[homintern]

http://housingpanic.blogspot.com/

Is it the Puritan heritage, this peculiarly American belief that the Apocalypse is just a round the corner? Remember all those books pre-Y2K, about stocking up? The whole industry has recycled itself and it's now the housing bust. The world as we know it is coming to an end - the world, in this case, being America. It's of a piece with the "Why us? Why are we under attack? It's the end of the world" attitude post September 11, when in fact the US had been exporting funding for terror and training foreigners in terrorist techniques for thirty years. It's no wonder fruitcakes like Henry Cate can sincerely assert that America "rescued" Europe in two world wars. There's just no grip on reality

[Bob]

It's no wonder fruitcakes like Henry Cate can sincerely assert that America "rescued" Europe in two world wars.

Other than Henry not being a fruitcake, he's at least correct that we did do the two rescues. And be thankful that we didn't fuck that up (like we do so many things with such ease) or you'd likely be speaking German right now. Verstehen sie das, Colonel Klink?

[Marsilius]

Any so-called "rescue" of Europe was the incidental by-product of the USA needing to counter-attack Germany, a country that had declared war on it. America's going to war was not an altruistic decision to rescue anybody - it was, rather, an unavoidable response to the fact that war had been declared upon it by the power that was occupying Western Europe at the time.

[Bob]

Geez, we kicked your asses out of here 300 years ago, rescue your sorry asses twice in the last century, and now your poking at our motives. Hell, let's just say our reason was to save Big Ben because we figured he had a huge swanz.

[homintern]

Other than Henry not being a fruitcake, he's at least correct that we did do the two rescues.

This probably won't come as news to you, Bob, but I've always regarded you as a right-wing fruitcake

[Bob]

This probably won't come as news to you, Bob, but I've always regarded you as a right-wing fruitcake

I'm not sure if I'll lose sleep tonight over that or not. I'll advise in the morning.

[kenc]

Any so-called "rescue" of Europe was the incidental by-product of the USA needing to counter-attack Germany, a country that had declared war on it. America's going to war was not an altruistic decision to rescue anybody - it was, rather, an unavoidable response to the fact that war had been declared upon it by the power that was occupying Western Europe at the time.

I might agree it was not an altruistic decision to go to war with Germany. It was a geopolitical necessity. We could not, for our own future survival, allow Germany to control Europe, or Japan to control the Far East.

But whatever the motive, we still bailed your asses out.

[homintern]

I'm not sure if I'll lose sleep tonight over that or not. I'll advise in the morning.

My young nieces and nephews invariable sleep well and as we all know, you've never claimed to be a grown-up. I don't think there's a doubt about whether you'll lose any sleep

[Bob]

I don't think there's a doubt about whether you'll lose any sleep

Come on, Homi, life isn't much fun without a little suspense.

[homintern]

I don't think there's a doubt about whether you'll lose any sleep

Come on, Homi, life isn't much fun without a little suspense

Each to their own perversion, I suppose

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

Geez, we kicked your asses out of here 300 years ago, rescue your sorry asses twice in the last century, and now your poking at our motives. Hell, let's just say our reason was to save Big Ben because we figured he had a huge swanz.

A further examination is required of those wondrous events before simple statements .

The event sited so often-the Boston Tea Party reveals that the insane King George had spent nearly 200 thousand pounds trying to obtain about 1000 pounds in taxes-the colonialists having set in store a capacity to avoid paying taxes that exists to the current day ( Wall Street ?)

Nor were these colonialists a sort "we" as opposed to "them" ( being the English) ..they were virtually exactly the same-just taking advantage of being away from the boss and deciding he wasn't needed. From then on the "we" proceeded to adopt every British custom -after all it would strange if they hadn't a that was were they were from !. All British social customs were incorporated into daily life with then end result-the US has a huge prudish swag that still weilds power today ( the Christian Right).

It was only mass European immigration that followed that turned the US into the wonderful place it is ( and that includes the perfect Irish !).

[Bob]

All British social customs were incorporated into daily life with then end result-the US has a huge prudish swag that still weilds power today ( the Christian Right).

Lunch, now I know why Homi reminds me of Pat Robertson! God talks directlly to Pat too (although not through a Thai boy's rectum).

Just a little funnin' from the colonies, Colonel....

[homintern]

It was only mass European immigration that followed that turned the US into the wonderful place it is.

Irony is completely wasted on Americans, Doris - they simply don't get it. However I also believe that (by and large) the US is a wonderful place - vibrant, rich and varied, with a robust economy that will get over this current blip. It's only lunatics like Osama bin Laden who believe that knocking over a couple of scyscrapers could bring such a country to its knees. But then you listen to all the crack-pot Americans who apparently believe the self-same thing - a few desk jockeys have buggered up bits of the financial system* and it's the end of the world as we know it. As ikarus apparently believes, the thing to do is to sell up all your assets in the world's richest, most varied and vibrant economy, convert them into the currency of some emerging banana republic that's anyway dependant on the US economy (China springs immediately to mind, but even a backwater like Thailand will do) and buy up ramshackle beachside dwellings where you can sit out the coming apocalypse. Despite all my frustrations with the insularity, puritanism and sheer idiocy of parts of the American culture, it's still a place I'd rather have than not. Australia's rather the same, thankfully without the religiosity

* for the benefit of American readers, that is known as typical English understatement

[kenc]

....The event sited so often-the Boston Tea Party reveals that the insane King George had spent nearly 200 thousand pounds trying to obtain about 1000 pounds in taxes-the colonialists having set in store a capacity to avoid paying taxes that exists to the current day ( Wall Street ?)

A gross oversimplification. I would suggest you read the Declaration of Independence for a fuller list of grievances and better understanding of the "causes that impel them to the separation".
Declaration of Independence text

....It was only mass European immigration that followed that turned the US into the wonderful place it is ( and that includes the perfect Irish !).

I would also submit that you're ignoring the HUGE contribution of the millions of Africans that were forcibly brought to this continent and the native populations that, even though almost exterminated, also had a profound impact on our outlook.

But that's ok, I luvs ya anyway Boozy.

[kenc]

Homitern has a point.
That Puritan Apocalyptic vein in America has been a particular thorn in my side and for personal reasons.
And I think the problem is exacerbated in recent times by the decline of the Old Guard WASP populations and their dilution sucessively by the Irish, Italians and Mexicans/Latinos who are all Catholic.
It should be pointed out that the the Catholic Church has "wholly cast aside the doctrine of a millennium previous to the resurrection". (source:www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ntb5b.htm
In other words, they teach the "Apocylpse" is bunkum.

I've come to believe that "Millenialism" is just a person's confusion of their own mortality with that of the world as a whole. Kind of like a "Hitler in the Bunker" mentality - "if I'm going to die the whole world might as well go down with me".


Oh, the "personal reasons".
My sister is an inveterate "millenialist" and every couple of years thinks the world is going to end. I've been through I don't know how many arguments with her about Nostradamus, "The Late Great Planet Earth", the Mayan Calendar, Y2K, the "Planets Aligning", Erik van Danikan and the comet Whatwhosis that's gonna smack the Earth in 2012.
Once I got pissed (literally and figuratively) and asked her if she really believed it all why didn't she just blow her brains out and get it over with.

That suggestion didn't go over too well.

We avoid talking about these kinds of subjects now.