A letter from John Cleese to America...

[CannonFodder]

we developed our own culture (which everyone seems to feel the need to look down on) and our own region specific pronunciations, spelling, and grammer.

I believe it is known as "retardation" in your neck of the woods. ;-)

[metalman]

PMC wrote:

Lessons from Afghanistan and UN peacekeeping duties have meant that the RN needs a more capable strike carrier fleet along the lines of the US Navy, however purchasing a USN reserve carrier would require extensive re-engineering and possibly mean high running costs.  

Atually Metalman, I think you'll find that the steam catapaults used on the US carriers was a British invention?  As were the angled flight decks required to land and launch planes simultaneously....

All good military innovations are copied.

The carriers are offered as a gift. The USS KENNEDY is now on its final port call before it is decommissioned.

A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational carrier fleet

Charles de Gaulle (R91) is 40,600 tons, with 40 aircraft

[NoFastMem]

KThunder wrote:
i have a sense of humour, i know the original quote was meant to be humourous. i think it is funny that people take it and run the way they do.

While I don't think it's fair of Eyso to write American culture off completely, he has a point about your (and I mean you personally) sense of humour. No-one in this thread is taking it that seriously, why're you getting so upset?

Also:

imperial freaks (as though the european empires never existed and the us actually had an empire)

No-one alive today is to blame for the excesses of the old British Empire. As such, in all seriousness, no-one in their right mind actually cares whether we used to "own" you, nor do the acts of a dead generation of Britons make us feel any less qualified to protest the imperialist actions/stances of present governments.

[motorollin]

NoFastMem wrote:
No-one alive today is to blame for the excesses of the old British Empire. As such, in all seriousness, no-one in their right mind actually cares whether we used to "own" you, nor do the acts of a dead generation of Britons make us feel any less qualified to protest the imperialist actions/stances of present governments.

Here here!

--
moto

[odin]

You mean 'hear' and someone else 'Fawlty' ;-).

[Speelgoedmannetje]

NoFastMem wrote:
While I don't think it's fair of Eyso to write American culture off completely,

I didn't write off the American culture completely.
(Heck no! There are fantastic aspects in the American culture).
Read my posts carefully before judging. I wrote too:

(or well, culture as in: what the majority brings up as 'culture').

[KThunder]

NoFastMem wrote:

While I don't think it's fair of Eyso to write American culture off completely, he has a point about your (and I mean you personally) sense of humour. No-one in this thread is taking it that seriously, why're you getting so upset?

no-one is taking it seriously, im not upset i typed no caps and used no angry  :madashell:

the rest of your post i quite agree with. except that many seem to think that the us is being imperialistic when it simply is looking out for its interests, all countries do that.

[Karlos]

except that many seem to think that the us is being imperialistic when it simply is looking out for its interests, all countries do that.

Once you have amassed a large enough army and use force abroad to "look out for your interests", totally ignoring the opinion of other countries and deeming yourself unnacountable, there ceases to be any meaningful difference whatsoever.

The US, at the present time, is behaving imperialistically. There is no other conclusion supported by the available facts at this time.

[KThunder]

during world war II we were fighting a two front war against japan and germany, so we built a huge military. after the war the soviet union and its allys presented a credible threat to not only the us but its allys so we maintained the military now with other wars popping up all over we have found reason to keep it.
we have little interest in afghanistan other than their support of osama bin laden.
and before you say it our interest in iraq is not about oil. we never got much oil from iraq (france and russia did though) we dont now and we probably never will.

[motorollin]

KThunder wrote:
and before you say it our interest in iraq is not about oil. we never got much oil from iraq (france and russia did though) we dont now and we probably never will.

And how do you know that? Because your media or government tell you so, or because you have seen it for yourself?

--
moto

[metalman]

Karlos wrote:
The US, at the present time, is behaving imperialistically. There is no other conclusion supported by the available facts at this time.

"Imperialism" e.g.

"Colonial Imperialism" extending a nation's authority by colonial acquisition and the establishment of economic and political subjection over underdeveloped non-European nations.
 
"Capitalist Imperialism" a Marxist pejorative term defined as the global American economic exploitation of the worlds peoples, e.g. "capitalistic international trade and banking"

"Cultural Imperialism" a pejorative term for the widespread global domination of American culture

"American Imperialism" a pejorative term for American military action.


By Marxist "facts and conclusions" been to some rally's lately?

One man's dictatorship is another man's "true Democracy"

Imperialist Embargo Is Killing Fidel

[KThunder]

motorollin wrote:
[.

And how do you know that? Because your media or government tell you so, or because you have seen it for yourself?

--
moto[/quote]

this is a matter of international media information and is supported on numerous sites and international sources.

in the first gulf war we were facing french jets and russian sams,  artillery, weaponry and scuds all paid for with oil and oil money.
before this war there where several countries that were opposed to military action, france, germany, russia, and china, all of which got oil from iraq and sold weaponry etc. to iraq.
my media, government and other countries media and governments support this
but im betting that none of that matters because of your last line "have you seen it for yourself" nope i havent been to iraq and i didnt sit in on any deals between anyone. but im betting you havent either. we all have to depend on information from others. whether you believe any of it or not depends on your bias. i carefully trust the checks and balances built into our government, and the medias ability to sniff out problems (ratings permitted)

ps. your going to have fun with this one arent you

[CannonFodder]

The USA is dead, long live the USA!

[leema1290]

KThunder wrote

this is a matter of international media information and is supported on numerous sites and international sources.

Oh dear. You seem to be basing all your knowledge about this on the media.
And they always tell the truth/the whole story don't they.

Loving your country is one thing, but believing a bunch of money grabbing $£%^$^%'s is another.

[jkirk]

well loading up your family to go to iraq to examine the sales reciepts ain't practical either.

you have to get your info somehow and the media is supposed to be that means. unfortunately if the media only lies then we don't know {bleep}e other than a few drips and drabs of GENUINE info. which puts us all in the same boat nobody knows everything about anything even if you dedicate your life to it. so we do the best we can we compare the media outlets of multiple countries and try to piece together the truth(which can easily be wrong.)


now leema1290 where are you getting your info. i mean if you know all media outlets lie then how did you come to this conclusion. if you trust a mag,paper,tv,radio,internet news site, blog, etc, etc you are trusting the media(of which you have condemned to be liars.)

[leema1290]

@jkirk

Now, now, I said they don't always tell the truth, not the same as saying they never tell the truth.

I'm just naturally paranoid of people that promote interesting wars like USA vs Iran, and only say anything about the largest explosives haul in the UK after much prodding (All the explosives belonged to a white fella so wasn't 'newsworthy').

Media peeps are usually in it for the money/fame/power. Same as the politicians really, and look how trustworthy they are.