What do you say when. . .

[Rich Potter]

52nd state?

Um, you could point out that America has 50 states, and that 50+1 is 51; not 52.

Either their geography or arithmetic is exemplary of their fine American public schooling.

And then we would call you a pompous ex-British colonial butt-head, hell-bent on venting your lowbrow, north-of-the-border venom at us fine, upstanding, peace-loving Americans who want nothing more than to be friends with our neighbors.

(it only LOOKS like barbed wire and machine guns. Come on over!)

--Rich

.

[Danny Hustle]

Wow, that Johnny Flash is some guy. People just love a guy who hates venomously due to wild generalizations and stereo types (not to mention propeganda printed on men's room walls).

I wonder if it's just Americans he hates or perhaps his venom spills over to the color, religon, and class areas too.

Gobels would have loved you Johnny. Keep that hate alive brother!

[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: Danny Hustle ]</p>

[jonnyflash]

Nothing but love for the American people on my block.
It's their national leadership that's unloveable.

[martin ewen]

"propaganda" can often be simply facts you don't like.
Given that the US is the only country on the planet not to sign a universal bill of human rights, the toilet walls in question may well be those of the united nations.

[Triona]

At this point people are considering Puerto Rico the 51st state. At least they're a protectorate.


<img src="graemlins/jester.gif" border="0" alt="[jester]" />

[quote]Originally posted by Rich Potter:
<strong>52nd state?

Um, you could point out that America has 50 states, and that 50+1 is 51; not 52.

.</strong><hr></blockquote>

[Triona]

Yes Martin, we didn't want to be hypocrits. There are more human rights violations committed by the countries that signed that bill than by the US.

Just ask women in Afghanistan about the Taliban...

[quote]Originally posted by martin ewen:
<strong>"propaganda" can often be simply facts you don't like.
Given that the US is the only country on the planet not to sign a universal bill of human rights, the toilet walls in question may well be those of the united nations.</strong><hr></blockquote>

[Scot Free]

Really? And who actually did sign Triona?
I guess not wanting to look like hypocrates is also the reason for backing out of the Kyoto protocol eh?

The 52nd state eh? There is no real reason for the US to geo-politalally annex Canaduh, thanks to the FTAA they have done so economicly.
Just one example:
Right now a private American company is poised to take over the "business" of providing welfare to British Colombians, as they do in Ontario. Thats right our social services are being privatized and American companies are scoring the contracts to manage 'em.
Welfare for profit? WTF?
P.S. British Columbia and Ontario are Provences in Canada...just in case you did'nt know they are kind of like your states in the US.
[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: Scot Free ]

[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: Scot Free ]</p>

[le pire]

Hey Triona,

There is no "first amendment' here in France and nobody has ever stopped us from complaining about how this place sucks. I'm sure you can all back me up on this...

easy... easy!

Or will cover you in smelly cheese!!!

é t i e n n e


France #1 in complaining! Yahoo!

[jonnyflash]

Remember,anything you hear from the mouths of former DEA, CIA,and LAPD agents
regarding US govt crack & smack dealing is a "conspiracy theory".
Unfortunately (for your world view, Danny Hustle), many US senators, black leaders and established journalists are also are taking this "conspiracy theory" very seriously.
However, I suspect this will only strengthen your resolve that we live in a comic-book, starring GOOD Captain America VS. the EVIL Arch-Axis leader Lenin-Ho-Che-Sadaam-Hitler-Stalin-Osama Bin-Kim 2 Sung.


You can lead a horse to water....


PS Nice graphic Scot Free.How'd you get it there? I wanna stick mine up too.
[img]eek.gif[/img]

[Mark Wessels]

[quote]Originally posted by jonnyflash:
<strong>
However, I suspect this will only strengthen your resolve that we live in a comic-book, starring GOOD Captain America VS. the EVIL Arch-Axis leader Lenin-Ho-Che-Sadaam-Hitler-Stalin-Osama Bin-Kim 2 Sung.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

How did you street performers get so clever?
I'm American, though hopefully not for long and am tempted to agree. It does make it easy to always be fighting against some sort of evil force.
Crack dealing? interesting. There are bigger and more definate problems than this. For example our foreign policy.
I believe we have a technical right to speak out against our country but i remember that there was an outrage on Martin Luther King Jr. day because a liberal speaker said that he would not kill Osama Bin Laden were he standing right in front of him. Non-violence on MLK day. Thats good remember. Geez. Sorry. I'll go now.
mfw

