Tim Blair

was that written by algore?

Thank you aging liberal hippie douche. So noted.

"All foreign and domestic policy decisions of the United States government will be determined by the United Nations General Assembly."

Yeah, and throughout the speech his eyes could be welling up, and at the end the camera could focus on a single, silent tear trickling down his cheek. It could be symbolic of our national pain at having so aggrieved the international community, and we could weep together and a genuine spirit of reconciliation could sweep the nation and manifest itself in random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. That would be great!

Jerk.

Are Republican bloggers born stupid, or do you have to work at it?

First chance I've had where there weren't 4500 postings to say : Man I'm thrilled Tim didn't take the month off.......

er, ivor, you may have noticed that this is not a republican blog, as it is based in australia. but then again, you may not have.

I liked the plagiaristic Lyndon Johnson touch at the end of the 'speech.' In Teepen's frail 60s-obsessed brain, Iraq is 'another Vietnam' and Bush is another vulgar Texan. For Vietsymmetry's sake, therefore, the Presidenthas to go. Enter John 'Bobby Kennedy' Kerry to save the world.

George Bush came to the Presidency voicing a traditional American isolationist foreign policy. Until, of course, the unforseeable events of September 11.

Elsewhere, Teepen has been more forgiving of another President who, he claims, was the victim of plain old bad luck. He was talking about Jimmy Carter - the man whose worldview would have seen the US either dismantled or nuked if he'd won a second term. Carter, Teepen claims,

...may have been our unluckiest president. There was no way to foresee or prevent the fall of the shah of Iran and the resulting capture of U.S. Embassy personnel as hostages. Ditto the Arab oil boycott. Carter at least got the hostages out alive when that was touch and go...

Nor could Bush foresee September 11 - though Teepen-like loonies would argue otherwise - or guess that the UN's view on Iraq having WMD would not be easy to prove. And no-one can foresee random acts - fairly minor acts by the way - like those at Abu Ghraib. Moreover, Bush got the hostaged populations of two freaking countries released and his military plans both actually worked.

During the Washington sniper ordeal of 2002, Teepen sarcastically sniffed at those who said political debate on guns should be put on hold until the culprit was apprehended:

...if public safety breaks down more or less regularly at any particular point, civic etiquette expects that everyone will look the other way and not give the matter a thought.

This sounds very much like a functioning definition of how today's mendacious anti-Bush commentariat defines civic etiquette regarding Saddam's genocide, his use of WMD and his murderous regime: everyone should look the other way and not give the matter a thought.

In an August 2001 piece obviously written with the assistance of a laptop and a bong, Teepen spookily described the movements of the monstrous 'beast' of media frenzy then stalking California Democrat Gary Condit regarding his relationship with missing Washington intern, Chandra Levy.

It seems he's now become one of the walking leftist dead, prowling through the American countryside howling for the resignation of a man whose government has given the possibility of liberty to millions.

What a profoundly idiotic person.

"...the film's message about politicians ignoring scientists' warnings is so compelling that some commentators expect it to play a part in President George Bush being defeated in the November election."

This is why I won't lighten up and have fun at the movies with "The Day After Tomorrow". Bad science, bad movies, and political agendas are not my game.

I'm beginning to think that aliens have invaded Earth, in the form of moonbats.

Mr Bingley-- it's a pity poor "ivor" doesn't have the tools to appreciate the sheer overstretched enormity of the melvin you just administered.

Good write up, CurrencyLad. This Teepen creep sounds like he has been in a chemically induced time warp since 1967.

"Carter at least got the hostages out alive when that was touch and go..."

Uh, no. The hostages were released January 20, 1981. The day Ronald Reagan was inaugerated President of the United States.

Ninio writes "...the US is a sick society. Behind torture and all the other symptoms, you can find the same driving principles. ‘America is the best.’ ‘Might means right.’ ‘Corporations have a right to maximise profit.’ ‘Government should serve the economy.’ ‘People must look after themselves.’ ‘Status comes from wealth.’ ‘Winning justifies anything.’"

You're on the right path sparky, but a little fine tuning will help.

"America is the best" - at some things. I like Italian and Australian women.

"Might means right" - Close. Being right and having might is a pretty good combination.

"Corporations have a right to maximize profit". Bingo. Do not substitute "government programs" for "corporations". Read Adam Smith, not just parts of his writings.

"Government should serve the economy" - No. Government should stay out of the way of the economy and not hinder its natural change. Unless you want a government-designed car for example.

"People must look after themselves". Can't word that any better.

