Dismantling an empire

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

OK, I apologise for having jumped to any conclusions without knowing anything of your background. However, you do nothing to disabuse me of your notion that the abuse such individuals suffered was something other than deep-seated. What exactly was the rabid ethnic hatred you experienced in your community, of which you wrote before?

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In my particular area, as an example, there is/was a town of several hundred people which had two schools, one which was used by the Bohemians (that is how they were called by all) and the other by the Polish.

Most ethnic separations were also enhanced by Protestant vs. Roman Catholic, but more often than not, one religion was of one ethnic group, and the other of another, often crossing national boundaries in the "homelands".
You would hear "damn (pick an ethic group) more often than "damn catholic" etc.
Disdain for Bohemians, Pomeranians, Bavarians etc. was the norm, not to even address Spicks, Micks, Kikes and other more colorful names.
I would say near all grandparents and at least half of the parents in my town of five thousand people, could speak a foreign language and when they did, it was so the children would have no idea of what was being said, which probably also why the ability to speak another language died with our parents, as if we asked what was being said, we were told children were to be seen and not heard.


To marry across these boundaries meant one spouse was ostracized from the ones family forever.
The tone of hatred I heard in adults, who thought we were not listening was so vehement that people almost spit when speaking of the other side.

This faded away rapidly, when a single race became an easy target for an us verses them attitude, due to Pres. Johnsons
( who took the centuries over-due civil rights act and destroyed the good it would do, )
making one race, and one race only recipients of government handouts. This quickly made them dependent on and butt-boys of the government, whilst also making them subject of scorn as their very high standard of moral behavior collapsed into a mo' money hand-out attitude, highlighted by drug pushers and pimps becoming status symbols in some neighborhoods.

There was a show broadcast here on public television, some years back, about the tar-shack ghettos, for lack of a better term, in the Twin Cities in Minn. where immigrants and those on hard times lived till they could find a better job and move out.
There, as opposed to areas with more fortunate occupants, there were no problems due to race or ethnic group, they lived side by side and helped as people in neighborhoods used to do in Minn.(Of course this was also at a time when immigrants put priority status on learning to speak English, and speak it well, so they could communicate and function well with the society they were joining.)

The show also tells that, that, all came to a rapid halt when Johnson's Great Society rules were implemented, as one group suddenly had access to government help that others in equal dire straights did not.
The city decided to fix that by destroying the poor neighbor hoods and building tenement housing which were later torn down when they turned into dens infested with pimps and pushers.

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Originally Posted by Bob Riebe

You want an honest opinion about Vietnam, come to St. Cloud ,Minn, and visit the Vietnam War memorial dedicated to the Vietnamese and surrounding countries soldiers who fought and died with the U.S. and then were forced to leave by Dem. cutting and running.
When they have their memorial service, fill them with your idyllic bs that say they were wrong to fight, and try to save their countries.
You may get an earful, or eyeful of fist.

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The North Vietnamese also wanted to save their country. They wanted it more and succeeded. The difference was only what they wanted to save their country from.

Diego Garcia.....please discuss.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depopul...f_Diego_Garcia

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Originally Posted by GridGirl

Diego Garcia.....please discuss.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depopul...f_Diego_Garcia

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Interesting. I didn't even know the place existed. If that had happened in Europe , the media would have been all over it. And if it had been done by the Soviet Union, the US and the UK governments would have been all over it too.

