Distaste for America runs so deep that, for example, at the recent World Cup in Germany the American team was the only one asked not to display its national flag on the team bus. In South Korea, traditionally a U.S. ally, two-thirds of people under 30 said in a recent poll that if there were war between North Korea and the United States, they would side with North Korea.Actually, in Thailand, I've never heard — from Thai or foreigner — any unkind reaction to my being American. That's probably just because Americans haven't pissed off Thai people yet, and most expatriates in Thailand just want to put all of the world's worries behind them.
But then, you can go to Korea, where you'll run into "No Americans Allowed" signs on many store fronts. (Americans are still worried that North Korea might nuke Seoul as flat as a parking lot?)Well, I left America 3 years ago, and I've been lobbing poo-balls at our cold-and-prickly foreign policy ever since. In fact, aside from my old friend Gene (who's kind of a kooky bastard anyway), I don't know a single American who lives in Thailand who supports American foreign policy.
9 comments:
I can tell you that I DONT agree with the 'policy'.
That policy of invading countries, unprovoked and killing civilians and it's own military kids.
It's time for the rednecks in the goverment and society to admit their errors and shut up.
It's funny the last time I made a comment similar to this about a year ago, I got one back on my blog to the effect of "why don't you just be a coward like Jill and leave the USA?"
Believe me sucker, I would in a heartbeat.
How long can this sinking ship stay afloat? And if you don't know what I am talking about, open your eyes.
Pay attention children....Cain really was Able's brother and he murdered him. Most of Islam sides with the faction which wants the Jews destroyed and any one who helps them gets the same. Doesn't this ring any bells...raise any flags? Can you spell appeasement? France and most of Europe can spell it 10 different ways and the UN isists on it! I like the way Thailand deals with evil doers...opps! We killed HOW many??? Oh, my! We will have a commission to investigate. Ah, yes. Perhaps we over-reacted. We killed HOW many? Oh, my! We will have a......you get the idea.
Cain and Abel? o_O I have no idea what that is about.
Yes, most of Islam sides with the faction which wants the Jews destroyed. However, if you took every bomb, bullet, and bullwhip in the Islamic world and threw it into a war against Jews, Muslims couldn't destroy Isreal no matter how much they wanted it. Saudi Arabia and Iran just have little pawns (Hamas and Hizbollah) that they send in to get crushed by Israel so as to keep the fire stoked, and occasional "success stories" of blowing up innocent Israeli civilians.
If you define appeasement as not blowing up airports, lighthouses, generating stations, water filtration plants, and the occasional UN outpost, well then yes... I guess that Europe and the UN is very much in favor of appeasement.
No... I can't say I really like how Thailand handles their evil doers... when they aren't releasing 60,000 convicted criminals (many of whom are now terrorizing Pattaya) for the King's anniversary, they mostly just ignore the criminals... the ones they don't have a reason to shoot, at least.
(Actually it is more accurate to say that they hire other muderers to start gunfights with people they want dead, although - yes - the police do get in their licks when they can get away with it.)
p.s. Here is a good definition of appeasement:
George Bush has helped create only one successful democracy in the entire Middle East. It is currently being bombed by Israel to the point where it is going to go back to being a Syrian puppet. Why? Because Israel wants this nascent democracy to do something that they themselves have been unable to do for the past 25 years of occupying southern Lebanon: Disarm and disband Hizbollah.
Now, considering that Lebanon is (a) a George-Bush-created democracy, and (b) one-third Christian, and (c) the only country in the Middle East (besides Israel) which is a true U.S. ally, you would think that George Bush would try to do something to stop the violence, but instead, he is — read it slowly, Tom — appeasing Israel.
Now, I know that may cause steam to come out of your ears, but even among the biggest conservatives out there, such as Bill Buckley, Pat Buchannan, and George Will, they are all saying the same thing I am saying: Israel's bombing of Lebanon is hurting American interests in the Middle East, and George Bush is — read it slowly Tom, let it sink in — appeasing Israel by (a) not telling Israel to stop the bombing, (b) having Condi block a cease-fire proposal, and (c) blocking a EU-backed peacekeeping force to try and stop Hizbollah in southern Lebanon.
Sorry Tom, but your knee-jerk analysis of the facts is short-sighted and faulty. There no longer exists a "bomb them until they surrender" scenario on this planet. Get it?