[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: Mark Wess ]</p>

[martin ewen]

Speaking of propaganda
required reading for any knee-jerk right wing reactionarys.
And strangely I've nothing personal against you guys but a slight annoyance at the blinkered outlook (and granted the truth is a dirty and almost undigestibale series of fact)
ROGUE STATES--Noam Chomski

"Described by the'New York Times' as "an exploder of recieved truths,"
Noam Chomski is an articulate opponent of political hypocrisy, state brutality and abuse of power.
Rogue states- is the result of his tireless efforts to measure the worlds superpowers by their own standards and to hold them responsible for the acts they commit in the name of their people.
The United states and its allies come in for particular scrutiny for their numerous blatent violations of the international laws they claim to uphold. With analysis of the united states bombing campaign against Iraq, NATO's intervention in Kosovo, US support for a regime of terror in East Timor, and the political crisis in Columbia, Chomsky interrogates the retoric of western foriegn policy to reveal the insidious interests behind unsupportable actions--from paralyzing economic sanctions to surgical military strikes.
Chomsky also turns his penetrating gaze towards continuing US involvement in the Middle East, Southeast asia, the Caribbean and Latin America to trace the enduring combined effects of military domination and economic imperialism on these regions.
Throughout, Chomsky reveals the United states increasingingly open dismissal of United Nations resolutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international legal precedent in justifying its motives and actions. As his analysis of US statecraft and warmongering amply reveals, the rule of law has been reduced to a mere nuisance in the United state's brazen bid for the title"rogue state."
Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technoligy, is a world renowned linguist, philosopher, and political analyst. He writes extensively and lectures round the world on international affairs, US foriegn policy and human rights.
-----------------------------

Now if you gung ho chaps would like to even consider having a look at this book then i would read anything you suggested that supported your viewpoint.
The reason america didn't sign the bill of human rights had nothing to do with ladies in afganistan.
It had to do with the fact that the prisons in your country with their 23 hour lockdowns and your slap dash death penalties handed out to almost exclusively black poor people could have been prosecutable under international law.
(I do like your skifields though and you americans are all so friendly)

[Stephon]

I hesitate to even enter into this discussion, 'cuz I think this jingoistic "Rah rah. The US is #1" crap is just as much bullshit as the xenocentric "The US is a heartless, mass-consuming, patriarcal war machine" crap. The history of any country reveals a list of actvities that run from noble to stupid to shameful. All this mudslinging is pointless.

HOWEVER, I'm hoping jonnyflash can clarify this quote:

<strong>However, I suspect this will only strengthen your resolve that we live in a comic-book, starring GOOD Captain America VS. the EVIL Arch-Axis leader Lenin-Ho-Che-Sadaam-Hitler-Stalin-Osama Bin-Kim 2 Sung.</strong>[/QUOTE]

Your tone here regarding the goodness of the US is sarcastic, but surely you're not implying that your hyphenated list of oppressors and mass murderers were/are not really evil?

[Flo]

Now children, can't we all play nice? Yes perhaps I started this little . . . discussion but with the intent of supplying myself with good comebacks that are funny. Although I do find some of the content listed below to be informative I don't intend to throw it in anyone's face. So, any more suggestions?

When they call Canada the 52 State I draw a blank.

[Danny Hustle]

[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Danny Hustle ]</p>

[Triona]

Martin and the rest of you guys,

I will not deny tha the US has stuck it's nose in where it didn't belong on more than one occasion. The only countries that don't are the ones who are too weak to do so. My point was that despite it's faults, I am proud to be an American because we also are usually one of the first to step up when a tragedy occurs overseas.

Scott, I have no idea, but Martin was referring to some sort of treaty as being signed "by the rest of the planet". I don't know enough about the specific treaty you are referring to, so I can't really draw any conclusion as to why we "backed out of it".

As for Canada being the 52 state? I've never heard that (but I'm not a Canuck). The nickname I've always heard was "Our neighbors to the north". Though I still don't understand the round bacon...

P.S. Etienne, the French patterned their systems of rights (sorry I don't know the proper title) after America's constitution.

<img src="graemlins/jester.gif" border="0" alt="[jester]" />

[ 01-31-2002: Message edited by: Triona ]</p>