Patriotism: Would you die for your country? — Page 2

I don't know, Margo. I think we give Monaco a run for its money now. Put all your money in hedge funds, and you pretty much don't have to pay taxes at all. Plus, if you're a CEO or whatnot, you don't have to deal with those pesky European business regulations, as the dereg snowball Ronald Reagan pushed 20-something years ago continues to gain momentum. And your government reps are a lot easier to buy here than they would be in a constitutional monarchy.

Very true, Calvin.

---

Margo, I guarantee Tazber will be complimenting you on your awesome, cool and genius posts after dismissing mine as "typical."

---

And it is usually NOT the affluent who are doing the dying.

---

"Pippin, the people on Flight 93 not only knew about the other hijackings, that knowledge is what drove them to take action."

Or so the story goes. In what Rudy 911 calls "hero narratives."

---

Why don't workers in the US have mass demonstrations and strikes like the French do?

Because Marie Osmond is dancing on the TV!

Besides, as Rush taught us, this is America. Anyone with dreams and drive can become wealthy. The rest are just lazy. And people who demonstrate against anything (except gay pride parades, abortion clinics and brain-dead ladies) hate this country, God and puppies.

Rush wins!

Yawper, please...

I don't need to riot to get my voice heard...what do you think blogs are for, for God's sake?

Get with the times, old man.

---

What I meant by typical namo was your inability to counter someone else's point of view without belittling them. It doesn't lend your comment credence, it just makes you look insecure.

---

With all due respect to their misguided souls, the deaths in Iraq are not for our country as I see it. They are at the whim of men who are self-serving and dangerous. All the generals and career leaders who tried to stand up for the soldiers have either resigned or been replaced. Many in Congress who we elected to stop the war are unwilling to take sufficient action for the self-serving fear of losing their power.

Soldiers are charged with following their leaders. We the voting people are responsible for the leaders we give them.

Actually...yes. I agree with that.

We had the opportunity to change the course of this war in 2004 and Americans failed to do that. Mostly because they were so busy voting against gays and lesbians.

---

I mainly stay to be close to my family and friends (which is the same reason millions around the world who COULD move if they wanted to remain where they are -- the place may be very flawed, even awful, but hey its home; but I don't delude myself that this is the best place of earth or anything), plus my work is based here (it would be a major hassle to get the needed credentials to do the same work as a non-citizen elsewhere, though I could do it if need be). Plus, living in New York isn't the same as living in most of the US -- it feels like it's almost a different country (a sentiment shared by several of my non-American friends who've always marvelled at how utterly different NYC is to the rest of America, almost as if its a different country).

Mind you, acknowledging the fact that the US is hardly the best country in the world for the non-rich, doesn't automatically mean I'm dying to move immediately or that I somehow mean I would die for someplace else.

I'm not dying for anybody. And one of the great things about this country -- that MANY other non-totalitarian countries around the world share, incidentally -- is that I am free to criticize it as much as I want without fear of retribution or having to leave ..... so pardon me while I exercise that freedom.

---

Oh Margo, I'm sure EverythingisRENT would agree when I point out that Jonathan Larson died for our sins so why shouldn't we?

Come to think of it, I Would Die 4 Apollonia.

---

"Come to think of it, I Would Die 4 Apollonia."

LOL

---