Alternative to the EU

[Spannerman]

Why can't we all trade with each other without belonging to a market or organisation without any tarriffs of any sort. If our products are the best in the world, people will buy them, if they are not the best they won't. Groups of countries only antagonise other groups, its becoming a religion where those groups are beginning to detest others. Each live there own independent lives, its one small world today where 100 years ago it was a big world.

[Wholley]

There's no way we can trade fairly.
The unfortunate fact is there is so much Pork spending in this country and a lot of political shennanigans that most honest voter's don't even hear about.For instance,the US Navy de-commisioned twenty Ships last year.
They Commisioned only four replacements.Bush maintains his government is re-building the Military,bullsh#t!he's spending less and less
on the Military and more and more on"Homeland Security"Which from a Law Enforcement persepctive is not needed."BIG GOVERNMENT"is what it's all about,more spending,more government employees,more control of the people and the states.
Rant over(for now).
Wholley.

[AdamR]

Pork spending?

[Frank S.]

Pork spending = government waste.
Actually, homeland security is mostly pork. If you consider that fire departments and police departments still haven't received money for upgrades to their communications systems, bio-hazard equipment (they've gotten a few suits and masks past their shelf-life), where does all the money go? Well, the 87 billion Bush requested for the reconstruction/pacification of Iraq, for instance. And they diverted about 8 million to beef up the Miami PD (?) in preparation for the WTO meeting (and protests) in that city.
It's a shell game.

But as to Europe, etc., I can imagine a day when French (for instance) is no longer spoken. Same for German or Italian. Those countries use language as a major defining factor of their identity, yet those languages are more of a hindrance to international exchange and are falling out of use in some places between their borders.
This in turn feeds fears of globalization and resentment of immigration. So in a sense, language is their Achilles' heel.
Whatever 'alternatives' are considered to the EU for example, are still steps in the direction of an eventual world government body. We could have all countries roughly 'arranged' in three major groups, but eventually these groups would merge.
In the US, language is not nearly as much of an issue. Back in the 19th century, a massive influx of Greek immigrants 'threatened' to make Greek the dominant language based on their numbers.
Today it's Spanish and a smattering of Asian languages. The English language is not the defining factor of American identity, so even if a century from now people took to speaking some form of pidgin as in 'Blade Runner', the US as a nation would retain its name at least.

[Wholley]

Off topic I know,
Police Departments often pay over $1000.00 for a plastic Glock,which will last maybe two years,you can buy them privately for less than $500.00
Personally I prefer an M1911AI or a 9mm Browning.Reliable,and they last forever,for back up I really like the.380 Taurus.
just my opinion.
God Bless John Moses Browning
Wholley.

BTW Frank,"Blade Runner" is a truly great movie.

[albu]

Now, the main direction is - as I understood - let's found a commenwelth and let the entry be "english as primary language". So far - so good. But as many other things, the language itself has a evolution. Think of french: they lived 2000 years ago (as the germans, too ) in wooden houses. The romans lived in houses of stone...They had windows...called: "fenestra" - so in french you call it "fenetre" or in german "fenster" - as you see: all the same sense, coming from origin roman word. And thats the way, language goes. And you can't do anything. People hear a word, the keep it in mind an someday it's in a dictionary. In germany - the "DUDEN" - has every year a new edition with new words (like "handy"->mobile or "laptop" an many others. So today we speak in germany not "german" but a sort of "mainly german" and "a lot of "turkish, russian, italian, spanish..." (at time it's "in" to speak like turkish youth - horrible). Another main part of young people come from russia - not to integrate, not willing to learn german - they are like chinese in their "china town" - some cities have their "russian quarter"
So don't waste time discussing that theme. One day in future all people in the world speak the same language - will be a sort of english (pidgin probably )

[Frank S.]

Albu: I agree, and would take it a step further. Using the English language as common denominator, or cornerstone for a reenergized Commonwealth would eventually lead it to failure.
Wholley, give it another twenty years and maybe "Blade Runner" will be seen as visionary. Scary, huh?

[albu]

in any case - for my opinion - the way the EU goes is a deadend! Who will pay the lots of money? How will it be ruled?

And sorry - but especially the polish illegals are well-known for steeling german cars (the frontier from berlin to poland is about 1 Hour - no time for police to react) - so, when it was in the newspaper, that poland is part of Iraq-Support and has its own sector, I saw a joke-picture with a tank without the tracks, standing on 4 stones and a sign in the background: "you are leaving the polish sector"

[Aldo]

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick here. The basis is not of language but of similarities in most areas. The fact is we tend to agree more with the members of the commonwealth than with those of the EU, another main point is that our governmental, econamical, cultural, political, systems are very similar and would allow easier intigration. Plus, for Britain anyway, the population would prefer this to the EU. Language has practicley nothing to do with this, it's to do with how we think.

[Frank S.]

On paper, maybe. But in practice..?
And doesn't language predetermines the way people think? It does matter greatly. I don't really see Canadians and say Australians as being close in the way they think, however. But wait and see...

[Aldo]

Support in Canada is pretty high. The FCS has a chapter there and a few lectures have been made on this subject in some towns, both showed massive support. They don't want to be in the shadow of the US, this is what I've been told by the Canadians and Aussies I've talked to anyway.

[lew]

Id rather be apart of a common wealth than Europe...

I just don’t trust Europe to do what’s right by the British people, and our government are to spineless to stand up for what we, the British people are saying we would become a non important member and that simply isn’t good enough...

A common wealth would be better for Britain...


lew