Gotta laugh at the leftists who blame America for everything.
No one is forcing you to stay here. You may go live in Germany if its better to you.

I am on a no fly list

Maybe you can hitch a ride with your Somali friends...they have a lot of ships.

I am hopeing to retire in 12 years. I have served 18 years on my sentence allready 30 and out! I think I can get by in Lithuania on my pension prior to social security kicking in, they have health care over there. From what I am told you can live like a king on 500.00 a month.

Hopeing I can rehab my status by then and fly but if not I can apply as an economic refugee at the embasy

Go for it!!

America is the most powerful country in the world, period. That also means that we are the country most responsable for the condition of the world today, period. Being the most powerful country in the world means that we are the country that is to take the blame first ,that is if we are self respecting and want the respect of others.
So yes I am a blame america first type person

Speak for yourself. Other countries were here long before America was, and they made it somehow.
So I dont buy your reasoning that we are responsible for THEM.

Pure left-wing whacko propaganda.

We are not responsible for anything that another country does, period.

Let's look at the facts that relate to American involvement in the situation in the Middle East.

In 1953 America supported the overthrow of the Iranian government and the installation of the Shah of Iran as a dictator. The Shah's rule in Iran was brutal and corrupt and America supported his regime and in fact relied on his regime up until the day that he was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini. The reason that he was overthrown was because his regime was corrupt and tyrannical and the people of Iran knew that he had American support.
The CIA assisted the overthrow of Karim Kassem by the Ba'ath Party in 1963 because Kassem was a communist sympathizer and the Ba'ath Party was anti-communist.
The CIA worked with the Ba'ath Party early on to support their anti-communist efforts in Iraq, which included "elimination" of communist political opponents to the Ba'ath Party.
In 1980 President Jimmy Carter, at the urging of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that: "An attempt by an outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force." This publicly established an American doctrine stating that the Persian Gulf is a vital interest to America, in which we aim to maintain a controlling influence.
During the 1980s a close relationship between Saddam Hussein and America formed after the fall of the Shah in Iran. Strong business ties were formed and American arms companies sold weapons to Iraq and encouraged Saddam to go to war with Iran. American Republican leaders were the primary ones involved in all of this, including Senator Bob Dole, Senator Alan Simpson, and President Ronald Reagan. Current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was also involved in building relations with Iraq at this time.
America is who supplied Iraq with chemical and biological weapons materials in the 1980s and instructed Iraqis on how to make these weapons.
On July 25th, 1990 American Ambassador to Iraq told Saddam Hussein "We have no opinion on your Arab - Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary [of State James] Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960's, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America." Four days later Saddam invaded Kuwait.
After driving Iraq's forces out of Kuwait America called on the Iraqi people to rise up with American assistance to overthrow Saddam's regime. As soon as the Kurds and Shias rebelled against Saddam American support was withdrawn, which allowed Saddam's forces to retaliate against the rebellions that we incited, killing thousands, while missing an opportunity to overthrow his regime with Iraqi assistance while Iraq's infrastructure was still in place.
After entering office President Bush Jr. made a $43 million dollar deal with the Taliban in support of their regime.
America has long maintained close diplomatic and business ties with Saudi Arabia, despite knowledge that the Saudi government is responsible for human rights violations, the Saudi government is a dictatorship, Saudis are and have been funding terrorist organizations, Al-Queda is partially funded by Saudis, the majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi Arabian.
Now, it looks to me like there is a lot there for us to reflect on as Americans, and for our leaders to accept blame for among the international community, especially considering that many of the people who were involved in these events are currently holding positions in the Bush administration, such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

What is the responsible thing to do here? In my opinion the responsible thing to do would have been to stand up and say to the world, "We know that some of the things that America has done in the past may have contributed to the current problems in the Middle East and Iraq. These are areas where we feel that we, as Americans, may have contributed to this problem: A, B, C, etc. What we need now are solutions, and we are here to ask for your help, the international community, in solving the political and economic problems in the Middle East relating to Afghanistan and Iraq and the reign as a whole."

Then the administration should have been open and honest in discussing the historical role of America in the Middle East and Iraq. That's easy to do if you don't have anything to hide or to be ashamed of right? So if you believe that America has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of then why are so many American leaders, primarily Republicans, trying so hard to avoid questions about America's involvement in the Middle East and to avoid "blame"?

If America has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of then what problem could there possibly be in blaming America first? If we are in fact a responsible country then we will be the first to take the blame on issues. Being responsible means being the first to take the blame.

If the Republicans want to tout responsibility as a foundation of their platform then it's high time they start actually taking some responsibly and accepting the blame where blame is due, because that is precisely what many of us in America, of all political affiliations, believe: that being responsible means taking the blame.
http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/blame_america_first_liberals.htm

Blah blah blah....we've heard all that before. The middle east has always been,and always will be a crap hole, and their ways of life will never change.

Yes, we have used some of their puppet leaders to our advantage at times, but why should I take responsibility for that??

Why should I feel "guilty" for what happens over there??

