To all British servicemen and women...

[gash-hand]

You said "In short I want what's best for the people of NI, but do I know what that is, no. Could I speak authoritively on the subject, No"

So why the f*ck do you think it acceptable to fund terrorist organisations that you know little or nothing about??

[barryc]

US Army (what all of 'em?), spoke of the majority of Americans having suffered under British imperial agression (Mel Gibson and the Patriot strike again). Way back part way through our history, and at the beginning of American history a number of British (mainly English/Scots) settlers rebelled against the unfair taxes of a German king (yes he was on the English throne, but a German nonetheless). I suspect our American cousins have forgotten their true lineage, oh, I know since then they have had a fair sprinkling of Irish, Dutch, Polish, Hispanics and freed black slaves, but at the beginning they were Brits. They even set about deliberately changing the language to lose some of their Brit heritage, it was no simple accident or action of gentle change that led to their peculiar spelling of colour, humour etc.

It has been the action of numerous British Governments, of all shades, that has led to this estrangement of countries with a common heritage. When our French neighbours joined what was then the Common Market they made sure selected colonies were included, we just dumped our blood kin in Australia, New Zealand and Non-French Canada, people who have proved to be true friends in favour of the duplicitous French.

It is time for the English speaking world of all skin shades to work together, Britain was an empire building nation it's true, but so were the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottomans before us but, like the Romans we left a valuable heritage behind us, World wide. We are a small island (but not an island according to the EU) off the coast of Europe, but the World better not forget what we were capable of, and may be again if we ever get another leader instead of the ar**wipe we have currently.

Proud to be a citizen of Great Britain

Barry

[Topper]

I'm sure Mr US Army all of the nations that 'suffered' at the hands of the 'evil' British, would of suffered terribly at the hands of the Nazis. However it was the old imperialists who stood alone and stopped the greatest evil in mankinds history from overtaking Europe and eventually the world. I think Americans lecturing us on history is always a bad sign, was it the USAAF that defeated the Luffwaffe over Kent?? Was it the US Navy that broke the enigma code? The Amercians are decent people, unlike many of my generation, i do not have an irrational hatred of anything American, but until the population of the USA stops viewing history through Hollywood and the ever so slightly one sided propaganda of the IRA, then they will always be ignorant to the rest of the world.

[Sisyphus]

Barry

I was pretty much 100% with you in what you said until you got to the penultimate sentence. The World probably will never forget what we once had. But as for us achieving anything similar in the future?? No chance.

The sooner we concentrate on putting right what's wrong domestically and drastically reduce our contribution to "world policing" the better. I've asked the question before: why are British subs still patrolling the seas with Trident missiles on board? My answer: to keep us at the table of the UN Security council. There is no credible military strategic reason for us keeping them

We are a small island nation which is, apparently, the 4th wealthiest in the world. My guess is that the incredible amount of wealth this represents is with a tiny minority of the population.

Anyway, in a decade or two it won't even be the US which is the world's dominant power. It will be the Global Corporations: governments will become irrelevant.

[USARMY_]

-Gash-hand, you said "So why the f*ck do you think it acceptable to fund terrorist organisations that you know little or nothing about??"

I didn't say I did, nor do I.

-Barry C, your attempt to pass the olive branch is noble. However dig this, you seem to have a very narrow view of what the American populous was made of at the time of the Revolution and now. To demonstrate this just look at the vote for our countries offical language taken way back during the days of the Continental Congress. English beat German by one vote. Surely a bunch of English wouldn't vote for German. Would they? And I'm sorry you have troubles accepting the history of your country and I suspect it has little to do with Mel Gibson. Try reading Simon Schama's work's, and you'll find maybe us Yanks aren't so dull after all.

-Topper, you didn't stand alone at any point during WWII. At the very least you had help from Resistance groups, CommonWealth Nations and got lots of supplies from the US.

Movies are geared at it's target audience. These bad movies (U-571), are geared for Americans, so Americans are going to be the heros. We don't get our history from movies but apparently you do.

And besides. If Americans are so stupid and useless why couldn't Britian crush the Axis powers alone? If Britian was so tops, why not invade alone In WWI or WWII. Oh wait...what's that...you owe Americans for your countries freedom twice! You didn't win the Battle of Britian, you absorbed a beating. The Nazis' had little more on their minds at the time then Operation Dolphin, it's called operation Barbarosa and these people called Americans attacking their under belly. But wait, I thought we knew nothing...who's showing their @ss now? Why can't British and Europeans thank America properly for their freedom? Is it a dark day in history class when they teach why your country is free?

