A note of thanks to the USA from one of the more grateful Europeans.

[Tingkai]

That's it! You have found the much sought after solution for creating peace in the Middle East. Just send in thousands of strippers and force both sides to watch. We could make this a real international effort with strippers from around the world. Call it Peelers for Peace.

[Sikander]

"We too want piece...of stripper with big tatas."

[Pekka]

Of course they like naked chicks! Some of them just won't admit it, everybody loves naked women.

[Dis]

even gay men?

[notyoueither]

Why not? Nothing else seems to work.

BTW. Cheers Yanks and Rebs. Keep on keeping on.

[Pekka]

Well they can have their male strippers.
And some of them eastern guys don't like strippers but they like watching them bellydancers.. which is the same thing, they will get with the program.

[The Pioneer]

Originally posted by moominparatrooper
Most Europeans, if not necessarily most of the Europeans who post here, are quite aware of what the US accomplished for Europe last century; it's stalwart defense of European democracy in WWII, the Marshall Aid, and not least the Cold War, during which America, and America alone, prevented the other half of this continent from falling into Soviet hands.

And most of us appreciate that. A lot. Really.

However, it's a sad fact of life that it isn't easy being grateful. The US is not the first benefactor in history to find out that graditude generates resentment. We've all experienced it on a personal level, right? Add to that the envy American superiority in every field - be it industry, science, culture or pure unadulterated might - generates and you get a lot of the kind of childish whining 'bout America we see so much of on these boards. That, of course, does not change the fact that the overwhelming majority of Europeans know, and know it well, what we owe the Americans for a service well beyond the line of duty.

Or knew. I'll be darned if I know whether the nanosecond attension span generation will even consider Bosnia before yelling "but what have you done for us lately"? That, however, is a problem you share with us, innit?

Let me just conclude on this day, the fourth of July, that you can rest assured that depite all the crud you hear from the rants and trolls here the vast majority of Europeans would happily join me in expressing their best wishes to the American people, who have done such peerless services to democracy in the past and who stand again at the forefront of the battle against the latest form of fascism to win popular support in the world.

As for me personally, I hope to see Pax Americana - and all that it entails - last well beyond my lifespan.

"This is downtown Judy Brown. God bless in America, and in Europe too!"

It couldn't have been said better .

By the way I think that all of us in the Continent should at least pay one visit as a pilgrimage to the various Cemeteries of US, British, Canadian and other allied cemetries scattered along the Road to Liberty (thankyou Gen. Paton). A lot of them are located in Normandy which is a stunning experience to visit. Not one day goes by without me thinking of all these people that made the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure Liberty and Peace.

Last but not least I would like to note that although the situation may not be perfect and America's policy's may not be to everyone's liking but it was us (europeans and a lot of other places) that asks for US assistance in times of need. Nothing is perfect of course but I'll take the Status Quo as it is now rather than any russian, ottoma, german that could've been here.

So once again as we do every Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, let's thank the freedom fighters and USA.

[The Pioneer]

Re: Re: A note of thanks to the USA from one of the more grateful Europeans.

Originally posted by Kamrat X


Not bloody likely. The american presidents have more blood on their hands than Hitler. No obscene amount of flag waving can alter that...

That's a bloody insult, mate. Especially since it's a lie. If you count german soldiers that fought for Hitler and their blood is certainly on the maniacs hands plus the jews and every other single death in Europe and elsewhere (direct or indirect result of the war) is to be blamed on Hitler. If you add all this up you will see that it's well more than 10 million!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually it's our responsibility to avoid any such events in the future. We owed to the dead and we certainly owe it to the allied soldiers that embarked on a noble cause.

[The Pioneer]

Originally posted by Ned
Any Germans heard from today on this topic? I'd like to know what they think since most of the gratitude, if any, is, well you know, because they were on the other side. But, in a way, we helped them become the nation they are today.

3

Not a german myself but I know for certain that the people I know are more than grateful for what happened. Note though that this comes from a younger generation that did not themselves experience the war. I am not sure of the previous generation viewed the events and their outcomes.

[Tolls]

Trying to ignore the ranting here, but that article in the Washington Post was a little sacharrine...some elements were also distorted to say the least.

There has been enough good stuff (even in relation to Poland) from the US that I really don't see the need to try and stake a claim on more.

For instance...
"If it had not been for Wilson, Poland might have disappeared forever from the map of Europe. "

Is completely untrue. If Russia had not have collapsed then there is no way Poland would have been given its independence, in much the same way that Eire didn't get its independence. Once Russia had dissolved into revolution a free Poland was a certainty with an Entente victory...in the same way a break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was.

It has already been mentioned that the US did little for Poland when Hitler threatened it...it was, after all, Britain and France that went to war to defend that country...we may have done a piss-poor job of it, but it's the thought that counts...

"Tragically, the defeat of Nazi Germany did not bring freedom to the nations of east and central Europe. "

Indeed it didn't...it was at Tehran in '43 that Roosevelt essentially sold Poland off to Stalin. Churchill (by that point sidelined) was dismayed that no attempt was made to ensure that Poland would be a free democracy...we had gone to war to save this country and no it was being handed over to someone as bad as Hitler.

"RFE destroyed the monopoly of the Communist public media and frustrated the efforts of the Soviet Union to isolate the satellite countries from the outside world. Citizens of these countries had only to tune in to the RFE frequency to learn what their governments were attempting to hide from them. People were able to get the information they needed to form their own views, even if they could not speak them. Their minds remained free. "

Say what you like, but the BBC had been transmitting its World Service (originally Empire Service) since 1932...
RFE was important, but it was hardly the first, and hardly the only one.

These are the sort of things that get my goat...there is absolutely no reason for them. There are more than enough great things to be happy about, and to thank the US for, but they just get trampled by an almost Hollywoodised view.

Chris62:
"Not so long as Churchill was PM, and he wasn't getting booted.
He only lost an election when the war was virtually over. "

Sort of...Churchill lost a major by-election in '42. One of the reasons for him sacking Auchinleck (a mistake) and replacing him with Montgomery (a bigger mistake). Churchill feared that without some victory he would possibly be ousted by Parliament. He wasn't invincible.

[Dr. Nick]

Nothing on Latin America... fat chance.

[Dr. Nick]

Added to that, how does the US defeat Hitler if Europe is defeated and occupied and "Nazified"?

[Rehsab]

Originally posted by Ming
To anybody outside the US that want's to wish us well on the anniversary of the birth of our nation... thanks

Oops. Is it July 5 already? I'm a bit late, but happy yesterday!

[Saint Marcus]

I'm so glad you can put people on your ignore list. Just blocking one person made this thread so much less annoying.

[Zoid]

It isn´t Chris by any chance?