board77

TheMary wrote:

Does Ireland have a gun problem like the US? (serious question)

It's not that the US is more free but we did set up our country based on freedom. A lot American's abuse their freedoms which is where the real problem lies.

Re: the gun question. No we don't but that is starting to change. A lot of the eastern european mafia are starting to realise that Ireland is an easy mark.

See, regarding the "set up our country based on freedom" thing, I suspect most countries are. Ireland spent 800 years under foreign occupation. You can bet your bottom dollar our country believes in freedom as a founding principle. The only difference is that most countries consider it self-evident, while Americans seem to believe they have something unique.

I think that is what is the problem, most Americans don't consider Ireland an individual country, but still under the English rule.

Plus many Americans are of Irish decent and have been told many many many stories of how horrible it was in Ireland. Thats why they are not there anymore. And yes the stories are still around. Same can be said of Scotland.

I actually believe that there is a stronger hatred of the English by Irish Americans than there is of the Irish themselves.

As for Americans thinking its unique, I don't think we think its unique, we just think our constitution is a better form of protection of those freedoms. Albeit not right at the moment since some of us think we have chucked our constitution out the damn window because of fear.

And as for Andrew Meyer, I would have been more impressed and had more understanding had it not been him. Had it been a citizen who had not had his history I would be on the band wagon of his rights were violated, but he has cried wolf one too many times.

I do wish John Kerry would have said something though. He is who I am most disappointed with, he should have told the police to stop (even it being Andrew Meyer) and had him finish his rant. Or simply told the police to stop.

Anyway I still want a taser. And for the record, I think its against the law to buy tasers.

Ara-anna wrote:

I think that is what is the problem, most Americans don't consider Ireland an individual country, but still under the English rule.

You're kidding! Really?

Err, I don't think that's true.
More likely is that some wouldn't know it didn't used to be independent.

We've just had the first party conference with our new Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He gave a long worthy speech but he lacked the fireworks and oratorical skills of Tony Blair. Some cynical commentators afterwards thought that a taser judiciously applied might have helped them to wake up before the end.
You can't please everyone.

I wonder sometimes if part of the problem is that ordinary people have decided it's not their job to enforce any standards at all, whether those standards are the law or just basic politeness. What if the audience had started booing him when he refused to sit down? Would the police have even needed to get involved? If he'd known ahead of time that people wouldn't put up with his crap, would he have asked to speak at all?

Ara-anna wrote:

I think that is what is the problem, most Americans don't consider Ireland an individual country, but still under the English rule.

Nah; they don't know enough history for that. Most just seems to think England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, London, and the UK are more or less different words for the same thing.

Dave_LF wrote:

Ara-anna wrote:

I think that is what is the problem, most Americans don't consider Ireland an individual country, but still under the English rule.

Nah; they don't know enough history for that. Most just seems to think England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, London, and the UK are more or less different words for the same thing.

Yup that's it. Most people clump them all together and they are England. Not the UK, not seperate places, but England. Seriously. Then again some think that Washington DC is in Washington State.

Some Americans thinks Austrailians speak with the same accent as the English. And that Scots and Irish have the same accent and same culture.

Some Americans can't even find Europe on a map, much less The United Kingdom.

Really? I'm sure most of them can.

I used to live in Baltimore, and very sadly, I knew some of those people. I certainly hope that it is only a small minority of people.

Dear God, the ignorance is scary!
If you call a Scot Irish, your liable to have a Caber stuck up your arse...
If you tell an Irishman he's English, you'd better be several thousand miles away, several miles underground, and protected by several metres of titanium wall...

Yeah well the Scots have the blue ribbon for winning first prize, and don't forget it..

I think its probably true of many different cultures in the world. How many native American tribes do other countries out side the Americas know about? Actually a better example is all US Southerners are hill billies, and I have seen that generalization on this board.

Jude wrote:

Really? I'm sure most of them can.