"Status comes from wealth". John Kerry married rich women, but that doesn't give him any status in my eyes. Status is in the eye of the beholder. Wealth is not inherently evil.

"Winning justifies everything." No, winning doesn't have to justify anything. Losers try to justify why they lost. Ask the French.

Teepen is an over-the-top lefty (typical column: Jimmah Carter--our greatest ex-President) syndicated through Cox News Service. (This page has a photo.) His unreadable swill has been published for years in my local lefty Cox News outlet, the Dayton Daily News. Trust me, the Age is scraping the bottom of the American columnist barrel with this doofus.

Oh, jeez. Teepen used to write for my employer. I guess I should be glad he's gone, but they'll probably publish it too if they haven't already. He made my eyes glaze over even when I was a Clinton voter.

Nunio wrote:

"Not when powerful corporations can silence dissidents like Michael Moore."

Yeah, it's a real shame that Moore has been "silenced". Personally, I haven't heard a word about him in a while.

Hard to believe his movie has been banned.

And his books have been burned.

And he's been thrown in jail.

Sheesh, what an asshat.

Nino:

"I will tomorrow ask the United Nations to establish a transitional trusteeship for Iraq, so that wide international commitment can be enlisted in bringing a new Iraq into being."

Various countries need more money, so it makes sense that the UN (of the Oil-For-Kickbacks fame)
would want to be a part in rebuilding Iraq. If there was money to be made during the 'Oil-For-Anything-But-Food' days, there is also plenty to be had rebuilding Iraq.

Just imagine all the creative ways in which money could be transferred from the rebuilding fund to someone's pocket!! It's sounds like a UN scam just waiting to happen.

Ivor:

"Are Republican bloggers born stupid, or do you have to work at it?"

Why do you assume that everyone who doesn't agree with your worldview is a Republican? Does it make it easier getting through life, or what?

The Real JeffS:

"I'm beginning to think that aliens have invaded Earth, in the form of moonbats."

Totally agree. These last couple of years I have witnessed people saying and doing things that have amazed me. I feel as if reality has shifted a bit. Some people are in one reality and others in another. So many things I just can't quite grasp.

Two examples. One is the prevalence of the 9/11 conspiracies. "We (Bush, CIA, etc.) attacked ourselves", is one. There are people who seem to really believe this. I've seen the web sites, read the boards and still can't understand these people.

Another is the rise of anti-Semitism. This is totally shocking and disgusting. Never thought I'd ever see the day when it became fashionable to be an anti-Semite. The raw, visceral hate some people have towards Jews and/or Israel is worrisome. The fact that colleges in the US are allowing students to have 'teach-ins' about the 'bad Israelis' and the 'poor Palestinians' boggles the mind.

Roland Emmerich, the German director of "The Day after Tomorrow" made these illuminating remarks in interviews in the German press. It says a lot about him but also about the Hollywood mindset.

Here is the German original, the translation of the excerpt is mine. Do you think he would say this to American audiences?

Q: Will the anti-Bush mood outside of America be conducive to the success of the film?

A: I had no idea that Bush would get up to all the things he did eventually. During the last election campaign I was already writing the script. I hope America comes to its senses. They have been so lied to by the government. For us Europeans this is crystal clear, but also for a few Americans. However there are still 50% of Americans who want to vote for Bush – this is absolutely inconceivable for me.

Q: Don´t you get into all kinds of trouble when you as a German take such a stand?

A: As I already told my mother, they probably won´t let me back in. (laughs)

Q: But you are not the only one fulminating against Bush. Many filmmakers think the same way.

A: That is indeed new and it is good. I admire colleagues who are commited to political awareness and engage in a critical discourse with people.

Q: The American people do not have the best reputation with regard to ecology. How environmentally conscious are the Americans really?

A: Totally, just not their government. Of course I can only speak for my friends. This may perhaps sound a bit elitist, but most of them drive an electric car. The Americans would approve if those on top would do more for the environment. But they never had a green party in the government which could have had some influence – in contrast to Germany. There is a great gap: Americans want to recycle. 78% of all people there are worried about the environment. But the government doesn´t see it that way. In the last election, the environmental candidate Al Gore had the consent of the regular voters, and only the electoral college finally changed it. I still think it was a family affair in Florda. There was something fishy about it.

Q: You seem to be downright furious.

A: But this all goes much further. With a policy of fear they tried to find a pretext to invade Iraq after September 11. The Americans were made insecure, to make them agree to that. The intelligent Americans are so appalled by what their president does, you cannot imagine it.

