Was really depressed by the beheading of the young guy in Iraq yesterday…only one year older than James, and evidently a really nice guy, such a ghastly situation….I find Bush and his team such a worry and yet he still is very well supported here by good old middle America. We saw them in all their glory at Bossier City last week, grey haired retires in their peeked baseball hats ,which they wear in a restaurant !!

Am reading a lot trying to get a handle on this culture and their value system but the more I read the more critical I become of the government and the corporations…I just told James on line, that the UK CO’s earn the highest amount in Europe, more than the average employee at 26 times, and the US figure is over 400 times …it is just plain crazy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am currently reading Michael Moore’s book, ‘Dude where’s my country’ and my neighbour Bill just loaned me ‘Why they hate americans’, which I have still to read……It is very interesting being here at this time, but just makes me so glad that home is Australia. My telegraph also mentioned in a survey in the UK recently 50 % of British would like to live elsewhere too…with crime, housing costs, weather being main issues……and Australia topped their list of preferred places…!!

I find your observations very interesting. It does seem that you are
starting to think more along my lines than before.

And, you actually live in a more "liberal" city. Dallas is so
rightwing. However, more and more lately liberals are starting to come
"out of the closet" and talk more openly. I am surrounded by attorneys
here who actually lean more to the left than the right which has
surprised me. (To non-Americans) Being left here is probably close to
your right!

I do think though that it's hard to get a real handle on the U.S. living
in the South where political loyalties walk hand in hand with literal
interpretations of the bible. One of the things that I believe
contributes so much to the insular attitudes of Americans is that if you
turn on the television to watch the news - and all you do is watch the
local stations - then you learn absolutely nothing about the rest of the
world, or even, the rest of the country. To call the local stations
newsbroadcasts "News" is preposterous and yet the average man/woman on
the street - this is their sole intake. Lately I have found that lower
class republicans will not watch "CNN" because they deem it too liberal
and will only watch "Fox" which is definitely rightwing. Therefore, if
all they do is watch the handpicked stations and their world becomes
even narrower. They listen to "rightwing" talk radio (Rush Limbaugh
and his like) and believe me those guys are clever than can spin
anything. (I listen to them every night to keep abreast with all the
outrageous stuff they say). I have found that if you start to try to
talk politics with them (the average middle-american) they completely
shut down. They have been taught never to discuss politics and so there
is no reasoning. They won't even express the reasons why they believe
one way or another. Very frustrating.

I have lived here for 34 years now and I will never understand. It is a
very frightening time, and I fear what will happen to us if there are
four more years of Bush and his corporate government. I saw a bumper
sticker the other day that in my mind said it all..

GEORGE BUSH & SONS, INC. (the former United States of America).

I am not a huge fan of Kerry and am hoping and praying that he will pick
a strong vice-presidential candidate because only then can he beat W.
However, a lot of people dislike Bush so much that even independents are
talking of voting "against" Bush rather than for "Kerry." Hopefully
Nader won't get on the ticket because he is the reason that Bush got in
last time.

Sara, of course, living in California sees a whole different side of the
U.S. I told her that I had been given a bumper sticker that said "I
don't have to like Bush to love my country." I liked the sentiment
because it burns me that so many people think that if you are democrat
you are unamerican. However, she asked me not to put it on my car
because she feared for what might happen. And she is right. Of
course, in California such things are open and on everyone's cars!!!!!
What a sad commentary though.

To be honest I wish that I had choices now. Joe would leave this
country in a heartbeat and we are looking into the possibility of
actually retiring in Mexico because the way things are going now I am
not sure that we could afford to stay here.

Originally posted by mcjimbo


and evidently a really nice guy,

which they wear in a restaurant !!

that the UK CO’s earn the highest amount in Europe, more than the average employee at 26 times,



political loyalties walk hand in hand with literal interpretations of the bible.

and all you do is watch the
local stations - then you learn absolutely nothing about the rest of the
world, or even, the rest of the country.

I have found that if you start to try to
talk politics with them (the average middle-american) they completely
shut down.


I fear what will happen to us if there are
four more years of Bush and his corporate government.


To be honest I wish that I had choices now. Joe would leave this
country in a heartbeat and we are looking into the possibility of
actually retiring in Mexico because the way things are going now I am
not sure that we could afford to stay here.


James

Originally posted by Gross50
the US will continue being right wing.

Originally posted by manc1976
You are so wrong.
That's why the likes of Sean Hannity/Mike Savage continue to be angry.
They have the White House, the Senate, the House of Reps....
Yet they're still angry, because even though they have people like you banging the "USA is a conservative country" In all reality The USA is just as liberal as Canada and Sweden and the UK
I refer you to this post.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...28#post1420828

Originally posted by manc1976
You are so wrong. ....

Originally posted by Pulaski
You might hope so, but I doubt that your hopes will be fulfilled. There may be vocal liberals in some of the big cities - Boston, New York, LA and SF, but in my part of the US there isn't much sign of liberals.

Originally posted by Pulaski
You might hope so, but I doubt that your hopes will be fulfilled. There may be vocal liberals in some of the big cities - Boston, New York, LA and SF, but in my part of the US there isn't much sign of liberals.

Originally posted by Gross50
as opposed to europe, where church attendance is dwiddling, in the US its on the rise.

you have to understand the history of the US, to understand its people. if anyone is finding it hard to understand americans, read the history books.

God bless america! and the queen too.

Originally posted by effi
The very fact that church attendance in the US is on the rise is scary in itself.

Originally posted by Gross50
as opposed to europe, where church attendance is dwiddling, in the US its on the rise.

you have to understand the history of the US, to understand its people. if anyone is finding it hard to understand americans, read the history books.

God bless america! and the queen too.

Originally posted by veryfunny
I have a question for you right wingers. Can you define what you call liberal?

THX.

Originally posted by manc1976
Being a right winger and a christian is a contradiction.

Originally posted by manc1976
On dictionary.com

Openminded, not selfish, not bigotted (should hit a raw nerve Gross50)

People use the word liberal like a dirty word in the USA, when someone calls me a liberal I take it as a compliment as it shows the insulter to be a complete nonce that they are.

Originally posted by veryfunny
I disagree with your defination.