-delD, again to hard to explain, no one refers to them self as Irish. It is simply a way to say where their family is from. We are all Americans especially when whiney Europeans are involved. And again why do you folks have this endless obsession that Americans support or are involved in IRA, that is ridiculous. 99.99% of Americans couldn't care less. BTW if the Britts are so hard core why can't you smote out a tiny radical faction in NI.
1)Also who is throwing money into IRA coffers? Crazy people in Boston, bottom line.
2) No culture of our own? I guess you haven't ever been to America.

Oh and if the British don't like the killing in NI, they could end it today by leaving. Your problem is self Perpetuating.

"I wish they would just stay on their side of the pond and confine themselves to night sticking the "coloured folks" or whatever it is you lot do for fun"- know that is simply hilarious, maybe we could agree on some things!!!

[El Prez]

OK Senor, drop the night stick. In the corner you'll find sand bags and rocks, start building your sangar, 'cos I hear incoming Cuzz!

[USARMY_]

Okay, no more butting heads, let's both get of our horses and try to learn from each other. What do the majority of people in NI want? PLease...PLEASE, don't say my nation supports Irish terrorism. Maybe a handful of people do in the entire country. So what does the average British citizen want from the average US citizen. I can tell you what Joe BagofDonuts wants from you, a little coperation, gratitude,and mutual respect. Also while I was in France, I found the people there to be as friendly and helpful as anywhere on earth, same thing when I was in Germany, but do I like their Government's. No so let's not blur the lines.

[harry hackedoff]

You are starting to make sense now, Bud.
That`s been mostly my experiance, that people are mostly the same.
Mostly.
Please don`t do what most of your countrymen have done on this site i.e. post on this single issue and then thin out. Stay and talk awhile.
You might even like it.
Mostly

And welcome aboard again, USARMY, you sipp your Jim Beam, I`ll take a tot,


Aye, Harry

[El Prez]

Well said Sir. Your nation has our respect, gratitude and co-operation; what we don't have, and it's probably a result of anno domini, is any time for politicians of any creed, or nationality. Perhaps that's too general, but they do tend to stick in the throat with all their sermonising and pontificating. Put them in a front line, tidy up their backsides then return them to their politicing!

[harry hackedoff]

carefull there, mate. Dubya`s daddy was a fast jet jock.
And wasnt Anne Widdecombe Attila the Hun`s battle axe?
In a previous existance of course

Aye

[Sisyphus]

USARMY

I feel pretty sure that most right-thinking people are grateful for the US contribution during both world wars. What seems to rankle is the "we won the war" attitude we hear from some Americans who brush aside the realities of history. For example

1. America joined the WWII after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour on 7 Dec 1942. The US declared war on Japan after being attacked. It did not declare war on Germany. We can only speculate what would have happened if Hitler had left the US/Japan to get on with their own war. History suggests the US wouldn't have attacked Germany without the German declaration of war.

2 The US joined WWI only after Germany decided to sink all commercial shipping using U-boats, including US shipping. Without this action it's likely that the US would have stayed out of the war. The, rightly, decided this was an act of war and joined in around April 1917. You spent the rest of that year mobilising troops (your army was too small for foreign "Adventures". It wasn't until September 1918 that General Pershing had amassed 1,200,000 troops and the American Expeditionary Force was complete that the US became fully involved.

Of course, by this time all the European countries were on their knees after 4 years of bloody combat.

So, yes, the American intervention certainly tipped the balance. But the history curriculum in American schools should cover the true contribution of the US, rather, than the "we did it all and you should be grateful" line.

Just to summarize: if Japan hadn't attacked the US you probably wouldn't have entered the war; if Hitler hadn't declared war on the US you probably wouldn't have got involved in the European theatre; if German U-boats hadn't started sinking US shipping you probably wouldn't have got involved.
So, thanks for the contribution. But can we keep it in perspective, pse?

I guess you were just having a dig with the "Brits get out of NI" comment. Mainly because if this is the right thing to do and we did, by default all US citizens should start making arrangements to repatriate to England, Scotland, Ireland, Armenian, Poland, Russia etc......etc..............

As a parting comment: just to educate some of us Europeans would you give the dates that New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California and (Utah?) were taken from the Mexicans by armed force. Do Americans reflect, at all, that around 150 years ago they weren't part of their country at all? Or did I get it wrong?

[Sisyphus]

SORRY 7th Dec 1941. Typo.. Well that's my excuse!