Q: Are these things really communicated in the open?

A: Yes, for the first time there are now open discussions.

Q: Whereas the infamous Patriot Act has even succeeded in muzzling media.

A: That is a giant problem. As soon as you criticize something, you are no longer a patriot. What about that? America is the oldest democracy in the world. Since then they have totally developed beckwards. Euope was most of the time under monarchic influence [sic], but is today three or four times as democratic as America. I hope this will soon change. I think that will work out.

And in a recent interview with the German Spiegel newsmagazine:

"We must not destroy our planet. The United States are the most powerful country, and there sits George W. Bush, a president who cares about nothing but oil. How different would the world be if the Democratic environmentalist politician Al Gore would have come to power? All this is hard to bear for me as a German. I never want to be an American."

Then he claims his next car will be a hybrid fuel/electric one, but asks: "Why does the industry build the ugliest bodies for hybrid cars? There is method behind it. They want to keep selling their expensive fuel models..."

Another newspaper writes that currently he still drives his "old" BMW.

It´s all there, isn´t it? I think this should be better known in the US.

Gosh, if this isnt another Vietnam, how come you're getting your lardy arses kicked by a bunch of gooks AGAIN?

Tom Teepen used to be an editor and columnist at the 'Atlanta Constitution' before he was kicked upstairs. His politics have not changed in the last twenty years.

You're right Werner...

I don't even know where to start. From the elitist looking-down-the-nose to the absolute misreading of American sentiment in nearly every respect to the sneering disregard for those who would dare vote for Bush, it's all there.

One thing's for sure. I'm never watching his stupid movie. Not a dime from this neaderthal American who drives a *gasp* gasoline-powered vehicle and voted for *not* for Al Gore.

how come you're getting your lardy arses kicked by a bunch of gooks AGAIN?

Who are you talking to?

a) There are no "gooks" in the Middle East.
b) They are getting THEIR arses kicked. Hear of al-Sadr lately? I thought not.

Idiot.

Mother of Six: That would be six little puppies, right?

Concerned mother of six.

What's with your email 'branleur@wannabee.fr

Hmmmm. French. Now there's a bunch who
know about getting your arse kicked.

werner - I have to stop reading interviews like that ... makes me want to begin laying waste to the cultural "elite" (Viggo Mortensen, I'm also looking at you)

Agree 100% with Brent ... except, not being an American, my stand in not voting for Gore counts for less.

Emmerich, not even one stinking penny, you condescending retard!

Due to melting glaciers George Bush fell off a Segway and crushed his skull as he road through a mud puddle on his Crawford Texas ranch property, making Dick Cheney the new president until Novembers elections.

HEY! It could happen.

How did that Emmerich interview get smuggled out of the secret international CIA gulag network that he's surely interned in for so bravely speaking out against Chimpy and his gang of fascists?

UN my fucking arse! The UN got bombed in Iraq and ran like the big girls blouses that they are. The UN can just keep living in la la land and continue apointing the likes of Sudan to humanitarian positions. The UN are a huge joke and they can kiss my black arse. I am an African Aussie and I will never forgive them for Rwanda!!!

The real JeffS-- Oh, I'll go see The Day After Tomorrow... never pass up a chance to watch New York and LA liberals being flushed out to sea!

Just think, in a perfect world, Margo Kingston would have been one of the drifting carcasses in Peter Weir's The Last Wave...

What I am gonna do, tho, is buy a ticket to a different, less PC movie and then theatre hop to catch it, so TDAT doesn't get the benefit of my endorsement by cash. Hmmm... maybe Soul Plane...

BTW -- Al Sadr is giving up and pulling out of Najaf.

What popular uprising was that again?

I am still chuckling at the 'print it in french' line.

Despite being a scientifically nonsensical story of climatic apocalypse (climate change isn't an overnight phenomenon),

Except due to nuclear war. Some actor turned republican politician starred in a film touching on that.

the film's message about politicians ignoring scientists' warnings is so compelling that some commentators expect it to play a part in President George Bush being defeated in the November election.

That statement is true. Some commentators probably do believe it.

I myself don't view the film being released in a US election year as a coincidence. (And an Australian election year - the film hasn't forgotten Australia, our Opera House gets trashed)

Andjam:

And Utzon had just showed up again, measuring tape in hand.

His last words were "alright already - let's fix these lousy acoustics once and for argghhhhhhh!!"

