h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hmm..

Anyone who claims that this entry is "well-balanced" may wish to consider stepping back and examining a different perspective. This entry is cliche and arrogant. Anyone who desires an elaboration on this statement may IM me at AIM screen name: Emolina Pilchard.

~Aufilena
(An American)

So what issues do you have with it, specifically?

I agree with her. The article implies that Americans care more about weather and football than world issues. Anhaga recently replaced the existing Canada EG article, and I think I'll consider that here

I agree with most everything that she said in the article. I wish she had been a bit more critical, honestly.

I feel the “fiddling while Rome burns” in so many ways.
American ignorance of history, other cultures, the environment, and its own politics is frightening. For example, we are basically the only Nation not to admit Humans are speeding global warming.
The denial is to a level that it has to be willful.
The Romans had their colloseum, We have our 'reality TV'....

Mike Corlew
An American

The Bush administration doesn't admit there's global warming. I'm sure (I don't have any numbers to back this up) that a very strong majority of Americans recognize it.

You are probobly correct.
Perhaps its just a lack of priorities or values I am upset about.
If the majority of United Statesians agree that it is a problem, and by definition that problem threatens the world as we know it, then why would this past election be decided on the merit of ‘Moral
Values’?
What kind of care for future generations is that?
I am upset with Bush's decisions, but the USA is supposed to be a representative democracy, so ultimately the people (myself first and foremost) bear the burden of responsibility.

And this policy is not something new that the Bush administarion made up. It has been policy for years. It is a systemic problem.

Priorities, yes. I think that some people don't really stop and think how big of a problem it is. I read a piece in The New Yorker about Global Warming and I've been depressed ever since

The energy bill that just passed the Congress (I think) didn't do much. Some Senators, I think McCain was one, pushed for steps against global warming, but it was pretty weak.

Dude, Americans did not elect George Jr.! He was "elected" through fraud in Florida, then Fraud in Ohio. The US has suffered a coup d'etat, and the people are mostly kept under control by their television sets and by an apathy that comes from living in a "democracy" which only represnts those with money; that is to say that most Americans are disenfranchised by the "winner take all" system, instead of proportional representation as in any actual democracy.
A true story that illustrates an important point about America: In a discussion of McDonald's restaurant 'food', between Canadians and Americans, the Americans were griping about how horrible the food was. The Canadians said, "Well, here McDonald's is not so bad, since we forced them to adhere to higher standards of food safety and quality than the US does." Then they made the remark "Why don't you make your food and drug administration hold McDonald's in America to similiar higher standards?" The American response (after laughter) was "It is always refreshing to hear from someone in an actual democracy!" The Canadians had to have explained to them that, in America, since the McDonald's Corporation is very wealthy, they have more influence over the FDA than mere concern about public health ever could. In America, the government routinely sides with the corporations and wealthy interests against the people, indeed they see it as their function: The USDA's memos regarding "mad cow " disease countermeasures, like removing animal products entirely from animal feed, routinely show concern for the "cost to the cattle industry". This cost was indeed a reason (along with not giving in to "activists") why animal products are still used in American animal feed.
Opponents to the system are called "activists", even "terrorists" and "criminals", and since everyone believes what the TV tells them,(and even if they don't they have no access to the media: ask Ralph Nader, whom I have voted for in every election he has been in, to no avail) and since the US government is capable of wielding overwhelming force to forward the interests of its corporations (Which is why Iraq was invaded, so a handful of wealthy British and American Corporate fatcats can make a LOT of money, over the bodies of poor Iraqis, poor Americans, poor Britishers...once again, a war fought for rich men by poor people)...well, an individual has little to no chance against the wealthy in America.
I live in America, and (as an example) I opposed the war against and the current occupation of Iraq, but no one in power listens to me. If I say or do too much, I can be jailed under the(classified) terms of the "patriot" act. I oppose other policies which are detrimental to the world, and especially the poor people of the so-called third world, who suffer tremendously because of American foreign and domestic policy, policy which is expressly against my wishes and which is formulated with absolutely no reference to me, except perhaps with the idea of not giving in to my "activism". When, as is inevitable, the poor of the third world hit back, they will not hit the wealthy in their bunkers in Virginia or on their vast estates in Maine (which is where the "Texan" George Junior is from) with security guards (more poor people to stand in the way of the have nots' anger...DNA was one for a while). No, the will hit people like me, who are too poor to protect ourselves. Those innocents lately killed in London are a good example. I would be willing to bet that not one of the people killed by the terrorists ordered the invasion of Iraq or the brutal occupation of Palestine, or reaped the wealth in Oil and arms sales that results from these things, (both in the face of UN opposition)...but they paid the price...
Sorry to rant but is very frustrating to live in America, even more to be held to account for the acts of a dictator. We have people starving to death in this country, but our tax dollars go to the pentagon! Poverty is indeed seen to be the fault of the poor. The US government sure does not represent ME!
My fondest dream is to move to somewhere where my vote will finally count!

America is a Republic, not a Democracy.

If you really want so bad to move somewhere else, what's stopping you? Frankly I'd be glad to have you go.

Amen....i'm a part of the opposition. Maybe i'm crazy, but i have always had the feeling that the US government would bomb itself if they paid themselves enough. Maybe they have already. Like 9/11 was a premeditated "pep rally" for patriotism used to boost morale of the people who would have opposed it otherwise and get the public pumped up about going to war. As if "something must be done".

we are powerless against it. When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.