves:

• Can I have a REAL conversation (not an exchange of a few words) with another national in their native tongue smoothly or at least very close to it?
• Can I read and write in their language without too much trouble?

Of course, you can say that you are fluent only when it comes to speaking and listening as opposed to reading and writing to be clear with people. But I reckon that most people who yelp “I’m a cultural linguist!!” whilst pounding their chest in hopes to deflate the egos of the surrounding “unsophisticated and uncultured” yanks are full of it and themselves!!

Canadians who boast that they are bilingual are also full of donkey doo. Your average Canuck can speak as much French as your average American can speak Spanish.

Additionally, being forced to learn a language and learning the language because you want to are two different things! You also catch on to the language with more enthusiasm and learn it much quicker as opposed to being required to take it. Requirements are boring, but choosing to do something is a feat and fun at the same time!

This is another attempt of the Americanophobes grasping at straws as part of their movement. What they don’t know is that it’s backfiring on them. Which brings me to a quote that mirrors this post:

“There is a belief and hope that if enough nations oppose America, the American people will realize what their government has been doing and will overthrow them. This hope is misguided, as anti-American actions are causing the opposite…” — Vexen Crabtree

I share my wildest finds here, and I just found another pretty pickin’.

The below “comment” is in response to a post called,

Are Americans Stupid? – Statistics, Studies and Research

# Karolina Juan McDaniel  on 23 Apr 2008 at 12:13 am

“…I wouldn’t go as far as saying that they are just interested in getting wasted and taking drugs (which someone has posted earlier) but I would say that (sic) ones (sic) they leave work or school all (sic) the want to do is entertain themselves. That’s normal except that to an average American that means watching a football game or reading a gossip magazines. To most people in other countries, a well written history book or even a math book is considered a form of entertainment as well. PART OF THE PROBLEM

Source: National Geographic…”

Getting wasted and taking drugs? The Canadians always use this as their “how we’re better than Americans” banter.

Ironic!!

Watching football games? How is this any different from watching European football in say, Europe? What do Americans do when Football is out of season? The author never bothered to fill in the blank. I guess that when football is out, we all sit around after school and/or work reading gossip magazines – that mind you, are just as popular – if not MORE in other parts of the world!!!!

(Psst – most Americans can’t even afford those magazines and most don’t give a hoot where Britney Spears is unleashing her shaved vagina at this time. Most Americans have a bigger life than that and frown upon the same celebrity crap that YOU do or at least pretend to!)

Another example of what “Europeans” do as opposed to “Americans”:

Being able to work only 35 hours a week, enjoy sipping lattes over discussions of the classic philosophers, and take free public transportation to get their is awesome, of course. But, for some quality of life is: the “sky-is-the-limit” hope and optimism that comes with a more capitalistic economy, Hollywood and rock/pop music at its best (Godfather and Zeppelin) and worst (Jerry Spring and Spears),…

[SNIP]

Europeans value certain aspects of life more (secular education, international awareness, high culture) than most other people in the world (Americans included). Americans value certain aspects of life more (hard work and the pursuit of financial success, pursuing happiness even at the expense of knowledge, and a more democratic culture) than much of the rest of the world. But we are not talking about absolute goods here. We are talking about a European system of values versus a North American system of values.

Holy cow! They’ve duly taken my advice and are now comparing two continents instead of a country vs a continent! Sorry, Canada…. Oh so sorry.

More from “Juan McDaniel” on the difference between the two cultures

Europeans value culture and knowledge in contrast to Americans who value celebrities and ignorance.

These themes are introduced and re-introduced religiously on this blog. To keep things interesting, the wording is changed around a bit, but the people are the same the statements are the same. 

It doesn’t matter if you are a European, an Indian or a Tibetan Monk. Most Americanophobes really DO think that the “average American” spends their day obsessed with celebrities watching junk TV and trying to make more money than they need to as opposed to talking about Philosophers and reading well-written Americanophobic History and Math books. Hence, today’s post.

My question: How does one find time to be obsessed with celebrities and work hard simultaneously?

What an imagination some people have.

Only people that live here know WHAT people DO here. So, depending on what is said about us, you can easily tell if that person has had any valid experiences in the US. Furthermore, the US is so diverse that it is way too hard to pigeon-hole. Even some Americans themselves (mostly teens) have no grasping of how big and diverse we are.

Why don’t we now talk about what Americans really do in their leisure time? Surely watching sports and reading gossip magazines come into play, but that only makes up a tiny fraction of us when you realize how many people are living in the US. (some 300+ million from ALL walks of life)

The amount of activities American people partake in is endless (just like any other country out there). I will say that most Americans work full-time jobs, work more hours and have considerably less vacation time than the average non-American (who can choose to fall into the government’s erect nipple at any given time), and have more than two kids in the home to take care of. Some Americans are lucky to still have a spouse (and the spouse is also working full-time), and some are SINGLE talking care of kids and working a job and sometimes more than one job to make ends meet. Not to buy a Plasma TV. To make ends meet. HUGE DIFFERENCE, there! What do these people do after work? I don’t know. Ask THEM. My guess is that they’re too tired to watch sports and read anything! They probably eat and go to bed as soon as possible so that they have one eye open to start the day over again the next morning! (At least for those with kids!)

Depending on where in the US you live, the “what people do to entertain themselves is different“. It ranges. Here are some examples

• karaoke
• dancing
• going to a bar
• going to the movies
• reading
• going to the gym
• yoga
• meditation
• hunting
• television (*sighs* our TV is not just Jerry Springer and video-bites of Paris Hilton sex tapes- common mistake made my Americanophobes – read the middle of this post for more information)
• playing sports
• playing board games, cards, video games, computer games,
• spending time with their kids
• traveling
• sex
• going to the park
• shopping
• eating out
• enjoying the company of friends
• visiting family
• talking on the phone
• using the internet
• gardening
• sewing and/or knitting
• household chores
• cooking
• cleaning
• sleeping
• going to the beach
• get drunk or stoned
• listening to music
• art
• creating things in their garage (lots of American hobbyists like to build things)

My own experience over the last 40 years as an observer and a participant in life tells me that people (not Americans) like to wind down after a hard day and that people (not Americans) often find happiness in companionship.

The funniest part of this comment:

To most people in other countries, a well written history book or even a math book is considered a form of entertainment as well. PART OF THE PROBLEM

Source: National Geographic…“

That is an outright bold-faced lie. If I had never left the US or had never lived in another country before, I’d probably be gullible enough to believe that jacked-up can of mindless drivel.

Nope. Sorry. I refuse to be so stupid to believe that “most people in other countries” read math and history books AS PART OF THEIR ENTERTAINMENT / LEISURE TIME.

This is the funniest shit I’ve ever read. And the funniest part of all is that the author sincerely believes that some people will buy this?!?!?!

One thing that this blog proves if anything at all, is that the Americanophobes are *NOT* internationally aware. And they do *NOT* value knowledge! Not even by a long shot!!

…this is why.

NEW DELHI — Rohail Manzoor thought he had what it took to work in a telephone call center. All he had to do was pick up the phone and answer queries from American customers about their long-distance bills. He was armed with lessons on how to speak English like the Americans — adjust the r’s, say “zee” instead of “zed,” “mail” instead of “post.”

He even called himself “Jim,” and figured he would pretend to be an American customer service agent.

Rohail Manzoor, a soft-spoken call center employee in New Delhi, has dealt with many hostile U.S. callers. A survey said the calls are “psychologically disturbing” for workers. (Rama Lakshmi For The Washington Post)

But nothing prepared him for the shower of curses that came his way when he picked up the phone one night on the job.

” ‘You Indians suck!’ an American screamed on the phone,” recalled a soft-spoken Manzoor, 25. “He was using a lot of four-letter words, too. He called me names left, right and center.”

Call center executives and industry experts say abusive hate calls are commonplace, as resentment swells over the loss of American jobs to India.

[SNIP]

“When some callers are unhappy with the service, their frustration often turns racist,” said Amit Narula, 25, a call center agent. “They would say, ‘This is why you should not handle our work. Indians are not good enough.’ “

Read the rest of this article here.

