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You suck. We are a land of freedom, where people come from lands of dictatorship to be in a country of liberty. If your American, you should love your country, regardless if we have a crappy president. America has done awful things and still does, but other countries have done worse things. If you're truly American, you'll love your country for being your country.

President Bush is a douche, but don't let that stop you from loving the free country you were born in.

...

How does that logic work? What if your country isn't what you think is 'American' any more?

You can't expect someone to have an obligation to like a country just because they were born in it.

No, you people think that america sucks suck

http://webpages.charter.net/dexerion/OwnedPics/americaownzjoo.jpg

...hmm...I'm debating whether or not to actually go off on this thread...

Living in a country does not require you to love it or respect it or anything.

And when the hell will people quit with the damn "if you don't agree with everything this country does you're un-American" idea?! That is so stupid!

Many people in America are afraid to speak up against what the country does in the fear of being called anti-american or whatever...

Pffft, we in Britain enjoy more freedom than you'll ever know....

That depends on your definition of freedom, though- which is a common cultural clash across the Atlantic.

Oh noooooo!!! Stop with complaining about Bush. It's getting boring What's more, he's not as bad as you think. You probably have never seen a really crappy politician. I'm happy living far far away from America. I would die in this country full of patriots.

Happens all the time. "Oh no, you disagree!!! UNPATRIOTIC!!!!"

There is this interesting way in which left and right wing collide when it comes to social criticism like that...

But just wait till somebody says the holocaust didn't happen

That's Europe, not the UK, though the base behind your point can be argued.

in which sense i kinda feel bad for those people - i do understand tho.

No patriotic act here - ''here take all my freedom AWAY so you can protect me from the threat that has been going on for a while''

Last time I checked the UK looked like europe

Better let's not talk about holocaust. It should be forbidden in any forums

I'm Just trying to state a point

In belgium it sometimes appears to be the national sport to slag off our own country and or governement

many americans would view you as a 'hater of freedom' and 'unamerican' just for thinking that.

Napalm there is a big difference between the UK and the main land of europe on quite a bit of subjects

Not really from here it doesn't- and holocaust denial isn't a crime here.

All right sorry I'm thinking of some other countries

the Brits and us up here in Scandinavia lists this continent as this British Isles, Scandinavia and Europe

Better check the map again, The UK is made up of Islands, Europe is a land mass.

Your right

That's why so many Europeans migrate here back in the 1900's.




Let's see you don't like the president but you should love the country. Isn't that some other way of declaring yourself as a nationalist?



Err....America has done some bad things...but other countries have done worse....Wouldn't it be better to say humanity has done a lot of bad things?



Huh?! You said we have a crappy president and that president promotes patriotism....but you said he is a crappy president.....but now you're saying to love the country which is very patriotic..... I'm confused!



Ignore the President he is too patriotic......but still love your country....also very patriotic.

and you call me an idiot? BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Ohh you still are

UK still belongs to Europe although many English people dont like to say hey are part of Europe - which is weird.

we look at ourselves as scandinavian after our nationality. We dont like to say we belong to Europe either, coame on Europe is full of Frenchmen for gods sake

Members of the European Union:

Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
United Kingdom




Yes although they are part of the european union, I still stand by the fact that the UK is made up of Islands and that europe is a continent.

I hate myself for lughing at that, but it's damn funny!

You will note Switzerland is not in that list.

You might also note that frigging Israel is in the Euro-broadcasting zone.

Until the EU becomes a State, these things come down to mere definition, of widely varying criteria.

Geographically, UK is part of the continent 'Europe' in the same way Cuba is in the Americas. But normally when we refer to Europe in a political sense, we mean the mainland "or 'the Continent', as people tend to say here... as if the whole world consists of a. the UK and b Europe.)

EU aint the same as Europe though it doesnt represent all of the continents countries

Exactly - noone is talking about a friggin European Union - well i wasnt. I was talking Geographically.

And geographically UK is part of Europe - like it or not.

eeehh no UK and Scandinavia is not parts of the European continent

But is it part of 'Europe', if you get my drift? The term has taken on its own meaning. Like I say, the Swiss- and indeed the Norwegains- really stretch the ambiguity of it all.

Maybe its the not-really-being-a-part-of-the-landmass thing in our case,
(Except for our links via the Channel tunnel...) a lot of us always been proud to of this, I guess.... Which is why I respect Ireland's wish to be a seperate republic also. But then you have Scotland and Wales who are connected to us, and while parts of the UK they will always be respected by me as their own countries firstly and foremost.. Maybe the issue of our disconnectivity its because of our historical track record with a fair few European countries then...? I do find it interesting...

No we dont we consider ourselfs as Scandinavians second to Norwegians we never look at ourselves as Europeans nor do the Swedes actually

That avi is giving me a migrane

So then please explain to me on which continent does your country lay?

See, Europe, I think, is the only 'untouchable' continent... people don't want to be in its spirit no matter how close they are in physicality...

Why is that though? History? People...? I think you right thou...

North pole

again it is full of Frenchmen for crying out load...and Belgians

The north pole isn't a continent, it's floating ice

Belgians make great waffles though!

wtf? North Pole is NOT a continent.

North Pole is a new continent we cant have discrimination between the Poles now can we.........

I think it is very likely to be history. Europe has never been totally dominated by another power, and has spent most of its history beating the crap out of each other- and the more remote places (UK/England/Britain. Switzerland, Scandinavia- all more remote for different reasons) have felt this more keenly.

The modrn day Americas and Africa were born out of opposition TO Europe, so they can more comfortably identify together under that concept and like it- even though they still hate each other.

