Walk a Mile in Our Shoes

I was instantly intrigued by this foreign newspaper's headline: America Is A Global Force For Good

This from Britain's Telegraph is a fairly lightweight piece that spells out some basic facts and arguable opinions. Frankly it was the reader's comment section that was most interesting. Here are just a few...

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As a Brit living in the USA for some 10 years, I look with pity upon these poor, jaded, narrow-minded Europeans. They think they know America and Americans, but they know no more than their embarrassingly liberal media tell them. Coupled with their real loss of power and influence in the world, they quickly blame America for their own failings.
These Europeans remind me of petulant teenagers who "hate" their parents for ruining their lives, while blind to the care and sacrifices their parents make. Perhaps a better analogy is one of europe being the bitter old senile pensioner being cared for by their hard working adult children.
In any case, I've lived both sides of this, and I ain't coming home to you ungrateful lot any time soon.

Now run along to M&S, buy some Kipling's French Fondant Fancies, and discuss evil America over a cup of tea and a copy of The Guardian with your friends; that'll show us.
Posted by MarkB. Rome, GA. 35yrs on May 30, 2008 3:43PM

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Well said. I, for one, am grateful that we are ultimately under America's protection rather than Brussels' or Moscow's, even if we do not deserve it.
Posted by Philip Alsop on May 30, 2008 3:41 PM

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I want to butt fists and high five Pro-American Brit - 3:01PM.
I am a British resident of the U.S.A. and you need to live here to appreciate the sentiments of this article. I was also a little sceptical of the 'Yanks' until I married one and moved to Virginia. The average American is friendly, open and welcoming. I have blossomed and thrived in the few years I have lived here. I LOVE the American patriotism and the way they display their flag. Try interrupting their National Anthem at a public event and see where it gets you. Men, try keeping your hat on during the playing of the Stars & Stripes and someone will soon whip it off your head. All you American bashers are just small town, narrow minded liberal pinko's who do not see the broad picture of this wonderful nation. I do not pretend that America is perfect but it's a darned sight nicer place to live in than Britain is becoming.
Posted by Proud To Be A Brit-American on May 30, 2008 3:39 PM

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Unfortunately the American "brand" has been grievously devalued by the activities of Pres. Bush, and whilst I don't subscribe to the wilder conspiracy theories I do think he has been a disaster which will take decades to repair.

However the basic tenet I absolutely agree with - America is undoubtedly, as far as any country could be, a force for good, for freedom and individual political, economic and relgious rights, in the finest tradition of the British empire (cue here for more hysteria from the guilt ridden guardianistas) which stood similarly high amongst the crowd of moral pygmies such as France, Spain and Belgium.

Note the important "as far as any country could be" - let's look at the alternatives - radical islam, communism, no I don't think so thanks, not even for guardian readers, well perhaps maybe, anyway; the more serious alternative force for good would be our dear friends the EU, france Germany etc with their traditions of international brutality untempered by any nobler sentiments.

Don't make me laugh. With their protctionism, corporatism, casual corruption, the CAP, CFP and now the disgraceful consitution affair - how could they be descibed as a force for good.

As I say the US has a Bush/Iraq/Guantanamo sized blot on its escutcheon which thanks to Mr Blair's weakness, we share, but they are the least bad of all the alternatives.

It will always be impossible for the global superpower to be completely untainted, the important thing is that it should seek to occupy the moral high ground, and the US to a large extent does.

As always Churchill had it right - "you can always rely on the Americans to do the right thing - after they have exhausted the alternatives"
Posted by cuffleyburgers on May 30, 2008 3:15 PM

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Nato has served us well and, with continued USA support, will be a far more reliable and professional defence system than anything the rest of the EU could muster, even if we could trust them.

The USA seems to have a thankless task yet surprisingly, given the continuous left-wing undermining, still supports us. An EU army would bring near the potential for "civil" war.

Without the USA we would not exist - we would have been the losers in WW2- something which the ill-educated and Left-wing forget or choose to ignore.

The USA has ensured that there is still such a thing as Democracy.

The silent majority indeed understand that the USA and NATO have ensured a relative stability for the West.

Only strident Left wingers hope for a Soviet-style broken World.

Thank goodness the USA is still motivated to help the EU and deal with the very real threat from terrorism and regimes like Iran's.

In response to the blinkered ranting of Tina Sidwell 2.29pm,Palestinians were responsible for terrorist atrocities - we all remember hijackings and innocent people being seized in the apparent name of Palestine.

Palestinian political entities appear to not want peace - they are perceived as terrorists who have repeatedly targeted and murdered Israeli citizens including children and students, despite numerous attempts to broker peace by the USA and others.

Until the ruling Islamic factions have renounced their desire to see Israel destroyed, we should not be funding the current state of affairs - it is unbelievably naive to think that anything will change while there are sufficient funds for terror.

"Hand-wringing" is futile and reflects misplaced blame. It is those in Gaza who continue to destroy themselves. The blockade has been a consequence of Palestinian actions - Israel's military actions are responses to Palestinian attacks on innocent people.

Nothing will change unless the Palestinians do.

As for surveys purporting to show that the USA is polling badly, remember that people were stupid enough to vote Labour in the UK.

Luckily, media hype does not bother the USA nor the vast majority who do actually support USA action.
Posted by Paul Butler on May 30, 2008 3:10 PM

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i have to agree with the article, even if it puts me
in the small minority! america embraces the
politics expected of traditional telegraph readers
and to great success. living standards and
freedom is dealt plenty in america, and there is a
fantastic balance between the private sector that
supports the vast majority of the economy and
the federal/state sector that props up the private
sector. i have never lived in america and nor do i
have any family there, i just personally believe
america to be a force of good.
Posted by Chris on May 30, 2008 3:09 PM

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To be perfectly clear there were an equal number (if not more) comments that poured on the hate for America. I thought the comments written by the ex-patriots were very telling - walk a mile in our shoes. In other words you can't believe the media narrative, all is not what it seems.



CW