Hat Tip: Downwardfacingdog

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can cause counter-racist behavior. It can cause people to be afraid of not only citizens of a nation, but also people from any group imaginable even including political parties. I’m not saying that it is justified, but that it is understandable.

Even animals have to be retrained after having been subjected to abusive owners.

People’s first impressions about a nation sometimes can occur by the very first experience and/or person that they meet. But if they are repeatedly abused (in this case, Indian call center agents), their counter-racist (or prejudiced) behavior can be more severe and outrageous. It could eventually turn violent.

A member of a Canadian Forum called Vivelecanada, said the following which really hit me hard:

Collective guilt is a fundamentally flawed concept. Germans were not collectively guilty for Hitler’s crimes in any way that humanity in general wasn’t guilty for in producing such a monster.

Races, families, tribes, nations, bridge clubs or gangs do not commit crimes. Individuals commit crimes. Individuals can cooperate in the commission of crimes, but each are individually guilty only for their own specific role.

These evils arise when we classify people according to convenient labels and collectivize them. Lepine and Hitler both collectivized their respective enemies, and this is their first step in dehumanizing them.

It’s easier to hit or kill a stereotype, a label, a proxy for a group or a faceless mass of people than it is an individual human being. Collectivization is the first step in dehumanization. The next step is the atrocity.

I think it’s important to ask yourself if the label you’re pinning to a group of people is a bigoted one.

If you’ve ever picked up a pet from the Humane Society and notice really, really odd abnormalities with your furry fellow, it can be narrowed down to PTSD where the previous owner was abusive. Dogs, for example, react to “first impressions” or “repetitive impressions” similar to that of humans. They may begin to hate all mail-men as the dog was victimized by one, for example.

This is what started the Nazi regime. Hitler had it in for the Jews. The story of Adolf Hitler has many versions. Maybe we’ll never know what really happened. But from what I had learned, Hitler’s father was a Jew. He was extremely abusive toward Hitler. Hitler then developed an unwavering hatred toward Jews as a whole, and he got the nation of Germany to believe that Jews (and other groups as well) were evil due to his pseudo-nationalist party. I say pseudo because it was just a way to grab the hearts of the Germans (with a hidden motive) being that there was a world-wide depression going on at the time. He won over the German people due to what good he DID do as a leader. He actually DID help Germany in many ways – at least enough to persuade the German people that he was genius and “for the people”.

Once he had the Germans where he wanted them, via “racial cleansing”, he began to exterminate the Jews among other groups as well. Deep down inside, he was really Right-winged. If he had initially started out leading from the far Right, I wonder if he would have had the support from the people like he did.

The hatred these Indians are receiving over the telephone is not tenant of the “American culture”. Replace the US with another country, and you’ll find people doing the same or worse. People are somewhat anonymous over the phone, you know. Surely, the receiver of the call knows YOU, but your family, co-workers, and friends (the people you may put on an act for) don’t know that you resorted to racist and hurtful insults to the Indian guy on the other line.

I used to work for both travel agencies and one major airline as a call center representative. I became jaded and a bit hardened after that experience because customers can be assholes ranging from subtle condescending language to foul and blatant abusive attacks.  I intellectually exaggerated that the majority of whom I spoke with were rude, but in reality, they were the minority. The exaggeration that I made it out to be at the time, was a way for me to cope.

The reasons customers can be so abusive over the phone is because they are anonymous and they are taking out their miserable lives on YOU. Additionally and most importantly, customers know that you cannot fight back or you’ll get fired!! This is mainly why some prey on telephone operators. There’s a big difference between taking a REAL issue with an airline that needs to be resolved and becoming personal with the agent on the other end who has NOTHING to do with your problem. I am 100% American, and I experienced what the Indians are experiencing now in New Delhi and other places where American businesses have planted themselves. The difference between me and the New Delhi agent is that the attacks made upon me weren’t racist.

If YOU have ever worked in a call center before, you know EXACTLY where I’m coming from!! It is pure HELL. You learn that not Americans (I worked for an international airline/travel agency), but ALL PEOPLE —– SUCK!

It is my opinion, however, when people are attacked more than a few times, they make a mountain out of a molehill and exaggerate their experiences. A LOT doesn’t mean the majority! After I calm down and revisit the nightmare experiences that I had with customers, I realize that the asshats in proportion to the neutral or nice ones, were the minority.

What I am trying to say is that all it takes is enough or one bad experience with “a type of species” to develop a sweeping hatred toward the group that the abuser came from. If counter-racism should occur, those attacks and the victimization will just get worse. The victim is just further victimizing himself. Counter-bigotry, in my opinion, should be dealt with on a more professional and peaceful level as in — see a therapist!!

Now, we have to figure out what differentiates a person who is a victim of racial attacks and doesn’t resort to collectivism versus one with the same experience who does? Child abuse? What do YOU think?

DO AS I SAY; DON’T DO AS I DO!

—>When an American defends her country, it’s “blind nationalism”. When another national from elsewhere does the same, it’s defending.

—>When an American does something nice, it’s fake or done “with strings attached”. When nationals from elsewhere do something nice, it is coming from the wholesome goodness of their hearts.

—>When an American commits a crime, it’s due to their inherent nature. When another national from elsewhere commits a crime, it’s their culture or they just made a little mistake.

—>When an American buys a car (not an SUV – just a regular car), it’s materialism. When another national from elsewhere buys a car, it’s needed.

—>When an American compliments or sympathizes with nationals of another country, it’s agenda-ridden. When another national from elsewhere does the same, it’s because they really like and sympathize with them.

—>When an American disagrees with the government of another country, it’s an evil attack on their culture, hypocritical, and racist! When another national from elsewhere does the same, they are just trying to help spread awareness per the “peace movement”.

—>When an American bashes another country (England, for example), it’s racism. When another national from elsewhere bashes Americans (i.e intolerant, stupid, uncultured), it’s “constructive criticism”.

—>When an American doesn’t understand a joke, it’s because “Americans can’t understand satire due to the illiteracy rate in America”. When a national from another country doesn’t get a joke, it’s because of the “cultural difference”.

—>When an American drives an SUV, it’s because they have an evil conspiracy to emit carbons to purposefully destroy the world and all of its inhabitants. When a Canadian drives an SUV, it’s because they have a big family or something.

—>When an American speaks loudly in Europe, he’s a “typical American”. When a Brazilian speaks loudly in Europe, it’s just “their culture”.

—>When America bombs another country, it’s murdering innocents for purposes of profiteering and for having a perverted obsession with gore and death. When another national from elsewhere does the same, it’s defending (i.e. 9-11).

—>When America elects a black president, it’s Affirmative Action. If another country should do it too, it’s showing tolerance and acceptance toward minorities and progressing past the stone ages.

—>When an American has both conservative and liberal ideals, it’s considered disingenuous and agenda-ridden. When another national from elsewhere commits the same “horrible act”, he is considered a person with both conservative and liberal ideals.

—>When an American owns a gun, it’s because they’re a natural born killer in love with blood and gore. If an Australian has a gun, it’s because he’s a hobbyist.

—>When an American claims to have been treated well in another country, it’s fraudulent. When another national from elsewhere makes a similar claim, they are being genuine because after all, who couldn’t love a non-American?

—>When an American has sex, it’s due to their uncontrollable obsession. When a national from another country has sex, it’s because they’re human, natural, and unrepressed – “unlike the Americans”.

—>When an American claims to have traveled and/or lived in another country, it’s an outright lie (I guess the tales of the infamous nationalist American tourist becomes conveniently forgotten, then?). When another national from elsewhere makes the same claims, it’s a sign that they are “cultured”.

—>When an American misspells a word, he’s a “typical American”. When another national from elsewhere does the same thing, it’s a “typo” – he’s only human.

—>When an American eats a Big Mac, they are being a “typical American”. When another national eats a Big Mac, it’s a sign that they have fallen victim to American oppression by way of American Globalization, and one should have sympathy for the poor soul.

—>When an American receives their paycheck from work, it’s called “stealing from the poor man”. When someone from another country keeps their paycheck, they’re entitled to it as they earned it.