Chris Josephson:

Maybe Herr Dipstick Emmerich will make a new movie, "Invasion of the Moonbats", where the VRWC is attacked by flying lunar rodents hopped up on cocaine. That ought to be his new level of creativity, extrapolating over his last 3 movies in a downward trend.

And I like Richards' idea, except that I would probably end puking on the floor or something. I have this gag reflex with regards to moonbats.......

Werner -- thanks for the translation. Interesting to see Emmerich is so happy to trash America, but take our money. Must be nice for him to be a rich hypocrite.

The real JeffS — Roland Emmerich is a guy who made his "rep" such as it is, ripping off George Pal and Ray Harryhausen without even a thank you credit. Really don't care much about his take on world affairs.

Back in the 70's, there was a terrible skiffy movie called "The Incredible Melting Man". The director actually got headlines in New York by claiming he made the movie as a protest against the Apollo program, because nobody knew what it might bring back.

Andjam — No offense, but I think that's the only building most Americans recognize from Australia.

Yeah, Andjam, I remember the Opera House from "ID4", with one of the spaceships augered in nearby. Emmerlich seems to have this thing about destroying cities. It's a good thing he didn't direct "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon", else the Earth would be populated only by cockroaches.

Which might be his deepest wish......

Ninio
Problem du jour ?
should'nt the Age have written
Probleme du jour?

Ce sont des branleurs non ?

Richard, the thing is, I really don't worry about the political leanings of a member of the entertainment industry, until they start using their fame to indulge in social change. Then I sit up and take notice.

Now, if someone from the Hollywood crowd wants to go into politics, no problem. They are putting words into action. I really don't care which side of the fence they are on.

There's a distinct line between charity/causes, and pushing a political agenda. IMHO, when someone crosses that line without running for office or volunteering a lot of their time, then I have to ask myself, just what are they in it for? Publicity? Money? Self-gratification? I just can't see any altruism from someone that flaunts their activities.

So when someone from the Hollywood crowd (Like Emmerich) takes up political activism, my bullshit detector sounds off at 110 decibels. He's catering to the European crowds, and the left wingers elsewhere. He probably believes his own line, but I don't believe for a minute that he is not fully aware of his self-interests here. He continues to make money off his schtick. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

So, screw him. Not a penny of my hard earned money will he get.

You shouldn't immediately dismiss the possibility that "The Day After Tomorrow" will influence the presidential election this year. Remember that Emmerich's previous movie "Independence Day" was released during an election year (1996) and it also had an obvious political bias ie humans=good, aliens=bad. And sure enough, in November, the only alien candidate in the race - Ross Perot - was resoundingly defeated.

Check out the SMH today. On second thoughts., don't bother.
Some dozy pillock has written the obligatory anti-US piece, which has been headed
"The US: a warlike nation" or some such.
Great article on the net called "The great liberal death wish" by late UK journalist Malcolm Muggerdige. Very funny about how the liberal mind abased itself in Russia after the revolution. Good story about the Ruskies standing in queues which the western intelligentsia swallowed, hook line and sinker.
It seems, history is repeating

tim g:

Actually, I am worried about that very matter. There are enough airheads out there who believe anything in print or on the screen to make a definite impact on the elections. Especially when the movie has a (sort of) big name actor, and is being pushed as a "warning movie". I recall a couple of movies that changed opinions about the Vietnam War, for example.

It's just that I don't care to ignore the facts behind this, espceially those concerning the producer. The science is bad and the politics are obvious. I make a point of telling my friends that.

Altavista translates:

branleur = wanker

And sure enough, in November, the only alien candidate in the race - Ross Perot - was resoundingly defeated.

Hey, I saw that episode of the Simpsons...and I know Perot was the only real contestant in the election...Clinton, Dole? Hideous space creatures!

Holy Crap!

I made the mistake of buying into that last link.

Skip the teaser intro and get into the second para:

First, he invades Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein possesses (not might possess - definitely possesses) weapons of mass destruction, only to find that the old monster was bluffing

Niall, read up on UNSC 1441, and how Saddam failed to comply. Bluff or not, it was his failure to comply with those conditions, not the presence of WMDs that brought about his demise.

Then he intimates that he was really acting for the sake of human rights…

Oh, 'intimates', I seeeeeee. Just like the hysterical left is 'intimating' that Abu Ghraib successfully negates all that silly talk about Saddam being a truly nasty piece of work on the human rights front. Nyah, nyah, you're just as bad as Saddam. Sigh.

