Couldn't Help But Notice

[cywelchjr]

I think there are some very good points made in this thread, on both sides of the issue. That said, has anyone noticed that the talk about the "assault weapons ban" the justification is mexico, which is complaining about "fully automatic" weapons being used by the cartels. The assault weapons banned are semi-automatic weapons. Fully automatic weapons have been mostly banned (since not too long after prohibition) from the general public for decades, unless you go through a pretty tough background check and get a special collectors license to get a fully auto, which you can still do under the ban. This is one of those "feel good measures" IMHO, meaning it's intended to look like their addressing the issue when it really has no affect whatsoever. You see, the average non-firearms-enthusiest equates form with function. If it looks like a fully automatic weapon then it is, even when/if the only similarity is that it fires the same round, and maybe uses the same clip, but fires one round per trigger pull. A semi-auto assault rifle and a semi-auto hunting rifle work exactly the same, they just look different.

Sorry for the diatribe, while I do not currently take advantage of my right to bear arms, I fully support it. I agree with the enforce current gun laws, criminals are already not legally allowed to own or possese a firearm so just enforce the law.

[Big Daddy Funk]

What the world thinks

Okay, I have written and scrapped two long winded posts. But it all comes down to a few thoughts.
1. Don't rely on your domestic news programs for information. I've seen few programs as inflamatory and anti-american as your network news(esp. Fox).
2. Because we don't always agree with your governments policies does not mean we dislike it's citizens.
3. The USA seems to have alot of very dedicated friendships around the world for many years now. Far more than any of your past or current enemies
4. Your friends seem to have much more faith in the American people than Americans do.
5. Canada likes being your neighbour and has proved it. So have many other countries. It is insulting to question another countries soverignity and friendship.
6. Travel- The most enlightening experience in the world. Get out of the tourist areas and experience other cultures without judging. It just is what it is. Start out by visiting Canada's various regions. We'd be happy to show you around and I'll bet you'll have a different outlook.
(unless your an idiot where you live now. you'd likely be considered an idiot here too. But we'll be polite about it)

[crazy steve]

Y'know, reading these posts just shows up how misinformed much of the public really is on these subjects. And that's by design, as the 'mainstream media' (read 'radio and tv', not print so much) is pretty much owned by the same people who are doing their best to keep us diverted while they raid the public money accounts and are sending us the bills. Rational discourse gets little or no coverage, while extremists from both ends of the spectrum are all over. The current purging going on in the republican party is a prime example. My sincere hope is that they're successful, and these bozos get sent to the lunatic fringe where they belong.

Loud screeching about 'socialism' is one of the items that gives me the most amusment, as nearly everyone in the US gets some benefit from it virtually every day and would raise holy hell if these things were taken away (and I'm talking about police, fire, public schools, libraries, and if you get any of your home services from a public utility; all operating under 'socialist' priciples). The only reason we don't have public health care is the AMA had enough money to keep it off the agenda for years (but even they recognise it's need now), and that task has now been taken over by the insurance companies who are deathly afraid of the money tree going away.

The republicans kept 'the peeple' diverted with the three 'g's (God, guns, & gays) while big business tried to solidify their control over of every aspect of our economy for their benefit. Their wholesale assults on individual rights have been breathtaking and more successful than most people are aware of.

Right now, there's a huge battle going on under the radar as to who is going to control the US government; the voting public or the corparations. They nearly pulled it off when Bush 2 was elected, but their inherent stupidity (due to internal squabbling over who would get how much of the pie i.e. greed) caused them to pick mostly like-minded morons to advance their 'message' and the current economic mess is the result. We came periously close to becoming a facist state under these people, and we're not out of the woods yet. The Obama administration and democrats in congress are in thrall to many of the same special interests as the republicans were, and is attempting the impossible: returning power to the people, all while answering to their true bosses, the big money boys. Stay tuned, as our future is at stake....

'78E original owner

[planedick]

Said best

I agree with Ivan. He said pretty much how I feel and I did vote for Obama. Since then I have dixcovered some of the things he promised would not be in our best interest and bailing out the banks was a BIG MISTAKE. Never in the history of banks has there been a time when money flowed from the banks to the people and giving them money will not change that. Giving money to the people would have saved everyone else.

I think the most important thing that needs to happen is to get rid of the lobbiests. Anyone lobbying congress should not be able to give them money nor can the entities they are lobbying for. I think anyone can lobby the congress, but it should seriously limit their contributions. The lobbiests are destroying our country.

I also agree that the president has limited powers, but when he has a majority in congress it does give him much more power. We have many more problems here than the color of the presidents skin which I believe has no bearing on the man at all. I would much rather had more choices. Sometimes I wish Opra would run. LOL Colin Powel would have been a great choice if it was possible, but like was said, he's too smart to run.

[b.walker5]

Be assured though.. that were you ever attacked by another country.. your government and people would surely change it's tune. Countries like to trash talk the U.S., but guess who they all turn to in times of need or conflict.

