| Blogs > bondjam33 > The pursuit of happiness |
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About time I set one thing straight I have been accused several times of maligning the USA as a country and with hating your government and people. Let me put this as clearly as I can; I think the American people are a mixed bunch (like anywhere else) but they are generally warm hearted, sincere and generous people. I applaud the way in which the American people have welcomed the 'poor and downtrodden' of the world over many years and I am sure they will continue to show the vibrant can-do attitude which has epitomised your nation since its birth. I fervently hope that the inner divisions will be healed as I hate to see the image of so many good people tainted by the few who peddle their bigotted agenda and trumpet their intolerance so loudly. I think that the ACA is something the people of a truly great (and rich) advanced western democracy has deserved for a long time and I am glad to see it working so well even if I believe it should (and will) go further. I support your present government and I think it has made great strides in the past 6 years along with some big errors in the last 20+ years - errors in which the UK government has been equally complicit. It is also my opinion that a great people has been severally (and I mean severally not severely) let down by the insistent propaganda and misinformation promulgated by the gun lobby and by Rupert Murdoch's one man campaign to distort the psyche of so many truly good people whom he incessantly bombards with invocations to hate and fear their neighbour. (By neighbour I use the same definition as is encapsulated in the parable of the Good Samiritan). In my opinion a constant diet of barely disguised racism, intolerance of anyone who is not 'one of us' and incitement to fear is a cancer with which there has been and continues to be an attempt to poison the very fibre of your nation. I am saddened to see the number of incidents in which innocent, upright and law abiding citizens are murdered and maimed by crazy people with guns. Like most people in Europe I am passionately against the proliferation of guns and I believe that all gun owners should be licensed in the same way that all car drivers are liciensed. To take the analogy futher I also can see a strong argument for progressive licensing of weapons so that the more powerful the weapon the more stringent the licensing requirement - just as Bus and Lorry drivers have to undergo extra training and fulfill stricter criteria than car drivers. No one disputes the fact that you need a licence and insurance to drive a vehicle as vehicles in the wrong hands kill people. What is the difference between compulsory licences for driving a potentially lethal vehicle and compulsory licences for owning a purposely lethal weapon? I make no apologies for being a socialist and I have worked all my life in organisations (unions and civil rights organisations, voluntary work with young people ) which have promoted the rights of minorities and sought to protect the living conditions and working conditions of working people. If my views are unpopular with you as an individual then it is your right to challenge them but I do ask that you do so in a spirit of discussion and without rancour. I do not call anyone names or make disparaging remarks about them and I would appreciate the same in return. Offensive remarks and personal insults will be removed as they have no place in a mature discussion. After 5 years on SFF and over many more years in which we, as a family, have hosted teachers and pupils from American schools I hope I can say I know many ordinary Americans well enough to say that the vast majority are wonderful people, just as I would say the same about the German people we have hosted, the Austrian people we meet as friends every year and the multitude of people of all nationalities, religions, political persuasion and walks of life my wife, and I have met in our professional and personal lives. I am a lover of people and I find them endlessly fascinating and immensely uplifting. The capacity of people to give of themselves never ceases to amaze and humble me. I hate polemic when it is directed at individuals (although I admit I do occasionally direct it at large organisations which can fend for themselves ) but enjoy a frank exchange of views. I hope I have made my views clear and I hope I am never again accused of hating the USA or of belittling its government or people. If I believe that the policies pursued by my government are more to my liking than those pursued by the governments of other countries I will say so - and I will also say when I believe thay are not. When I compare the policies implemented by the Tory government of the UK with the enlightened governments of the Scandinavian countries and even with Angela Merkel's supposedly right wing German government my blood boils. I do not believe that my country is doing the right thing in many areas at present and if anyone wants to criticise them for it feel free - I will probably concur. I am however, strong and proud supporter of British values. If that is offensive to you as an American then I can do nothing about it. I do not find the, in my opinion, rather excessive jingoism of some ultra patriotic Americans offensive and I do not take offence when my views are challenged; but I will argue my own corner and I will not back down if I am convinced I am right - especially when I think I have strong evidence to support my view. I look forward with interest to hearing what others have to say about all that. Perhaps I should erect my flak shelter early? |
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Good blog Bondjam!
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Excellent blog, Bond!! As a Canadian, I share many of your views but we won't go into that insofar as breaking down some of those in the U.S. Their gun laws, for example, are much different from ours. I am so thankful that I don't require to keep a gun in my bedside drawer (as did my late mother-in-law who lived in the U.S. longer that she ever lived in Canada). There are many others that differ but I have so many great (& wonderful) American friends plus a couple of American relatives that often jest about the politics. We also have our problematic views on the politics of our own country but few of us project those views onto another country!!
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6/21/2015 7:37 am |
I think people have you and me confused. I am the one who maligns and hates the American people and their government. Living next door, I have far more insight into their transgressions than someone on the other side of the pond. I will, however, leave the French and Germans to your brilliant analysis.
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