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

Yeah we need some help here folks...anyone on thread please attend.

well, I'll catch up on it later. I'm off to bed.

Don't worry, I have no clue what Oetzi is on about either, hence my 'Huh?' of earlier.

Thanks, Cyzaki. I'm quite perplexed.

And I really am off to bed now.

Well, not quite.

Look what I just found, Cyzaki: "Germany, Cyprus, the Falklands, Gibraltar, Ascension Island, Diego Garcia, Brunei, and Canada" Those are the locations of British military bases outside of the UK. http://www.tgarden.demon.co.uk/writings/articles/older/artbases.html

According to the same source, the U. S. has bases in 26 countries. Apparently France has a large overseas presence as well (is this perhaps why the "what's wrong with the Fr*nch" thread has entertained such vitriol?)

Oooh, well, there you go. I'm interested to know is there much anti-British feeling out there? Being a Brit, you don't get told that sort of thing...

Gradiant, "Constitutionally enshrined revolution! Wonderful! In the Real World, however...never happen."

That's why I don't the whole patriotism in supporting the prez thing.

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Oetzi, "The UN could not fuction without the US." The UN functions inspite of the US

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Trunt, It seems that any nation with enough resources and a certain mentality have bases outside their borders. I say mentality because some have the resources but lack an interest outside their own borders.

The places where China has a presence it also claims are part of it's national teretory.

Yeah

- I'll answer properly later when it's not 12:30 in the morning.

As an American living in the UK, maybe I'll lend a slightly different bent to the conversation...

Gnome,

While I do think that many Americans have the "Adam Sandler" syndrome, I think that you are creating a huge and unjustified generalization. You are correct in saying that many Americans are like this, but not all except a few. There are plenty of people who appreciate satire. You just don't see these people because they have all dissapeared into the ranks of management and are not a sterotypical American.

"It seems that any nation with enough resources and a certain mentality have bases outside their borders. I say mentality because some have the resources but lack an interest outside their own borders.

The places where China has a presence it also claims are part of it's national teretory."

Yes, I know, Apparition. But the point I was pondering with my question was "is that military presence a cause for dislike in parts of the world?" I think we can all acknowledge that there is a feeling of dislike toward the U.S. in some places; I was trying to spark an examination of a possible reason or explanation(not justification) for some of that feeling.

I think we would all also acknowledge that there is in Tibet some dislike toward China. What I was getting at, without intending to blame anyone, is: does the presence of foreign military bases get local noses out of joint? If they do, then one might expect that the larger the network of such bases that a country has, the more out of joint noses there will be. That's all.

"But the point I was pondering with my question was "is that military presence a cause for dislike in parts of the world?" I think we can all acknowledge that there is a feeling of dislike toward the U.S. in some places"

You mean such as troops stationed in holy places in the middle east?

I know here (NZ) we generally hate the idea of forign military presence. The current PM was a protester against US military bases when they existed.

The US military presence was also a cause for protest in the UK in the 80s. Not sure if there are any US Troops in the UK right now, but at the time they were stationed there along with various nukes and suchlike. People objected more to the weapons than the people, but I think we all realise how easily folks confuse the policy makers with the people paid to carry out that policy.

I think the presence of any foreign military in a country is a cause for protest, at least among the citizens of the nation where they are stationed. No one is really comfortable with troops on streets, no matter what reason they are there. Heck, when Mr. Blair had British troops surround Heathrow airport during a terror alert there was a distinct feeling of unease and that wasn't all to do with the prospect of an airplane being shot down.

"You mean such as troops stationed in holy places in the middle east?"

I wasn't meaning just troops stationed in the middle east. I was also thinking of the troops in Britain that Gradient describes, the troops in Okinawa, etc. And I realize it isn't just troops: like the protests over nuclear weapons in Britain, there were long and bitter protests over the testing of American cruise missiles in Canada, and there is huge protest over an American naval range in Puerto Rico (which is, of course, part of the U. S. [sort of]). It is generally the local government that invites the testing or stationing of weapons or the stationing of troops, so the protests should be directed at that government as well as the foreign one.

No Cyzaki, no anti-brits feelings! We love you for your sense of humour, and that includes the ability of laughing at yourselves, criticizing your own institutions, such as the royal family. Most british people seems to have a reliefing distance to themselves. In conversations like this a lot americans seems to take everything very seriously and personal.

Well, we do like to take the mick out of ourselves!

I wouldn't worry, trunt, he's often completely incomprehensible. He's often bizarre in his comments to anyone and everyone.

That's interesting, trunt, I didn't know there were so many UK bases... There is an American presence here in NZ, it's not a military base, but a listening post at Waihopai. (As far as I know.)

>>Heck, when Mr. Blair had British troops surround Heathrow airport during a terror alert there was a distinct feeling of unease and that wasn't all to do with the prospect of an airplane being shot down.<<
Oh yes, that would do it for me!