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Just coming back from an American style barbecue that my employer held. Cheers!
:cheers:
We forgive you for the German mercenaries.
However as a 6th level Languish mage you should know better than to use barbeque in that way.
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:cheers:
:w00t:
Ah America you do not look a day over 236
I hope everybody is having a great 4th
Happy July 4th :)
Good old America. You made some great dreadnoughts.
And now for something completely typical.
QuoteThe American Revolution was a flop
By Paul Pirie, Published: July 3
Paul Pirie, a former historian, is a freelance writer in Ontario.
The easiest way of assessing whether the United States would have been better off without its revolution is to look at those English-speaking countries that rejected the American Revolution and retained the monarchy, particularly Canada, which experienced an influx of American refugees after the British defeat. The U.S. performance should also be assessed against the ideals the new country set for itself — namely, advancing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The new republic started advancing life and liberty by keeping a substantial part of its population enslaved. (This, at least, proves the frequent British put-down that Americans don't have a sense of irony.) By contrast, in British-controlled Canada, the abolition of slavery began almost 20 years before the War of 1812, sometimes called America's "Second Revolution." A good number of free blacks fought with the British against the United States in that conflict, even participating in the burning of Washington. And if, as some scholars argue, the Civil War was the unfinished business of the American Revolution, then Americans — like the Russians — paid a very high human cost for their revolutions.
On to liberty. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics show that more than 2 million people were incarcerated in 2011; that includes federal, state and local prisoners, as well as those awaiting trial. To put that total into perspective, the International Centre for Prison Studies ranks the United States ranks first in the world in the number of prisoners per 100,000 residents. That's well ahead of Canada (which ranks 136th) and even Russia. The U.S. incarceration rate for African American men, which is about six times higher than that of white men, according to 2010 data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, points to yet more unfinished business.
As for the pursuit of happiness, Americans are free to do just that — provided that they aren't rotting in jail. But are they likely to find it? Most Americans work longer hours and have fewer paid vacations and benefits — including health care — than their counterparts in most advanced countries. Consider also that in the CIA World Factbook, the United States ranks 51st in life expectancy at birth. Working oneself into an early grave does not do much for one's happiness quotient. This year the United States tied for 14th in "life satisfaction" on an annual quality-of-life study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That puts the United States behind Canada (eighth) and Australia (12th). A report co-authored last year by the economist Jeffrey Sachs ranked the United States 10th in the world for happiness — again behind Canada and Australia. The Sachs study found that the United States has made "striking economic and technological progress over the past half century without gains in the self-reported happiness of the citizenry. Instead, uncertainties and anxieties are high, social and economic inequalities have widened considerably, social trust is in decline, and confidence in government is at an all-time low."
Ouch.
Which brings us to the related matter of the revolution's long-term impact on politics. While the Canadian, Australian and British governments have shown they can get things done, including passing tough austerity budgets in recent years, the norm in Washington has become paralyzing partisanship and gridlock.
In these senses, the American Revolution was a flop. Perhaps it's time for Americans to accept that their revolution was a failure and renounce it. (For their part, many Russians have.)
Alternatively, rather than being wedded to every practice or institution that arose from the revolution, however counterproductive or dysfunctional today, perhaps Americans can rekindle some of the boldness of the nation's Founders to create a "more perfect" and happier union.
Last Fourth of July, while I visited sweltering-but-beautiful Washington, I came across an inscription in the Jefferson Memorial in which the third president warned against allowing institutions to calcify: "I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. . . . [W]ith the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times."
Those modern patriots who make a show of reading the U.S. Constitution aloud, as though it was carved in stone, might do well to reread Jefferson's advice.
See, I'm not sure that's entirely fair. The US had a much deeper exposure to expansionism and slavery than Canada did, long before their revolution. Even if the US had decided not to have their rebellion, there would still be all kinds of tensions, and it's not like the tendency of the Americans to embrace evil would just disappear. That's the sort of thing that takes time to change.
Its unfair to be compared to Canada.
For Canada maybe.
But Canada without an independant post revolution US would have never come to be.
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 04, 2013, 08:05:31 PM
But Canada without an independant post revolution US would have never come to be.
What would ever lead you to think that?
If things are so great in Canada why do we here such bitching from some of Quebecker posters?
Quote from: Razgovory on July 04, 2013, 08:34:23 PM
If things are so great in Canada why do we here such bitching from some of Quebecker posters?
you have your lettow's we have our grallon's. the secessionists heart wants what it wants.
