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So Irish Blogosphere: What do you think of America?
Read more about: Blogging, Foreign Affairs
Over at the Washington Post Global website, Amar C. Bakshi is investigating how the world sees America. He’s looking for contributions so if you’ve got an opinion on America, Americans or American culture, just go here.
Amar has just finished up a stint in England and is currently touring India in his attempt to understand how people understand America
I’ve already contributed my two cent for what it’s worth but Amar has asked me to see if any other Irish bloggers have any thoughts on all things American. If you do, just follow the above links.
AMERICA STINKS!
WHY?
As President of the most powerful nation on the Planet, Bush should be leading by example.
First by exiting all matters not directly concerning the USA, and that means the Middle East; Cuba; Africa; Northern Ireland & anywhere there are local conflicts, which are no business of George Bush.
What he COULD DO is solve the Palestinian deadlock.
HOW?
Simply by swapping the state of Florida for Israel.
He would be satisfying the needs of some of his richest donors, who favour the sunshine state for their annual holidays and which is the destination of their choice in which to die.
Who could ask for more?
In addition, they would be joined by all their long-suffering, interminably whining brothers.
And the rest of us wouldn’t have to listen to the chant of “Nowhere to call our home; in Egypt; Russia; Poland; Russia…”
And the rest of the world would say “God Bless America” - and really mean it, instead of saying “It Stinks”.
Simply by swapping the state of Florida for Israel.
I presume you are joking
NO. I AM DEADLY SERIOUS.
the State of Palestine was cobbled together with a blue pencil by Roosevelt; Stalin and Churchill.
Like all partitions, it was a botched job and doomed from the outset.
Now there is an opportunity to make amends.
Bush (for Roosevelt) could gift Florida;
Putin (for Stalin) could lob in a few trillion Roubles to compensate for Russia’s treatment of Jews.
Blair (for Churchill) could use his new post to broker the move.
The Arabs can then get back to what they have been doing for the past 2000 years - killing one another over water.
Um, I’m not really sure that the citizens of Florida would want to move to Israel and I don’t think the Palestinians would like them any better than the Israelis.
I’m not suggesting that the Yanks move out - and I accept that my proposal of a swap was ambiguous.
I was suggesting that Bush would allow the residents of Israel an alternative “Promised Land”.
After all, there seems to be no limit on the space available to Mexicans who cross the border into California.
And if Florida was unsuitable, Bush might offer Texas!
SO LONG AS HE ACTS - AND ACTS QUICKLY. ISRAEL HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A POLITICAL FOOTBALL.
Forgive me if I’m missing some irony but are you serious?
If it were 1950 what you’re suggesting might be sensible, but the Israelis would not leave willingly and given that many of them have spent their entire lives in Israel, who’d blame them? At this point, they have as much a right to live in Israel as Unionists have to live in the North!
And why America? Why not Ireland? Let’s offer Israel the Midlands. Sure we’re not using it for anything.
This kind of thing, and the fact that sos doesn’t seem to be able to tell the difference between a sentence and a paragraph, are the reasons I can never bring myself to take him/her seriously.
Anyway, Bavaria would have been a much better choice post-WWII due to the irony factory what with it being the birthplace of the NSDAP. Not that I’m seriously proposing it.
The Middle East problem cannot be solved by Tony Blair and crypto-diplomacy. The Arab nations are not interested in democracy; they see Israel as the major stumbling block to peace and the USA are bankrolling Israel.
By all means, move them to Athlone - or a roundabout on the M50. Schoolmarm Mary O’Rourke, with her vast experience of Communications and Transport, could negotiate the move.
Talk and blue pencils have failed. It’s time to take risks and action.
And the difference between a sentence and a paragraph can be solved by changing your spectacles and concentrating.
This is a Blog on “How the World Sees America”.
I replied to say that I think America Stinks and gave a reason. This has provoked an idealogical reaction and the main thrust, as so often happens, was lost, in Athlone and comments about grammar.
There are many other reasons for taking a negative view of America. For instance:-
1. Sub-Prime Rate Lending, which has precipitated a global panic in the Stock Markets.
2. The refusal of the US Food & Drug Administration to licence a cure for meningitis for no better reason than spite. The cure was discovered by Cuban doctors.
3. “Political Correctness” - the great menace of the 20th century, which they use to conceal their inability to maintain inter-personal relationships.
4. Their manipulation of the English language - with words like “gay” - which their “vertically challenged” homosexuals have appropriated to overcome their inability to say “queer”.
5. The National Rifle Association, which has spawned an industry of murderous weaponry.
6. McDonald’s; KFC; Colonel Sanders and other purveyors of DOOF* all of whom have exported obesity.
7. Michael Moore; Marlboro Man & Disneyland.
8. Play Stations that sell games to very young children that glorify violence & cruelty.
9. Films** for adults that glorify noise; car crashes; rape & vice.
10.The use of phrases, such as “Collateral Damage”, to conceal the fact that their armies are murdering innocent bystanders. “Extraordinary Rendition” that extraordinary phrase, which is as extraordinary as the word itself.
11.SUVs - those monsters so beloved of the matrons of Dublin 18 for conveying their sprogs.
12.Soap Operas.
*DOOF = FOOD backwards.
** The USA used to make films that made people happy. The Marx Bros; Laurel & Hardy; The Awful Truth; Bringing Up Baby etc.
Music with tunes & lyrics one could whistle, by Rogers & Hammerstein; Cole Porter; Iring Berlin etc.
Now it is all meaningless cacophonies and films that represent a glimpse into Hell.
And presiding over all this is the dead hand of Dubya - with Hilary unlikely to achieve an improvement, assuming she manages to dupe the voters.
Dear SOS, I am a college student in Tampa, Florida. I happened to discover this site while researching what the Irish think of American’s, a required paper. I chose Ireland because my grandfather was Irish and I never had the chance to learn about the culture from him. Anyway, I find your comments about America interesting, and for the most part I agree. I would like to quote you in my reasearch paper…would that be okay?
It’s a trap SOS.
Tanner works for the CIA!