Are you reading this thread?
This comment was intended to Kicky..
Francis wrote:Italians are, in general, nice people.
It never happened to me to blame one...
"Ma chi sono io che ardisco parlare degli italiani?"
Si! E Chi e' questa donna con la testa vuota che parlare dei francesi? Lei e' una persona insensata, eh?
(My italian is real rusty. Hope that makes sense.)
It makes perfect sense, Kicky. I think he is a man, but I may be wrong...
Not that it matters to anyone, but the cause of WWII being a war with Germany, as I was taught in school, was not Germany, but the huge reparations that Germany had to pay France for WWI. This caused the fertile ground (inflation in the Weimar Republic) for the Nazis to gain power. Not that history is taught the same in every state of the Union, but that's how I was taught. It made me think that part of the historical character of France was a vindictiveness that sowed the seeds for WWII in Europe.
To me that action reflected a very self-absorbed orientation; the same orientation that people claim the U.S. has today. Yet, I don't think much has changed. The U.S. still gets involved with wars for the benefit of other nations, and some countries are just concerned about itself.
Foofie wrote:
The U.S. still gets involved with wars for the benefit of other nations, and some countries are just concerned about itself.
You need a huge reality check and a history lesson. You are OUT TO LUNCH if you think America (or any other country, really) does ANYTHING for altruistic reasons. There is ALWAYS something in it for them, somewhere.
How old are you, anyway?
Grow up. Read a little. Then come back and discuss.
You make me laugh.
Mame wrote:Foofie wrote:
The U.S. still gets involved with wars for the benefit of other nations, and some countries are just concerned about itself.
You need a huge reality check and a history lesson. You are OUT TO LUNCH if you think America (or any other country, really) does ANYTHING for altruistic reasons. There is ALWAYS something in it for them, somewhere.
How old are you, anyway?
Grow up. Read a little. Then come back and discuss.
You make me laugh.
Why don't people treat opinion as opinion, not objective truth? Everything I say is just my opinion. And I get rebuttles on my opinion? What is it with A2K? Some people just like to have a mutual admiration society? Differing opinions must be beaten into the ground?
I'd guess you don't argue with those that have a different religion than yourself? Religion is just opinion, yet people think they are following objective truth, yet they tend not to argue over it. But any other topic it's O.K. to argue over opinion? Doesn't make sense?
To reiterate: The U.S. still gets involved with wars for the benefit of other nations, and some countries are just concerned about itself.
Thank you for highlighting my salient point. Good work. You show a true humility in this fine effort of highlighting.
Il mio italiano e' piu rusty, uh oh, than, I forget the word for than.. (thinking, di? dell').. l'italiano di Kichi.
I am offended by some practices of some segments of the population of the countries I know about, mostly by reading, as much as I know about them... and that sure includes my own. My reasons aren't apt to align with Foofie's, as far as I can see from what I've read of Foofie's posts. I haven't been to that many places, however widely I've read, and not lived in other than my own country for serious stretches of time. But, for various reasons, I'm quite fond of Canada, Mexico, Italy, and, yes, my country, the US, as a generalization, based on those travel experiences. I project that I would be fond of France and Germany, based on the french and germans that I have met in my life.
Humans are the embodiment of wonderous talent, deep love, despicable deeds, petty corruption. All of us are, en masse. One of the things that drives me nutso about my own country is the apparent arrogance re everyone else. But then... not all of us are arrogant individuals.
Foofie
War is big business, it's all about buying and selling munitions. The rest is just geography.
ossobuco wrote:Il mio italiano e' piu rusty, uh oh, than, I forget the word for than.. (thinking, di?)
I am offended by some practices of some segments of the population of the countries I know about, mostly by reading, as much as I know about them... and that sure includes my own. My reasons aren't apt to align with Foofie's, as far as I can see from what I've read of Foofie's posts. I haven't been to that many places, however widely I've read, and not lived in other than my own country for serious stretches of time. But, for various reasons, I'm quite fond of Canada, Mexico, Italy, and, yes, my country, the US, as a generalization, based on those travel experiences. I project that I would be fond of France and Germany, based on the french and germans that I have met in my life.