…only to have his own troops torture Iraqi prisoners

Enough of the Abu Ghraib beat up already. Pop quiz, would you rather have been in that prison a) during Saddam's reign, b) under the Americans, or c) (insert some dissembling bit of pomo tripe that claims the question is not legitimate.)

His approval ratings slide below the 50 per cent mark. Michael Moore wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes…

Michael Moore!?!! The millionaire, middle-class working man's hero. Sure, the guys a hypocrite and has a problematical relationship with the truth, but he's a Bush hater, so he must be alright then. The big message out of the monumental developments at Cannes? Alternative film makers are anti-Bush. Yawn. Does anybody seriously believe that the prize at Cannes would have gone to a viciously satirical not-documentary on, say, UNSCAM?

A calamity at a French airport turns out not to be the work of terrorists…

What the...? What point is this nitwit trying to make? That Bush would have been happy if the roof collapse had been a terror attack? Er, is there any evidence to support that supposition, or is this weird outburst the result of too much trepanning when Niall was going through a New Age phase?

And then he falls head first off his bike before a make-or-break speech this week

Right, I see. The guy was going for bike ride. He had a stack and got some minor abrasions. Kerry must be a shoe-in for November after this ground-shaking blow to the Bush campaign.

Wha...? Oh no, surely not. Let me check my glasses.

I do not write this in an anti-American spirit.

Right. Ah ha. Mm hmm. I see. Ferguson just reckons the US has mass Asperger's syndrome. But he's not anti-American. You see, he's just trying to explain why the US isn't getting invites to all the fashionable parties anymore.

But if you think of the diplomatic world as one huge party (which in many ways it is), then there is no denying that the US has lately become the guest who has "difficulty in developing relationships"

He's like a friend who tells you about your bad breath - by writing about it in a condescending, smartass piece in the local paper's society pages.

Wanker.

People are so unkind about the bloghead's favourite pwezident.

That convention's gonna be a doozie. Specially when McCain is installed as the consensus candidate after traditional republicans start deserting Bush the younger and his lunar right cabbal to avoid a bloodbath at the ballot box. Your boy has gone too far, bloghead! Not even average conservatives can stomach him any more.

It's spelled "cabal" Miranda. As to the rest of your screeching... strange, your insults are awfully underpowered these days. I guess those brain lesions have finally started to affect your mental capacities, such as they ever were. Too bad! Guys, enjoy Miranda while she's still around. After paresis sets in it usually isn't long.

I notice neither Mr Blair or his right-wing friends can actually produce any legitimate criticism of Tom Teepen's article in The Age. Is your only comment that it is anti-Bush? Is it that you cannot refute any other part of it? What exactly do you take issue with here? GWB has a lot to answer for considering the conduct of his administration over the last couple of years. Americans are poorer, less safe and more hated because of his decisions. Don't agree? Please prove me wrong.

The 'worthless rag' to which Mr Blair refers is the only decent broadsheet newspaper in Victoria. It is highly respected and has increasing circulation figures. Media ownership in Australia is highly concentrated with a very right-wing bias. The Age provides a balance to that bias without being too 'communie'. Mr Blair would understand balance seeing as he has written for fox news (that was a joke).

Mr Blair's "joke" about French people highlights to me that he does not reflect what the majority of Australians are thinking. Australians have no problem with the French. Only americans with
their stunted understanding of world history hold that particular misconception. 'Anti-americanism' is increasing in Australia and is reflected in newspapers such as the The Age. But that is because Australians judge people by what they do rather than what they say. The majority of Australians were against the war in Iraq and are against GWB. My suggestion to Mr Blair is that he consider taking up american citizenship ... I'm sure he'd fit in just fine.

Okay, doberman, or doodyman, or whatever your name is, your remarks have jumped the shark. I notice, for instance, that you can't supply any substantial critism of Tim's and his friends criticism of Tom Teepen. After all, where are your footnotes and corroborating references from Authority and maps to where the buried treasure is located? You're an idiot, and your playtime here is at an end, like my patience.

Americans are poorer, less safe and more hated because of his decisions. Don't agree? Please prove me wrong.-dobaman

Really? As an American, sitting here in my American home, in America, I can tell you we're sure as hell not poorer than we ever have been before. Unemployment is 5.1%. I mean, that's basically saying that every person who wants to work is indeed working. And we're all doing really well with the continued accumulation of material items, too.

Less safe? Compared to whom? Israelis? Haitians? Chinese? Most of us are sitting pretty at the moment, thanks for your concern.

More hated? Like we actually give a shit who hates us. As long as they fear us, is all we're saying. Just think of us as the nation of Sopranos, daboman.

