GeforceThe third point is very interesting. I think we here in Europe should be more competitive, but you should remember that we can’t all be at the top, so there needs to be some protection for the people that just can’t heck it so to say. But that works both ways of course.
Some wise words Jeroen. Have you perhaps read the work of ALEXANDRE DE TOCQUEVILLE “La democracie en Amerique”. This 19th century Frenchman admired the US because of its democracy and similarities with France. On the other hand, he found that two of the three “values” which make part of a modern democracy, “liberté” and “égalité” are sometimes contradictions. It’s true, a democracy can also be seen as a dictatorship of the majority. Too much freedom means that a new class will erupt, a class of intellectuals and businessman, which will opress the rest of the population. Minorities also have to be protected, so there needs to be a good balance between liberté and égalité.
GeforceStrange, this journalist, wants Europe to accept that we consider the current US gov’t to reflect the American opinion. I can agree with that, but then he should also accept that it’s not just the “European elite”, but the “European public” who has problems with the current US administration. After all, the mass protests against Bush some months ago, were not just some “elites”, these were carbuilders, farmers etc, to quote this brilliant journalist.
Second of all, he’s talking about the Swedish democracy, and how France wants to impose their own constitution to the rest of the EU. Well, constitutionally, France has a lot more in common with the US than with Sweden. Sweden is a “social democracy”, a welfare state. France hasn’t always been one, much like the US is not a “welfare state” in its true meaning today.
Thirdly, he’s talking about populism and he considers it a good thing. Well, when asked to most Germans in the thirties, they also thought that what the Fuhrer was doing, was good. Populism in its purest form.
Another point, US is the biggest and most succesfull democracy. Nope, the biggest is India, the most succesfull is either Finland or Iceland. Another evidence of the lack of facts this journalist has. Maybe he should learn some European history. I also study American history, so I do know what’s going on in the US today and in the past (and no, I don’t study it because it’s only a 170 page book :D, there’s just not so much to say about the US, the biggest achievement is their constitution).
And a last one to ban this guy’s whole theory to the dump: how can you be racist and envious at the same time? Being racist, means that you feel your race better than another one. If we would envy you, we would actually feel ourselves in an “untermensch” position, eventhough we don’t admit it. Racism and envy can’t be used in one sentence. That’s just common sence.
GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!
Anti-Americanism is burning stars and stripes. Well, with this kind of weather, most Europeans rather spend their money sitting outside and drinking a beer instead of paying 50 Euro’s to burn some flag we don’t care about. That’s reality. You Americans are quite arrogant if you truly think that America is the only thing that’s in our mind today, that we don’t think about anything else no more. Well, Europe has a good economy on its own, the US economy is not doing so well itself. This historian-journalist could better use his time to find a solution to the US economy, instead of writing a poor article, historically full of mistakes and clichés. If that is the best that American intellectuals can come up with, because this article itself is not written by some Michigan car-builder of farmer from Kansas, is it?
GeforceStrange, this journalist, wants Europe to accept that we consider the current US gov’t to reflect the American opinion. I can agree with that, but then he should also accept that it’s not just the “European elite”, but the “European public” who has problems with the current US administration. After all, the mass protests against Bush some months ago, were not just some “elites”, these were carbuilders, farmers etc, to quote this brilliant journalist.
Second of all, he’s talking about the Swedish democracy, and how France wants to impose their own constitution to the rest of the EU. Well, constitutionally, France has a lot more in common with the US than with Sweden. Sweden is a “social democracy”, a welfare state. France hasn’t always been one, much like the US is not a “welfare state” in its true meaning today.
Thirdly, he’s talking about populism and he considers it a good thing. Well, when asked to most Germans in the thirties, they also thought that what the Fuhrer was doing, was good. Populism in its purest form.
Another point, US is the biggest and most succesfull democracy. Nope, the biggest is India, the most succesfull is either Finland or Iceland. Another evidence of the lack of facts this journalist has. Maybe he should learn some European history. I also study American history, so I do know what’s going on in the US today and in the past (and no, I don’t study it because it’s only a 170 page book :D, there’s just not so much to say about the US, the biggest achievement is their constitution).
And a last one to ban this guy’s whole theory to the dump: how can you be racist and envious at the same time? Being racist, means that you feel your race better than another one. If we would envy you, we would actually feel ourselves in an “untermensch” position, eventhough we don’t admit it. Racism and envy can’t be used in one sentence. That’s just common sence.
GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!
Anti-Americanism is burning stars and stripes. Well, with this kind of weather, most Europeans rather spend their money sitting outside and drinking a beer instead of paying 50 Euro’s to burn some flag we don’t care about. That’s reality. You Americans are quite arrogant if you truly think that America is the only thing that’s in our mind today, that we don’t think about anything else no more. Well, Europe has a good economy on its own, the US economy is not doing so well itself. This historian-journalist could better use his time to find a solution to the US economy, instead of writing a poor article, historically full of mistakes and clichés. If that is the best that American intellectuals can come up with, because this article itself is not written by some Michigan car-builder of farmer from Kansas, is it?
