Americans - Friends Or Foes?

[Steve Fryar]

Coupla VB's in them and they will be dead.Yuk!! Pale Ale on the other hand, we could take over.

[Fuzzie]

On the balance of things.. friend.

On a point by point basis, it's hard to tell where incompetence diverges from maligned intent. As a culture are we better off because of the existence of America? I suspect if there were no America we would be just as unrecognizable as if there were no Romans or perhaps even Muslim astronomers.

BUT what would the alternate parallel universe be without them?

[Fuzzie]

As an American and an Aussie, I think it's important to make sure that we don't confuse "Americans" with the government.

Is that because a smaller number of citizens vote in the US than in almost any other western democratic nation?

[Big Shed]

I think one of the most dangerous pastimes is to lump a group of people together and label them, eg all blondes are dumb, all Germans are arrogant etc.

I am sure most of us have been overseas and seen the behaviour of some of our fine upstanding citizens, Kuta Beach in Bali comes to mind and Phuket in Thailand. Places where you feel proud to be an Australian. Just because some of our citizens choose to misbehave doesn't give other people the right to tar all of us with the same brush.

I feel the same logic should be applied to this reported case. It sounds to me like a typical bit of gung ho military thinking, not necessarily that of the US government.
And even it was officially sanctioned by the US government, how does that differ from the behaviour of our other "friends", the Poms.
They thought they had a God given right to expose our service people to nuclear radiation without any protection, poisoned our lands and then denied responsibilty for the cleaning up their mess.
So should we then denounce all Poms because of this callous disregard shown by their government and their military?

I think not.

I have visited the US on quite a few occasions both for work (extended periods) and leisure. In all cases I have found the American people to be on the whole polite, interested in other people and places (Australia in particular). Have I never met any Americans I didn't like or found rude, or were perhaps a touch intense when it came to religion? Of course I have, but I have met the same sort of people in Australia and indeed in other countries I have visited.

[dazzler]

Coupla VB's in them and they will be dead.Yuk!! Pale Ale on the other hand, we could take over.

Of course, we always need a drink for the gay ones

[dazzler]

I have visited the US on quite a few occasions both for work (extended periods) and leisure. In all cases I have found the American people to be on the whole polite, interested in other people and places (Australia in particular). .

Did you find they didnt get it went you took the P155 out of em

[Honorary Bloke]

Well, a fine way to wake up in the morning!

I will be reporting this thread to the Government. You have been warned.

[Check my sig.]

[Big Shed]

Well, a fine way to wake up in the morning!

I will be reporting this thread to the Government. You have been warned.

[Check my sig.]

At least you're not a Strange Bloke in an Alien Land (at least I think you're not)

[m2c1Iw]

Yoh Bloke and good morning,
Dougy Adams was right

Actually I can't believe the title of this thread, think I'll start another one much more interesting.
"Victorians - um mates or low down water hogging scum"

Mike

[Ron Dunn]

*LOL*

The Murray flows all right along our bit ... it is just when it gets to you dirty b*ggers in SA that it all goes wrong

Speaking seriously, it makes me think when I see the towns along the Murray in Vic/NSW with their minimal water restrictions, about how much/little impact that has on its lower reaches.

[joe greiner]

As a resident of Oosa, I share your disgust with the behaviour of some of my countrymen.

The topic of the OP relates to "contingency planning." In this game, all sorts of horrible options are explored to their logical conclusion. Luckily, most of them find an early demise.

As I see it, our large population enables each special interest to achieve critical mass, and thus get more attention than it might otherwise deserve. But there are so many issues to address, it's difficult to debate them all at once. Heck, I'm having trouble just writing this message.

The demands that Woodwould cites occur among ourselves, too. "I need you to ..." has replaced "please."

In conferring with friends and neighbours, I sense a groundswell of sentiment against the current state of affairs in many dimensions. This post is a lot shorter than it could be; after all, I've been trying to collect my wits for the past 10 years or so. I hope (against experience) that 2009 will be a better year.

Watch out, Bob. They might report you to the gummint.

Joe

[echnidna]

Its Ok Joe, Bob's got all his guns loaded and cocked

[Honorary Bloke]

I actually think that their government reflects the self-obsessed, gun-crazy blood-lust that runs through their veins.

Quite right Echnidna.

[Black Ned]

So! What did happen to Harold Holt?

[Honorary Bloke]

So! What did happen to Harold holt?

He did a bolt!