America Haters, Bitchers, And Complainers

[Troll Virus]

Yeah, can't you tell the resemblance between Mattbla and I....

Good show.

You're by far the gayest Englishman I've met. Never the less a great distraction and comic relief.

We've never met, and thank god for the distinction of being Scottish.

[Troll Virus]

So anyway, I still think the USA is the bomb-diggity. I love this place, and I wouldn't want to be a citizen of anyplace else.

Come to Scotland Mike.
Where women are women and sheep know when to run.

[Tom Yum]

We've never met

True.

and thank god for the distinction of being Scottish.

What's your obsession with things Scottish?

[Troll Virus]

What's your obsession with things Scottish?

Not things Scottish, nor 'obsession', but that's my origin.
The place I was born, live and am proud of.

If you ever visit Scotland, you'd be well advised not to call a native 'English'.
Free health service is good though.
You'd be getting your face stitched up within 90 minutes.

[Tom Yum]

One can't tell over the net that you're scottish, minus nutter's indirect comment at you. Distinction noted.

Yeah, I'd probably make that mistake.

What? Isn't Scottland the capital of Norway?

[treelizard]

So anyway, I still think the USA is the bomb-diggity. I love this place, and I wouldn't want to be a citizen of anyplace else.

This piece is from 1973, but I believe the point still stands...

"LET'S BE PERSONAL"
CFRB 1010, Toronto, Ontario

Topic: "The Americans"

The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French
and British exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point
ever known in West Germany. It has declined there by 41% since
1971 and this Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the
Americans as the most generous and possibly the
least-appreciated people in all the earth.

As long as sixty years ago, when I first started to read
newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the
Yangtze. Who rushed in with men and money to help? The Americans
did.

They have helped control floods on the Nile, the Amazon, the
Ganges and the Niger. Today, the rich bottom land of the
Misssissippi is under water and no foreign land has sent a
dollar to help. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain
and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans
who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in
debts. None of those countries is today paying even the interest
on its remaining debts to the United States.

When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the
Americans who propped it up and their reward was to be insulted
and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United
States that hurries into help... Managua Nicaragua is one of the
most recent examples. So far this spring, 59 American
communities have been flattened by tornadoes. Nobody has helped.

The Marshall Plan .. the Truman Policy .. all pumped billions
upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now,
newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent
war-mongering Americans.

I'd like to see one of those countries that is gloating over the
erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplanes.

Come on... let's hear it! Does any other country in the world
have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tristar
or the Douglas 107? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all
international lines except Russia fly American planes? Why does
no other land on earth even consider putting a man or women on
the moon?

You talk about Japanese technocracy and you get radios. You talk
about German technocracy and you get automobiles. You talk about
American technocracy and you find men on the moon, not once, but
several times... and safely home again. You talk about scandals
and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for
everyone to look at. Even the draft dodgers are not pursued and
hounded. They are here on our streets, most of them... unless
they are breaking Canadian laws .. are getting American dollars
from Ma and Pa at home to spend here.

When the Americans get out of this bind... as they will... who
could blame them if they said 'the hell with the rest of the
world'. Let someone else buy the Israel bonds, Let someone else
build or repair foreign dams or design foreign buildings that
won't shake apart in earthquakes.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking
down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When
the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke,
nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can
name to you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of
other people in trouble.

Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the
Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even
during the San Francisco earthquake.

Our neighbours have faced it alone and I am one Canadian who is
damned tired of hearing them kicked around. They will come out
of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are
entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over
their present troubles.

I hope Canada is not one of these. But there are many smug,
self-righteous Canadians. And finally, the American Red Cross
was told at its 48th Annual meeting in New Orleans this morning
that it was broke.

This year's disasters... with the year less than half-over - has
taken it all and nobody...but nobody... has helped.

ORIGINAL SCRIPT AND AUDIO
COURTESY STANDARD BROADCASTING CORPORATION LTD.

(c) 1973 BY GORDON SINCLAIR

[Tom Yum]

Very nice, TL.

Good parallels.

[Troll Virus]

Over 30 years ago?
This drum wore out?

[treelizard]

Over 30 years ago?
This drum wore out?

Tosser.

[Troll Virus]

Tosser.

Ah I see.
You post an ancient article, then when someone doesn't say what you want them to, you insult them?

[treelizard]

then when someone doesn't say what you want them to, you insult them?

No, just you.

[treelizard]

Oh, and btw, WWII ended before the article was published.

[Troll Virus]

No, just you.

Look forward to you justifying that.

[treelizard]

The article described how the U.S. has this habit of repeatedly providing aid to other countries in times of disaster. Didn't the US give food aid to refugees in Zambia and a fleet hospital in Indonesia quite recently? In addition, the US donates more than any other country in development assistance. And the US is the largest single donor to international organizations, paying 22% (that's $362 million) of the UN budget. In 2004 (recent enough for you?), PRIVATE ASSISTANCE from the US totalled 48 billion dollars. That's from individuals, schools, NGOs, religious organizations, corporations and private foundations--not even our government. And Americans (not the government) donated almost $700 million to the victims of the tsunami of the Indian Ocean.

The US provides more aid than any country in the world, and this article simply points out that this was as much the case over 30 years ago as it is today. We even provide aid to our enemies! http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...4/s1606219.htm

Pretty incredible that both U.S. citizens and the U.S. government are so generous, and will help out strangers (even in enemy countries) in times of need. Yet another thing to be proud of. God bless America!!

[Troll Virus]

Hey Troll Virus,
In all fairness, you and your thick European skin shouldn't be bashing Treelizard for posting a 33 year old article when most of what you and I have been discussing is more than twice that old. Let me ask you this:

Forgetting for a moment that the article is 33 years old, is it any less true?

It's not offensive to me, but another example of what get's up peoples noses about America.
If it was a matter of genuine generosity, then people in Africa wouldn't be starving to death.
Charity is largely a statistical votecatcher, based on shifting numbers around.
What at one time was called the 'butter mountain' in Europe.
Food that doesn't really exist, but in terms of accountability can be allocated somewhere.

It's nothing new, goes back a heck of a lot further than 30 years, but if you really wanted to impress the world, then didn't a little ole town of yours get flooded lasr year?
We sat and watched the pictures over here, of people with nothing to eat, and no aid forthcoming IN America.
According to OUR government, WE, the lowly UK sent YOU aid!