America kicks ass...end of story
First, I enjoy life. I walked to China Buffet to eat, and it was delicious. On the way home, a homeless guy in a Cleveland Browns cap bums a cigarette off of me. We smoke while we're waiting on a light, and we discuss Charlie Frye's injury, the Brown's prospects, that sort of thing. Light changes, and he says, "Thanks for the cigarette, and for some good conversation." and leaves. The Zen football bum, I shall call him. It was good times.
Now, onto why America is badass.
When General John "Black Jack" Pershing landed in France upon American entrance into World War 1, he said "Lafayette, We are here." Pershing did not dwell upon Franco-US tensions from economic competition or historical problems such as the XYZ affair. No, Pershing referred back to a time of revolution and idealism, when France had come to our aid and helped give birth to the greatest democracy, and I say country, that the world had ever seen. We were there, almost 150 years later, to repay the debt of freedom, and to keep an Imperial army bent on conquest and Empire from destroying the world order. Pershing and his soldiers proceeded to break the stalemate on the front lines and the seemingly invincible might of Imperial Germany was vanquished.
When French General Henri Gouraud occupied Damascus in 1920 he went to Saladin's tomb in Damascus, arguably the preeminent hero of Arab/Muslim history outside the Prophet himself, located directly beside the Grand Mosque, and said "Saladin, we have returned. My presence here consecrates the victory of the Cross over the Crescent." Harkening back to a time of religious war, when xenophobia dominated the murderous zealotry of the invading european "crusaders", and helped set the stage for the turmoil, war, and terrorism of the modern middle-east.
I so often hear modern liberals demagoguing the progressivism of France relative to the United States. When Gouraud was antagonizing the people of an entire geopolitical region, America was using the secret ballot, innovating in business regulation, siring the concept of world government, and saving Europe. Even now, for all George W. Bush is an ass hat, America is the preeminent democracy in the world, while France makes monkey noises when black players enter onto the football ("soccer") pitch. Giant race riots envelop French streets as disenfranchised arab and black youths lament their station while American immigrants and minorities hold million strong peaceful protests augmented by liberal-minded whites and form vital constituencies of American political parties.
So all you Francophiles out there, keep this in mind: France is a literary, artistic, and military juggernaut historically, I agree. America still is all of those things. So while I adore Baudelaire, David (Dav-eed, I just can't make accents), De Sade and his libertine glory, and many other famous Frenchmen, I never forget that America is the greatest, most singularly bad ass country to have existed upon this planet, for all its faults. And America has accomplished it in under 3 centuries.
In short: America pwns n00bs, with n00bs constituting pretty much everyone. That is all
Now, onto why America is badass.
When General John "Black Jack" Pershing landed in France upon American entrance into World War 1, he said "Lafayette, We are here." Pershing did not dwell upon Franco-US tensions from economic competition or historical problems such as the XYZ affair. No, Pershing referred back to a time of revolution and idealism, when France had come to our aid and helped give birth to the greatest democracy, and I say country, that the world had ever seen. We were there, almost 150 years later, to repay the debt of freedom, and to keep an Imperial army bent on conquest and Empire from destroying the world order. Pershing and his soldiers proceeded to break the stalemate on the front lines and the seemingly invincible might of Imperial Germany was vanquished.
When French General Henri Gouraud occupied Damascus in 1920 he went to Saladin's tomb in Damascus, arguably the preeminent hero of Arab/Muslim history outside the Prophet himself, located directly beside the Grand Mosque, and said "Saladin, we have returned. My presence here consecrates the victory of the Cross over the Crescent." Harkening back to a time of religious war, when xenophobia dominated the murderous zealotry of the invading european "crusaders", and helped set the stage for the turmoil, war, and terrorism of the modern middle-east.
I so often hear modern liberals demagoguing the progressivism of France relative to the United States. When Gouraud was antagonizing the people of an entire geopolitical region, America was using the secret ballot, innovating in business regulation, siring the concept of world government, and saving Europe. Even now, for all George W. Bush is an ass hat, America is the preeminent democracy in the world, while France makes monkey noises when black players enter onto the football ("soccer") pitch. Giant race riots envelop French streets as disenfranchised arab and black youths lament their station while American immigrants and minorities hold million strong peaceful protests augmented by liberal-minded whites and form vital constituencies of American political parties.
So all you Francophiles out there, keep this in mind: France is a literary, artistic, and military juggernaut historically, I agree. America still is all of those things. So while I adore Baudelaire, David (Dav-eed, I just can't make accents), De Sade and his libertine glory, and many other famous Frenchmen, I never forget that America is the greatest, most singularly bad ass country to have existed upon this planet, for all its faults. And America has accomplished it in under 3 centuries.
In short: America pwns n00bs, with n00bs constituting pretty much everyone. That is all