Bit like the Bikini Atoll case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikini_Atoll

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The Micronesian inhabitants, who numbered about 200 before the United States relocated them after World War II, ate fish, shellfish, bananas, and coconuts. A large majority of the Bikinians were moved to a single island named Kili as part of their temporary homestead, but remain there today and receive compensation from the United States for their survival.[7]

In 1968 the United States declared Bikini habitable and started bringing a small group of Bikinians back to their homes in the early 1970s as a test. In 1978, however, the islanders were removed again when strontium-90 in their bodies reached dangerous levels after a French team of scientists did additional tests on the island.[8] It was not uncommon for women to experience faulty pregnancies, miscarriages, stillbirths and damage to their offspring as a result of the nuclear testing on Bikini.[9] The United States provided $150 million as a settlement for damages caused by the nuclear testing program.[10]
Since the early 1980s the leaders of the Bikinian community have insisted that, because of what happened in the 1970s with the aborted return to their atoll, they want the entire island of Bikini excavated and the soil removed to a depth of about 15 inches. Scientists involved with the Bikinians have stressed that while the excavation method would rid the island of the cesium-137, the removal of the topsoil would severely damage the environment, turning it into a virtual wasteland of wind-swept sand. The Council, however, feeling a responsibility toward their people, have repeatedly contended that a scrape of Bikini is the only way to guarantee safe living conditions on their island for their future generations.[citation needed]

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Originally Posted by Eki

Interesting. I didn't even know the place existed. If that had happened in Europe , the media would have been all over it. And if it had been done by the Soviet Union, the US and the UK governments would have been all over it too.

Bit like the Bikini Atoll case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikini_Atoll

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Jealous, aren't we?

Whenever I listen to people bashing the US and calling it "evil" and "imperialist" I always ask 2 things.

1: Name me one superpower that has behaved better than the US!

2; Think of the alternative! Imagine if a country like Russia or China was Dominant.

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Originally Posted by anthonyvop

Jealous, aren't we?

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I'm not, how about you?

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Originally Posted by anthonyvop

Whenever I listen to people bashing the US and calling it "evil" and "imperialist" I always ask 2 things.

1: Name me one superpower that has behaved better than the US!

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That's like asking someone to name one supervillain who has behaved better than Dr. Evil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Evil

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Originally Posted by anthonyvop

2; Think of the alternative! Imagine if a country like Russia or China was Dominant.

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That's like telling someone with syfilis: "So, you have syfilis. Think of the alternative! Imagine if you had AIDS."

Nobody has to be dominant. We should leave that to the UN General Assembly (the Security Council should be dismantled) and decide there democratically how to run the world.

I think all the bases in other countries except our territories should operate with a profit. South Korea should pay for our presence. If the base is not profitable then close it.
Also due to our economic condition all foreign aid should be suspended.

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Originally Posted by Eki

The North Vietnamese also wanted to save their country. They wanted it more and succeeded. The difference was only what they wanted to save their country from.

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It was noth ther country anymore than South Korea is North Korea's country.
Bob
PS-- Tell the Hmong how they belonged to North Vietnam; the N. Viets.

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Originally Posted by Eki

I'm not, how about you?

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Well you statements beg to differ.

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Originally Posted by Eki

That's like asking someone to name one supervillain who has behaved better than Dr. Evil.

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Ahhhh.....Typical reply when the answer hurts.

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Originally Posted by Eki

That's like telling someone with syfilis: "So, you have syfilis. Think of the alternative! Imagine if you had AIDS."

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So Syphilis and AIDS are equal in your mind?

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Originally Posted by Eki

Nobody has to be dominant.

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As long as there are free men there will always be dominant nations. The sooner you grasp that concept the happier you will be,

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Originally Posted by Eki

We should leave that to the UN General Assembly (the Security Council should be dismantled) and decide there democratically how to run the world.

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Really? You want a Country like Iran telling you how you should treat women?
Good thing most Finns don't think like you do.

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Originally Posted by anthonyvop

So Syphilis and AIDS are equal in your mind?

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If the US, Russia and China are equal in your mind. I meant that a lesser evil is still evil.

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Originally Posted by anthonyvop

Really? You want a Country like Iran telling you how you should treat women?
Good thing most Finns don't think like you do.

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FYI, there are about 200 countries in the world, and Iran is just one country. They'd need over 100 countries to support them to have their say. So would the US. It would be a popularity contest, not a contest of which one is more scary.