Not again...

[GlenW]

I didn't know Belgians had a reputation for being snotty.
You learn something new every day.

Every day in every way
I'm getting better and better.

[Wally Pipp]

Just helping him out really. We could end up guessing all day.

A bigger hint eh ... err ... lessee .... EU parliament ? Atomium ? Nato headquarters Europe ? Beer ? ...

Hmm ...

could be a close call here

[RSINGH]

When you go to a French restaurant abroad (from france), it's really expensive and you get tiny portions. However, go to restaurants in France and it's completely the opposite. Generous portions and good value for money (probably not the same in Paris but it was in Brittany).

Its like comparing the food from a curry house in Bradford with the food my momma makes - it just doesn't compare.

[GlenW]

Originally posted by Wally Pipp
Just helping him out really. We could end up guessing all day.

A bigger hint eh ... err ... lessee .... EU parliament ? Atomium ? Nato headquarters Europe ? Beer ? ...

Hmm ...

could be a close call here

I think you may be overestimating US geographic knowledge.
On US Weakest Link I once heard;

What is the capital city of Italy?

Answer given;

France

[Wally Pipp]

Should we point out that we're taking the piss here or not ?

[GlenW]

No! we might educate them in things like, em ..... well ........ taking the piss.

[Jamagei]

I would just like to say that I wasn't trying to be contenscious (if that is indeed how you spell it) Sorry if I came across that way.

I don't know why I bother with these threads sometimes. I never have anything worth saying

[cafeenman]

Originally posted by Wally Pipp
There's going to be a wave of angry flag saluting gun touting USsies in here come 4 o' clock and the arguments will be the same as ever ("Who bailed you out in WWII", "If it weren't for us women would still be wearing burqas over there", "We have the biggest military and the best weapons", "STFU with your pathetic armies" and so on and so on ...)

Predictable really

Originally posted by Wally Pipp
Well ...

they've proven to be unable to distinguish between a roof with a giant red cross painted atop of it and one with the cross NOT painted atop of it

Man... there is so much here I could write a novel. But first...

I retract my comment about "people like you giving your country a a bad name." That was a bad assumption on my part and a stupid thing to say. So I apologize.

However, you say things like the above and then you turn around and say things like this:

Originally posted by Wally Pipp
Thank you for defining me so precise. I've laid out my precise views on US foreign policies and I think you'll find me one of the sensible people when I want to be. And for the most part they are concurrent to yours.
But you know best right ? You know where I live and you lump me together with an entire contingent of reactionary pigs.
You don't know anything about me.

Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? You did a fair bit of "lumping" before I ever came into this thread. I've been following the threads in this forum for a couple weeks, Wally, purely out for entertainment. I started skipping over your posts soon after realizing that they tend to consist of comments like

"Ho hum," "Oh dreary," "<scratches his arse>," With the inevitable left-handed slights thrown in for good measure. I know you about as well as you know us. So I can only take you by what you post. My comments were not just a flame. That is how I perceive you. You come off to me as a snotty arrogant person who generally would rather sit back and make unproductive remarks than add something constructive. I could have predicted that you would have made these type of remarks before ever opening the thread.

As a matter of fact, your comments in this thread are about as lucid as I've seen from you. I am not a basher. I think about what I really want to say. If all I had to do was call names then I wouldn't bother because I do not want to be perceived that way. Sometimes I'm not as successful as others as evidenced by the remark I commented on at the top of this post.

I like to stay in the present.

Veterans of WWII are Great-Grandparents now
Veterans of Vietnam are Grandparents now
Veterans of the Gulf War are in their mid to late 30's

Not exactly current events. I'm sorry you have been exposed to Americans who like to throw this garbage in your face. But you know and I know that it only takes a couple people to make a bad impression where the majority of the person's own countrymen would agree with you that the person in question is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed out of their own yard.

And like I said, if you address actual facts that you can back up, I may even take your side because we do a lot of things I don't like. But if you make comments like Mr. Bowie and yourself made that blanketly condemn all of us as inept, uncaring, thoughtless, or any other negative conotation of us, then I will take issue with it.

