What?

Just noticed your new sig.

WTF is going on with the weather? I'm tempted to put my shorts on.

I beg your pardon?

Just realised I've posted this thread on the Maple Leaf bit (meant to stick it in the general Canada bit).

Oops

Well, I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect that they wouldn't point it out.

When Maggie Thatcher became Prime Minister, the news reports made much of the fact that she was the UK's first female Prime Minister, and the same thing would have happened if Hillary Clinton had won the presidential election.
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Watched his speech, all I kept thinking was "Barack the builder, can he fix it, Barack the builder, yes we can"

Same with Kim Campbell who was Canadian Prime Minister for about 3.5 minutes in the 90's.

I already have some sympathy for the guy. He cannot possibly achieve all that is expected of him. No one could. But the pressure and expectation is phenominal - those tear-stained euphoric faces in the crowd last night? Oh boy! I think the position of President at this time is the poisoned chalice (bit like the England manager job ). You just can't win, whatever you do. And I gather, apart from anything else, because of the state of things when he takes over, he may not have the budget to do half of what he would want to do.

Just look ahead a few years, and see how the pressure of the post will change him physically. Look what Downing Street did to Tony Blair (I won't look at what Tony Blair did to the UK). The guy aged 25 years in 10.

However, I do think this will be some kind of turning point in history that will be ear-marked in the text books for many years to come. I wish him well.

America was in a hole. At the very least we can hope they have stopped digging.

I think the best quote I have heard all day (it might even have been commented on here but I've been all over today) was from an American woman. She said something like, "yesterday I was a black American, today I am just American."

I get the same effect from peeling an onion...

What exactly does that mean??

It's an irritating display of casual bigotry. However, given that the poster is both a moral and financial burden on society, worrying about his being prejudiced is like fussing over Peter Sutcliffe's parking tickets.

I shall take this as a word from the wise then!

I am not bigoted at all but the fact remains that until America's attitude towards the world outside of its borders changes, people outside of its borders are unlikely to want to change their view of it.

Americans have no-one but themselves to blame for the state they are in but, appear instead, to try to shift blame onto others. They voted for Bush, they allowed the policies that are responsible for their current situation. This has been mitigated to a certain extent by the results of the election. Although the size of the "victory" does not really point to America "wanting to change" by a massive amount.

I have always chosen previously not to rise to your baiting, but please explain how I, personally, am a moral and financial burden on society, or withdraw the allegation.

You are lumping all Americans together as if they supported the policies of a specific government towards the rest of the world. You know that, in fact, a minority of Americans voted for Bush and that your lazy generalization is insulting to all who did not. Either this is extremely sloppy thinking or it's bigotry.


You have admitted here to being a lawyer in Canada. Have you since moved on to some honourable pursuit?