Direct descendant of Zeus, eh? That’s a confidence builder if I ever saw one.

Your life is also impressive. I am fortunate to learn from those who know history. I seem to have just taken life for granted and only cared for my immediate surroundings for too long.

But I thought I would check up a family tree for myself after I read yours and discovered my sister in law has written one going back to my great grandfather. That’s great because so many have written other family trees with the same surname to connect with. We come from royalty I have been told. That’s the Dutch name Van Egmond. Also gypsies.

Also great builders, sports players, musicians and the list goes on and on and on. Very hard working like the Italians.

I think I can imagine what an American is!

Julie, as you know from reading my bio, “LaSalle” is a nom de plume. But the origin of my real surname is unmistakable. (In fact, my surname is only about 1000 years old; it was first recorded as name given to a military general from the region around Sorrento, Italy, in the 11th century. My grandmother’s maiden name is even better: Ascanio. That makes me a direct descendant of Athena and Zeus! lol!)

I think too that dividing is pointless. Heart and common sense should prevail.

lol, about America and commonwealth countries. I can’t help but wonder what exactly an American is? Is it Italian or English or African or is it, “If you can get in, your in?” or “You must be born here to be American?”.

I have had a number of conversations with foreigners — especially Brits — about this issue. Some years ago, when I lived in San Francisco, I met an English woman on her first trip to America. On noting my Italianate good-looks and surname, she asked me in all seriousness if I lived in an apartment building with otherItalian-Americans. I must tell you my jaw was on the floor.

I had never even conceived of such a thing. An American is an American — irrespective of ancestry. This ain’t the Balkans — or Balkanized London for that matter. This is America. E Pluribus Unum is the foundation of our society from our inception as a nation.

If you were born and raised in a country where voluntary segregation based on ancestry or social custom is the norm, I think it’s highly unlikely that you will every understand what America is all about.

But don’t ask me. Listen to Limbaugh, as quoted in the London Telegraph. He has it exactly correct:

‘My take on this is that we are all Americans and I am sick and tired of hyphenated Americans. Afro-American, Hispanic-Americans.

‘I am truly colour blind and I wish everyone else was. We Balkanize when we say only women can represent women in Congress and only Jews can represent Jews and only blacks can represent blacks. It’s bullshit. We all want the same things. Prosperity and a decent education for our kids. Treating this country like it is stuck 50 years ago is bullshit; we have made more progress than anyone over this. Get over it. If Obama says stupid things I’m not going to say they are not stupid because he’s black. He’s running for President, for God’s sake. It’s the Left who has been racist by agonizing about whether he is black enough. Is he authentic enough? Does he have a civil rights record? For me he’s a liberal. That is reason enough to oppose him.’

When I see the real thing, genuine racism makes me nauseous. But when I see people using race as an excuse or as a lever to take some kind of ideological advantage — no matter who is doing it — I just want to laugh.

Capitalism and socialism seem to be going hand in hand now a days by corporations having to give back to communities like the corporations donate to gay lobby groups and environmental groups. These groups in turn lobby and provide programs to achieve their own goals.

Also these lobby groups themselves become monsters too and provide jobs just as business. In fact, trusts ARE businesses yet often don’t pay taxes for doing charity work.

Churches are the same and churches are also providing jobs. Plenty of monsters in this system by the looks of it.

So are political parties and government agencies.

I am not yet 100% sure of all the angles but I do enjoy to learn by reading what others say and writing something myself.

BTW,

I wish you well to make it whether it is for money or fame or power that you wish to achieve.

lol, about America and commonwealth countries. I can’t help but wonder what exactly an American is?

Simple – a state of mind. The attitude that if you (i.e. government) leave me alone, I can work to build a better life for me and mine. Big daddy government doesn’t do that. Instead of bringing everyone up it brings everyone down. Everyones equal in their poverty. It’s the only way to make it “fair”.

In reality that’s not fair. Not rewarding hard work eliminates it. Socialism destroys rewards (slicing the pie into ever smaller pieces). By it’s very nature capitalism must bake ever more pies. It’s most definitely NOT a perfect system, but it IS the best system ever created by mankind. America didn’t invent capitalism, but we sure ran with it. And until the leftards got control, it brought EVERYONE up with it. The fact that some go further up is just the nature of the beast.

Even though I will likely never go that high, I’m still trying to. Maybe my children will.

Just to clarify: The banks are not Americas responsibility only. They are not owned by one nationality.

