Thoughts.com Blogs - I want to clear a few things up

View Blog

I want to clear a few things up

I don't usually do this, but this was posted on the boards and I want to discuss it and my response further.

Originally Posted by paddystyle View Post
"I know Americans have a deep love for your constitution but can someone explain why,looking at it(yeah i've read it a few times)it seems to me you
keep the current Constitution because it has worked peacefully and there hasn't been a bloody transfer yet. There has been shady dealings for the presidency in your past, but for most people, the Constitution has been a source of national pride.so is that it,pride?surely the fact that it needs so many ammendments points to it's redundency,after the second world war most European nations rewrote they're constitutions because we had entered a new age,is'nt it time you did the same?i'd imagine it'd be pretty hard now to get the 50 states to ratify a new one anyway,don't you think that if it was'nt for judicial review your government would seek to function and does'nt this alone point to the constitution as it is being obselete?.......p's i know how you all feel about your constitution so please don't take this as an attack on it...i'm just curious to your thoughts"

My response.
"1. The executive branch is not the problem, the legislative branch is.
2. There a large amount of laws in existence, but relatively few amendments. (27 in over 200 years)
3. The WWII started in Europe, it was your problem that started it so yes, you should have fixed it.
4. I would like you to provide information on this new age. The Industrial Revolution, the Age of Enlightment was a new age. This was just a sad excuse for a truce.
5. We would function better without judicial review in the short term. Half our problems stem from legislation on the bench.
6. Pride has a hell of a lot to do with it. One of my ancestors signed the Declaration and they shed blood to acquire the freedoms on the piece of paper. When was the last time one of you guys shed blood to get your freedoms? On that piece of parchment are certain unalienable rights that we should still have to this day.
7. When was the last time a European nation became a world power in less than 300 years? (I'll give you a little extra lee-way since we did it in less time than that.)"

I commend you on how you 'politely' attacked and insulted every proud American on the board. Sorry if I can't do the same. You have to understand. I have a rather blunt personality.

Rowdy responded he did not find this offensive. I'd like to know why. Paddystyle more or less mocks our system, which isn't perfect, but we have more say than any other country. He might as well have called the Constitution worthless and refers to it being in existence only because there hasn't been a bloody transfer which I take as calling us cowards. mrmacq took offence at my response and proceded to post the following.

"7 only this time around
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom (UK), that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1922, the British Empire held sway over a population of about 458 million people, one-quarter of the world's population,[1] and covered more than 13,000,000 square miles (33,670,000 km²): approximately a quarter of the Earth's total land area

Deutsches Reich was the official name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in the German language. Its direct literal translation in English is "German Empire", however this full translation is only used when describing Germany under Hohenzollern rule (until 1918). For the entire 1871-1945 period, the English name given for Germany was the partially translated "German Reich" (pronounced /ˈdʒɜrmən ˈraɪx/).[1] Following the German Kaiser's (again partially translated, German Emperor fully translated) abdication of the German Empire after World War I, the word "Empire" was dropped and the official name used in English was the "German Reich". Informally, this nation was also simply known as Germany.

The name "Deutsches Reich" was also often applied in contemporary maps to the supranational Holy Roman Empire (911–1806). The history of Germany during the time of the (second) German Reich is conventionally broken into three distinct periods:

the monarchy under Hohenzollern rule, known in English as the German Empire (1871-1918)
the democratic republic, known retrospectively as the Weimar Republic (1919-1933)
the totalitarian dictatorship commonly known as the Third Reich or Nazi Germany (1933-1945)
Following the de-facto annexation of Austria in 1938, Germany informally named itself the Greater German Reich (German: Großdeutsches Reich). This name was made the official state name only during the last two years (1943-1945) of Nazi rule.[2]

both world powers"

First, if he gets so offended by number seven then he SHOULD understand why I was offended by the original post. However the point, once again was completely missed. Great Britain emerged as a true country in the early 1400's after a power-struggle during the middle ages. They basicly played ring around the king during the middle ages. So, I will be generous and say that we'll consider it a solidified and growing country as of 1500 A.D. They were officially recognized as a world power at the Congress in Vienna in 1815. That my friends, is 315 years and that is being generous. One could argue that they met the criteria a few decades earlier, but they were NOT officially recognized as a "great power" until 1815. They have maintained this status today.

Germany was founded in 919 A.D. when Henry the Fowler became the first king. The country was consumed with internal struggle for a large part of it's 'life.' It was officially recognized as a 'great' or world power in 1880, which means it took this country 961 years to achieve the recognition.

The U.S. was founded in 1776. It was recognized as a world power in 1919. That is 143 years. We must have been doing something right.

In all honesty what I find most offensive is that someone who does not live in our county feels they have the right to tell us that we need to throw out our government for one like theirs. If theirs was so great then it wouldn't be a global recession, just a U.S. one. I will be honest when I say that if an American has issued the same quary I would more than likely been a lot less offended. I don't question Britain's government system even if I find it lacking, I don't expect a citizen from another country to do the same to mine. I also would have been less offended if the phrasing had been different. I read it as very aggressive and offensive.

I am not trying to belittle Britain or Germany's achievements, however, there is a stark difference in the timelines. Also, I ask that our achievements not be belittled. And finally if you don't believe me about my ancestors, the last name is Clymer. Feel free to look it up.

Posted by jeceil on 2009-07-11 11:33:39 | Rating: