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#1 2006-02-17 14:41:08

cIclops
Member
Registered: 2005-06-16
Posts: 3,230

Re: What I love about the United States

Its amazing, superb, scientifically productive, technically brilliant, incredibly successful, open, collaborative, internationally orientated and courageous space program.

Positive comments only please, this is a love fest; everything else here

YAY! Onto Mars in 2016!


[color=darkred]Let's go to Mars and far beyond -  triple NASA's budget ![/color] [url=irc://freenode#space]  #space channel !! [/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/user/c1cl0ps]   - videos !!![/url]

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#2 2006-02-21 21:10:04

Earthfirst
Member
From: Phoenix Arizona
Registered: 2002-09-25
Posts: 343

Re: What I love about the United States

Free lunches, free samples of beer, ice cream. Donuts, fresh baked.


I love plants!

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#3 2006-02-21 23:23:33

Austin Stanley
Member
From: Texarkana, TX
Registered: 2002-03-18
Posts: 519
Website

Re: What I love about the United States

I love that we still have some vestiges of freedom of speech and freedom of belief here.  I am free, for example, to deny that the Holocaust never happened and to both publish and publicy proclaim that belief without being sent to prison for several years.


He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.

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#4 2006-02-22 02:14:23

RIZ4ROCKET
Banned
Registered: 2006-01-10
Posts: 54

Re: What I love about the United States

... to deny that the Holocaust never happened and to both publish and publicy proclaim that belief without being sent to prison for several years.

Even better, to dress up in goofy sheets & pointy hats and proclaim those beliefs while being completely surrounded by "counter-demonstrators", and protected from those counter-demonstrators by armed Law Enforcement Officers.

Those same LEO's will also cart the demonstrators off to jail if they cross the thin legal line between their beliefs and the actions those beliefs may incite.

Other Examples:
Videoed evidence of Law Enforcement physically abusing citizens being broadcast on the mass-media, and no one gets put in jail, tortured or threatened.

My favorite (lately) is the power to control the meanings of speech.  To change the definitions of words to suit one's purpose, and use that evolution to effect political change.  Or to make up new words, when even new definitions do not suit a given purpose.

Then, to use those words in public, and watch their use propagate and perpetuate, and change the manner in which the public percieves the political landscape.

And most beautiful of all is this sentiment:

I'm an AMERICAN.  It means whatever I WANT it to mean, because I SAY it does.  And if you don't like it, frankly, you can go F*** yourself.

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#5 2006-02-22 05:39:02

Austin Stanley
Member
From: Texarkana, TX
Registered: 2002-03-18
Posts: 519
Website

Re: What I love about the United States

... to deny that the Holocaust never happened and to both publish and publicy proclaim that belief without being sent to prison for several years.

Even better, to dress up in goofy sheets & pointy hats and proclaim those beliefs while being completely surrounded by "counter-demonstrators", and protected from those counter-demonstrators by armed Law Enforcement Officers.

Those same LEO's will also cart the demonstrators off to jail if they cross the thin legal line between their beliefs and the actions those beliefs may incite.

Other Examples:
Videoed evidence of Law Enforcement physically abusing citizens being broadcast on the mass-media, and no one gets put in jail, tortured or threatened.

My favorite (lately) is the power to control the meanings of speech.  To change the definitions of words to suit one's purpose, and use that evolution to effect political change.  Or to make up new words, when even new definitions do not suit a given purpose.

Then, to use those words in public, and watch their use propagate and perpetuate, and change the manner in which the public percieves the political landscape.

And most beautiful of all is this sentiment:

I'm an AMERICAN.  It means whatever I WANT it to mean, because I SAY it does.  And if you don't like it, frankly, you can go F*** yourself.

I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic here, but I certianly am not.  I may not agree with people in the KKK, or Holocaust deniers, or whatever.  But I'm glad we still have freedom of speach to the point where people can proclaim unpopular beliefs without being sent to prison over them.  Recent events in Austria prove that this is not the case everywhere.

Freedom of speach means you have the right to belive and say pretty much anything you like.  Not just things that are popular and/or the majority of the population agrees with.  At least that's what it means here in America.


He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.

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#6 2006-02-28 10:10:55

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,374

Re: What I love about the United States

Oh. God. Must. Resist. Need. To. Scratch. Nationalistic. Urge. And. Patriotic. Social. Conditioning.

