The Second Amendment Does Not Guarantee The Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Reinout, I just loved what you said about Americans having an ulterior motive for their charity! We'll have to remember that the next time your poor, but proud and noble country holds out her hand for some more gold bars. (Your queen demanded gold, not credit, as she planned to spend the money elsewhere.) Gee, Reinout, we've waited fifty years for you to make the first payment on your loan, but we always get a busy signal. Yes it certainly benefitted us to bail you out financially!
Killratio and Al Lowe, you will have an answer to that question in about 3 months. Look for it on the streets of America. THAT will be your new Forum.

First,

Sorry to anyone who thought I was belittleing American involvement in WWII. I was not. All I was saying is the USA did not win Belguim and WWII BY ITSELF!! I was mad cause John, slammed wilkit just for being from Belgium, and that's bullS#!^.

I was making a point that, in other countries, people generally do not like Americans (until they talk to them a bit) because many of them have met someone like John, (or JimAce it seems) that is all to willing to spit off about how they saved em back in dubya dubya two!

Here is my view, (shortened, bound to piss someone off, but whatever...)

America involvement in WWI:

A little late, but helped get a favorable Armistice.

WWII:

Major Involvement, even prior to Pearl Harbor(but that's what it finally took for a declaration).

Europe was won by the Russians, anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling himself. The Western front was won by the Americans(yes first but not only) British, Canadians, etc etc. All they did was save western europe from being communist.

Pacific : Won primarily by USA. This was in direct defense of USA. Somehow the help from the Aussies is all but forgotten in these campaigns though.

Sigh...I guess the thing is the USA is the most powerful nation on earth and some(SOME!!!not all jeez, maybe just a few?? god i dunno) of it's citizens act egotistical in other countries. SOME People in other countries resent them for being so well off.

Anyway if you ever visit another country and they treat you like crap for no reason...well I just told you the reason.

You don't understand; I'll try to explain: We DON'T WANT them to like us. Every time they have ever come up to us, hat in hand, with a big smile, they have held out their hand for a freebie, and although they have signed a loan agreement to repay us, have ignored and insulted us. Why, if your country alone were to repay us your WW-II debt, we would have much reduced taxes. Pal, we have bought you and paid for you. Don't you forget that. You don't speak German as a mandatory national language. French is your own doing.

[Kirby]

John L

What did you mean when you told Al and Killratio they would have the answer to their question in about three months and to look for it in the streets of America?

This is no slam. I really didn't understand what you meant and I would really like to know.

VBR
Kirby

I refer to Y2K and the fact that the law enforcement angencies (in this state, anyway) have alerted the Public Utilities to anticipate possible Terrorist attacks and sabotage. Our local utilities have asked workers to report any unusual activities around power transmission lines and reservoirs. They are worried that the Y2K communication interruptions will kick off Terrorism in America.
I thought everybody knew this already. Everytime I go into Sam's Club or Costco, I see families stockpiling food and household supplies in great quantities. A local hardware store is doing a good business in water storage barrels. Gun shops have had a run on "survival" type weapons. Somebody thinks its about to happen.

Kory,
i can see that your guilty of selective reading thereby formulating your opinions. I AM NOT one of those big headed American Tourists who visits a foriegn land, and tries to tell the native inhabitants that they are the foreigners. I have always been very well mannered and extremely friendly when I've had the opportuniy to visit foreign ports. And I've probably been to more than you have by virtue of my being in the Navy. You however seem to forget that it is ALWAYS the American people who are looked to for a handout by other countries. You want to talk smack, okay...how much did Canada contribute to the Gulf War? I WAS THERE, and I didn't see them in the vanguard! Nor the Dutch for that matter. I did however, see British, Australian, and some French Naval forces there. Dubya Dubya 1... we were trying not to get involved until the Entente and Central Powers pulled us into it, but who was supplying a major percentage of the armaments due to industrial capacity... (clue) it wasn't Canada! However a buttload of American boys went to enlist in the British, Canadian and French military services to be able to fight when it broke out. But then I guess in your eyes they don't count eh? And who helped to rebuild Europe when it was over...AMERICAN CAPITOL (THAT'S MONEY)! I'll relate a little story to you about why foreign nationals don't like us. A buddy of mine ran into an English girl in Hong Kong and they got into some discussion about Americans. The lady said to my friend that most nations don't like us because we are WINNERS, anything that we set out to accomplish with a will, gets DONE. So what does that say about the rest of the world? Do I run around and treat them like a bunch of losers? NO! But you guys sure seem to like to treat us that way. So why don't you just stick to subjects that you know something about and not go making general assumptions about Americans. I have earned my rights to say these things because i've spent the last 17 years of my life defending everyones right to live like they wanted. It could be summed up like this...
Tam autem eras excors, ut tota in oratione tua tecum iopse pugnares, non modo non cohaerentia inter se diceres, sed maxime discuncta atque contraria, ut non tanta mecum quanta tibi tecum esset contentio!*
VBR,
Jim
Translation - You were such a mor-n that throughout your speech you were at war with yourself, firing out statements which were not just inconsistent, but which were utterly devoid of any coherence or logic, to the point where your adversary in battle stopped being me and became yourself.