Take it for what you will.

[Wally Pipp]

Then I am an arrogant snotty bastard to you.
Who cares ? Not me.

Jeez Louise, I'd almost wished that you kept on skipping my posts. You know what ? Do it, do it for good measure and then piss off, allright ?
I'm sick and tired of having to deal with selfrighteous bastards, I'm tired of explaining myself.

I don't even care about you or your "holier than thou" comments.
There are other people on this board who have been doing exactly the same and worse. Didn't see you commenting there, did I ?

So take your comments and shove them up your arse.

There !

Now you have reason to call me snotty bastard. Happy now ?

FFS ...

[cafeenman]

Nice to hear from you Wally.

[rjlohan]

For what it's worth guys - cafeenman actually seems to be one of the few who isn't a self-righteous bastard when it comes to these sorts of issues - ok wally time for a chull pull (as Jethro would say... )
And cafeenman - I have to say I agree with wally - a couple of weeks really doesn't give you much insight into some of the pathetically stupid things some/many of your countrymen post. Really, you should see some of the nonsense a few months ago - then you'd have a bit better idea of what Wally is on aboot. I have to say I'm pretty much over the 'we saved you in WWII' line myself...

So now boys, kiss, make up, and share your bloody lego.

[chrisjk]

nobody plays with my Lego!

[cafeenman]

Originally posted by rjlohan
For what it's worth guys - cafeenman actually seems to be one of the few who isn't a self-righteous bastard when it comes to these sorts of issues - ok wally time for a chull pull (as Jethro would say... )
And cafeenman - I have to say I agree with wally - a couple of weeks really doesn't give you much insight into some of the pathetically stupid things some/many of your countrymen post. Really, you should see some of the nonsense a few months ago - then you'd have a bit better idea of what Wally is on aboot. I have to say I'm pretty much over the 'we saved you in WWII' line myself...

So now boys, kiss, make up, and share your bloody lego.

I agree with you, man. But I can't do anything about those jerks. I saw a couple posts here by americans that really pissed me off because it doesn't do anything but hurt our image. So what am I supposed to do? I don't know them and it's not illegal to be a jerk. But when someone says "Americans are like such and such" they're talking about me personally and everyone I know. Most people I know are good people.

So all I'm asking is that we stick to things that can be substantiated and discussed rationally and stop bashing entire nations because of a few people. I don't think that's unreasonable.

[BG]

Yea! what he said, and besides if it wasn't for us americans youd be speaking german right now

[cafeenman]

Originally posted by chrisjk
nobody plays with my Lego!

I think you need at least a handful for it to be fun. If you get some more, give me a call. I love legos. Best toy ever. Ok, maybe not the best, but one of them.

[chrisjk]

Originally posted by BG
Yea! what he said, and besides if it wasn't for us americans youd be speaking german right now

wise decision to put that smiley in there

I think you need at least a handful for it to be fun. If you get some more, give me a call. I love legos. Best toy ever. Ok, maybe not the best, but one of them

I've got 2 huge buckets of the stuff; couldn't get enough when I was younger and haven't thrown it out. Hours of fun

[cafeenman]

My last duty station before getting out was in Germany. I was there for 3 1/2 years. I loved it in Europe and if I had learned the language, I probably would have stayed. I think I made some pretty bonehead cultural errors while I was there as well. In my own defense, I can only say that I really tried not to. Some things I just didn't know. But I didn't walk around talking about concentration camps either. Some things are just common sense.

[BG]

Originally posted by chrisjk
wise decision to put that smiley in there

I wouldn't want to face the Wrath of Wally again.

[simonm]

CafeenMan

But if you make comments like Mr. Bowie and yourself made that blanketly condemn all of us as inept, uncaring, thoughtless, or any other negative conotation of us, then I will take issue with it.

Is this statement partly directed at me? You've obviously not been reading my posts very well if it is.

[cafeenman]

Originally posted by simonm
CafeenMan

Is this statement partly directed at me? You've obviously not been reading my posts very well if it is.

