I am not sure where your self-loathing comes from, but it
is there.
On Sep 12, 2006, at 6:35 PM, xxxx wrote:
Tom,
I shouldn't write this prior to my daughter's birth but I
am going to knock on wood that I don't jinx
myself.
Don't be surprised if your outlook changes when Sophie
shows up.
I am in the final
stages of buying my very first property in my life
- here in Vienna. My baby is due at xmas, my
independent business keeps growing, and I was in Turkey,
America, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic so
far this year.
My wife and I have travelled like crazy here in Europe
AND America (she's visited Dallas, DC, the
Chesapeake Bay, NYC, the Jersey shore and Philly with me)
and she has two months vacation every summer, while I
have 3 (three). I have not worked since June
22rd. My next day of work is September 19th.
(Think about that a moment)
We are entirely debt-free and I only have a credit card for
rental car I.D. The only worry I have in the world is
the health of our baby girl Sophie. I seriously knock
on wood (just did it again on my desk) each and everytime I
mention Sophie.
I live in one of the most beautiful cities
in Europe. I love where I live, I
love being able to see so many cultures in Europe -
Austria is surrounded by 8 (eight) other countries and
mini-flights can take me to amazing places you
can only think, "Shit, it's a 13 hour flight just to get to
Frankfurt." - if you fly non-stop from L.A. -
or I can always go to Vegas!
I am truly glad that you are happy with your life. We
all need to accept responsibility for our own happiness and
do what is necessary to achieve it. If we need to do
something, we need to do it. If we need to stop doing
something, we need to stop doing it. We need to make
ourselves happy. No one will do it for us. (a
lesson some of our friends in Couchpotato could
learn). The problem I have with you is that you found
happiness in Europe as an ex-pat American. In a way,
you represent me and the rest of America. That is why
I find your vicious hatred of America so disturbing.
It is fashionable for Euro quasi-intellectuals to despise
the sole superpower. That is why I wish there were
more intelligent Americans in Europe telling the Europeans
"just one second. Think a second. What America
is doing is not that bad. Here is where they are
coming from." Instead, you tell them, "Yea, Bush is
an idiot, I'm embarrassed I'm from the US." So,
you feed the anti-Americanism. You are part of the
problem.
SELF-LOATHING? I also bought my
first car here last April in cash - giving me even more
chances to travel and expand my business.
DELUSIONAL? No "DUPED" is what I am, same as you. I
was "schooled" on the American "DREAM". America has
been 100% correct and good in the eyes of the Lord
since Day 1. Some crap I learned along the way:
Fight for Independence - and a fight for Rum
- research the real Boston Tea Party. King of
Britain's tyranny? No, Tom Jefferson realizing the
geography and how difficult it would be for the Brits to
attack and succeed from across the
Atlantic.
Stop with the stupid history lessons. I've sat
through the same revisionist history lessons in
college. Not everyone involved had pure motives, but
for the most part, our founding fathers were quite
idealistic. The American Revolution was not just a
money grab and you know it. It started the move away
from the European monarchies, drafted the first modern
written Democratic Republic Constitution.
Indians bad,
white man good. The official name: "The Battle
of Wounded Knee" - It was a MASSACRE. The white man
(americans) treated Indians no different than the Nazis
treated Jews - the only difference is the americans
succeeded.
Stop holding the past to present morals. Natives have
always been pushed aside by more advanced cultures through
out history. It is only recently that morality got in
the way of manifest destiny. When it was taking
place, no one in Europe thought it was wrong. They
were jealous that they did not have nearby wide tracks of
land only occupied by savages that they could steal.
Stop imposing modern morality on history. All nations
have ghosts in their closets and do not have the goodness
of America to go with it.
Cival War:
America has yet to recover. The racism and distrust
between black and white is as real today as it's been every
decade since slavery became a heavy issue in the
1840's...
600,000+ Americans lost their lives in a war for principles
(to interpret the Constitution) and to free slaves.