Maybe the Canadians didn't paticipate in the Gulf,
but there are enough WW2 Canadian graves in our local village cemetery for me to think that maybe it was their turn to have a break. I've never met one of the stereotypical "ugly americans", all those I have come across have been courtesy personified. Working in the aircraft industry I tend to meet more than a few. If I had to lay the blame for America's bad image overseas I would point the finger in Hollywoods direction. Most of the we won the war single handed images seem to originate from there. I remember well the uproar in the U.K when an American TV series (the title of which I've long forgotten) hit the airwaves in the late 60's early 70's.
The opening sequence showed a group of trucks kitted out LRDG/SAS style bouncing over the Western desert full of U.S troops with the voice over announcing that these heroes were operating behind German lines BEFORE El Alamein. I seem to remember the series was withdrawn. What if we had Royal Marines storming ashore at Iwo Jima or Royal Navy torpedo- bombers launching strikes at Midway? Hollywood plays fast and loose with history and film is a powerfull medium. No wonder
people get offended.

[stephen]

I've been to Europe multiple times and have the honor of hearing from Reinout, Hannes, Axel and dozens of other really great people on the web from all over the globe. A lot of French connections, too. Everywhere I go I always hear about Americans being loud, obnoxious, and trying to run the world, and we often receive a rather cold reception because of it (and that's putting it mildly).

But when Europeans come to the USA they seem just as aloof, but I don't judge their entire continent by it. I'm sure there are wonderful people there, and I'm only seeing a small fraction of them in a situation which is, to them, very uncomfortable. What's so hard to understand about that? Is it so difficult to believe that while a few Americans are undoubtedly jerks, the majority of us are just friendly, ordinary folks? This stuff about all Americans being loudmouthed morons is stereotyping at its worst, and I'm tired of being treated like poison every time I go overseas. I really don't understand the European outlook here... didn't you expect to see a certain percentage of Americans turn out to be undesireable? What's odd about that?

Also, there is SOME truth to the statement that the USA saved the world's proverbial bacon twice in the same century. Observing that fact isn't necessarily bragging, and its the logical knee-jerk comeback to the unfriendly reception usually received from Europeans. May not be a nice thing to say, but its hard to fault someone for that when they're accused of being a jerk just because of their nationality.

We're just plain people. Some good, some bad. Can't figger where the European stereotypes come from.

I will tell you this right now. Ever since March the quality of people on this forum has gone downhill. I have never seen such rude, arrogant BS in all of my life. This forum was made for WWI aviation topics. Some of you goofs and you know who you are, simply ruin this site for those of us genuinely interested. You spend more time talking about the most sensless, unrelated stuff in existence. I am ashamed to even come here and a lot of people whould agree. Stick to the bloody topic!

I have never been in Europe, and judging by the way my ancestors endured any necessary hardships to get out of there and into the U.S.A., I will never even consider going there.
I have, however, lived in Japan and Korea. Once, shortly after WW-II, I met a very nice Japanese girl who was acting in Japanese films. She told me "The reason my family hates you (they had forbidden me to visit them at home) is that you dropped firebombs on Tokyo and killed my mother." You know, to this day I can't remember having been in a B-29. Well, memory plays tricks.
Once in Korea a Korean girl in the tailor shop told me, "The reason I hate you is because you blew my brother's legs off with a land mine while he was trying to steal timbers from your ASP." And, I'm still trying to remember when I planted mines there or anywhere.