—>When an American has been waiting for their coffee in Europe for 3 hours and begins to get impatient, they’re just being a “typical entitlement-oriented American”. When another national gets impatient over the same thing, it’s due to bad service at the cafe.

—>When an American gets angry, he’s being a “typical American”. When another national from elsewhere commits the same act, it’s justified.

—>When an American bashes his own country’s politics, they’re just doing it to be “cool” or “hip”. When another national from elsewhere complains about their government, it’s about someone complaining about their government.

—>If the American government commits an atrocity, the American citizens conspired to do it. If another government commits an atrocity, the Americans must somehow be connected to it.

—>If a white man commits a crime in the US, he’s a “typical American”. If an African AMERICAN commits a crime in the US, it’s a White Anglo Saxon Protestant conspiracy.

—>If an American resorts to French-bashing, it’s racism. If an Englishman resorts to French-bashing, well, there’s gotta be a good reason for it.

—>If an American believes in God, it’s a part of the dumbing down of America. If a national from elsewhere believes in say, “Allah”, well, it’s just “their culture”.

—>If an American is fat, it’s due to the “all-American-diet”. If a national from elsewhere is fat, it’s a sign that they have fallen victim to American oppression by way of American Globalization, and one should have sympathy for the poor soul.

—>If an American watches TV, they’re being a “typical American”. If a national from elsewhere watches TV, the blind folds are down, the curtains are shut tight —- it’s a HUGE secret. HUGE! Oh scandalous!! Shhhh…..

—>If an American rebuts an argument, it’s due to “blind nationalism”. If a national from elsewhere rebuts an argument, they are just rebutting an argument.

—>The American Lend-Lease Act was a conspired attempt to bankrupt Britain and remove them from their imperial spotlight on the world stage. The Canadian Lend-Lease Act was an act of generosity (never mind the Canadians made Britain pay back their debt as well!)

—>The American involvement in WWII was considered late, sloppy, and self-serving. The British involvement in WWII was considered, however, a humanitarian effort that was dealt with right away.

—>The start of Vietnam and the Iraqi war were typical American self-serving pieces of “genocide”. The start of WWI and WWII however were wars begun out of necessity!

—>If an American complains about an aspect of a foreign country, they hate EVERYTHING about that country and its people. If a national from elsewhere complains about an aspect of a foreign country, they are just complaining about that ONE aspect of that foreign country.

—>If an American creates a website critical of the American government and Americanophobia, he’s an “America-hating-blind-nationalist”. If a national from elsewhere commits a similar crime, he’s “a blogger”.

RELATED POSTS:

It’s only OK when YOU do it, right?

Where are the shades of gray?

(1) This. (In Europe)

(2) This is also something you’ll never find in the US. (In Europe)

Reading this, you can’t tell if it happened in 1938 or 2008:

An American tourist was kicked out of a cafe in Belgium for being Jewish.

Marcel Kalmann, a 64-year-old professor, told the Antwerp Jewish magazine Joods Actueel that he was ejected from the renowned restaurant Le Panier d’Or in Bruges after a waiter saw his yarmulke under his cap.

“We are not serving Jews, out of here,” the magazine reported.

Kalmann also told Joods Actueel that he was mistreated at the police station where he went to file a report and was told the incident would not be considered anti-Semitic. He said he will file reports against both the restaurant and the police.

Kalmann was born in the Auschwitz concentration camp three days before its liberation.

The mayor of Bruges has ordered a police inquiry into the incident and apologized to Kalmann, the European Jewish Press reported.

Hat Tip: Bookworm Room

(3) This (in Japan)

More of the same here. Discrimination in Japan is not toward Americans, it’s toward EVERYONE WHO IS NON-JAPANESE. Thankfully, I left Japan (in 1998) before this had happened (in full-throttle mode). This all started back in the year of 2000 when some Europeans got too rowdy during the World Cup in a pub in Hokkaido.

Despite being a signatory (since 1995) to the UN Convention on Racial Discrimination, Japan has taken no legislative action to bar businesses and other public places from refusing entry to customers based on nationality and race. Starting from 1993 in Otaru, Hokkaido, and now running unchecked throughout Japan, signs saying “JAPANESE ONLY” etc have gone up, making an unspoken undercurrent of fear of the outsider into clear, present, and brazen exclusionism–following the best traditions of segregation and apartheid. The Japanese government’s steadfast refusal to outlaw this form of discrimination by nationality and race has only made the situation worse, so the time has come for the grassroots to take matters to the street. Or to the internet, as it were.

The Japanese are much harsher on Koreans as exemplified here.

The Japanese Racists are making a hate speech against Korean-Japanese in this video as follows:

“Comfort women are all voluntary prostitutes! “
“Dump the garbage to dump, Dump Koreans to Korean peninsula!”.

Korean-Japanese are descended from the Koreans who were kidnapped and be forced labour like a slave in WWII. Now, they are the most popular “Outcast” group in Japan.

The hate speech the racists are crying in this video are amid cheers.

In fact, this is a demonstration against giving suffrage to Korean residents. Koreans are formally treated as second rate citizen in Japan, though almost of them are 3rd generation and are born in Japan. That is why Korean-Japanese have no suffrage.

Why is it so hard to become a Japanese citizen? Why must every non-Japanese coming to Japan be finger printed (I thought that was an American phenomenon?)? Why must Koreans that were BORN AND RAISED IN JAPAN have to carry an alien registration ID? Find some answers here.

Japan is a homogeneous country by definition with no enforced discrimination laws. Ironically enough however, the average man in the street in Japan couldn’t be more polite, more gracious, and more accepting to the differences of all the countries that come to live and visit.

The most staunch Americanophobes HATE to hear this as they want so desperately the entire world to join their cause as part of their incessant victimization. The fact that Japan hasn’t joined them makes them even angrier, sweaty-palmed, grasping at straws and desperate. If you look at this video and listen to the audio, you’ll hear that it is common for Westerners to receive reverse discrimination in Japan.

By the way, my sister was an English teacher in Japan (and student at Sapporo University) back in the late ’80s, and she loved it, too. She was actually concerned that she might encounter some anti-Americanism but experienced just the opposite.. politeness and respect (almost to the point of adulation in some cases, IIRC.. friends and guys competing to give her the best/most gifts, etc.). Needless to say, that wasn’t the case when she lived in Germany a few years later.

Hat Tip: JB

Most Americans that come back from Japan feel the same way. Actually, the whole of Eastern Asia is “Western-friendly”, and this includes the time I stayed in S. Korea waiting for my teaching Visa. I was treated very well. The Americanophobes will just have to accept the fact that the entire world isn’t Americanophobic with them. Americanophobia is a huge poison in society, however, it doesn’t represent the majority. It’s a tough reality to digest for some, but that’s not my problem.

Lawsuits

The above tiny examples don’t fly or couldn’t fly in the US. Even with that said, racism, discrimination, and bigotry still happens, but unlike other countries, we have Affirmative Action which gives people from all walks of life an equal opportunity in America. Additionally, if you are discriminated, you can sue. And for the poor, there are affordable ways to do so – especially on a contingency basis. It is so easy to sue for discrimination in the US, that some foreigners here abuse the system and win (!) – which isn’t uncommon. Just because you’re being fired or evicted from your apartment doesn’t always mean it’s because you’re Mexican, for example.

First generation Europeans came to America, brutalized the Native Americans, and had slaves (the rich ones). First generation Europeans are our founding fathers. The USA started out as a racist country, and we were unfortunately the last to end slavery and segregation. That is why we have grown so much apart from this. Canada shares a similar history. Torturing the Natives, owning slaves and treating Asians VERY poorly are just a few examples. But the Canada of today is similar to the US of today in regards to tolerance.

But the rest of the world???

Gee…. do you think it could just be that Racism is a Global phenomenon?

THINGS THAT DO FLY in AMERICA (only in America):

(1) An African becoming the leader of predominantly white country.

And yes, that is yet another thing that pisses off the Americanophobes. They are all awaiting for the assassination of Obama, so they can go back to calling all/most Americans racist again – never mind the fact that only one person can pull a trigger, but that’s another story.

