Chris

I don't think any other thread on this forum has shocked me the way this one has. The blind hatred for the United States displayed by some folks here is very saddening indeed. Glib phrases like 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter' and 'I'm honestly not sure that there is any difference between terrorism and a military strike these days' put some members of this forum in the same league as Jerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, cynically regretting the deaths of innocent people but inwardly feeling it is somehow justified. But of course, I expect some people in this forum consider Sinn Fein to be heroes of freedom as well.

It would be easier to cope with all this negativity towards the USA if it was in part due to a sense of pride in our own nation - hey, you guys aren't the best, we are! - but no, all we see is self-loathing and post-colonial guilt. Some of you people need to learn to get over yourselves or else why bother getting out of bed in the morning?

I am not an apologist for the American Way. I don't agree with everything they do. But to return to the title of this thread, it saddens me that it is so popular to be anti-American at the moment. There is not a little jealousy in evidence here.

Empires are the way of the world. We had one, not so long ago. Now it's their turn. At least the 'weapons' of US imperialism are generally Hollywood films and Big Macs. If we were facing down the USSR or China at this point, it would be concentration camps and T-55s.

Things could be a whole lot worse. As Jerrek is so fond of saying, deal with it.