The Rebel Flag and Patriotism

stahrwe · Fri Aug 13, 2010 11:25 am


	lindad_amato wrote: "With all due respect, I don't think you are in a position to judge US political decisions anymore than I am to judge Canadian or British" Keep the comments coming all of you Canadians, Brits and any others out there. It's good for us Americans to hear another point of view. With regard to the health bill, I don't think it went far enough. It isn't the true far-reaching reform that we need.

looking forward to repealing it if it doesn't self destruct. Normally laws have caveats in them that if one portion of the law later turns out to be unconstitutional the remaining elements remain in force. The US Congress specifically removed that provision in the HC law, which means that if any part of the law is determined to be unconstitutional the entire law will implode.

Penelope · Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:36 am


	Quote: lindad_amato wrote: "With all due respect, I don't think you are in a position to judge US political decisions anymore than I am to judge Canadian or British"

Just thought you might like to know that in the UK most Universities and Further Education establishments offer courses in 'American Studies'. This is because what happens over there often affects us over here. We also are very influenced by American Culture since we see so many US TV programmes and films. At our house, we grumble because our press coverage tells us all about what is happening in the US but almost nothing about what is happening in the rest of Europe. It is infuriating. I think it is just because we speak the same language, so don't have to bother with sub-titles and such.

Also, because of the World Economic Crisis, our government are making all kinds of cuts to our social services. I hate to say it, but I am in complete agreement with the cuts which have been introduced so far, even though our Government is a Conservative/Liberal coalition. Our Health Service is great, but it certainly needed a shake up as did many of our other public services. But, don't hold yer breath......I'm sure I'll find something to complain about soon.

etudiant · Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:32 am

I would like to through in this link for the health care discussion, as I think it very neatly sums up the issues we face in determining the distribution of resources and methods of funding. It is written by a prof with a lot of experience with this issue, and one not afraid to buck mainstream spin. It discusses Canada, but US readers will instantly recognize the debating points. The forces at work are pretty much the same here as they are in the US.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editoria ... t-it-to-be

Stahrwe, you would like to limit the discussion by the basis of nationality. I hope this doesn’t happen because unfortunately, this is a part of the problem. An individual, or a community, can get to be very narrow in their viewpoints if forever looking inwards, and disregarding the outer world. It is not healthy in either case. It is not even very practical in the small world we live in today; this very forum is an example of how the world has shrunk.

Azrael · Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:09 pm


	johnson1010 wrote: Why is it that people with rebel flags on their trucks think of themselves as patriotic? They are running around with the symbol of the greatest treasonous act in the history of our country stamped all over their vehicles. If you asked them, though, i am pretty sure you would get something like "F#@* Yeah! 'merka's the SH!^! WHARGARBLE!"

That depends on where you stand! Theres a huge misconception about that flag especially from those who have no idea what it stood for! There was no treason involved as you call it. The flag does not stand for slavery! Thats the biggest misunderstanding of it all. People need to get a life. Slavery was never the issue in the Civil War had nothing to do with it. Had slavery been the issue the war would never had been fought. Every one needs to come off this Jesse Jackson band wagon!!! :evil:

stahrwe · Mon Aug 16, 2010 7:59 am


	etudiant wrote: I would like to through in this link for the health care discussion, as I think it very neatly sums up the issues we face in determining the distribution of resources and methods of funding. It is written by a prof with a lot of experience with this issue, and one not afraid to buck mainstream spin. It discusses Canada, but US readers will instantly recognize the debating points. The forces at work are pretty much the same here as they are in the US. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editoria ... t-it-to-be Stahrwe, you would like to limit the discussion by the basis of nationality. I hope this doesn’t happen because unfortunately, this is a part of the problem. An individual, or a community, can get to be very narrow in their viewpoints if forever looking inwards, and disregarding the outer world. It is not healthy in either case. It is not even very practical in the small world we live in today; this very forum is an example of how the world has shrunk.

What I actually said, I think, is that other countries are not in a position to judge the decisions Americans make with respect to our health care, any more than I am in position to judge Canadian, or British, or German...

American's who did not support the health care bill recentely enacted here have grave concerns about the costs which will be passed on to us, our children and grandchildren. I have heard estimates that the US currently has as much as $100 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities before the health care costs are considered. An unfunded liability has to be convered either by borrowing money, raising tax revenues, or printing money. These issues are not unique to the US. Unsustainable levels of debt are affecting many countries and we are trying to get ours under control, though it may already be too late. It certainly compromises our world poliices when we owe China hundreds of billions of dollars.

At any rate, we have stayed far from the topic in relation to which I would comment that, lest the readers from other countries be mislead, the incidence of confederate flag citings is fairly rare even in the 'deep south'. Additionally, those that display the flag seem to do so more as a life style symbol rather than a political statement. I don't actually know anyone who does display said flag, but I rarely if ever hear our civil war referred to as The War of Northern Aggression. Nor do I hear people advocating cessation or a return to slave states. The most recent attempt of an area to leave the Union was when Key West wanted to break away and become the Conch Republic.

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