GeforceTrue, I wouldn’t drink Duvel out of a Stella glass either. It’s just … wrong, barbaric even. In fact, you’re not only paying for the beer, but also for the glass. If you ask the bartender, you can take it home.
Also, you should make a distinction between a “pub” and a “café” in Belgium. Pubs is what you can find in big cities, it’s a place where mostly youngsters, students or artists (in other means, the non working class to quote Marx:)) join together to discuss latest events and drink expensive foreign beer, latin-american wine and other non-Belgian drinks. It’s more of an artsie-fartsie thing.
In rural areas, you can find the real cafes, this is a place where people from all classes and ages join together and discuss their working week drinking pints.
So always ask for a cafe if you want to meet some real Belgians. The pubs are full of those high-horse intellectuals.
GeforceTrue, I wouldn’t drink Duvel out of a Stella glass either. It’s just … wrong, barbaric even. In fact, you’re not only paying for the beer, but also for the glass. If you ask the bartender, you can take it home.
Also, you should make a distinction between a “pub” and a “café” in Belgium. Pubs is what you can find in big cities, it’s a place where mostly youngsters, students or artists (in other means, the non working class to quote Marx:)) join together to discuss latest events and drink expensive foreign beer, latin-american wine and other non-Belgian drinks. It’s more of an artsie-fartsie thing.
In rural areas, you can find the real cafes, this is a place where people from all classes and ages join together and discuss their working week drinking pints.
So always ask for a cafe if you want to meet some real Belgians. The pubs are full of those high-horse intellectuals.
GeforceThe beer is just regular Stella. But it’s in a wrong glass, cause this pic is taken at the back of my house and not in a pub.
GeforceThe beer is just regular Stella. But it’s in a wrong glass, cause this pic is taken at the back of my house and not in a pub.
GeforceUS Agent, if you would actually try to overwin your enormous stupidity, you would find out that 70 % of peacekeepers are European, I do mean the official UN-peacekeepers. When was the last time US soldiers got to wear blue berets, Somalia 1993. German, French, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, Spanish troops, they all perform important peacekeeping missions in and outside the European continent.
Sauron, I don’t even think Egypt is part of Africa (geographically spoken). And I don’t think Lybia would get a mandate from the UN to perform a peace-keeping mission. Maybe Morocco could do the job, assisted by Nigerian or South African soldiers.
GeforceUS Agent, if you would actually try to overwin your enormous stupidity, you would find out that 70 % of peacekeepers are European, I do mean the official UN-peacekeepers. When was the last time US soldiers got to wear blue berets, Somalia 1993. German, French, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, Spanish troops, they all perform important peacekeeping missions in and outside the European continent.
Sauron, I don’t even think Egypt is part of Africa (geographically spoken). And I don’t think Lybia would get a mandate from the UN to perform a peace-keeping mission. Maybe Morocco could do the job, assisted by Nigerian or South African soldiers.
GeforceRe: Ge
Originally posted by US Agent
All the photos above were taken in Afghanistan…they were taken from various Afghan web sites.Why do you assume the last photo was taken in India? :confused:
Man, I could add a picture of you driving that car to that list too. I’m pretty sure that’s not the situation in A’stan, if you do think so, than you’re stupid, because even the Pentagon agrees that the moment they would leave, it would become total anarchy once again.
GeforceRe: Ge
Originally posted by US Agent
All the photos above were taken in Afghanistan…they were taken from various Afghan web sites.Why do you assume the last photo was taken in India? :confused:
Man, I could add a picture of you driving that car to that list too. I’m pretty sure that’s not the situation in A’stan, if you do think so, than you’re stupid, because even the Pentagon agrees that the moment they would leave, it would become total anarchy once again.
GeforceBoo-hoo : and that was a serious post;
France not a democracy. Gee, man, what a lousy historian I will become. I always thought the FRENCH Revolution was the start of new democratic ideas. Ohh, and the enlightning, forgot about that too. I’m sure the enlightning found place in Texas, right!
And yes, I even consider America to be culturally – at least, not politically – a part of Europe, more than Bulgaria or Albania for example. The US constitution is a wonderfull product of the European intellectuals Locke and Montesqieu.
GeforceBoo-hoo : and that was a serious post;
France not a democracy. Gee, man, what a lousy historian I will become. I always thought the FRENCH Revolution was the start of new democratic ideas. Ohh, and the enlightning, forgot about that too. I’m sure the enlightning found place in Texas, right!
And yes, I even consider America to be culturally – at least, not politically – a part of Europe, more than Bulgaria or Albania for example. The US constitution is a wonderfull product of the European intellectuals Locke and Montesqieu.
GeforceSure, that last picture represents the Afghan population. Especially if you mount an AK-74 on top of that car. Being stupid I can forgive you USAgent, but get your facts straight! Especially because the last pictures are Indians rather than Aghans, ofcourse you assume everyone living outside the US looks the same.
GeforceSure, that last picture represents the Afghan population. Especially if you mount an AK-74 on top of that car. Being stupid I can forgive you USAgent, but get your facts straight! Especially because the last pictures are Indians rather than Aghans, ofcourse you assume everyone living outside the US looks the same.
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