Yes, it was partly directed at you. The reason I didn't directly confront you was because I did read your posts.

My comment was based on your first post where you stated that the American Military seems to make a habit of this.

Your next post (or thereabouts) you said that you didn't want this to become America bashing. But you basically started it with your first post, so what did you expect would happen?

Your initial comment was a generality, simon. Again, I don't know the number of sorties we fly per accident compared with other countries. But it happens to everyone. It is not unique to America. If you actually narrowed down the percentage of fatalities caused by Amercian military accidents, I think you would see that the number is quite low. Unfortunately, that is no consolation to those who lose loved ones. As someone pointed out (and myself), the media plays these accidents for all they're worth making it seem like we can't drive off post without killing someone.

If you have the inclination to read my posts in this thread and the "Bastards are killing Canadians now" thread, I think I've made my position clear and I think my views are reasonable. I'm not saying that we did not screw up in this case. But I am saying the pilot did not knowingly bomb the Canadians. And he may be proven to have shown extremely bad judgement. But there are thousands of pilots who don't make these mistakes. I hope that makes sense.

If the posts were based on the "here and now" and what actually happened, then it would have been cool with me. But the strong implication that America is inept or habitually kills innocent people is not only wrong, but is insulting and is an attack on everyone in our country.

If you're thinking that Americans come in this forum all the time and insult other nations, then all I can say to that is lobbing insults back and forth makes everyone look stupid. If you want to set them straight, then stick to facts and current events and force them to back up their comments. When they can't do it, they'll be proven to be the asses they act like. I'm not going to apologize for people who behave like that because they're responsible for their own behavior.

Anyway, I hope that we can let this lie and try to discuss things more reasonably without attacking anyone. It will make things better all the way around.

[simonm]

cafeenman

Anyway, I hope that we can let this lie and try to discuss things more reasonably without attacking anyone.

If you know me attall you will know that I never let things lie...

But if you make comments like Mr. Bowie and yourself made that blanketly condemn all of us as inept, uncaring, thoughtless, or any other negative conotation of us, then I will take issue with it.

I never went this far and when I saw others doing so, I said as much.

But you basically started it with your first post, so what did you expect would happen?

Perhaps. I suppose that some people do not need much of an excuse to start letting out their xenophobic views.

But the strong implication that America is inept or habitually kills innocent people is not only wrong, but is insulting and is an attack on everyone in our country.

It is this sort of nonsense that encourages some people to start critisising.

But I am saying the pilot did not knowingly bomb the Canadians.

I don't think anyone actually suggested that it was deliberate.

At the end of the day, I thought a light rebuttle was in order and I didn't want to start a major slagging match. It was obviously short sighted of me to think that it wouldn't.

[cafeenman]

Nope, I'm not slugging. I thought you wanted an explanation to why I included you in my comments. So I explained that as well as reiterating my views.

[InvisibleDuncan]

Originally posted by cafeenman
I retract my comment about "people like you giving your country a a bad name." That was a bad assumption on my part and a stupid thing to say.

So, Caf, can I assume that you thought Wally was British, and are implying that the British are generally snotty? :innocent:

[cafeenman]

Originally posted by InvisibleDuncan
So, Caf, can I assume that you thought Wally was British, and are implying that the British are generally snotty? :innocent:

No, I'm not saying the British are generally snotty. What I was saying is that some people perceive people of certain nationalities to be snotty. I'm not immune, but I know better than that, so even if it's the first thought that crosses my mind, I know it's not true.

Other than that, I'm not going to say what or whom I was referring to, because I really don't want to get into that debate which will probably be unavoidable and I don't feel that way about the group in question anyway.

So, it was a stupid remark on my part and my argument would have gained more strength without it. When in a fight, don't give the enemy ammo. I did that even though I feel I was right about the rest of what I said.

Did I evade your question successfully?

[InvisibleDuncan]

Bravo! Impressive side-stepping, there.

[cafeenman]

Well, you did ask a valid question. I just want you to know that it did require some work on my part to get around it and still be honest.