Asia... tricky...

Yes, I'm sure the icebergs will be so upset that they're not a continent

Ice bergs have feelings too

yeah the seals of the north couldnt stand the mocking of the penguins in the south

It could have started a war.

Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America

^^ you gotta lie on one of those.

North Pole is disriminated against in this case!

well we just started a petition to add the north pole, we cant have a discrimination amongst the poles

I am sure the US will claim it!

Damn penguins, always think that they are better than everyone else. I don't trust those peguins.

There probally Soviet agents in disguise

well someone needs to tell them the curtain fell over a decade ago, actually they look more cia too me

Or Neo-Nazis

nah CIA cause they look pretty clueless

hahaha!!

Any day of the week I will express my views on how screwed up this country is. How this supposed "freedom" is a concept of the massive propaganda machine that we have imposed on ourselves, in the form of a supposedly democratic government. These days, freedom should be defined by how much of our personal lives are controlled and dictated by the government. However, this country has afforded me many opprotunities and I will always be greatful that I was born here, and not somewhere else. But, these few real rights give me the freedom to express my feelings about the government, the people who run it, and the people that put them in power.

Americans who think America sucks don't know how good they have it. But, people should be allowed to think America sucks all they want even if they live here. I've lived in plenty of places that I thought sucked, why is it any different when you're referring to a country instead of a city or state?

this country was founded on the idea that freedom is a god given right.
today we are led to believe that it is rather a priviledge which we should
be thankful for. they want to bastardise our own constitution and destroy its very meaning, by making it a statement of what we can/cant do rather than a statement of our inailiable rights.

our founding fathers put forth the constitiution as a way of solidifying those freedoms the best they can...and WHY? because they did not trust those in power...more to the point- they did not trust their 'fellow americans' in power.
i think if ben franklin were alive today, he would not say 'america sucks' but he certainly would be weary(to say the least) of the way our civil liberties are taken for granted.

so the next time a right winger grandstands with talks of "our founding fathers blah blah blah" and "you dishonor our country and founding fathers blah blah" just remind them of that.

And those founding fathers created this country because they thought that the system they lived under sucked. They didn't have the right to say such things. So they fought and died to guarentee us that right. I'm thankful for that, but to remain silent when you are outraged would be an insult to those men and women who died to give us those rights.

Personally, I think if Ben Franklin were alive he might say something along the lines of, " Hellllooooooo...Peeeeople... Did you even REMOTLEY get the whole point of what we were trying to do?

Sorry, that's reminded me of an old KYTV joke...

"If Napoelon were alive today... he'd be the oldest person ever to have lived..."

He'd still be short though, old and short.

Hahaha, bad joke....

well the whole point of freedom is to be able to voice opinion on things such as your own country. Please look up the meaning of freedom first. !!

Its is....
The condition of being free of restraints.
Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.

Political independence.
Exemption from the arbitrary exercise of authority in the performance of a specific action; civil liberty: freedom of assembly.
Exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition: freedom from want.
The capacity to exercise choice; free will: We have the freedom to do as we please all afternoon.
Ease or facility of movement: loose sports clothing, giving the wearer freedom.
Frankness or boldness; lack of modesty or reserve: the new freedom in movies and novels.

The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.
The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.


However i think freedom should be restricted only if it starts being targeted against minorities or groups.

This is what happens when you hate America!

HAHAHAHA!!!!

I like The US, nice country just with an above average ratio of wackos compare to others IMO.

Isn't that pic ****ing hilarious!? I almost spit up my drink when I saw it a few days ago. It proves my theory that all flag burners are retards.

That picture is pure gold BF!

Totally, it's so awesome I almost want to make it my sig.

lol, you should never burn another contries flag even if they burn yours.

/

that pic is a perfect example of poetic justice

eww shocking

I dont know about that. I dont think anyone with will power in America is afraid of speaking their minds if it goes against "America" . If it were true that Americans lived in fear of being stigmatized for speaking out against the country. Then there wouldnt have been as much controversy during the election. The 30 bands that participated in the rock against bush tour werent afraid, nor was micheal moore. Many peopl talk about how much the coutnry is going down the shitter. It wont get much recognition, but people talk.

excellent point.

i don't think that the whole "you don't support us so you're anti-american" issue is nearly as strong as the rest of the world fools itself into believing.

Political Science teachers everywhere in America are teaching their students that it's their right as American's to question the government and it's actions...anyone who labels them un-American for doing that is more "anti-American" than the person who questions the system.

oh please rages, what a weak point
you really believe that such a concert would have been 'allowed'
in late 2001 & 2002? the only reason people speak their minds in america NOW is because they are no longer afraid. the 'unamerican' debate is just to close the deal and get all these bush worshippers who think they and only they deserve to wave old glory to stfu.

makes me wonder though...what would it take to turn america into a dictatorship? 9-11 was horrible, but in the face of tragedies around the world, it wasnt nearly as catastrophic. take for example the slaughter of over a million people in ruwanda, or over 100,000 people in iraq recently.

all it took for us was about 3000, and everyone was terrified into submission, glued to their TVs and begging bush to 'protect' them in any way possible, and to hell with civil liberties...are we really so evolved as we think? if our death tole equaled that of iraq, would we as a nation just lose our sanity for good? scary thought i know.

really? I would've sworn Switzerland was also part of the EU

you must be joking... switzerland never joins any organisation (think they have an exception or two though) to stay "neutral" in everything

NO Switzerland is almost a part of nothing (altho I do seem to remember they joined the UN a few years back -as one of the last countries in the world-)

huh? i thought this was about america...

really???