(2) Affirmative Action

(3) A non-natural-born-citizen (Arnold Schwarzenegger) being elected as the governor of California

(4) On every Mexican Independence Day, some Mexicans march through the streets burning US flags and chanting Anti-Americanisms.

In what other country, have or could these things happen?

Until other countries can display a true level of tolerance as a model to live by, should they talk. I am embarrassed for racists who speak against racism and intolerance in general. Counter-racism (aka Neo-Nazi-collectivism) is equally despicable if not more. That is synonymous to hitting my sister for something my brother did. Only people from an abusive upbringing can be capable of this crime.

RELATED POSTS:

What is American Culture

America: The Homogeneous Land of the Racist and Intolerant

Are only American Whites Capable of Racism and Intolerance?

Racism: The most overused and abused term in modern society (shows how Americanophobia is only against the whites!)

My question to my readers is…

What news organization out there ISN’T biased? Name me one.

I frequently bash news organizations across the pond and over our borders due to their Americanophobic slant. That is true. But I also see the ills in the American media as well. They all have a slant to some degree or another.

The media systems around the globe are responsible for …

• reporting the facts
• sensationalizing and exaggerating them to keep you focused, hot, and bothered
• twisting the facts subtly to meet a particular agenda
• and leaving certain facts (good stuff!) out that could possibly give you a balanced perspective.

It doesn’t matter what country you come from, a media is a media is a media. They will stop at nothing for money.

In case you missed it, bad news sells… It does over here too. The only difference is that the bad news we watch over here is about OURSELVES!

My hypocrisy has been pointed out for using the BBC to back up some points in my blog on occasion – AND… ironically enough (!) from the same people who used the American FBI site and CNN to pick up statistics on violent crimes in America.

See, how that works?

One could easily say that when the BBC bashes the US, it’s being biased. And when the BBC sides with the US, it’s being truthful, right? I dislike the BBC when they don’t give the full story on American people or politics as much as I dislike hearing some of Sean Hannity’s Right-wing rhetoric on Fox News. However, anybody – anybody at all can debate, challenge, or rebut those articles I have used from the BBC at any given time. But to this date, nobody has challenged me or those articles. The best people have come up with so far is, “But you said you hated the BBCeeeeeeeeeee!”

(For the record, I am subscribed to as many American newspapers as foreign ones – actually more foreign than American. Only a fraction of the BBC news is Americanophobic. I actually LIKE them.)

Here are the articles in question:

British – World’s Worst Tourists

Despite the fact there are more than 200 million guns in circulation, there is a certain tranquility and civility about American life.

Sometimes I had thought that if the BBC is being nice to Americans, then it must be true considering their money-making heavy-handed Anti-American slant to cater to the self-serving needs of the Americanophobic European audiences as exemplified here.

AMERICANOPHOBIA IN THE EUROPEAN MEDIA PART I:

AMERICANOPHOBIA IN THE EUROPEAN MEDIA PART II:

Next, I am damned no matter what I do. If I use an American source, than I am being biased. If I use a foreign source, than I am being a hypocrite. So, what sources should I use? Ha! I will cherry-pick!!

Quite honestly, I DO hand-pick my sources. You betcha I do. As I mentioned in my FAQ, I don’t wait for them to fall from the sky. I follow a specific pattern in my blog. I find an opinion that I want to challenge and present that to my readers. Then to counter that, I find an opinion that contradicts the one that I am challenging. So, rather than finding one opinion, my readers have two to go by all the while I have challenged my opponent to look at the other side of the story that’s been untold. Then, my readers can decide which argument they like better. Debate usually takes on this type of scenario – the last time I checked.

I have been accused of being “one-sided” and “racist” for this post. But if I were really one-sided, I wouldn’t have let others commentate on it telling me that the article written by Lina Maria from Colombia was incorrect on many of the points that she made. Old Frog left rebuttals that counter-acted the opinions presented in that article. And he wasn’t an asshole about it either. I could always delete that article because it IS biased. But why when people can use it as a debate? After all, Europeans are no less hypocritical than Americans, anyway. Neither Lina or myself were wrong on all the points made.

The best way to “get back at me” is to fight me with the facts! Show me YOUR sources that prove me wrong. I love intoxicating debates! As long as you’re not an asshole about it, my readers will get YOUR side of the story in my comment section.

And finally, anybody who uses only one source or one country to get all of their information is either lazy or an imbecile. Critical thinkers, sceptics, and those who genuinely want to search for the truth will look at a myriad of sources and then much later, come to a conclusion or possibly even change their mind at some point. There are two sides to every story.

Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes:

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts”. –Bertrand Russell

I’ve heard so many countless people whine that they’re being victimized of bigoted attacks because of other people’s criticism of choices that they’ve made for themselves.

Bigotry, at least the way I see it, is a sweeping and mindless attack made to intentionally hurt a group of people because of how or where they were born and/or an unwilling victim of circumstances entirely out of their control. It has everything to do with whether or not one can actively CHANGE their circumstances.

• Can someone control where they were born?
• Can someone control homosexuality?
• Can someone control the color of their skin?
• Come someone control their weight? (Some people don’t make a choice to be fat as there are glandular diseases among others that can spin a thin person out of control).

I’m sure that there are more examples.

Can these people make changes to their biological make-up?

Homophobia, Americanophobia, fatophobia, and racial attacks are what REAL bigotry is.

However, if you choose (choose being the operative word here) to…

• believe in God
• join an organized religion
• be anti-Bush
• be anti-Obama
• be pro-Bush
• be pro-Obama
• be pro-neutral
• anti-this or anti-that / pro-this or pro-that / neutral-this or neutral-that
• be a moderate
• be an atheist
• get tattoos
• dye your hair

or just CHOOSE to believe in something or DO something, you are basically setting yourself up for criticism by the people at large and fairly enough – so. You have control over your choices. So, in my opinion, others should be able to voice whatever opinion they have about YOUR choices that YOU consciously made!

I am anti-Bush and unapologetically so.

If you don’t agree, that is your problem, but I’m not going to stop you from disagreeing with me! Being anti-Bush doesn’t mean I hate the core of his being and doesn’t mean I disagree with him on every issue either. I basically disagree with MOST of his policies! Get over it and yourselves! You are not a bigot because of where you choose to be on the political compass. You are not a bigot because you disagree with my disagreeing with Bush. I am not a bigot because I disagree with your neutral stance on Bush. Nor are you a bigot because you disagree with the way a certain government runs a country.

There’s a HUGE difference between a true victim and one who is a perpetual cry baby trying to garner attention, sympathy, and make pity parties for themselves. Quite predictably it is the cry babies that refuse to see the difference.

Cheers!

…evil.

OK. This actually isn’t something I hear often, but on two different occasions from two different people, I’ve heard the below:

“Well, maybe some Americans are alright, but most are… [insert personal attack]“.

And I am here today to explain WHY most of the Americans you have met have been assholes. It’s very simple. Look in the mirror. If you’re an asshole, you get asshole back. Americans are people too with the same feelings that you also are hard-wired with and don’t take to abuse of any kind lying down. As I’d expect any member of the human race to do, Americans fight back when attacked or feel threatened. If you treat an American disrespectfully, you’re going to get disrespect back. Nobody gets a free ride just because they’re “non-American”.  Spare the entitlement-princess-syndrome! Being a non-American wins you no brownie buttons.

I have noticed similarities between those two people who said that most of the Americans they have met were assholes. They were both assholes.

No surprise there.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. This has nothing to do with gender, race, creed, ethnicity, or nationality. Human beings sorta work this way.

WELCOME TO THE HUMAN RACE!

The only type of people that will definitely have a problem in the US will be those who are carting baggage from their own countries thinking that the US will “fix” their problems. We have a kind of saying in America that if you leave your country, you take ALL of your problems with you. Your problems will STILL be there no matter what country you decide to live in. If you are overly-cynical, have a closed mind, are a misanthrope, have severe mental problems, are pessimistic, hyper-sensitive, have no sense of humor, and the type that whines and moans about everything, you will be miserable here and probably not too well liked.

