The Reason Rally - March 24, 2012
- Emile Rposted 13 years ago
0 I wish I could come! Some very good speakers.
I will have to wait for you guys to come back and tell those of us who couldn't be there about it in a hub or two.
- Sherlock221bposted 13 years ago0
Out of the closet is the right terminology too, as having any public profile in America, it is love the fairy or walk!
People are less likely to admit they don't follow the bronze aged god when their lives and those of their children can be ruined by their non belief in the unbelievable.
I hope they see a high percentage of non believers, but I doubt many can afford the risk in these hard times... too likely to lose their income.Not that little.
You won't find the same problem in places like down-town New York so much, but other places?
Try running for President or high office without the right fairy, or getting a job in a turban, or trying to find a boss who doesn't want to know what your religion is regardless of any state laws to stop that type of discrimination as happened to a friend recently.
The word "Muslim" was used as a derogative word to denigrate the first black president but was OK by a large percentage of the right.
No, America still carries the old racist, sexist, religious bulldust around and parades it like a badge of honour.
The newly politically correct religious zealots still destroy democracy with an inordinate amount of representation in my view.Fair enough, I don't live there and you do, I have never stayed for more than a few months, but have been watching America and formed those views.
You may well be right about a vocal minority, I guess you get to know that by living there and knowing your culture better than I do.
May I ask approximately where you are in the states, and if you feel your location reflects a typical or majority point of view?North of DC. Small town in Maryland. And yes, we do. No one cares who is what. This state is one of the states that is already over 50% hispanic, believe it or not. There are a lot of people who live here that have been here for generations, and we have our share of bedroom communities for DC.
But, I've lived in several states throughout the years and the picture you paint is not indicative of anywhere I've lived.
No, I don't sit around and discuss my views in the local diner, but neither does anyone else discuss religion, race or any subject you mentioned. I've never been asked my religious affiliation in any job interview.
I realize it's the nature of things to insult our country here, but at least I can take comfort in the fact that no Americans are running around attempting to return the favor.
It is probably even worse than you describe Earnest ,and location obviously can be deceptive .However the old boys club ,especially those who run the main offices still have their territory contained...Old money talks...
Freedom of speech is alive and well ,but if the media is controlled by on high ,all they do is open make alot of hot air.
Democracy - No comment.
BBC and Rueters is less insular oh and the discovery channel
America has a large influence on Australia and many other countries many of which most Americans can't even locate on a map, so you are due a bit of scrutiny.
You control our drug laws for example, something that interferes with our medical R+D.
We were also dragged into all of your recent wars including Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Australia has a pretty nasty history, and is not perfect now either, so feel free to criticise it, I do.
I'm happy to know it has improved over there.No, the drug laws were put in place on the usual basis. Do it or we will punish you, the same as they do in several other areas including participation in wars.
The thing is, it is true that many Americans have no idea where many countries are, in fact I can probably find the data to support that statement, although it has been obvious even many Presidents up until Obama knew very little about the rest of the world.
America has had a tendency to nationalistic fervour for some time, the excesses visible to all who can get Fox TV.
I love America, have for a long time, but I am not going to lie about what I see that I don't like.
I am willing to be educated on the matter, but could do without the accusations of being narrow minded and the like.That's OK I understand, I am proud to be Australian and like Rupert would be happy to be a dual citizen. I do have a green card.
As you know I ran for the Senate in my state, so I do know some of what goes on in government here from colleagues and our hungry press.
America if not obeyed imposes trade embargoes, blocking supply, threatens to renege on joint ventures, threatens to block deals, whatever gets the job done.
Our politicians fold like cards because our economy is so reliant on yours that the local saying that everyone knows is "America gets a sniffle, we get the flu."
We have a smaller economy than America and depend heavily on your good offices, so we do as we are told.True!
We have a very strong relationship with China based on Australian resources such as LPG and iron ore, boxite etc.
We have a little better control over those.....so far.I agree, and China has big muscles to flex at this time. China and Australia have a very long relationship though.