Wave a flag, burn a flag! You’re a patriotic American!
Believe in God, Deny all Gods! You're a patriotic American!
Vote for some, vote for none! You're a patriotic American!
Argue hate, defend debate! You're a patriotic American!

American's are God's favorite. How else do you explain how a nation of naive incompetants can rule the world so effectively, and so effortlessly?

I for one don't think there is anything inherently great about America, or American's, other than a general acceptance that it is better than the alternative.

After all, America is great because the alternative would be un-america. And the 1950's clearly demonstrated that 'un-american' is no good.

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#7 2006-02-28 15:29:31

RIZ4ROCKET
Banned
Registered: 2006-01-10
Posts: 54

Re: What I love about the United States

American's are God's favorite. How else do you explain how a nation of naive incompetants can rule the world so effectively, and so effortlessly?

That government is best which governs least.

Thomas Paine

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#8 2006-02-28 15:47:58

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,374

Re: What I love about the United States

Spoken like a true-blue American. Which only serves to illustrate my original point.

In Soundbites and Pithy Sayings We Trust!

If you don't believe me, do not ask what your country has done for you, but ask what you have done for your country!

Where else, but America, can Bruce Springsteen get up on stage, sweat and scream "Born in the U.S.A" for verse after verse, and be worshipped as a living incarnation of an Americn idol.

It would be disgusting if it were not so funny.

But as a personal aside, my favorite American celebration are St. Patrick's Day and Cinco De Mayo. You don't get more American than that!

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#9 2006-03-01 16:21:09

Earthfirst
Member
From: Phoenix Arizona
Registered: 2002-09-25
Posts: 343

Re: What I love about the United States

St. Patricks day is not an American holiday, it is just made up by Irish so they can get drunk.
Cinco de Mayo is a popular celebrations in Mexican but is not a holiday in Mexico. Here in the USA it is not a holiday but an event for stupid americans to get drunk. Also the illegal Mexicans here, get very very drunk on that day. I see them passed out in the parks, flying that ugly mexican flag. If you never been around mexicans you dont know, so dont say I make it up. They talk in spanish, I yell at them in spanish to learn English. If mexica so great and love to fly its flag and play that bad mexican music in puplic. Why dont you go back to mexico? Why because it is a shit hole in the first order. So respect are american values and party on the 4 of july, and stop flying that mexican flag. Also for new comer mexicans, the two thing American cant stand for are, public drukeness, and pissing in public. It is happens every day where I live, in the parks, malls, even in your front lawn.


I love plants!

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#10 2006-03-01 17:00:55

Austin Stanley
Member
From: Texarkana, TX
Registered: 2002-03-18
Posts: 519
Website

Re: What I love about the United States

St. Patricks day is not an American holiday, it is just made up by Irish so they can get drunk.
Cinco de Mayo is a popular celebrations in Mexican but is not a holiday in Mexico. Here in the USA it is not a holiday but an event for stupid americans to get drunk. Also the illegal Mexicans here, get very very drunk on that day. I see them passed out in the parks, flying that ugly mexican flag. If you never been around mexicans you dont know, so dont say I make it up. They talk in spanish, I yell at them in spanish to learn English. If mexica so great and love to fly its flag and play that bad mexican music in puplic. Why dont you go back to mexico? Why because it is a shit hole in the first order. So respect are american values and party on the 4 of july, and stop flying that mexican flag. Also for new comer mexicans, the two thing American cant stand for are, public drukeness, and pissing in public. It is happens every day where I live, in the parks, malls, even in your front lawn.

Wow, I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but even I saw the sarcasm in Clark's last post.  I think the appropriate phrase here is now "YHBT."


He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.

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#11 2006-03-02 06:26:07

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,374

Re: What I love about the United States

Also for new comer mexicans, the two thing American cant stand for are, public drukeness, and pissing in public.

Apparently, American's cannot stand Frat boys.

I tend to look at is as more of a cultural exchange, perhaps a tit-for-tat if you will.

Don't believe me? Go down to 'ol mexico around spring break time when all the good little college kids get belligerently drunk.

Or, if you can't wait till spring break, just head south of the border on any friday or saturday night when the strips open up and the cheap mexi-cali river water runs free!