Well maybe you should leave the political threads if you dont care and let the adults have adult conversations?

Actually, the mideast has not always been a "crap hole". The mideast and the Fertile Crescent area are known as the "Cradle of Civilization". Peoples of those areas developed the sciences and mathematics long before the West did. The most influential religions in the world also come from that area.

The decline of the area is relatively recent, and due to a numerous factors.

Let's look at the facts that relate to American involvement in the situation in the Middle East.

In 1953 America supported the overthrow of the Iranian government and the installation of the Shah of Iran as a dictator. The Shah's rule in Iran was brutal and corrupt and America supported his regime and in fact relied on his regime up until the day that he was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini. The reason that he was overthrown was because his regime was corrupt and tyrannical and the people of Iran knew that he had American support.
The CIA assisted the overthrow of Karim Kassem by the Ba'ath Party in 1963 because Kassem was a communist sympathizer and the Ba'ath Party was anti-communist.
The CIA worked with the Ba'ath Party early on to support their anti-communist efforts in Iraq, which included "elimination" of communist political opponents to the Ba'ath Party.
In 1980 President Jimmy Carter, at the urging of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that: "An attempt by an outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force." This publicly established an American doctrine stating that the Persian Gulf is a vital interest to America, in which we aim to maintain a controlling influence.
During the 1980s a close relationship between Saddam Hussein and America formed after the fall of the Shah in Iran. Strong business ties were formed and American arms companies sold weapons to Iraq and encouraged Saddam to go to war with Iran. American Republican leaders were the primary ones involved in all of this, including Senator Bob Dole, Senator Alan Simpson, and President Ronald Reagan. Current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was also involved in building relations with Iraq at this time.
America is who supplied Iraq with chemical and biological weapons materials in the 1980s and instructed Iraqis on how to make these weapons.
On July 25th, 1990 American Ambassador to Iraq told Saddam Hussein "We have no opinion on your Arab - Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary [of State James] Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960's, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America." Four days later Saddam invaded Kuwait.
After driving Iraq's forces out of Kuwait America called on the Iraqi people to rise up with American assistance to overthrow Saddam's regime. As soon as the Kurds and Shias rebelled against Saddam American support was withdrawn, which allowed Saddam's forces to retaliate against the rebellions that we incited, killing thousands, while missing an opportunity to overthrow his regime with Iraqi assistance while Iraq's infrastructure was still in place.
After entering office President Bush Jr. made a $43 million dollar deal with the Taliban in support of their regime.
America has long maintained close diplomatic and business ties with Saudi Arabia, despite knowledge that the Saudi government is responsible for human rights violations, the Saudi government is a dictatorship, Saudis are and have been funding terrorist organizations, Al-Queda is partially funded by Saudis, the majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi Arabian.
Now, it looks to me like there is a lot there for us to reflect on as Americans, and for our leaders to accept blame for among the international community, especially considering that many of the people who were involved in these events are currently holding positions in the Bush administration, such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

What is the responsible thing to do here? In my opinion the responsible thing to do would have been to stand up and say to the world, "We know that some of the things that America has done in the past may have contributed to the current problems in the Middle East and Iraq. These are areas where we feel that we, as Americans, may have contributed to this problem: A, B, C, etc. What we need now are solutions, and we are here to ask for your help, the international community, in solving the political and economic problems in the Middle East relating to Afghanistan and Iraq and the reign as a whole."

Then the administration should have been open and honest in discussing the historical role of America in the Middle East and Iraq. That's easy to do if you don't have anything to hide or to be ashamed of right? So if you believe that America has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of then why are so many American leaders, primarily Republicans, trying so hard to avoid questions about America's involvement in the Middle East and to avoid "blame"?

If America has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of then what problem could there possibly be in blaming America first? If we are in fact a responsible country then we will be the first to take the blame on issues. Being responsible means being the first to take the blame.

If the Republicans want to tout responsibility as a foundation of their platform then it's high time they start actually taking some responsibly and accepting the blame where blame is due, because that is precisely what many of us in America, of all political affiliations, believe: that being responsible means taking the blame.
http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/blame_america_first_liberals.htm



well done! ^^

Let's look at the facts that relate to American involvement in the situation in the Middle East.