The oldest family in my city of almost 4 Million are Chinese, I have an adopted son from China, half or more of what we buy is Chinese, yet I would estimate they only represent around 2-3% of the population here.
I hope that our student exchange program and the number of Asian students here may make things a little easier in negotiations with China into the future.
The culture is very different though, and I would never find it as easy to assimilate into their culture as they do into mine for many reasons.
I worked for the Chinese Government for a while in the nineties as editor of the Aust/China business Herald, which they started in Melbourne, written in Mandarin and English.
Way back then, they lifted infrastructure verbatim from Canadian and Australian laws in preparation for them becoming the real capitalists they are at heart more openly.
The problem is that bribes will have to be lost when the laws go in to place and people will have to be paid more.
Hell of an eye opener for me.
Don't let? LOL! You would end up spending all of your time getting gang whipped if you defended the president with such zeal around here.
Unless, of course, you were in a certain other section of town, and you would be suspected of buying drugs if you were there and white.
No, some things change very slowly here in the south. Enlightenment is one of them.Rural Southeastern Georgia. Fortunately, I live in the country on a farm and do not have to deal with people I don't like.
They loved me Randy
down South ,actually more than my hubby.
But then hes a yank
Actually Im Southern girl ,just from the other end of the Hemiphere lol...closer to Penguins than maybe Snakes
But I loved the time I lived in Greenville ,SC and Spartanburg.
My new friends Pat and Les and Janet,Les was a retired sherriff and General Lee took up most of one living room corner.
Culturally I learned much from the locals..
Then there was Alex ,oh my gosh he was almost 80 yrs old and what a charmer..cooked the meanest (best) grilled chicken ,marinated in a family secret recipe!!...
I loved hearing his stories,wished now Id recorded some of them ,he would have let me too...amazing man,he had such a rich past.
In the past all I had known ,was what Id read ,now some of that has been confirmed by my friends recollection of his family history, and although some comments disturbed me ,it was never the less a part of the Souths history.I don't intend to infer there are not some great people here, EK. It is so much better here than when I was a child before the civil rights movement took place. Even as a small child I was disturbed by the racism I witnessed in public places.
We still have along way to go, though.I can well imagine the racism.
In some quarters I noticed how easily some people still do use racist language without a flinch of shame.
I thought I was shock proof -I was proven wrong.
Now I get to observe the NorthI was in high school when the first 2 black students entered the formally all-white institution of learning. The halls were lined by white students who had been reared by mostly racist parents.
These 2 bright young men (both honor students) wore white shirts with ties and black dress pants, making them stand out even more among those hundreds of us in casual wear forming a gauntlet of sorts for them to traverse to their homerooms.
I was in fear for their lives as some uttered racial slurs upon them. They held their heads high and one of them even stopped in front of a group of boys and asked who called him a n****r.
I knew who said it, but even though the boy who hurled the insult was surrounded by friends, he was afraid to admit his guilt under the gaze of the new student. I was ashamed to be white that day.
I often wondered what the night before was like to those two brave boys and what went on in their minds. I still do.
I only passed through Georgia as a tourist and by knowing what a religious loon looked like from some people we met along the way at a food stop, we were able to avoid em.
We noticed they like to advertise their lunacy all over themselves and their vehicles.
The people I met in Georgia were great, very friendly and easy going, hospitable and I enjoyed listening to them.
I was looking at car collections though, not bible collections.I like this outlook Emile, it is optimistic and reminds me that when we expect the best from people we very often get it.
My dad used to say "give a dog a good name" by which he meant to get across that If we expect people to behave well we should treat them with that level of respect from the start, more people will meet or better our expectations.Thanks ernest. It's my ideal. I don't always live up to this, but when I recognize that I've fallen short I apologize, make amends or whatever I have to do to show that I know it. Then I kick myself in the head for a few days for falling short, before I finally find perspective.
Maybe someday I'll live it 100% of the time.
We the Squares will oppose your moves towards world domination
- AKA Winstonposted 13 years ago0
- Sherlock221bposted 13 years ago0
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