That to you is an embarrassing point in American
history? The American civil war demonstrates how
principled our nation was. So many were willing to
die for either an ideal or that other men may live
free. Slavery is, of course, our nation's original
sin. But once again, don't impose today's morals on
the past. It is not fair. That institution was
introduced by Europe and became interwoven with the
economy, making it difficult to end. That sin was
purged with the blood of hundreds of thousands of
Americans. Remember, many more blacks were imported
into Muslim lands. Where are they today? The
American black slave was arguably saved from an eternal
nightmare in sub-Sahara Africa and became part of the
fabric of America. Cosby, Hip-Hop, NBA, Collin Powel,
Condi. They are part of America.
Pearl
Harbor: you know this story as opposed to the fairy
tale. America did everything but piss in Japan's face
asking to be attacked and therefore enter the War. We
don't need to examine what U.S. businesses and men had
strong interests in Hitler.
America caused Pearl Harbor too -- typical.
Japan was raping all of Asia!!! They were the evilest
most barbaric bastards that ever walked the earth (until
the Muslims). We wanted them to stop slaughtering their
neighbors. We tried to do it diplomatically by using
sanctions (sound familiar) an oil embargo. Their
response was a sneak attack. Even if we picked a
fight with them, ask the Chinese and the Manchurians if
they mind.
Viet Nam: The one time in America where the people
stood up and farted in the government's face. Because
the entire war and what was being communicated to America
were lies upon lies upon lies.
America won that war, didn't you hear. Vietnam was a
proxy battle fought in the Cold War between communism and
the free world. We may have lost that battle, but we
won the war. The next war is with Islam.
1st Gulf War -
Friend Saddam becomes enemy Saddam - more
lies.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend (for now). Saddam
was a counter weight to Iran. We used him to stop the
Islamic revolution. It worked for a while.
2000 Election -
Totally legit, right Tom? More
lies.
It was legit. According to a media performed recount
of all ballots, even if Gore had won his legal fight in the
supreme court and he got his recount, he would have lost in
Florida. That was a freakishly close election.
It was well within the margin of error. It could have
gone either way. It had to go one way or the
other. Bush was lucky. History will tell us if
we were lucky as well.
9/11/2001 - Bush was inaugurated 1/2001. On a
nation-splitting rigged election. Think for
one minute what America looked like in the eyes of the
world following that fiasco. Then 9/11.
What happened to america then in the eyes of the world?
Everyone rallied around the
US, until the war on terror actually required
sacrifice. Then it became fashionable to bash
America.
You can play the
dumb possum with me all you want. The fact is you
have been brainwashed to believe in white vs. black and
America is eternally white and good and "right". You
have not lived for 5 years in a row outside
the MACHINE that is America - I have.
Who
has been brainwashed?
Five years,
Tom. No
TV. All I've
done is read and travel and meet people from all over the
world. For five years in a row outside the USA.
"Freedom" takes on a whole new meaning, trust
me.
What anti-American crap have you read? Who were the
ant-American ideologues that you met? It is not
how much you read if you are reading the wrong crap.
Meanwhile, you have been in the same exact mindset from
your inital schooling days as a wee lad. "America is
ALWAYS right, the rest of you motherfuckers better
agree or you are dead and/or wrong".
It's called "mob mentality",
and America has existed on this notion of right vs.
wrong (it's certainly tied into the Puritan, conservative
religous philosophy from the 16-1700's) mob mentality it's
entire existence.
Stop talking to me as if I am some guy whose history
lessons stop with a Freshman survey course. You know
that I know my history better than most people you have
ever met -- even the Euros you hobnob with now. I
know my history, The US does not have a spotless past,
but it is far more pure than other nations. Compare
the American revolution to the French. Compare our
founding father (Washington) to Russia's (Ivan the
Terrible). America was founded by idealists and
realists. Did they get everything right the first
time -- no. Did they do a better job under the
circumstances they everyone else -- I believe so.
Other than you, everyone I know is trying to get into
America, not escape it.
From the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Jews and
Palestinians today, not much has changed. Now, today,
you even believe the Muslims must be crushed before they
take over your way of life.
Your thinking is at least 2000 years old.
It's no wonder you favorite period of history runs
parallel.
Those that are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat
it. -- Herodotus
Dave R.
Good luck with Sophie and with the rest of your life.
I'm glad you found happiness. Just be a better
representative for your former countrymen.