If you already have a pre-existing negative attitude about America and its people, don’t waste your time. America will be a living hell for you.

If you are coming to the states to just use this country for a single advantage that you cannot get in your own country, then you will be unhappy here.

And if you’re going out of your way to look for bad things, you will find them.

You get back what you give.

In SuperFrenchie’s blog, there was a posting about dispelling French myths. (There are just as many myths about French people as there are about Americans!) With that said, I was directed to this site (The Top Myths about Paris) which says something that should ring true for all countries including the United States.

MYTH #5: Parisians are unfriendly and rude.

Explanation: This myth couldn’t be farther from the truth, since the majority of Parisians are kind, helpful and friendly. Upon first meeting, Parisians can appear to be less casual and more reserved by North American standards, however, this does not translate to unfriendliness. Be aware that often what you put out is what you get back, so if Parisians are approached in the right way from the beginning, chances of a more pleasant interaction increase. An attempt to speak the language goes a long way with Parisians. Always begin a conversation with ‘bonjour’, especially when entering a store. Asking immediately, ‘do you speak English?’ riles many Parisians and will start you off on the wrong foot. Think about it, if foreigners are constantly asking if you speak their language in a country where English is the official language, then how would that make you feel? Use your best school French and have fun with it; Parisians love to correct and help people with their admittedly difficult language!

Hat tip: SuperFrenchi

The same rings true for America. If you act like a wanker, you’ll be treated like one!

Yes, people will judge you on your beliefs. Yes, people will challenge your opinions. Yes, people may disagree with you harshly. A lot of people misconstrue the challenging of held beliefs to be a infringement on their “freedom of speech”. No! Freedom of speech goes BOTH ways. If you speak up, your audience has a right to speak back. Be a grown up and expect this.

Here’s what is NOT free in America:

You are NOT welcome to “freedom of speech” in private places or within privately owned organizations and the like. Just think about it this way: When you enter someone’s home, you go by THEIR “house rules”, right? Why? Because a home is someone’s PRIVATE property. You can be asked to leave if you act in a way that is unacceptable. (Obviously, this is not unique to America.) The same scenario applies to message boards, websites, blog commenting areas, companies, institutions, or private—anything. So, this also explains why your, “I hate fucking Americans – Death to America” group on Facebook got deleted.

Just remember, if you ever get confused about our 1st Amendment, the 1st Amendment addresses what the government cannot do:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

JM said it even better:

Our constitutional freedom of speech only prevents the government from enacting laws that prevent freedom of speech; it does not concern speech between two private parties. I am very, very sure that the US government has not bothered to try to prevent you and your wife from criticizing the US to your heart’s content. I wouldn’t either! What no law or even common sense is going to guarantee you, however, is a *sympathetic audience*. Most of the critics of Americans who talk about their freedom of speech being curtailed can’t, of course, point to any evidence of this. What frustrates them is that Americans *won’t listen to them*, that they don’t all shut up and listen to what other countries’ private citizens tell them. No law is going to make that happen. It happens to be the same in every other country on the planet, too.

To be clear, LOTS of Americans don’t understand this about freedom of speech, either. It has nothing to do with guaranteeing a sympathetic, rapt audience to whatever you have to say.

And regarding the unoriginal and tired “All/most Americans are blind nationalists” stereotype, it is just that – a stereotype. I have challenged this inane stereotype in this post. But JM added more substance to this that I’d like to share:

I will say this: for some reason, Europeans (and Canadians, oddly) have this perception that all Americans think our country is absolutely perfect, sinless, and a model to the rest of the world. I have heard this often enough from Europeans (Brits included) for a *long* time. It is so unbelievably naive that it makes me question what your news is telling you, or at least what you’re choosing to see. The US is deeply conflicted about EVERYTHING. We couldn’t come to a consensus about anything if our life depended on it. We are *always arguing* with one another. Whether it’s red state vs blue state, coasts vs interior, urban vs suburban, Democrat or Republican, religious vs secular, believe me when I tell you we’re always arguing. This is, I believe, one of our country’s strengths. And yet there’s this persistent perception of a monolithic America that’s hyperreligious, violent, right-winged and ignorant of the world (among left-leaning Europeans) and, simultaneously, hedonistic, amoral, wanton and Godless (among the right-leaning countries of the world, like the Islamic countries). You can’t reconcile these diametrically-opposed conceptions of what Americans “really” are, unless you realize they’re projections of what people want to see us as.

To conclude, in the game of life, you receive only what you give. If the majority acts a particular way toward YOU, it’s just nature’s way of telling you to look inward and re-evaluate your actions. But in order to do so, you must have some sense of humility.

Country vs Continent? I’ve been indirectly “paged” so to speak on my hypocrisy of having found it odd that a European compares the diversity of Europe vs the United States. Yes, it is entirely unfair for anybody to draw conclusions about a nation based on how they pale in comparison with a CONTINENT of 49 countries. And I firmly believe that everyone agrees with me there. The intent of the “bloggers” that wrote this piece is crystal clear – yet they deny any bias or motives.

With that said, I have been accused of hypocrisy due to writing about Euronationalist Americanophobia.

Here’s a little hint: If you call yourselves Europeans, will we note you as such and return the favor. In case you missed it, Americans call themselves “Americans” - not “North Americans”. We, unlike some Europeans, recognize ourselves as a country and *not* a continent. The map on this page may be of some assistance.

FREE SPEECH: One more thing I’d like to clear up before I go. Dissent is perfectly acceptable on this blog. If you are familiar with my blog, you will see tons of debates throughout between people all over the world. But you must ask yourselves the following questions before commenting:

• Are you genuinely interested in a healthy debate?
• Are you here to fight?
• Is your plan to attack the author or the argument?
• Are you planning to resort to sweeping generalizations about a nation, race, ethnicity (we call this bigotry in the US)?
• Are you planning to read the entirety of the post you comment on, stay on topic – or do you plan on going off on an un-related rant?
• Are you trying to evade my spam filters?

Coming to one’s blog to comment is synonymous to being a guest in one’s home. You are not protected under the United States Amendment of Free Speech granted by the government. For the record, every developed country has rights to free speech. But this has nothing to do with blogging. Apples and oranges. Just ask yourself – if you go to a person’s house to vandalize and act like a total ass, and they kick you out, are you going to cry like a baby that they don’t allow free speech or dissent?

This reminds me of a quote that rings true here:

“Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.” –Winston Churchill

Another thing that people with a short fuse tend to forget is that there is a HUGE difference between DISSENT and SILENCING SPEECH. It’s funny how only those banned for not adhering to my comment policy seem to continue to cry about how I’m a speech-silencer of some sort. Everyone is aware when they comment here how this blog works and don’t have any excuse to act surprised.

This has nothing to do with being American as much as having high standards for stimulating and thought-provoking debate. Here is a perfect example for those that are a little slow.

It’s most amusing that the same people that moan and groan about censorship are those same people that have me banned from their blog. Hmm….. Learn the meaning of censorship. Censorship would be if I banned speech from someone else’s blog. But coming from Aby and co., I am not the least bit surprised at the perpetual ignorance.

Now, for some fun stuff!

Aby “the liberal- the ‘Internationalist’” and her crew now have an entire forum on the internet devoted to me and all around American-bashing under the guise of “helping teens”. (The message board is OWNED by them.) It’s a riot! I’ve received ample hits from them, and now I feel like a celebrity!! I’m not even going to bother rebutting the other arguments against me because they’re not being honest and not worth my time. How do you respond to lies?

To make matters more interesting, here are the rules that Aby and co. made for those who utilize their site:

By agreeing to these rules, you warrant that you will not post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-oriented, hateful, threatening, or otherwise violative of any laws.

Interesting. I have also noticed some of the members to be complaining about Juan McDaniel (Aby “the liberal”’s partner in crime) deleting some member’s posts… for possibly… dissent… perhaps? !!

Uh oh.

Hee hee. Oops. Deleting innocuous dissent that may give away his little game secrets? This is f’n hilarious! And for the record, this post was just deleted!