Well Franky, I do have to disagree with you: Approximately 50% of the American people voted for George Bush the second time around, when there were no questions as to what he was going to do (or not do) in Iraq.
We, as Americans, may not have been able to forsee what would happen the first time around, when we elected President Bush, but there were no illusions the second time around, and for that we are responsible.
Now, I'm surprised that you would throw around that Coulteresque "traitor" label at people like Michael Moore who criticize America. Tell me one thing that Michael Moore has done that in any way hindered American military operations, divulged American diplomatic or intelligence matters, or allowed enemies of the state to better perform their military operations or intelligence matters. That's what being a traitor is.
If bitching about the President and American foreign policy, or pointing out his (and our) faults and mistakes makes somebody a traitor, then I certainly am a traitor, and you (based on some of the things you've written) are as well. Just because a million people don't read my blog doesn't make it any different, does it?
(And dude, c'mon: Canadian??? Did you even see "Roger and Me"? That whole movie was about his hometown in Michigan. Where do you get that he is Canadian?)
Fact of the matter is, you, me, and Tom (and, yes, Michael Moore) are all better patriots than 99% of the rest of those Americans out there who don't give a shit one way or the other. We are here thinking, debating, and worrying about things, and putting our two cents in. We care about our country, regardless of our opinions, and that makes us more... not less... American.
My information about Moore was bad, my post has been deleted and the re-post on my blog is correct.
The part about Moore was wrong (and me too) thanks for the clarification. I have no qualms about admiting when I am wrong. Plus, that serves me right to blog whilst buzzed on JD and Coca-Cola!
I still am proud of the way the citizens/firemen responded that day...but ashamed of the goverments blundering.
Did you know?
the deaths from the Iraq "war" have claimed more military lives than all those lost on September 11th?
I spoke with a veteren of Vietnam and he just shakes his head at the whole mess, history does indeed repeat itself.
Thanks Jill
I am old enough to remember the liberal eastern establishment say with sincerity and finality, "Better Red than Dead." Why? Because, they said, the age of democracy and capitalism was over. One thing the world would be wise to remember about those Germanic/Anglo/Saxon white devils of the West; we have found more and improved ways to kill our enemies in huge numbers than any other peoples in history. The world might want to thank God that we were "christianized" by mideast disciples just to restrain us to some degree. Of course, we still have a ways to go if we want to catch up with the Japaness in China, or Mao in China, or Stalin in Russia, or Kamur Rouge in Cambodia, or Kim Jung "Ill" in North Korea. Apease Israel? I'm cheering!
Hmm... You're taking the ol' Rumsfeldian approach: "As long as bombs are dropping and terrorists are on the run, it's all good."
Well, you have a standing invitation to come back here and gloat the day that Hizbollah ceases to exist because of Israeli artillery. Give me your address, because I'll send you a case of champagne the day that we defeat terrorism with bombs.
Yes, yes... I know: You don't want an end to this fighting any more than the Israelis do, any more than Iran does, any more than Osama Bin Laden does. In the mind of the neo-conservative, the absence of war is not peace, but anticipation and anxiety. It's the same old "as long as we are fighting them over there, we won't be fighting them here" adage.
It's the triumph of terrorism, really: When fear of what might happen if we don't lash out causes us to lash out, that is the triumph of terrorism. When all terrorists have to do is make barely a whisper, we topple entire countries, that is terrorists playing the fear of the neo-conservatives like a violin. When all we crave is destruction and devasation of the places that terrorists have infiltrated, without a care to the innocent bystanders or even our own worldwide credibility, that is the triumph of terrorism.
Neo-conservatives like to lob accusations about how liberals are helping the terrorists by "appeasing" them, but I would postulate that the terrorists could care less about "appeasement." The one thing that terrorists want more than anything else is war, and who is the one who is cheering for war?
Exactly.
By the way, don't go thinking I'm a liberal. I'm a realist. I recognize the futility of trying to "bomb away the bad". Truth is, I'm an isolationist.
My personal opinion is that we should cut all diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with countries that have terrorists. Not do business with them, not allow them into our country, and not go to theirs. Let them all rot for a century or so. (Besides, they really only want to be left alone, right?)
The Islamic world is diseased with extremism and violence. We aren't going to fix it with bombs and we aren't going to fix it with elections. In fact, nothing we do is going to fix it. The only thing we can do is isolate the disease, and keep it as far away as possible, and hope that someday it dies away on its own.
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