I've been shy about posting, since I confused CurrencyLad with Sortelli the other day. Please don't hate me...

dobaman sez:

"GWB has a lot to answer for considering the conduct of his administration over the last couple of years. Americans are poorer, less safe and more hated because of his decisions. Don't agree? Please prove me wrong."

Well, ushie did a pretty good job, so I won't go there. I'll just agree with him, and leave it at that.

I will point out that between this and your other posts in the last couple of days, it's pretty clear that you pick and choose what you want for "facts" to support your obsession.

What obsession? The same one you share with most of the Left Wing Universe (TM): "I hate America", "I Hate Bush", "Anyone but Bush", "It's all about oil", and so on, ad nauseum. Your reasons for this obsession are immaterial. Maybe your shrink cares, but I don't.

I say this because you and your fellow Left Wingers sing the same song, dance the same dance, and wave the same signs over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It never changes. You and your kindred-in-spirit never have an alternative that looks forward or tries to constructively change things. Instead, we have to blame ourselves, forgive the terrorists and barbarians because they of the third world, and lower our head for the final stroke of the blade. Y'all watch this without thinking that the stroke includes you.

I'd better be quick as Tim has decided I'm not allowed to dissent.
'Poorer' - look at the US dollar relative to other major currencies since GWB took power.
'Less safe' - look at the travel advisories for Americans since the invasion of Iraq.
'More hated' - even your own politicians are concerned about the damage the Iraq war has done to US goodwill. Relying on 'fear' as a foreign policy basis is not going to serve the US well in the long-term. I thought you guys were trying to bring democracy to the world? 'Nation of the Sopranos' is an excellent term for the way most people around the world view Americans. Fat criminals who frequently betray their friends and are self-obsessed.

...look at the US dollar relative to other major currencies since GWB took power...

Thank you for proving you have no idea how the world economy works.

Remember Argentina? It tried to keep its currency valuable by pegging it to the Us Dollar.

Remember how that turned out?

Ok I'll admit I don't have much training in world economics. Maybe having a low valued currency is a good thing in the long term, I don't know. But it does seem to make buying things expensive for Americans. And then foreign debt goes up and so do budget deficits. And then the IMF warns that GWB's tax cuts and the foreign debt incurred under his administration 'threaten the world economy'.

'We have reached a point where federal debt stands at a level so that each American owes roughly $25,000. A bit of arithmetic shows that a family of four is on the hook for $100,000 in federal IOUs.'
http://www.safehaven.com/article-1568.htm

Of course GWB isn't solely to blame for this but his tax cuts haven't helped.

doba-man, I'm beginning to think not only do you have no idea about economics, but you have no idea about anything.

A lower valued currency makes imports more expensive, yes, but it also makes exports more competitive, and assists locally products in the domestic marketplace.

The British pound has always been worth more than the American dollar. Does that mean the UK economy has always been stronger? No.

Find an economist. Learn some things before you parrot rhetoric you heard elsewhere.

Maybe then you won't come off as so much of a stupid git.

It hurts when you try to IP ban me Tim...it really hurts.

'Less safe': Actually, this is true, but only in a few third world countries, where warfare has erupted. Not so across the globe. It is more correct to say "generally as dangerous as pre-Iraq invasion, just with different threats".

'More hated': This should read "More hatred coming out of the closet".

Oh, and I love your "Help, my dissent is being crushed!" whine. You are being a troll, bubba. You are shouting your discredited facts and behaving like an ass. You deserve to be banned.

"It hurts when you try to IP ban me Tim...it really hurts."

Good. And I did it, not Tim.

"'Nation of the Sopranos' is an excellent term for the way most people around the world view Americans. Fat criminals who frequently betray their friends and are self-obsessed.
Dibbadobbaman"

Oh, yes, the fat meme. Chuckle.

Frequently betray our friends? Dibbles, them's fightin' words, because I believe you are a-callin' us French.

"'Nation of the Sopranos' is an excellent term for the way most people around the world view Americans. Fat criminals who frequently betray their friends and are self-obsessed.
Dibbadobbaman"

Oh, yes, the fat meme. Chuckle.

Frequently betray our friends? Dibbles, them's fightin' words, because I believe you are a-callin' us French.

Sorry about the double post, Andrea. I suppose my crappy American internet connection is screwing me again.

You need to bribe the proper Authorities for the good internet connection. (I know they call it a "monthly charge" but I know a bribe when I see one! Frothfrothfroth.)