Tod

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting on that one. In our relatively short 170 odd years of history, since the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 with the indigenous Moari people, we have been involved in every major conflict around the world, including Korea, Veitnam, and currently Afghanistan and Iraq, at the request of the US government, yet we have never asked for anybody's help and we have never been attacked or even mildy disturbed by anyone. Why do you think that is? True, the Japanese did give us a sideways glance in WW2, but they never seen us as a significant threat, yet we, alongside the Australians, British and Canadians were kicking Hiltler and Rommels arse elswhere in the world. Your own military regards our SAS troops currently in Afghanistan as some of the best trained and most capable in the world and our pilots are highly sought after by air forces around the world, including your own but we don't get agro from others because we don't go in with guns blazing, promising to right the wrongs of the world, we go with quiet determination to "get the job done" and then help rebuild afterwards. We are often called on by the UN to provide troops for peace keeping and humanitarian roles around the world and we gain much respect around the world because of it, BTW this is the only reason were in Iraq. When the US asked us to enter into it's illegal war we said no, but we are happy to help pick up the pieces afterwards, so when Bush announced that his war was over <choke> our troops were deployed. To my knowledge to date we have only lost 2 men in that conflict, and one of those was from US "friendly fire". We stand tall and proud here at the bottom of the South Pacific and we dont ask for anyones help, but it's a pretty safe bet that if any attack ever did happen the uninvited big brother mentality of your military will ensure that they arrive to "save the day". I'm not sure if you realise this but the Nuclear might your military is so proud of was actually discovered by one of us. Ernest Rutherford, from Nelson, split the atom and discovered the awesome power it produced is 1911, but he also discovered it's incredible dangers and wrote about it in many scientific journals, which, interestingly enough, were never published in the US.

Sorry if this comes across a little strong, but like you guys I am fiercly proud of our country and it's place in the world, and will defends it's integretity anytime I feel it's being questioned.

and..... I agree with everything that Big Daddy Funk has said, and I'm not anti american or america bashing, but would like to add,

"I wish to God, the gift he gei us, to see ourselves as others see us"
Robert Burns, 1786.

[trbig]

Nobody has questioned your roles in things. Simply staying out of the way though, doesn't always work, as Pearl Harbor can attest. Simply because you have never been attacked.. to assume you never will isn't the best strategy.

My point was not just for military attack, though New Zealand has a little more land mass and about the population of the state of Oregon... proud as it may be, it couldn't withstand a modern nation's attack alone. I did say times of need also. New Zealand is susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis. But since you haven't had a bad one recently, I guess it's safe to assume you never will.

My simple point was... WHEN bad things happen and people inevitably call for help, since they don't have the resources or manpower to do so themselves, who do they call?? Not the Ghost Busters.


Tod

[b.walker5]

And my point is that simply because the US see's itself as the saviour of the world doesnt make it so.., and the reality is that in time of need we are far more likely to call on our major trading partners for help, which are Australia, Britain, Japan and China. The US represents a relatively small slice of our trading pie, mainly due to the protectionist subsidy system used by succesive US administrations used to "punish" those seen to disagree with US methods, and up untill Wall Street swindled the world, we were doing vey well. However, I wasnt trying to turn this into a them and us type argument, I was merely expressing an opinion from an outside observer and will now withdraw from what is obviously a sore point within the US.

Agreeing to Disagree.

Brian

[cywelchjr]

And my point is that simply because the US see's itself as the saviour of the world doesnt make it so.., and the reality is that in time of need we are far more likely to call on our major trading partners for help, which are Australia, Britain, Japan and China. The US represents a relatively small slice of our trading pie, mainly due to the protectionist subsidy system used by succesive US administrations used to "punish" those seen to disagree with US methods, and up untill Wall Street swindled the world, we were doing vey well. However, I wasnt trying to turn this into a them and us type argument, I was merely expressing an opinion from an outside observer and will now withdraw from what is obviously a sore point within the US.

Agreeing to Disagree.

Brian

While I can agree that you have a lot to be proud of, frankly the only reason the world is not speaking german and japanese is because of the US. Even before we entered the war (and we were the LAST country into the war after being begged to enter, it took pearl harbor to get us in (and I'm not going into all the conspiracy theories on that, even if I do believe some of the)) we were supporting the countries facing the germans and japanese. That said, yes we (the US) have done some wrongs, but remember we weren't the first into vietnam, we inherited that from the french. Yes many of the others were questionable, and I will certainly agree to disagree on the legality of the war in iraq, saadam was refusing access to the inspections required by the treaty that ended the first gulf war, frankly I have some pretty good inside info that they DID find stuff, and hid the fact and destroyed them. All of that said, while you may think that your govt would call on the UK etc, they very very likely would instantly call on us, and we would answer, because we know that we owe you for all the help you have been in many conflicts.

Please don't go away, your just a much a part of the family on channel 11 as anybody else.

[Big Daddy Funk]

b.walker5

Thought I'd just mention that visting New Zealand is on my bucket list. I have one friend who lived there for two years and never stops talking about it. The photographs I have seen were incredible. Why not post some for us?

[b.walker5]

If you ever make it here, look me up, you'll be made to feel very welcome. Hospitality is what we excell at.

This collection of pictures probably has the most encompassing overview of the country, but each region has it's own particular beauty and special attraction, for me it's skiing in Queenstown and riding the roads of the West Coast of the South Island. One of the advantages of being a small country is that all of this is only a couple of days travel away at most. I can be skiing in the morning and swimming in the Pacific in the afternoon.

http://www.planetware.com/pictures/new-zealand-nz.htm

For those interested I'll start another "non Political" thread with some of my personal favourite photos of my region of the country.