Personally I, as an American, think our beloved "country of the free" is the biggest effin' hypocrite on the face of the Earth. Freedom of Speech? Then explain the FCC. Equality? *snort* Riiight, don't tell me every time a black or Asian guy is denied a job and a white guy gets it that race doesn't have at least SOMETHING to do with it. Our beautiful USA is not just exploiting other countries (especially outsourcing in the Phillipines and Indonesia), she is exploiting her own people.

Tupac said it best, "The penitentiary is packed, and it's filled with blacks." True, the "minorities" are making mistakes on their own, but that's 99% because society has degraded them to the level that they have no other way but to rob, murder, or shoot up some crack to get by. Don't give me the "they're doing these stupid things themselves" attitude or the "if we gave them money they'd run to their nearest dealer" attitude. Do you honestly think that if we didn't give these people a real chance to get straight, to get right, to get a real meaningful life they wouldn't grab it? Do you really think these people LIKE being poor? Our very own capital, the esteemed District of Columbia, houses the most powerful people in America, in the world even. Her streets are also what the poorest in the country call home. This guy we call Mr. President is pursuing a war he cannot possibly win convcingly (yes, i do think Iraq is not over yet), he is speaking of building colonies on Mars, he dreams about having absolute control over people. And the rehab and shelter homes all across the continent are grossly underfunded.

Yes, what a wonderful country we have. I'm thinking of an eight-letter word, and four of them make up a certain basketball team in Chicago.

That's my word.


PS- I'm Asian.

PPS-If this post were to be censored/deleted I'm laughing because that just strengthens some of my points.

Cute moderator, really cute.

I initially wrote something to the effect;

Definitely not a world wide conspiracy, just a localized one at englishforums.

I got a email that approved the posting and this, below, is what appeared. As I said, Cute, really cute.


................. .......................... ........................... ......................


"Debate is encouraged here."

It's just a highly sanitized type of debate.

{I wonder how long this will last}

...I initially wrote something to the effect...[sic]

If your words were indeed changed, JT, it seems extraordinary that a flaccid, slightly critical comment with a smiley was replaced with a pithy, rather more critical comment without a smiley.

If anything, your text has been improved.

MrP

I don't agree with some of your points...I am French, but that is not the point, and I am aware that a lot of things about my country are not perfect..but I don't consider France is imposing its language, currencies and cultural features over underdeveloped countries and exploiting them..
Look, now in Europe, almost everybody has the same currency and I have never heard that they want to spread it to underdeveloped countries in Africa or Asia...About the language, now English is the international language, but it doesn't mean countries have to give up their native language...so many people speak 2 or more languages...it is just a way of communication....you know, even rich and powerful countries don't have the strenght to obliterate thousands of years of history that have underdeveloped countries.
I know a lot of things need to be done to allow these countries to be independant, but can they do it by themselves, without the help of countries that have the science, money??..
About the right of thought, this is a complex issue...if you refer to the situation in Irak, I couldn't more agree with you...but I can't help wondering how the situation would be without the war..would it be worst?better?people of emperialist countries have quiet, modern, peaceful lives and do not know how it is to live under a dictator...so do they have to let the same situation going on again and again or interfere?History has shown that sometimes interfere brings the better...but not always...
Emperialist countries can give the ideas that everything is under control, but no, a lot of trouble are going on also in the US and in France...they are not perfect either...