Humans are the embodiment of wonderous talent, deep love, despicable deeds, petty corruption. All of us are, en masse. One of the things that drives me nutso about my own country is the apparent arrogance re everyone else. But then... not all of us are arrogant individuals.
What? U.S. citizens are the most humblest of creatures! Listen to the country western music - humility and humbleness. No sophisticated classical music.
Or our cuisine - fast food. No sophisticated cuisines dripping in sauces.
Or our clothes - white athletic shoes/sneakers. Not sophisticated leather.
Or our cars - gas eating SUV's. Not sophisticated imports.
Or our cities - a hodge podge of ethnic neighborhoods. No relegating ethnics to surrounding suburbs.
You do have this tendency to generalize, foofie, often on the basis of a nit you pick.
Sglass wrote:Foofie
War is big business, it's all about buying and selling munitions. The rest is just geography.
I believe this is often stated, but I believe it is specious. There's nothing more valuable and profitable than land (aka geography); the U.S. gets into wars, yet doesn't profit by taking land.
You are aware that the Nazis planned to colonize Eastern Europe with ethnic Germans if they won. And guess where those Eastern Europeans would have gone. Well the U.S. won WWII, and there's still a Germany and a Japan. The difference about the U.S. is we win wars, but don't VANQUISH the enemy. That is what other countries might do when they win.
And actually, we didn't win WWII. As Americans we liberated Germany from Naziism and we liberated Japan from the Imperialist Japanese. They both wanted land. We took none.
And if you remember WWI history, France wanted such large reparations from Germany it set the stage for the Weimar Republic inflation which was fertile soil for the Nazis to gain power. Now there too a country wanted to profit from their war effort.
ossobuco wrote:You do have this tendency to generalize, foofie, often on the basis of a nit you pick.
Go on, have the last word!
Foofie wrote:To reiterate: The U.S. still gets involved with wars for the benefit of other nations
Name one.
(If she says Iraq, I'm gonna spit my Pepsi all over my keyboard)
Kichi, we are not sure if she is a he.
Yawns...
I may have to engage, re foofie and land..
I'd rather not, re effort.
I get it, that is hard to argue with people who think in balloons.
Personally, I don't have the patience.
Besides, it's time for you to have a good night sleep, Osso...
So, Francis, you think I am posting while inebriated? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
I think you are being protective, which I appreciate.
Re Foofie and land, the question is whether to go there or not. I could type for hours, and to what avail.
I'm not going to.
Aw, go ahead, Osso. Typing for hours can be relaxing.
As to Foofie's contention that the USofA never goes to war to gain land, that is a totally hilarious premise. How do you suppose we acquired Puerto Rico? We kicked out the Spaniards in 1898. California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico were all part of Mexico until we took the land from them in 1848. And that war, BTW, was all about getting land . Remember 'Manifest Destiny'? The U.S. has, historically, been the most rapacious of nations. It's only since the 20th Century that we started to tone it down a bit. And while it's true that the two so-called world wars (neither actually involved the whole world unless you fdon't consider South America part of the world) were not about land acquisition by the US, the so-called Cold War was all about maintaining shperes of influence. We don't mind a country having its own government, its own legislature and executive, as long as we can control which way that country will vote at the UN and -- if it has natural resources or a strong manufacturing base -- to whom it will sell its goods chepaly.
Get real.
ossobuco wrote:So, Francis, you think I am posting while inebriated? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
I think you are being protective, which I appreciate.
It didn't come to mind.
I was leaving the house at 9:00 am at my place when I saw you posting, so it was 2:00 AM at your place.
That was late for a lady to be posting.
I was indeed being protective, Osso..
Yes, it was late. My left eye was hurting (long story, but it's fine this morning) and I didn't think I could sleep.
