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Nick-Gotts

Listed below are comments made by Nick-Gotts between Monday, 6th April 2009 and Thursday, 16th April 2009.

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Will we now get the truth about military adventures? 4:05pm on 16 Apr 2009 "The best justification I can offer for America is that in spite of our many failures, shortcomings, hypocracies and other not so savory aspects, immigrants are still beating a path to our door. That tells me that although we aren't by any means perfect we're a darn sight better than a lot of the rest of the world and other people recognize it." - Scott0562

As they are also beating paths to western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. It's because these countries are rich.
American Exceptionalism 4:47pm on 07 Apr 2009 happylaze@196
Hey, what's really surprising is that a poor, landlocked country such as Bolivia has enough Walth boats to be worth redistributing!
American Exceptionalism 4:33pm on 07 Apr 2009 "I suggest you go to Rueters where Chavez and his cronies are arresting all opposition leaders on trumpted up charges." - MagicKirin

It's "trumped up". The Reuters (I assume you meant Reuters) site points to reports that one opposition figure, Raúl Baduel (a former friend of Chavez) has been arrested on corruption charges and an arrest warrant has been sought for another, Manuel Rosales (he is today reported to have fled to Colombia). I can't find any others. It remains to be seen whether the charges are trumped up or not. I'm not denying Chavez has worrying authoritarian tendencies, but it is simply false to call him a dictator unless and until he actually establishes a dictatorship. Nor have you provided any evidence whatsoever that Nicaragua and Bolivia are dictatorships.

"For all of you insist that Israel give up land to people who never owned it. Why don't you support the 40% who don't want to support Morales redistribution of walth suceed from his totalitarian rule."

The first sentence of this is of course utter garbage. As for the second sentence - Morales is a democratically elected leader, there is an active opposition, and by your own figures a majority supports the redistribution of wealth - sorry, walth - he is undertaking.
Strategy and yet more strategy 4:12pm on 07 Apr 2009 "That's not to say I don't think he's a marked improvement on the last one. At least he's got a brain." - british-ish

Yes, at least the question: "What was the US President thinking?" now makes sense!
American Exceptionalism 2:31pm on 07 Apr 2009 Those Americans claiming precedence for the US constitution might like to look at the Corsican constitution of 1755. There's a rather ropy English translation of the original Italian at http://www.pasqualepaoli.com/english/constite.htm. It mandates universal suffrage for all men over 25, and it is claimed by some that women voted in national elections as well (they had traditionally voted for local officials). Admittedly, however, it doesn't begin "We the people", so according to Sam Tyler, it can't really have meant anything.
American Exceptionalism 1:20pm on 07 Apr 2009 Interestedforeigner@121,

I have to admit "Faith, hope and clarity" is not original to me. It was the caption to a cartoon in Private Eye (British satirical magazine) after the Archbishop of Canterbury made a complete idiot of himself by a muddled statement on shariah law.
American Exceptionalism 1:09pm on 07 Apr 2009 "We [the USA] do not, have never, and will never have an empire." - AndyPost

Just because the US has, outside North America, generally preferred to rule through compliant locals rather than directly, does not mean it has not had an empire. In any case, for direct rule I suggest you take a look at the history of Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam, Micronesia, American Samoa and other Pacific territories. (Yes, I know the "Federated States of Micronesia" is officially independent. Pull the other one, it's got bells on.) You might also reflect on the fact that practically the entire territory of the USA was acquired by force or fraud.
American Exceptionalism 12:59pm on 07 Apr 2009 "I think if you talked to the Mayor in Venezuela who was arrested on trumpted up charge or the Bolivian opposition whose house were destroyed by Morales Dignity squads they would not call them free democracies." - MagicKirin

Of course even if your allegations here are correct, they would tend to indicate that neither Venezuela nor Bolivia is a dictatorship, as you falsely claimed, because they show that there is active, openly-organised political opposition in both countries. In Venezuela the opposition recently won a number of provincial elections (including Caracas); and in Bolivia they control a number of states.
American Exceptionalism 6:59pm on 06 Apr 2009 "the dictatorship in Latin american (Venezuela, Cuba Nicuragua and Boliva)" - MagicKirin

Of these four (assuming you mean Nicaragua and Bolivia), only Cuba is a dictatorship. The other three have all had recent multi-party elections judged free and fair by impartial observers, have active opposition parties and press, and AFAIK, no political prisoners.

Just because you don't like a government, that does not make it a dictatorship.
American Exceptionalism 6:38pm on 06 Apr 2009 "This is a very interesting observation. It tends to be the opposite here in the U.S., i.e., that those who are the most nationalistic tend to be the ones who are most critical and/or afraid of other countries or cultures. And I assume that is what you were saying between the lines." - bere54

No, that wasn't quite it. Nationalistic Brits are extremely anti-EU, and often racist, but many see the USA's imperial power as a kind of extension of that which the UK used to have - after all, Americans speak English - of a kind ;-), have a common-law judicial system, a primarily Protestant religious background, and many other cultural features in common with Britain - so nationalistic Brits often feel a kind of vicarious national pride in the achievements of the USA, regarding the differences as relatively unimportant, and the American Revolution as an unfortunate misunderstanding. By contrast, nationalistic Americans emphasise the differences, and the extent of the historical break represented by the Revolution.

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