Another complaint about deleting dissent:

In case you’re confused, Aby’s “partner in crime” AKA (”the protector of mankind) goes under the following names:

- Captain Sasha

- Sasha

- Captain V

- Juan McDaniel

- Captain (Dr.) Alexandr Vasilevski

- Karmen

- Amy

- Bridgette

and god knows what else.

It is now confirmed that I’m dealing with hormonal teenagers!

It doesn’t get any better than this, folks.

Europe vs USA – Lifestyle

Health care, diversity, education, media and the news are all covered in this topic!

Europe’s Hatred for America – Real or Imaginary?

It starts out with a, “We don’t hate you BUT….[insert bigoted commentary]“ – synonymous to American racists who say, “I’m not a racist, BUT….[insert racist commentary]“. That’s the cliché we have all learned to know and love.

You will encounter more examples to which the author confuses a continent with a country. When will she learn the difference?

Where the same people that hate the French now come to their rescue against Americans as a means to justify Americanophobia. But the best parts are where Aby and co. explain to us all how much more superior Europe is in comparison to the United States. And they are so incredibly original in their explanations!

I highly, highly recommend these reads. We Americans need to find out what is wrong with ourselves and our country. Like Al Jazeera, these people profess to be getting the real, raw, and accurate news unlike any other kind there is.

To cut a long story short, our military author Dmitri Pavlov was promoted to quite a few ranks higher in his job. Hence we had to deal with the departure of one of our best sources of authentic news and information.

[SNIP]

I could have continued with the site, yet I decided to forgo it to prevent the loss of quality and informed articles that you and some media houses have started to associate us with.

And from her “about” section:

“As an information site, dealing with facts rather than popular opinions, …….”

Having balanced, informed, responsible, and objective opinions about the United States is “popular”?!?!

So, as you can see, they speak the truth. Debate is only welcome to non-Americans because if you challenge them as an American, (that’s why there’s a flag next to your name – so that they can keep track – and those flags are manipulatable, by the way) you will be written off as a “blind nationalist” (me!!) and be accused of thinking that “Americans are above any form of dissent or criticism”.

I don’t know about you, but I like to be informed and know that I’m getting the REAL news. Not that fake stuff we get in America, you know – like MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, C-SPAN, PBS, NPR, David Letterman, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and oh yeah, Fox Noise?

The verbiage in the above links is very softly and gently distributed to appear polished, supremely educated, and balanced simultaneously sprinkled with a clinical brand of narcissism that puts professional elitists in a humble light. She is genius! If you read the commentary in many of her entries, you’ll notice that it all sounds like its coming from the same person. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m convinced that the author slips into other aliases and comments to further her agenda (although she does allow some token dissent to make her plan less obvious). She’s absolutely brilliant! To be as manipulative as that, one has to be smart. Not intelligent, but smart. To that, I give her much credit.

Where she’s not brilliant: Aby tells herself that she is “politically incorrect and original”, but I reckon that she doesn’t get out often as her blog is as unoriginal as they come. Her hate speech against Americans is as old, tired, and as cliché as apple pie and hot dogs are to Yankees.

Admittedly, I am obsessed with that site. It’s that same kind of perverted fascination people get when they watch Jerry Springer, the Maury Show, listen to Rush Limbaugh, or rubberneck the bloody car accident on the highway.

And it’s not like I’ve never met ignorant propagandists so over-confident before either as my country has its own. Maybe I expect more out of other countries? After all, the US is supposed to be the dumbest on earth (and inherently so!), so naturally one is to look to other countries for the “right answers”, right? During my schooling and from having watched TV and the mainstream media, I have been mildly indoctrinated to admire all-things-European. And I have so since I’ve been a child. So, I guess you can say that I DO expect more out of them – just as Bruce Bawer did when he first moved to Europe. Millions of Americans look to Europe (more than any other nation on earth) with dreamy goo-goo eyes.

Some argue that Americans think that they are perfect and the best, so people convert to Americanophobia to prove to Americans that they aren’t as perfect as they think.

Fair enough.

But if Europe is now the new America in thinking that it’s all that, they must accept responsibility and accept being the target of sceptics (like myself) who will challenge their inflated egos.

Nonetheless, we do just as good a job at bashing our own ugliness in the US. But American-bashing IN AMERICA by Americans is conveniently not aired in other countries – hence their own mainstream media being easily confused with propaganda (and justifiably so) any time the yanks are mentioned.

I’m a people-watcher in real life. You know, the kind that will sit in a window-seat at a cafe and watch people pass by or listen to other conversations in the background.

People amaze me everyday. Sometimes in good ways – sometimes in funky ways. So, as odd as this sounds, I am grateful to have someone like Aby and Juan McDaniel and “the bearer of ‘authentic original news’, Dmitri Pavlov” around so that I have even more an opportunity to dispel common myths giving readers the untold story about Americans and American life. 

Disclaimer: If you call yourselves Europeans, you will be called Europeans. Americans call themselves Americans, not “North Americans” – hence the title and the direction of my post. There’s nothing hypocritical there.

—> Because he hasn’t changed anything yet.

—> Because he’s the worst president we’ve ever had.

—> Because his approval rating is worse than W’s.

—> Because he watches “Will and Grace”.

—> Because he can see Kenya from his living room.

—> Because the 2009 economy is the worst in recorded history.

—> Because he hates Israel.

—> Because he drives a Cooper Mini.

—> Because he supports gay marriage.

—> Because he’s addicted to marijuana and cigarettes and even got stoned on the campaign trail (that’s why he has man boobs!)

—> Because he started the financial crisis.

—> Because he hasn’t changed anything yet.

—> Because he’s an illegal alien.

—> Because his cabinet members are Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Michael Jackson, William Ayers, Tony Rezco, 50 Cent, David Letterman, Snoop Dogg, Tyrone J. Watermelon III, Ayatollah Homani, Jeremiah Wright, the entire Clinton administration including their family and pets, Eminem, Momar Quadafi, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, Osama Bin Laden, Sadaam Hussein, Karim Alduljibar, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Keith Olbermann, Magic Johnson, the Hamas, Mohamed Atta, Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan Al Qadi Banihammad, Ahmed Ibrahim A. Al Haznawi, Khalid Mohammad Hussein Karim Almihdhar and Kobe Bryant.

—> Because he doesn’t wear the American flag pin.

—> Because he doesn’t put his hand on his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance.

—> Because he went to flight school but didn’t bother to learn how to land the plane.

—> Because he didn’t fight in a war like Bush, Cheney and Palin did.

—> Because he has low testosterone levels.

—> Because he’s an Arab Muslim born in Kenya.

—> Because Obama and Osama are the same person except that Obama doesn’t have a beard (due to low testosterone levels).

—> Because Obama hates America.

—> Because his mom’s not his real mom.

—> Because he doesn’t work out.

—> Because he goes to Starbucks.

—> Because he supports NAMBLA, kiddie porn, bestiality, and sex under the age of 5.

—> Because he has a low sperm count.

—> Because he’s too fat (it’s the munchies from all the Mary Jane!)

—> Because he hasn’t changed anything since he’s become president.

—> Because he has man boobs.

—> Because he thinks he’s sum celebrity messiah or sumfn’.

—> Because he a communist Gestapo agent.

—> Because he doesn’t hunt.

—> Because he hunts babies and eats them afterwards.

—> Because he doesn’t have a job and is living off welfare.

—> Because he hasn’t changed anything.

—> Because he uses a Macintosh.

—> Because he doesn’t shave his pubic hair.

—> Because those kids aren’t really his.

—> Because his elected cabinet members are experienced.

JOIN THE “IMPEACH PRESIDENT B. HUSSEIN MOHAMMAD OSAMA” GROUP ON FACEBOOK. IT’S THE PATRIOTIC THING TO DO!

