Greetings smerf,
Whew couldn't you have picked some name like dude or something short and easy to spell.
Biehl is my last name (it is German) and the ottomo is added to make a play on words. But you knew that already.
Anyhow seeing that you are from Montana (I love that state, fresh air and nice scenery)
I am glad you love this state as it is a beautiful state with many wonderful natural resources. Montana tends to be a friendly state and welcomes it's visitors. It is a very nice place to live. What is your favorite part of the state?
I was just wondering how you could possibly stick up for the french and germans
First I need to know what you mean when you refer to the French and Germans. Do you mean the governments, any specific company or individual. France and Germany are two large countries made up of millions of people and each one of these people is unique and individual. It is not right to group them together as a whole. I would not say all black people in America are in gangs and want to rob and kill people. That is just plain stupid and most people know better anyway. But when you group the French together like that and the Germans you are making stereotypes and that is wrong.
I have been to both those countries and have found the french to be arrogant towards Americans and seem to snub and ignore them and this was way before all this other stuff broke out.
It is easy to throw claims out there just to make a point without backing up that claim with facts. Maybe you have been to those countries and maybe you haven't. I don't know that plus the statement you made of the French being rude and snobbish is another stereotype that you maybe laying claim to. Stereotypes are easy to come by and it doesn't take a lot of effort to keep perpetuating that stereotype. We have to be careful with them too. A lot of countries stereotype Americans as fat, lazy, greedy, warmongers. Anyone with intelligence knows that all Americans aren't like that. We know that a small minority are like that. So we need to give the French and the Germans the benefit of the doubt.
The germans are really snobbish and gave me the impression that they thought Americans where really stupid.
They gave you the impression...by doing what? This is the danger of just making vague, blanket type statements like this. Perhaps you were doing something that made them give you this impression. Maybe they weren't giving any impression and you just misread them. By the way who the hell is they? I have a hard time believing that you met every German person and they all gave you the same impression.
Now sometimes with my attitude I thought it just might be me, but I have heard from hundreds of other Americans they thought the same thing of france and germany.
So you know hundreds of Americans that have been to "both" Germany and France. Or perhaps you did a web poll to ask them how thier trips were. Or perhaps waiting in a line you met hundreds of Americans who all have happened to go to Europe and hated France and Germany but all of the other countries were fine. I know I am nitpicking here but that statement is very hard for me to believe. Maybe you do, maybe you don't but there is a proof thing here.
Now would be a good time to point out that during the American Revolution the French were our allies and if it wasn't for them we would probably not be a country right now. During WWII it was the French resistance that rescued alot of our downed pilots and crews in occupied France plus gave the allies a lot of sensitive info concerning Nazi Germany and its war effort. I will tip my hat to the French for that.
Also the French and the Germans were out thier helping us during the first gulf war. The U.S. has a hospital in Germany where many of our wounded have gone. If it wasn't for Germany helping us out there we would have lost a lot more U.S. soldiers. I think Germany is very helpful there.
And finally, since indicating in my previous post that I wouldn't mind visiting both Germany and France I have had several German and French offers of Hospitality from the Amiga community. A global community indeed. Things ranging from, "you can stay at my house" to "when you come you must see this." To me this is not hateful and spiteful peoples putting down the U.S. or it's citizens. It is more a gesture of goodwill and friendship. The world needs more of that.
Don't know what I can boycott from russia does anybody know what russia makes that I can quit buying, I really can't think of anything except tanks and nukes so that make it easy I won't buy any tanks or nukes from russia.
The Russians are well know for thier Vodka, which is delicious.
This will probably be read by the blind but I tried to explain my side of story. It is up to you, smerf, to look carefully at all sides of the issue before responding. Something that can be hard to do. ;-)
Thank you.