And I guess all countries are in the same position between a left and a right. I voted early (YESTERDAY) this year to get it out the way. Ticked right. We have had 3 terms of left. We must swing back.

And I think at the end of the day it is all about balance. Mankind has been, since the beginning learning and evolving. And it may be that we are at a stage where we can evolve no more on this planet. We will have more people alive in 30 years than we will have resources to provide even the basics for them.

We have a free market where we once believed we could all have the “American dream.” But it just gets tougher as the little man cannot compete with the ever driven for profit companies. It was inevitable for monopololies to form in such a way. It was inevitable for communism type unions (lobby groups) to form again and again. But this time there is more available through IT.

As for the idea that the right does not want the constitution: (just my thoughts) The right will govern everything from a security point of view. Even information will be controlled. This is against the constitution. Man nor Woman WILL have the right to freedom. Not anymore.

What is going to happen when the 2 sides become so close to the middle, we live under fascism.

PS. Choose you “ism” carefully. (hehehe)

We’ve got some pretty fine beaches down here in Alabama too. Sugar white sand, crystal clear water, and not a boxjelly or a great white anywhere in sight.

But leave the surfboard home – they only work here during hurricanes, and we’re a little short of ‘em right now (damn that George Bush).

But if you insist on an example of not taking your military out when asked politely, how about the British Colonies in the Americas?

When can I expect to have them back?

(And you can’t cite the juvenile protesters with orange and blue hair – they don’t count. Only non-brainwashed, non-commies count.)

P.S. I don’t get the joke.

Hmmmm. Too severe, Mike. Many other countries have also shown gross irresponsibility. The ‘barrow-boy’ mentality of the stock exchanges and bank back-rooms is alive and well everywhere.

A new question for geography quizzes – What is the Capital of Iceland?

Ans.- $3.50

The sense that you speak of – no one is born better than me – is a sound sense when firmly rooted. Our own birth tell us nothing of the matter. We know nothing of ourselves and nothing of others – but we find out PDQ. It is a creed we pick up along the way which molifies us a little as we learn the rules, even of controlling our bowels – a feat that we quickly see that others have mastered while we still struggle.

Of course, while many Americans will chant this cant as a creed, their actions and demands say quite the opposite. The American way is to ‘Prove It’ by hard work, success and achievement. Proof is Demanded. No one just assumes that others are just as good as you think of yourself. In the absence of evidence of that sort, everyone assumes everyone else is a ‘loser’ at worst and a ‘wannabe’ at best. It is not only all a bit severe but there are a great many losers to show.

Firmly rooted in evidence which confirms a man’s worth to himself, he can indeed go on to great things. But an un-evidenced claim is mere Hubris.

And from where I stand back and observe – with a warm and affectionate eye for Americans – that is what I see, sadly. It is Character destroying and lacks Integrity. It lies at the heart of the deterioratined American condition.

“A (self-fulfilling) myth you believe makes you very strong.” But a self-fulfilling irrational belief does not – it weakens the Character. It also builds resentment – ala Obamaism.

The first formulated expression articulated in this matter was by an American, Sullivan, I think it was, who first created the phrase ‘ Inferiority Complex’. He was studying Americans, of course. As he rightly pointed out it is the ‘normal’ condition we carry from very early childhood. It permits us to look to people who are ‘better’ and emulate them as role models. It enables us to strive to improve ourselves. To refuse to accept that some might be ‘better’ than ourselves is just narcissism writ small.

To assume that one is as good as anyone else is to underestimate them and minimise them, along with one’s self. The common denominator is a tad weak when everyone assumes that they are pretty well perfect, and it is illusory.

Moving on – One could likely make a case that Americans have intervened in other nations affairs largely to ‘do good’ but that ‘good’ has always, quite reasonably, been in America’s Best Interests; interests which were (are) considered superior to any interests that those other Nations might have for themselves. Such is the nature of Geopolitics.

And yes, the military bases established have been vacated after they were no longer deemed needed – by America. Often the stay has been long – too long for some – and perhaps again a case can be made, for good reason. It is, as you say, useful to have a cop riding with you when the going is tough but when that cop is too free with the night stick and the Mace, it can cause strife. Do you want a cop riding with you as you go about your daily lawful occasions?

But it is not wholly true to say that “We don’t take over ANYBODY. EVER. We always leave. One hundred percent of the time.” There are ways of staying; there are ways of interfering without sending troops in; America may aspire to leaving this place or that one day but they are still in several places and have yet to leave, so the ‘We always leave’ cannot be demonstrated.