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MURICA FUCK YEAH
Thanks Tim.
Plus it's not historically accurate. Monica is facing the wrong way.
Quote from: HVC on July 04, 2013, 08:52:15 PM
Plus it's not historically accurate. Monica is facing the wrong way.
She's too hot to be Monica. Must be some local Arkansas whore.
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Neil, this one's for you. Happy America Day, buddy.
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"I'm here to eat jelly bellies and kick ass. And I'm all out of jelly bellies."
Reagan looks like he's already dead in that picture.
And he'd never be caught with an RPG-7.
Fireblade is back on the bong i see.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 04, 2013, 07:22:10 PM
And now for something completely typical.
So he'd rather the US sidelined as an irrelevant nation?
Nixon beating up a Smilodon? New desktop.
Here's one for the Scandinavians.
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That's animal cruelty, Tim.
It also has absolutely no shred of a connection to American independence. Timmy, you totally brainfarted and went off on a wacko tangent about men with scary weapons killing the shit out of badass animals.
And I don't think I'm the only one who's noticed the heavy homoreroticism in all your fantasy posters about brawny men with scary weapons killing the shit out of badass animals.
Quote from: Razgovory on July 04, 2013, 09:42:31 PM
Reagan looks like he's already dead in that picture.
He is. :secret:
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 05, 2013, 02:22:33 AM
It also has absolutely no shred of a connection to American independence. Timmy, you totally brainfarted and went off on a wacko tangent about men with scary weapons killing the shit out of badass animals.
And I don't think I'm the only one who's noticed the heavy homoreroticism in all your fantasy posters about brawny men with scary weapons killing the shit out of badass animals.
That wasn't Tim...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5A0pg4oN8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5A0pg4oN8)
Quote from: Razgovory on July 05, 2013, 03:04:29 AM
That wasn't Tim...
Fireblade's wacked posters were all 4th of July themed. Timmay's was about a Viking beating up seafood.
Quote from: garbon on July 04, 2013, 11:10:02 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on July 04, 2013, 07:22:10 PM
And now for something completely typical.
So he'd rather the US sidelined as an irrelevant nation?
A former Dominion composed of the modern US and Canada would hardly be irrelevant.
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What's with this bullshit art and President's using RPGs?
Mine is from Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. They were educated in the Soviet Union and took their propaganda art school training to the United States to create some visionary art works:
http://www.komarandmelamid.org/news.htm (http://www.komarandmelamid.org/news.htm)
I suspect they're the inspiration behind FB's posts.
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 04, 2013, 08:05:31 PM
But Canada without an independant post revolution US would have never come to be.
All those Tories coming north helped - especially when 1812 rolled around.
Quote from: Savonarola on July 05, 2013, 10:27:08 AM
Mine is from Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. They were educated in the Soviet Union and took their propaganda art school training to the United States to create some visionary art works:
http://www.komarandmelamid.org/news.htm (http://www.komarandmelamid.org/news.htm)
I suspect they're the inspiration behind FB's posts.
Yeah, I remember them. They did the quest to find the perfect painting for each country. The results were delightfully absurd.
If you really want more Presidents and patriotic figures Yi, here you go!
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I'm sorry but i'm banning him for this shit.
He's posted a lot of that crap before.
Camping out behind the brewery was epic. We sat around the campfire & shot the shit until about 5:00am. God bless the US of A.
Quote from: katmai on July 05, 2013, 07:26:21 PM
I'm sorry but i'm banning him for this shit.
:lol:
That was stupid tim.
Quote from: Razgovory on July 04, 2013, 09:42:31 PM
Reagan looks like he's already dead in that picture.
Fireblade posted a version with washed out color, Reagan looks fine in the original.
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/183/0/6/ronald_reagan_riding_a_velociraptor_by_sharpwriter-d55rsh7.jpg
Quote from: garbon on July 05, 2013, 07:51:37 PM
He's posted a lot of that crap before.
Are you apologizing for him Garby :angry:
Quote from: derspiess on July 05, 2013, 08:52:34 PM
Camping out behind the brewery was epic. We sat around the campfire & shot the shit until about 5:00am. God bless the US of A.
:) Hell yeah. We did that a few times up there in Michigan (sitting around a fire bullshitting). Good times for sure.
Quote from: katmai on July 06, 2013, 12:31:02 AM
Quote from: garbon on July 05, 2013, 07:51:37 PM
He's posted a lot of that crap before.
Are you apologizing for him Garby :angry:
No, I just am not sure why they are a trigger for action now if they weren't then.