“Diversity – United States, despite petty internal political differences is very uniform and homogeneous to an outsider. The culture (or lack of it) is same, the food is same, the language is same and the arts and style are similar. In Europe language, art, food, culture and politics are widely varied which might be overwhelming for an outsider but makes things interesting. A person visiting Scotland on a pleasure trip won’t feel like he could have done visiting England while a person visiting New Jersey and Virginia as a tourist would almost feel both are same states (except the differences in street crimes).” — Juan the “Liberal” on Europe vs USA – Lifestyle

Is not not quite the convenient how an entire continent such as Europe is compared with a country such as the United States? I suggest that his next “study” be done on Europe vs North America. He’d then have 23 very unique countries to do her “analysis” up against his 49 European “states” using his signature “us vs them” mentality.

Apparently Juan McDaniel (who calls himself a Liberal and an “Internationalist” of all things) must have been too cowardly to compare and contrast her own nation of origin (India) with the US. The only way he could slam a place where he’s never lived is by comparing Europe, a continent of 49 countries (if you include Vatican City) with a SINGLE COUNTRY, the US.

Lame.

Nice try, anyway. But curiously enough, many nationalist Americanophobes do this (compare countries with continents). It’s not just Juan. It’s very unfair and obviously used as propaganda to continue the cycle of hate.

(Disclaimer: If you call yourselves Europeans, will we note you as such and return the favor. In case you missed it, Americans call themselves “Americans” - not “North Americans”. We, unlike some Europeans, recognize ourselves as a country and *not* a continent.)

Today, I will display the other side of the story – the untold story.

I defined what America is in the glossary section of my blog. But what is an American?

An American can be English, or French, or Italian, Scottish, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek.

An American can be Mexican, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Kenyan, Ethiopian, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Canadian, Iranian, Asian, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan and more.

An American may also be a Cree, Metis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American’s religious beliefs range from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or none. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The key difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses. Whether they have a religion or no religion, each American ultimately answers only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

These are the people who built America.

Like Canada, in the United States, you’re allowed to continue your culture, eat your own foods, have your own festivals, read newspapers in your own language, speak in your own language and still call yourself an American. We like to call ourselves a “tossed salad”.

What is America?

We’ve got a country with over 300 million people, to begin with. And contrary to popular belief, we aren’t homogeneous either.

We are a multicultural society despite the Americanophobic belief that the entire United States is South Carolina.

There are 50 states with 30,000 incorporated cites therein. And even each city has it’s own towns, styles, and personalities. If you live in West Virginia, chances are that you’ll have a different experience from one who lives in Denver, Colorado EVEN IF YOU’RE A FOREIGNER! There are even cultural differences depending on the city you’re living in. I will give one example (although a general one). When you get married in some cities/towns in the south, the “proper” gift to give the newlyweds is a an actual tangible gift. Money would be considered an improper gift. It may even be considered as “lazy” if one were to hand over a check as opposed to actually going out and buying something. However, in NY, giving money gifts is more of the norm and said to be a convenience among those “just married”.

Basically, all I’m trying to say is that behaviorism and customs, like the above, vary from city to city – state to state like different countries do except not as dramatic.

I have lived in Miami, Japan, and California. I am now residing in Texas. I’ve been here for four long years and I’m still feeling “culture shock” in some ways.

Next, we have three different levels of government here: There is federal government, state government, and finally, local government. In some states, gay marriages are legal. In Nevada, prostitution is legal. (However, prostitution is legal nation-wide if you’re in the “call-girl” business. Just open up the Yellow Pages and see for yourself!) In Alabama, it’s forbidden to purchase a dildo! Marijuana for medical purposes is legal in California – yet illegal federally. The list is endless, really.

The scenery, cost of living, mannerisms, laws, crime rate, accents, dialect, ethnic diversity, food, fashion, flags, income, industries, tourism, weather, job opportunities, public transportation, and such differ depending on WHERE you live. There are some places in the US where people don’t lock their doors.

As you can see, this is why Americans can get so frustrated with over-simplified-one-dimensional views of the US coming from other tiny countries.

Why am I typing this? Because surprisingly enough, many people DON’T know this. I’ve heard people say it before that the US is a nation of “WASPS” where other cultures are “oppressed” and/or “forced to be American” and “forced to strip their own unique identities away” and this cannot be further from reality. America is still the most multicultural country in the world. The very fact that we don’t even have an official language says it all.

You will see literally ALL walks of life here (fat-skinny, poor-rich, ugly-beautiful, peaceful-violent, stupid-smart) in the US and diversity in terms of ethnicity, thought, sexual preferences, religion, upbringing, and values depending on where you live. Some states and cities are more diverse than others. There are plenty of Americans that are racist, but one thing that I find unique about the US is that we’re a bit less openly vocal about our prejudices. While there are stigmas and stereotypes attached to ALL groups of people, you will find that it’s a bit easier to be fat, dumb, ugly, ignorant, have poor taste in clothes, be unhygienic, to be driving around in a clunker, and in short, be as individual as you’d like to be.

You will be less judged here as opposed to being an American carrying those “socially unacceptable” quirks into another country. Try being a conservative fat American wearing a cowboy hat with a Texas accent in another country (outside Eastern Asia)! You won’t make it. I’d place money on that. At least in America, you can join all the self-entitlement-oriented, inbred, insular, nationalistic, inherently violent, unfashionable, paranoid, arrogant, unsophisticated, fat, lazy, vulgar, greedy, racist, spoiled-rich, ignorant, stupid, humorless, loud, obnoxious, gum-chewing, carbon-emitting, baby-killing, gun-toting, bible-thumping, flag-waving, and self-centered, globalizing, uncouth, swearmouthed and boorish non-human Neanderthal Americans obsessed with sex, celebrities and McDonalds that demand the entire world revolve around them, here. You’re more than welcome.

You can be whomever you want to be in America. Expect that not everyone’s going to LIKE you. This is NOT a violation of “civil liberties”. This is opinion. And Americans, like any other country, have them. Stewart Lee in the UK said it well in this video toward the end:

“…some of the things that are great about America, namely “freedom of speech” and a certain kinda social equality in that everyone there is allowed to say whatever they want no matter how stupid and ill-informed it is, and I think there’s something noble about that, genuinely”. — Stewart Lee (director of Jerry Springer, The Opera)

With that said, we also accept (with welcome arms) the slender, the intelligent, the intellectuals, the nerdy scholars, the hard workers, the polite, the humorous, the athletes, the hotties, the homosexuals, the tolerant, the socialists, as well as the demure, quiet, and shy.

America is a perfect blending of ALL these groups. This is what makes America great. I’m not saying that it’s the best country in the world, but in terms of THIS type of freedom, I’d say this is an amazing thing that makes us unique, grateful and proud to be an American.

Our first amendment also allows you to burn our flags and wave your own here. No problem!

The author of American Something said the following:

I can not forget the day when I arrived at JFK Airport for the first time. It was not better than other airports. There were many ticketing booths and it was crowded with people and luggages. Every one can see these kinds of things at airports all around the world. However, there was something different. There were many people who have different nationality and ethnicity. There were White people, Black people and Asian people. There were Italian, Japanese, German, Mexican, Chinese, French, Indonesian, etc. I was surprised because I could see and hear them at one place. At that time, I thought I could be so excited in this country. And, it was quite the same. I met many different kind of people from work and social community who came from many different country. I can experience many culture and many languages and it makes me feel happy.

Anybody who has lived in the United States alongside the average man in the street for a decent amount of time will realize this.

Oh immigration does happen in Europe too, you know, but perhaps for different reasons?

The False Promise of Immigration

How did the United States, which turned 230 years old in July 2006, get so big so fast? American growth has been fuelled by a combination of economic stability, high birth rates and immigration. Indeed, the United States is the largest immigrant-receiving country in the world. Some 50 percent of the 100 million newest Americans are recent immigrants or their descendents.

Europe, however, is also a magnet for immigration: It will attract up to 1 million newcomers this year. But the European experience with immigration is quite different from that of America. Part of the reason is that many immigrants to Europe end up on welfare, while in the United States, almost all immigrants take one or more entry-level jobs and work their way up the economic ladder. Welfare is simply not the American way.

Americans are not “cultured”?

Think again.

I must say that I find this accusation a bit amusing. WebPundit composed the below in light of this example.