You have too much faith in people.

Ara, maybe I'm one of select few but I think of the UK as a cluster of individual countries. I don't think of them as England owned pieces of land.

I remember years ago someone was talking about the decline of Geography being taught in school. I guess that guy was right.

But as for Andrew Meyer if he has a website chronicling his radical ways it's all the more reason to taser the SOB. Any fool can put one and two together and get three the guy wants the attention. He's like Michael Moore and his bag'o'propoganda only this guy has a video camera.

TheMary,

Someone had a story about him when this first broke and when I first saw the video I was really angry. But then they went on to say how he sets these things up and has done it before i.e. protesting in the street blocking traffic and when the police ask him to move to the side walk he got all beligerant or something like that.

I still think Kerry should have said something, anything, even if it was a jerk doing it.


And sadly I know a few people that England is England comprising all of the UK (Scotland, Ireland ect.) It's all England. Like its all Africa, not individual countries on Africa.

I had a discussion yesterday with hal who filled me in on what a ponce Meyer is and I couldn't help but change my tune.

I do think there are instances that police abuse their power and go overboard. But I also think in cases like this where someone is intentionally trying to get them to use excessive force then it should be reported as such. Not as poor poor Andrew Meyer but as look what Andrew Meyer is doing he's abusing his freedoms and trying to be destructive.

But they shouldn't have tasered him. THat was playing into his hands. Now he'll do more of that crap. If they'd just let him rant, I'm sure he would've gotten booed, and his ego would be crushed.

Crucifer wrote:

But they shouldn't have tasered him. THat was playing into his hands. Now he'll do more of that crap. If they'd just let him rant, I'm sure he would've gotten booed, and his ego would be crushed.

Crucifer has a point, Meyers was being as obnoxious as he could be while still not actually doing anything criminal. The police ended up looking like brutish thugs, which of course was just what he wanted to provoke.

Quote:

How many native American tribes do other countries out side the Americas know about?

Let's see; from memory only.
Iroquois, Huron, Algonquin, Mohawk, Sioux, Shoshone, Kiowa, Dakota, Cheyenne, Crow, Blackfoot, Cherokee, Seminole, Arapaho, Comanche, Apache, Pueblo, Nez Perce, Yaqui.
I know that there are many more and to my shame I cannot remember Laureanna's: Tlixlit is it? Sorry if I got that one wrong.

ToshoftheWuffingas wrote:

Quote:

How many native American tribes do other countries out side the Americas know about?

Let's see; from memory only.
Iroquois, Huron, Algonquin, Mohawk, Sioux, Shoshone, Kiowa, Dakota, Cheyenne, Crow, Blackfoot, Cherokee, Seminole, Arapaho, Comanche, Apache, Pueblo, Nez Perce, Yaqui.
I know that there are many more and to my shame I cannot remember Laureanna's: Tlixlit is it? Sorry if I got that one wrong.

Why are you feeling bad? I dare say most Americans couldn't tell the difference from a Jute or an Angle or a Saxon or a Norman, much more what Celtic tribes were over in the British Isles, and that is not even mentioning Picts. If you mention Romans, I would guess most Americans never even knew they were there, for centuries. We here in the US are woefully ignorant of most of our own short history, what do you think we are ever taught about the rest of the world? It is not a criticism per se, I only know about such things because I wanted to learn about so much of it on my own. And they DO lump Ireland in with the rest of it, despite the fact that Ireland remained so untouched by many of the things that afflicted Britannia itself.

In fourth grade here, the kids learn about Native Americans, but, they ONLY learn about the tribes indigenous to this area for the most part, the rest are glossed over in the most broad brushed sweeping strokes. For example, tribes of the northwestern coast of North America were all lumped into a group called roughly something like those with potlatches and totem poles. Laurie would probably have palpitations over how such things are taught here in Wisconsin, which has a number of native tribes here as well who are rightfully proud of their culture and background and ancestry.