Americans are bankrupt.

"Bob Burns" wrote:

1. If you don't like the USA, leave.

This may be the most repugnant sentiment I hear expressed ...
anywhere. "My country: love it or leave it."

Thank you for your efforts to squelch dissent.

Thank you for allowing no room for doubt (or improvement).

Thank you for allowing no room to disagree.

Thank you for painting such a simplistic black & white picture of so
many complicated issues.

Thank you for demonizing those who disagree with you, asking them to
leave the country for doing it. Different from ethnic cleansing ...
how?

Thank you for epitomizing self-righteousness so strikingly.

Quoting (undoubtedly, one of your favorites) Al Franken:

"Conservatives love their country the way a 4-year-old loves her
Mommy: unconditionally. Anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad.

By contrast, liberals have a "grownup love" for their country. They
take the bad with the good and help their loved one grow."

And, again, Deepak Chopra:

"Religion and nationalism are the scourge of humanity"

Neil Brooks wrote:
"Bob Burns" wrote:

1. If you don't like the USA, leave.

This may be the most repugnant sentiment I hear expressed ...
anywhere. "My country: love it or leave it."

Thank you for your efforts to squelch dissent.

In fairness to Bob Burns, Red Cloud's post began with the assertion
that he just visited the U.S. again after an absence of three year. In
that context, I interpreted Burns' statement in much the same as I
would interpret a similiar response to someone complaining about where
they spent their vacation:
Statement- "God, how I hate it here."
Reply- "If you hate the place so much why did you return?"
BTW, dissent is usually understood to come from within. If Burns had
addressed his comment to the author of what Red Cloud pasted and that
author was/is a U.S. citizen then you might be justified in accusing
him of attempting to squelch dissent but what I think he was really
attempting to do is discourage a one-trick troll. Lighten up a little,
Neil.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

"Bob" wrote:

BTW, dissent is usually understood to come from within. If Burns had
addressed his comment to the author of what Red Cloud pasted and that
author was/is a U.S. citizen then you might be justified in accusing
him of attempting to squelch dissent but what I think he was really
attempting to do is discourage a one-trick troll.

Burns did, if unwittingly.

Red Clod didn't editorialize. Those words were /entirely/ a
cut-and-paste of the U.S.-born author's piece. See:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/22/8757/75678

Lighten up a little, Neil.

Nah. I'm good. Thanks, though.

I would submit that this country would be a better place if more
people took an issue as weighty as this one /more/ seriously, not
less.

Neil Brooks wrote:

"Bob" wrote:

BTW, dissent is usually understood to come from within. If Burns had
addressed his comment to the author of what Red Cloud pasted and that
author was/is a U.S. citizen then you might be justified in accusing
him of attempting to squelch dissent but what I think he was really
attempting to do is discourage a one-trick troll.

Burns did, if unwittingly.

Red Clod didn't editorialize. Those words were /entirely/ a
cut-and-paste of the U.S.-born author's piece. See:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/22/8757/75678

Lighten up a little, Neil.

Nah. I'm good. Thanks, though.

I would submit that this country would be a better place if more
people took an issue as weighty as this one /more/ seriously, not
less.

On reflection, though, if Robert Burns /was/ talking to Red Clod,
unwittingly, then I apologize to him for the tone.

I've just heard a bit too much of "You're either with us or with the
terrorists" in the last few years. Gets old, quickly.

Neil Brooks wrote:
"Bob Burns" wrote:

1. If you don't like the USA, leave.

This may be the most repugnant sentiment I hear expressed ...
anywhere. "My country: love it or leave it."

You deleted #2 ("Stop trolling on this bike group."), which makes #1 funny.


Thank you for your efforts to squelch dissent.

Thank you for allowing no room for doubt (or improvement).

Thank you for allowing no room to disagree.

Thank you for painting such a simplistic black & white picture of so
many complicated issues.

Thank you for demonizing those who disagree with you, asking them to
leave the country for doing it. Different from ethnic cleansing ...
how?

Thank you for epitomizing self-righteousness so strikingly.

Zzzzzzzzzzz. Bob's right -- lighten up.

Quoting (undoubtedly, one of your favorites) Al Franken:

"Conservatives love their country the way a 4-year-old loves her
Mommy: unconditionally. Anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad.

There are plenty of conservatives criticizing America these days -- Patrick
Buchannon and Joe Scarborough just to name two.

By contrast, liberals have a "grownup love" for their country. They
take the bad with the good and help their loved one grow."

All liberals do is whine and complain (and appeal to emotionalism), hardly
contributing to "growth".


And, again, Deepak Chopra:

"Religion and nationalism are the scourge of humanity"

Pretty funny coming from a sappy pacifist whose followers treat like a
"religious" leader; pass the collection plate! (Or buy another
book/tape/headband.)

Neil Brooks wrote:

I would submit that this country would be a better place if more
people took an issue as weighty as this one /more/ seriously, not
less.

Which particular issue in that very long post do you think we should
take more seriously? I read the entire post and didn't see too many
issues. Lots of opinions, condemnations, and assumptions that what is
true of one person or small group is true of everyone but damned few
"issues".

Regards,
Bob Hunt

"Bob" wrote:

Neil Brooks wrote:

I would submit that this country would be a better place if more
people took an issue as weighty as this one /more/ seriously, not
less.

Which particular issue in that very long post do you think we should
take more seriously? I read the entire post and didn't see too many
issues. Lots of opinions, condemnations, and assumptions that what is
true of one person or small group is true of everyone but damned few
"issues".

Nope. Missed my point. The issue I think we should take seriously is
shouting out against those who say, "My country: love it or leave it."

If that wasn't Mr. (C. Montgomery) Burns, then it isn't addressed to
him.

Neil Brooks wrote:

This may be the most repugnant sentiment I hear expressed ...
anywhere. "My country: love it or leave it."

I find particularly shuddersome the phrase:

"My Country, Right or Wrong."

Now try it as "My Mother Drunk or Sober". Doesn't have quite the
same snappy ring does it? Basically it saying there's no justification
for whatever is being done, so we have to "Shut up and soldier".
"Our shoulders firmly set against the enemy", whoever that may be
this week. Iraq this year, Oceania next year?

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"Ah well, back to the cutting edge on the coal-face of e-commerce."
-- Charlie Stross

Dane Buson wrote:

I find particularly shuddersome the phrase:

"My Country, Right or Wrong."

Now try it as "My Mother Drunk or Sober". Doesn't have quite the
same snappy ring does it?

That's a ridiculous simile. You mean if your mother suffered from the
disease of addiction, A) you wouldn't love her; or B) she wouldn't be your
mother any more?

Try again.

N&F

In article ,
"Nuck 'n Futz" writes:
Dane Buson wrote:

I find particularly shuddersome the phrase:

"My Country, Right or Wrong."

Now try it as "My Mother Drunk or Sober". Doesn't have quite the
same snappy ring does it?

That's a ridiculous simile.

No it isn't.

You mean if your mother suffered from the
disease of addiction, A) you wouldn't love her;

No, but I'd oppose, rather than go along with her
insistence to drive is she was drunk, and I'd hide
her car keys.


cheers, & my mom was a non-driver,
Tom

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