I think what sums up America, really, is the day you get your passport. It signifies that our glorious, free, and open society, gives you permission to leave it (of course, some travel restrictions may apply, please see your local state offical for guidance, void where prohibited).

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#12 2006-03-03 21:05:35

Josh Cryer
Moderator
Registered: 2001-09-29
Posts: 3,830

Re: What I love about the United States

We're only barred from a handful of nations, and even then, the "ban" is usually economic. "We can't go to Cuba" really means "we can't go to Cuba and spend American money." Easily circumvented by spending Canadian bills. It's kind of funny really.

Also, Tijuana on the weekends is awesome!! (Far be it for me to be the cliched frat boy.)


Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.

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#13 2006-03-05 11:30:10

reddragon
Banned
From: Earth
Registered: 2005-01-24
Posts: 193

Re: What I love about the United States

Probably the thing I like most about America is our Constitution. Even when the government is messing everything up and the people seem to be blindly following them, you can still look at that old document and see that we started off on the right foot and gave the world something very valuable and powerful and may yet have a chance to recover if we start paying attention to the ideals of freedom and democracy and government checks and balances that we were founded on. Sorry if that isn't as postive as you like. The point is that I have very little respect for the current government, but quite a lot of respect for the constitution.


Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

             -The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
              by Douglas Adams

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#14 2006-03-06 02:07:10

Austin Stanley
Member
From: Texarkana, TX
Registered: 2002-03-18
Posts: 519
Website

Re: What I love about the United States

I like the fact that America is so open and accepting of foreign people and cultures.  Sure we may wine and complain about it (we still do and always have), but in the end America is a nation of immigrants.  In the end, the parts of our culture that is accepting to the welcoming and eventual assimilation of other people and their cultures, beats the part of our culture that wants to maintain our "traditional" culture.

Of course it looks like Earthfirst would disagree with me on this point.  But that doesn't matter, because my viewpoint always wins in the end.  The American people are to friendly and hospitality is to big a part of our culture to take the harsh action necessary to put a stop to this process.  50 Years from now, when America is still growing steadily, while other less immigrant friendly nations are facing a population cliff, maybe you'll thank me.


He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.

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#15 2006-03-06 06:15:36

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,374

Re: What I love about the United States

I like America's quota system for immigration.

A few hundred thousand from here, a few tousand from there, a couple dozen from over there... oh wait, not you or you, you see, we're all full'ed up this year with your color.

The only bad american is the one that takes himself (or herself) too seriously as an American.

Afterall, our revered forefathers were a bunch of tax-dodging dead-beats. Is it tax time already?

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#16 2006-03-07 21:27:34

Earthfirst
Member
From: Phoenix Arizona
Registered: 2002-09-25
Posts: 343

Re: What I love about the United States

I dont pay taxes, rather like a good liberal I get money from the government every month. Thanks to tax paying citzeens like you clark, I can sit on my ass and drink beer at your expense. That what makes America great is welfare, and other government money give aways to lazy people like me.

Just rember that 10k, or 20k, or 30k, and higher that you pay in taxes is lazy peoples meal ticket, and beer money. Why should I work when the government will pay me not to work?

I might buy some lottery tickets as an investment plan too. To all the hard workering Americans out there. Get your asses to work, and pay your taxes. Because the people of my project are going to Vegas, to gamble away the money that you paid to the government as taxes, that the government gave to us not to work. So that we could gamble, drink and party. Spending away your bucks for are fun! We thank you and need more money next month please.


I love plants!

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#17 2006-03-08 06:26:45

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,374

Re: What I love about the United States

I'll send you money directly if I can claim you as a dependant.

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#18 2006-03-08 12:09:39

Earthfirst
Member
From: Phoenix Arizona
Registered: 2002-09-25
Posts: 343

Re: What I love about the United States

My dad all ready claimed me as a dependant, my brother wants to claim him self as a dependant but my dad plans to file first to beat him too it. Tax time can be very fun time if you work at HNR Block.

Also I was joking about being on welfare, But I will have to pay back my government school loans when I am done with school. I hope I can get a job with a BS degree in plant biology. Because when you are in dept to the government they are not nice folks. Any ways I don't pay taxes because I have no job, no money. Being a college student is fun. But with no money its hard to have fun out side of free events, parks or hiking.


I love plants!

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