There is a long list of countries that for one reason or another have sound cause to think that America ” want(s) to be their Boss”. And like it or not their perception matters and is sometimes soundly based.

Having said that, I guess I did forget about the “aspiring socialists” you speak of. I fall back into the “American dream” still. This dream (which most people mistakenly believe means a house and 2.1 kids) is why I think America can’t be defeated. If Alfred E. Obama wins the election, his changes can’t last. Even the sheeple will rebel in two years and the congress will normalize. Then Alfie can’t get any more ruinin’ done.

P.S. If I understand you, other countries think we want to be their boss? That’s totally wrong. We don’t take over ANYBODY. EVER. We always leave. One hundred percent of the time. We have bases in other places, but if asked, we still leave. They rarely ask though. Even if you don’t like the cops, having them ride by every so often makes you feel safer.

I take your point, though: use of terms like “us” and “them” is not very useful (or defensible).

Under the circumstances of the Global Banking Crisis, I think it’s fair to say that Americans have now become exceptional in their irresponsibility.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalism

America has a fine reality of service to the world that outranks any mythology and rests on a history of sacrifice in good causes. This denotes an Integrity and Character which alas seems to be fading into history rather than being kept alive and vibrant. It is the ‘I wannabe the BOSS’ vision that has won such a troubling reputation for America as a Nation. And as you well know, Reputation is what others think of you, rightly or wrongly.

Second off, Mike didn’t use the term “Un-American”. He said “different”. Ever see the movie “Quigly down under”? The “kaiser sose” type was THE BOSS, and his underlings did his bidding pretty much without question whether he had a right to be THE BOSS. And they would hope some day they would have a pittance of their own.

America’s national psyche is that one day I will be THE BOSS. And have my own ranch. Quigly went to help out, willing to take a chance. But he didn’t need to. He could have stayed home building his own ranch.

That’s the other thing about being American. Whenever someone really needs some help, we feel compelled to give it. Even to our own detriment. (especially to our own detriment?)

We’re not the richest country on Earth because we’ve been given it – we work harder. Lot’s of countries have similar natural resources.

Julie the New Zealander is not representative of a country or a people any more than Warner Todd and co. The ideologies and differences we all profess in our peculiar ways are the dominant criteria these days and it does not help to resolve present or future issues by selectively condemning a Policy as ‘Communism’ or ‘Un-American’ or over-emphasising the misuse of terms such a ‘Rights’. By all means point the differences out, but emotive / associative words inflame.

It is the DUTY of all civilised Governments to facilitate Health along with many other aspects of reasonable living standards. That the Constitution (THE greatest human document ever written) does not mention it in any ‘Rights’ manner is frankly neither here nor there. It is a few hundred friggin’ years old after all and expectations have moved on. Time for a few more Amendments, perhaps?

Few on either side of the debate have bothered to sit down and determine what Government is for; who it serves; and how it ought to do that. If a Government does not wish to understand or discharge its duty it should go.

How one goes about providing Health services has ramifications which, frankly, may be less important than saving lives or combatting disease.

As for ‘work’, it is a ‘desirable’ that work is made available, for all our sakes. Again, how this is to be facilitated is the issue and it is only in the extreme that we need to think about the dangers and pitfalls of Centralised Control economies. Facilitation by encouragement; by ceasing to penalise its creation; by acclaim for those who so create; by praise for those that contribute and some understanding for those unable to; such ways seem almost ‘Un-American’ from where I sit.

Mike, Honoured and Admired friend – “Honestly, I don’t think that most English-speaking foreign folks have a very clear understanding of what we Americans are about. The Brits and the Commonwealth countries — God love ‘em — just don’t get the fact that we are not like them. (Even the Canadians seem a little confused by us.)”

Then tell us just what you are about (whatever that wooly, ambiguous phrase means); how you differ; what it is that distinguishes you. To me, Sir, as an Englishman, Americans are my children, grown up.

Of course you are different. Do I have to speak as to a teenager? Of course you ‘are not like us’. That’s a gainsaid and almost meaningless, unless you can articulate major differentals that set us so far apart as to be unrelated. Back to language perhaps and the desire to explain in a way that can be understood by we mere ‘durn furriners’. Dad is listening, Son.

Am I ‘Un-American”? Do I have to be ‘American’? What goes on in your country has marked effect elsewhere. That is a matter that ‘Americans’ should take note of. Why don’t you people be more ‘English’? It sounds stupid, doesn’t it.