What a Letter

Like people flying planes into buildings.

and we retaliated. maybe not in the manner you would have liked, but we did/are retaliating.

I am ALSO a US citizen.

do you vote? did you vote in the mid-term elections? if you feel so strongly about your opinions you should. that is the only course citizens have making change.

also, i dont think a naturalized citizen will ever see things in the same light as a natural born citizen. if i moved to italy and became a citizen, do you think i would ever see world events the same as someone who was born there?

Because you say you're getting your feelings hurt by people on TV chanting about hating America and that needs to be put in context. Or do you not care why they hate America?

i accept that there are portions of the world that will never like the US. many places attempts have been made at humanitarian efforts, and the people in certain places still dislike us. ok, but i dont have to feel sorry for those same people when they are starving to death or being ran over by tanks. call me cold-hearted if you must, but my feelings on this will likely never change.

another of my opinions that will likely never change... the governments of middle eastern countries are lnked to and/or controlled by terrorist organizations. maybe not all, but definitely lybia, lebannon, iran, syria, afghanistan, UAE, and the former government of iraq. i accept this as fact. do i think we should have invaded iraq when we did? no. but at what point do you decide to invade a threatening country? when sadamm would have had a working nuclear device? when he tested the device? when a member of a terrorist organization obtained said device from the iraqi government and detonated it in new york or london or...? when he had a working nuclear missile? after he launched the missile? i think saying that we had NO reason to invade iraq is a bit naive. as scared as you are for people you know who live in lebanon or iraq, i am terrified that some crazy terrorist is going to get a nuclear weapon from iran (yes iran) and use it on US soil. you friends living in iraq might get hit by a bullet, but if a nuclear bomb went off in a major city anyone  living there would suffer the consequences of that; not might but would.

do i think we should have invaded north korea when they tested their nuclear missile? yep.

I'm also wondering how to NOT be anti-American to you?

critiquing US policiy and government officials is not necessarily anti-american, but when you have never said anything positive about the US then it seems anti-american. especially when it is coming from someone not living in the US.

ORIGINAL: ron2

The attitude that the entire world owes all its freedoms to the US because of WWII gets kind of old and is, historically speaking, inaccurate

This statement is inaccurate. England and France were crumbling under the onslaught of the Third Reich. Since you like to read, you might read some history books and look at how many american soldiers are buried in France. We didn't start the war but we finished it. And we were fighting the war on two fronts. And no amount of "revisionism" or tiredness of the statement can change the fact that we changed the outcome of the war.

I have. Why not read some history about Russia's part in the war and the controversy among historians?

FWIW, the internet started in America, land of free speech. Free speech is guaranteed by our Constitution. Your american citizenship gurantees your right to free speech.

You realize that free speech is not unique to the US, right? Free speech is also guaranteed by the Canadian Charter and many other charters, constitutions and national legislations throughout the world. Right now, my free speech is guaranteed by Canada because that's where I am. When I'm in the US, it's guaranteed by the US. In Sweden, it is guaranteed by Sweden, etc. What the US has to say about free speech has absolutely no bearing on what I say unless I say it in the US, just like Canada's charter does not affect you in any way except if you're in Canada.

ORIGINAL: cyclefiend2000

do you vote? did you vote in the mid-term elections? if you feel so strongly about your opinions you should. that is the only course citizens have making change.

Yes.

critiquing US policiy and government officials is not necessarily anti-american, but when you have never said anything positive about the US then it seems anti-american. especially when it is coming from someone not living in the US.

I have said plenty of positive things about the US. Maybe you missed them.


That's it. I'm done.

I just wanted to say that this debate looks like it is over.  Which is fine.

I want to applaud inne for sticking to her guns, figuratively, and speaking her mind.  She made me think, she made me question certain beliefs that I had and have, and she made some very good and accurate observations.  She did this while knowing that her opinions wouldn't be the most popular opinions and could spark some contreversy.

It would have been easy for her to bowout at the first hint of any negative energy.  She didn't.  She didn't resort to personal attacks. 

I have a tremendous amount of respect for her because of this thread.  While her beliefs may not be popularly held, she stated them and defended them well.  I am proud to have had this discussion with her and I'm proud to have gotten to know her.

Thank you inne for a spirited debate which made me think, question and reason.  In the end we simply disagreed.  And that is what is great about this country, and many others.  We can agree to disagree and there is no harm done.  We state our positions and hold to them.  

Thanks again inne for a fun 3 days of posting. 

Xerxes, you're the sweetest. Obviously I'm really emotionally invested in this and I thank you for being so kind and also for being so smart and well-informed.

ORIGINAL: espencer


Why not using all that money to have free medi care like Canada?,

 
LMAO.  That's hilarious.  Thanks.