Say America has no culture. When asked if there’s no such thing as “American Culture”, why do you always bitch about “Americanization”? Answer with 2 words: McDonald’s and Starbucks. Feign ignorance of American television, movies, music, books, politics, fashion, the internet… in short, most of what YOU do for fun on a daily basis. You don’t want to seem like a hypocrite who secretly devours American culture. So, it’s better just to tell an outright lie.

As far as the “‘right’ kind of culture” as in VERY old historical culture that the Europeans bash us for not having, allow me to gently remind you that America and British Canada are roughly the same age. America and British Canada are culturally similar as well. I’d be curious what “culture” was like for Europeans when they were only about say, 232 years old?

And while we’re on the topic of culture. In the US, the Metropolitan Opera in NY is one of the best – most prestigious opera companies in the world. The US has two première ballet companies. We’ve got NYC Ballet and American Ballet Theater. Symphony and NY theater? Nothing in North America exists that can begin to compare with the NY theater scene. Look at the number of fantastic symphony orchestras in the US.

American writers? Let’s take a look at Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Melville, Hawthorne, Henry James, Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, need I say more?

Piercing analysts like Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis, Frank Norris, John Steinbeck, John Dos Passos, and Tom Wolfe are conveniently ignored. And never mind that American film and television are far more willing to confront sensitive social or political issues than are European productions.

America has a very rich influential and extensive cultural and literary history. Come to downtown San Antonio, Texas if you want to see some American rustic and raw history. And no. It’s not just the Alamo. Your sheltered and narrow-mind would hopefully wake up to the history that WE DO HAVE. Considering our 232 years alive, we have innovated and discovered more than any other country in the world. That’s a huge feat for a baby country, no?

And yes, I also know that we’ve committed crimes against humanity in our youth, but I’m not here to talk about that. That’s YOUR job. My job is to show the side of the story that is NEVER talked about.

It’s those very people who don’t want to hear the other side of the story who we Americans call “jealous”. Because what else would explain those individuals who continue to live so sheltered with their collective heads buried in the sand under the guise of being an “internationalist”, “a world traveler”, and “culturally aware and superior”? What else would explain the incessant comparisons to America as opposed to making juvenile comparisons to Japan, Colombia, Australia, Jamaica and the like? How else can you explain it?

Jealousy.

UPDATE!

This is something you’ll never find in America.

This is also something you’ll never find in the US.

Anti-Semites, anti-blacks, anti-Americans… what else?

Only in Europe? What do you think? All I know is that if you’re going to peg an entire nation as homogeneous and/or racist, look in the mirror first. What you’ll see is even uglier if you’re open enough to spot the ills of your own.

One particular thing that annoys me about Neo-Conservativism is this so called “family values” being forced down one’s throat. Why do I need the government or my fellow “conservatives” to tell me what a “family value” is? Do YOU believe that a government should dictate what a “family value” is or should it be up to the individual?

Having as many kids as I can pop out, my husband and I working 16 hours a day while the kids are at day care and bible school, never spending quality time with the husband and kids — while the kids go absolutely nuts without having parents around unless they are with a paddle with spikes on it, and then the kids becoming mentally ill and start committing crimes and/or becoming just as depressed, bitter and as neurotic at their parents just to rinse and repeat into future generations? All under the guise of being a “good Christian” and going to church two times a week? Apparently, this is why the so called “conservatives” like to keep the Mexicans here illegally (work hard – have family values)? Misery loves company? Naw. That’s not for me, folks. And that’s not “pre-Gingrich” Conservatism either. That’s living miserably and expecting everyone to fall into the dirty puddle with you – making the same stupid mistakes in life.

The Radical Conservatives have hijacked Conservatism. What a family value is, should always be protected under the first amendment.

I prefer what the French call “family values”.

What I find particularly weird is that some people who call themselves “family-oriented” have the most jacked-up and dysfunctional family. The thing is that they are clever enough to hide it well. They attend all these superficial “family functions” just to be there – just to say they were there – just to say that they “value the family”. However, being physically there at a family gathering and being emotionally there in peace and in love are two totally different things.

Call me a liberal. But I don’t owe homage to anybody or anything. Respect is earned, in my book. And if you are in a toxic relationship and don’t distance yourself from it, you’re just as stupid as the abuser. Of course, “what is toxic” is up to individual interpretation.

I’d like to think that we spend our precious time with those who truly (not love), but like us and make us feel good and special in our own skins. Those people you can truly be yourselves around. Those are the people that I like to pal around with.

The far Right keeps saying “Where’s the Change Obama promised”? They say this so much that I still hear them in my sleep.

As if they really, really want the far radical Leftist changes that they were expecting before President-elect Barack Obama won. I mean, c’mon…!! If anything, the Right should be HAPPY and OVERJOYED that he’s leaning more toward the center. No?

What ever happened to the lust for Mavericks? Isn’t that what the Right likes? (hint: Palin/McCain)

It’s all silly, really. If Obama makes no changes, that’s really a GOOD thing for the Right. Right? No. Really. Right?

For the record, the “change” that Obama speaks of (that everyone’s been twisting around to death and beyond) is change regarding the Bush administration. IF you go back and listen to Obama’s speech at the DNC – he made it …:::c-r-y-s-t-a-l c-l-e-a-r:::…, folks. That’s also where his “eight is enough” slogan came from. Change = the modification or the removal of Bush polices.

Some of you have taken his obvious and redundant explanation of change and have bastardized the hell out of it. Me thinks the far Right are pretending that they don’t remember what Obama meant by “change” so that they have an excuse to whine or “get revenge” on the Left for having complained about Bush for the last eight years.

Keep in mind that it is Obama and congress that are going to be calling the shots – not Hillary Clinton et al. She and other people who worked in the Clinton administration have no significant say in anything regarding the governing of this country. Obama, in case you missed it, will be THEIR boss.

Obama is a Democrat. It would be odd if he hired an all Republican staff, would it not? It would be equally odd if he hired those people with little experience and a bunch of no-names. We’re in the middle of two wars and a HUGE recession. Do you Republicans really, really want a bunch of no-names in Obama’s cabinet or worse the far left academia, Jeremiah Wright, Rezco, and Bill Ayers???

When people hire someone to do a job, they look at experience – not a rookie because that would be too big of a risk to take. Again, keep in mind what our country’s going through right now.

Anyway, these are some comments from JMK, a conservative, that I found to be refreshing and to represent what I can only see as coming from a true conservative:

So far, Obama’s been pretty centrist.

Rahm Emanuel is a pretty Conservative Democrat, his economic team is pretty market-oriented and he’s kept Robert Gates on as Sect’y of Defense.

So far, I’ve had little to complain about.

We’re in a very deep financial crisis right now and that’s probably going to limit the options of any team coming into office right now.

I’d be worried if this guy seemed reckless or radical, but at this point he seems neither, at least from my view.

If anyone should be hugging their teddy bears and crying themselves to sleep at night, it should be the far left.

They’ve already been bitterly disappointed in his initial choices – Rahm Emanuel (a relatively Conservative Democrat and former israeli soldier) as his Chief-of-Staff, keeping Robert Gates on the job, appointing the Republican Governor of AZ (Janet Napolitano) Homeland Security Chief, and bringing on a pretty market-oriented economics team have all pissed off the Left royally!

Now gays are “outraged” over his choice of Rick Warren at his swearing-in.

Believe me, the far-Left is going to be the bane of the Obama administration’s existence in short order.

Personally, I think this administration will be far more Centrist, “unacceptably Centrist” or “too Right-wing” to the far-Left.

Now THAT’S going to be fun to watch!

I LIKE Emanuel…I really do. He’s more Conservative than a lot of Republicans…sad but true.

This is just my tack, but I’m not going to complain until I have something to really complain about…and I’m sure that’ll come soon enough. Hell, I complained about Bush’s support for the “SHAMnesty Bill,” and for his excessive spending, so I expect even more bad news coming from this group….but I’ll wait. I’m not going in looking for it.

But that’s just me.

Remember? Your soon-to-be president is really a Republican. Isn’t putting your own convenient spin on issues and throwing kiddie fits over unfounded nonsense a liberal thing, anyway?