Muslims

[hippifried]

Oh, I know the empire is dust. If you think about it, we started the cavalcade. But the Commonwealth is still under British rule to a major extent. Not us. We're not part of that at all. We didn't just reject British rule. We rejected the entire European concept of "rule". We're not European at all, & that needs to be understood when trying to lump us in with this idea of "the west". There's a huge difference between "rule" & governance. What you're seeing all over the underdeveloped world right now is the rejection of "rule". Imperialism has never been beneficial to those subjected to it through force. It stifles growth.

[wendell]

I don't believe that's entirely accurate Hippiefried for a number of reasons. The commonwealth is not under British rule or dominion it's members are all fully independent.

Of course America is not European, nor is Australia or Canada. They are however all members of the West. Noone depicts the West as entirely homogenous it's members all have vastly differing cultures but share as an overriding imperative to those differences a dedication to democracy in one form or another.

I'm not sure if it's your intention but you seem to be under the impresssion that places such as Australia and Canada do not govern themselves but are instead ruled. Nothing could be further from the truth whether in the commnwealth or Europe.

Rights are ill defined concepts at best and the American constitution guarrantees them no more or less than say Britain does. There is plenty of room for interpretation and indeed simply change deliberately built into it's structure.

[russtafa]

Hippie is a true American patriot and is waiting for the British to invade cause he knows they are evil lol

[hippifried]

I admit there's no love loss between me & the "British Empire" or any empire really, including our own. Imperialism is counterproductive. Commonwealth countries, regardless of how much autonomy the have in governance, are still part of the prime nation that granted them that status. It's not that hard to understand. We have our own commonwealth outside our shores. Not as extensive of course, because we've only been at this "empire" thingie for a century or so, & those commonwealth nations were taken by kicking the shit out of Europeans for the most part. A commonwealth is not a confederacy. It's part of the prime country. People of the US commonwealth are American citizens. The British Commonwealth is part of the crown.

As for rights: It's one of those things that's hard to define, but you know it when you see it. People make the mistake of thinking that the US Constitution is a list of rights. Not so. It's a list of powers & restrictions on the power of government, as well as the blueprint for government structure. The 9th Amendment (the least looked at or discussed) makes it very clear that the written Constitution is NOT a "just these" list. What makes us different from Europe & the eurocentric is the fundamental founding premise that rights are not granted by the state. That they are innate & unalienable, whether the state officially recognizes them or not. Rights have no borders. They belong to individual human beings because they are human beings. It's the power of the state that's a grant from the people. The state itself, as a political entity, has no rights. The "right of kings" is & always was a philosophical myth.

Another myth is that democracy is a "western" (meaning European) ideal. How so? The European monarchy system didn't collapse until the last century, except for a few that were overthrown via bloodbath. The French for example. They beheaded all the royalty & any relations they could find, who might be able to make a claim to the throne. The rejection of "rule" shouldn't require such measures. It's really too bad that it so often does. I'm an otimist though. I see the rise of free people gaining strength with each generation. One of the perks of getting old with an intact memory I guess.

[wendell]

It is not the British commonwealth though Hippifried it is the commonwealth of nations. The individual, independent countries that comprise it do so entirely of their own volition and at their own discretion. Those who are subjects of the crown are so because they choose to be. It's a method of democracy.

The difference between Europe and America is,if you wish to be jingostic that you are slaves to the whims and beliefs of men long dead. Except of course that is not the case as those same individuals understood that ideally future generations should be masters of their own destiny and so deliberately gave you the power to change the constitution as you see fit, to think for yourselves. Your rights are thereore no more guaranteed tha,for example,my own. All rights are a myth and there existence stretches as far as we are willing to place faith in them and to what extent one is willing to place that faith.

It's not a myth you sem to misunderstand the term Demcracy. There are many forms of Democracy just as there are many forms of Republic. I would presume you would resent the impication your nation is no different to the republic of China or north korea. I would hope you woud have heard of the English civil war as well,the birthplace of modern democracy and the subsequent basis of our, and many other constitutional monarchies. The West is entirely made up of democracies hence it's occasionally rather loose alliance.
.

[wendell]

Also I fail to see why you interpret Western as European.

[hippifried]

Also I fail to see why you interpret Western as European.

Because that's what it is, when describing what is known as traditional western culture. Of course none of that means anything these days because all y'all're tripping over yourselves in the rush to become as American as possible since the end of WWII. So I guess "western culture" is in the process of becoming real western, but it's going to take a while for Europeans & eurocentrics to understand the nature of rights, apparently.

I would presume you would resent the impication your nation is no different to the republic of China or north korea.

Not really. I just find that kind of tripe amusing, coming from those who have no earthly clue what the US is really about.

[wendell]

No it isn't. The West consists of some European countries, America, Australia and Canada and depending on individual tastes sometimes one or two others. Jingoism and propoganda nearly always blind individuals to truth. There has been no rush to become American since world war 2 i'd be intertested to see what you mean by that. Do you perhaps define America as McDonalds? Is that the essence of what America is?

As I told you Western culture consists of a number of countries that hold the same ideological values, democracy, but implement it in various ways. Your pig ignorance of what rights are and how they are defined in Europe as well as apparently your own country is inexcusable for anyone who has access to the internet.

I'm afraid I do know what the U.S. is about and rather sadly clearly more than you do youerslef whicvh is why you've failed to provide a rebuttal to the corrections I have made to your bleatings aboiut subjects you are ignorant of. Next time you craft a reply to me ensure you do some research into the Commonwealth of nations, Constitutional monarchies, The English Civil war, how rights are protected and defined in countries other than your own, and in point of fact how they are protected in your own nation... Then you won't embarrass yourslef so much next time and perpetuate the sterotype [unjustified] that Americans are less intelligent than their European counterparts. Which for someone as sensitively jingostic as you seem to be should be a high priority.

[russtafa]

Hey hippie the British soldiers don't wear red coat's any more.So don't try waiting for them with your squirrel gun lol.

[Ben]

Interesting....