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

I've been peeking in Do the Europeans hate the Americans thread and your name occures again and again.
Your home country is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma, you seem to half and half know and not know about the outside world. Your TV news is all home based, whereas ours used to focus on our old empire, though that's dying and Europe features because its gaining more control of our affairs, our goverment stupidly says it won't have control of this or that, then the next day concedes those powers.
Sadly we can jeered at your participation in the World Wars, you supplied Britain and Germany with munitions in the first World War, the Germans exploded a warehouse at Black Tom's Dock NY, but it didn't change your neautrality, well you were making money from both sides, it was the sinking of the Lusitania that decided which side you should stand behind, and when you did, the Germans stopped using gas in the first World War, I think their was one incidence only of it being used against the Americans, that was your power.
The world was simpler when we ruled two thirds of it, but we could not sustain keeping it under the war debt, I think your goverment knew that that's why they imposed it, now the world is more complicated, but it couldn't stay as it was. The things you change have a way of biting you in the ass. You didn't help Briatin and France when we invaded the Suez Canal, you couldn't support our action and not give the Russias the red light for their invasion at the self same time in Eastern Europe. I forget where it was, I think it was Checkslovakia, Chekslovakia was invaded by Russia again in 1968.
But though as I say half your countrymen know nothing of history without your borders, you have a strength of experts that have family ties back to their roots, and because of it they view things with a remove that is needed.
David is a Jewish name, it comes from the Arab name Daud. in Ireland Roman Catholics have surnames like Mc this or Mc that, which is from the Scotish prod influence, people can see past their differeences and intermarry, but we have this stupid tribe mentality.
I'm not solving anything, just saying things are a stir of complexity underneath, take one thread away and a whole can of worms comes out.

A very interesting post you have wrote me indeed. I'm of Irish decent meself. I don't have the broad knowledge I would like to have on the history of which you spoke. However I do know America is in trouble and soon we will fall. The EU is more than prepared to run the show so be it. They had best watch out when they come here. There are many that await them. I knew nothing would come from what happend on 9/11, but bad things real bad things for all concerned. I really have doubts about Iraq. If Iran and Syria was to team up on us, well you can surely see the problems that would arise.

I do remember about the Prague spring they called it. I think it was the 68 one. There was an uprise in 56 as well. At that time america was prepared to intervine, but rethought their intervintion. I would assume that a ful scale war with The USSR would be a result. That would not have been a plesant development. The Cold war was in my opinon a ploy to build up defence*ie spending money and giving it to defence contractors. Bussing was used as a money making tool for unscrupulous congresmen. Course that's about all of them.

Cynical about politicains, but then we all are in the modern world.
Syria is a difficult one, one was hoping with Asad's son assuming the reins it would change, it has and hasn't, don't know if Iraq's weapons are there, all a morass.
Tonight we have the American shooting the wounded man leading the news, ITV seems to think it was reprehensible, BBC more measured and Five, devils advocate in the middle, chewing over it as a morsel, but being our youngest terrestrial TV channel
(that's what we call our old style mast system, we have satelite but though it has most of the sports, a large number of us stick with the tried and tested BBC, ITV choice, Govt to fade out mast system to free up the airwaves for more Police and Emergency services, so they've given the BBC and ITV, plus Four extra cable services to get us to change.)
-they haven't many outside resources, so it would make a meal of anything, when it has slender means.
Europe as World Leader, I don't know you want such a thing, we all have such mixed histories, some of the time enemies. France our closest neighbour has a very strained history with us. They didn't allow Britain to join the European Ecconomic Community as it was called post WW2, affraid its said that we the European victor would make such links with the vanquished Germany that the two of us would have been in control of the new body instead of the German/French alliance, then De Galle went to Canada and told the French Canadains to go for freedom. An admirable man in his way, he got them to their feet after the war, but he didn't help our interests but then why should he?
Once you solve one person's problems, you screw somebody else, you can't win.
Churchill's idea for solving the Palestinian question was to make a new Palestine I think it was, it may have been he thought of a new Israel and transplanting it to Uganda? A whole new box of problems.

You'er right you can't please everyone. Someone always has a gripe. The palistine issue has always been one of much worry. I've have favoured Israel as they are a decent people. I've met some Palistinians here in the states. They had no use for Arafat. That's probably why they were here to get away for him. He stuffed his bank account and let his people starve. Not a good resume`filler if you ask me. Assad was an Eye surgen in Britain I believe. I use to work as an Surgical assistant in Opthalmology myself. Wounderif he needs a Good Surgical Tech. I tell ya the Arab states don't trust each other. Knowing that none of us should.
If they trusted one another Isreal would have been gone a long time ago. In 67 and 74 both Egypt and syria had a chance to defeat Israel.

As far as the EU. I agree with you 100% on not wanting them as a leader of the world. Especially if France hold sway as they do now.

The French do their own thing even if in a group, that independance is infuriating and admirable.
I don't remember reading about Assad being an eye surgeon here in Britian, but I do know Ho Chi Min was a sous chef in the Savoy before the First World War.
The French asked us Brits to be their caretaker power in Vietnam in the second World War, which is what we did, we wanted to fight off the Japanese there and found the local resistance pretty useless, so we enlisted Ho Chi Minh, and America gave us the money to buy him weapons.
The French came back, we got out, Ho wanted them out and his second in command finished them with their mad Dien Bien Phu scheme. Another reason De Galle didn't like us British, as we didn't stand beside them in their struggle, but the Americans got a tongue lashing too, they bank rolled the French to the tune of 8 billion dollars in today's money and supplied military advisers in the shape of aircraft maintainance staff at Dien Bien Phu.
Dien Bein Phu was set up in the opposition heartland, if they could establish an airbase in their heartland then they would feel humiliated and fold. But the Vietnamese commander who staged their attacks, had learnt his trade at Westpoint, he was tutored in the Apache guerrila tactics, and when he fought American generals in the next decade they were at the disadvantage of not being taught these stragems anymore at Westpoint.
And because we knew the character of Ho Chi Minh, we did not fall in beside America as we hadn't fallen in beside France.
A tangled web is history.

Yep your right on that Mate. I have Apache blood in me. They are some of the bet strategist ever acording to history. I must admit I have some good strategies and apply them to everything. The orientals of which the American Indian has their roots to. Have always been good in strategy. As evidence by the Chinese. The Five Rings A book on Chinese strategy and how to apply them to life. Good reading if you get a chance take a look. I had a link to a web site on Dien Bien Phu. There were some American pilots there Air America types they were killed in it. Fortunately I remember how to get it again I'l post it for you so you can take a look. We Yanks got involved over BS. The Gulf of Tomkin thing was a staged ploy to get us in the war. I had alot of friends when I was in the service that was there. What a worthless war it was. If Truman had'nt backed DeGalle none of it would have happened.

Heres another link on Dein Bein Phu it's not the same one as I looked at before it has more info though.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/Indochine/ops/dbpwilde.html