In 1953 America supported the overthrow of the Iranian government and the installation of the Shah of Iran as a dictator. The Shah's rule in Iran was brutal and corrupt and America supported his regime and in fact relied on his regime up until the day that he was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini. The reason that he was overthrown was because his regime was corrupt and tyrannical and the people of Iran knew that he had American support.
The CIA assisted the overthrow of Karim Kassem by the Ba'ath Party in 1963 because Kassem was a communist sympathizer and the Ba'ath Party was anti-communist.
The CIA worked with the Ba'ath Party early on to support their anti-communist efforts in Iraq, which included "elimination" of communist political opponents to the Ba'ath Party.
In 1980 President Jimmy Carter, at the urging of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that: "An attempt by an outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force." This publicly established an American doctrine stating that the Persian Gulf is a vital interest to America, in which we aim to maintain a controlling influence.
During the 1980s a close relationship between Saddam Hussein and America formed after the fall of the Shah in Iran. Strong business ties were formed and American arms companies sold weapons to Iraq and encouraged Saddam to go to war with Iran. American Republican leaders were the primary ones involved in all of this, including Senator Bob Dole, Senator Alan Simpson, and President Ronald Reagan. Current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was also involved in building relations with Iraq at this time.
America is who supplied Iraq with chemical and biological weapons materials in the 1980s and instructed Iraqis on how to make these weapons.
On July 25th, 1990 American Ambassador to Iraq told Saddam Hussein "We have no opinion on your Arab - Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary [of State James] Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960's, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America." Four days later Saddam invaded Kuwait.
After driving Iraq's forces out of Kuwait America called on the Iraqi people to rise up with American assistance to overthrow Saddam's regime. As soon as the Kurds and Shias rebelled against Saddam American support was withdrawn, which allowed Saddam's forces to retaliate against the rebellions that we incited, killing thousands, while missing an opportunity to overthrow his regime with Iraqi assistance while Iraq's infrastructure was still in place.
After entering office President Bush Jr. made a $43 million dollar deal with the Taliban in support of their regime.
America has long maintained close diplomatic and business ties with Saudi Arabia, despite knowledge that the Saudi government is responsible for human rights violations, the Saudi government is a dictatorship, Saudis are and have been funding terrorist organizations, Al-Queda is partially funded by Saudis, the majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi Arabian.
Now, it looks to me like there is a lot there for us to reflect on as Americans, and for our leaders to accept blame for among the international community, especially considering that many of the people who were involved in these events are currently holding positions in the Bush administration, such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

What is the responsible thing to do here? In my opinion the responsible thing to do would have been to stand up and say to the world, "We know that some of the things that America has done in the past may have contributed to the current problems in the Middle East and Iraq. These are areas where we feel that we, as Americans, may have contributed to this problem: A, B, C, etc. What we need now are solutions, and we are here to ask for your help, the international community, in solving the political and economic problems in the Middle East relating to Afghanistan and Iraq and the reign as a whole."

Then the administration should have been open and honest in discussing the historical role of America in the Middle East and Iraq. That's easy to do if you don't have anything to hide or to be ashamed of right? So if you believe that America has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of then why are so many American leaders, primarily Republicans, trying so hard to avoid questions about America's involvement in the Middle East and to avoid "blame"?

If America has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of then what problem could there possibly be in blaming America first? If we are in fact a responsible country then we will be the first to take the blame on issues. Being responsible means being the first to take the blame.

If the Republicans want to tout responsibility as a foundation of their platform then it's high time they start actually taking some responsibly and accepting the blame where blame is due, because that is precisely what many of us in America, of all political affiliations, believe: that being responsible means taking the blame.
http://rationalrevolution.net/articles/blame_america_first_liberals.htm



well done! ^^
Thanks.

No Kidding

i don't think they declined, just everything else grew up around them, while they stay stagnant...thats what religion will do for a nation...

Looking at Americans from outside does make a better view of their faults. Speaking with people from other countries allows an eye opening to the arrogance and ignorance still rampant in this country.

In order to be the best we can be we have to be able to recognize our faults and weaknesses.

One of our weaknesses is that we do not care for our sick and elderly well.

The show of a countries wealth is not the amount of millionaires, it is how it cares for its poor, ill and elderly. We are not as wealthy as we should be.

What they don't tell you is that if you are insured in America it can be some of the best insurance out there.

WHO rankings:

Rank Country

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia
39 Cuba
40 Brunei
41 New Zealand
42 Bahrain
43 Croatia
44 Qatar
45 Kuwait
46 Barbados
47 Thailand
48 Czech Republic
49 Malaysia
50 Poland

===

1.The US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world. It is almost twice as expensive as every other developed nation. This is largely due to administrative costs which account for 19-25% of healthcare costs, and up to 34% at for-profit hospitals.

2.Other than South Africa, America is the only developed country in the world that does not provide healthcare for all of its citizens.

3.Yet, the US ranks 26th in infant mortality and 24th in the number of healthy years a person can expect to live - putting America’s healthcare system in the company of Cuba and Slovenia rather than Canada and Western European nations.

4.And, despite ludicrous right-wing anecdotal claims of high dissatisfaction among those who live in countries with universal healthcare, the reality is that, with the exception of Italy, Americans are more dissatisfied with their healthcare than are the citizens of every other developed nation, including England, France, Germany, and Canada. Moreover, US doctors spend less time with patients that do doctors in other nations.

http://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.p…

http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/release…

Yes thats based on the cost of insurance. If you work for a company they pay the bulk of your insurance. Example my last job the insurance was over $400 a month. I payed less than $60 of that.

I live in Japan and have Japanese insurance and my old jobs insurance from the US is cheaper

let's start fixing our system by adopting the laws in France that do not allow ambulance chasing lawyers to sue doctors.