There are many, many people the world over who are "anti-American". The salons of Europe and bazars of the Middle East are full of them.

This makes America pretty unique. There's no such thing as anti-Frenchism, or anti-Japanesism. To have an ideology devoted to opposing you, you have to be top dog, not an also-ran.

So what is is the Americanism opposed by the antis? I'd suggest that Americanism involves taking full responsibility for your own success or failure, and not blaming external forces such as class, racism, or the iniquities of capital.

The Republicans probably embrace these values more wholeheartedly than do the Democrats. Hence their monopoly on patriotism, and their tendency to note the ideological similarities between the Democrats and anti-Americans. The Democrats can't fix this unless they change the definition of American values.

Actually, most people in the world have truly loved Americans until recently, and have only wanted to learn from us and to have their own forms of democracy that suit thier different conditions; certainly all greatly value the historic contributions of the American Revolution to human freedom, up through the Popular Front, that's for damn sure...and without America, what would have happened in South Africa too?

There is not a country in the world that has not benefitted from the scaffolding of human justice America and other early democracies like France constructed.

When you see Chinese women running in the track and field, or playing volleyball in China during the Olympics, none of it would have happened without the American Revolution (or Mao's revoultion, too, for that matter). Hell, women in America could not even fail to wear a hat skating on Central Park until they got the right to vote!

Anti-Bushism is real, and I'm sick of you Cons clothing Bushie selves as "americans" when you are just a bunch of brain farting, religous stater, neofascists.

Candoxx, please stop using words you can't understand - like "neofascists." If you had any idea what fascism is, you would know that it bears no resemblence to conservativism (which is what most Republicans believe in, despite their party's waywardness), e.g., limited government, and protection of individual rights and property.

In fact, I can't. I'm British.

'Anti-Bushism is real, and I'm sick of you Cons clothing Bushie selves as "americans" when you are just a bunch of brain farting, religous stater, neofascists.'

loonbat alert!!

Since interest group politics took over both parties, all the talk of values and ideals is pretty much a cover for "Give the larger share to my people." When they fail, they want to be bailed out. When they can't find jobs, they want unemployment benefits. When they get sick, they want health insurance or free health care. When the wind blows or the water rises, they want Big Gummit to help them rebuild.

Republicans don't believe in personal responsibility any more then Democrats believe in personal responsibility. Oh, sure, personal responsibility for you and people like you. When you lose your job or get flooded out or your crops die, etc, you should be on your own. When it happens to me or any of my Real American, salt of the earth, family values buddies, the government should figure out a way to give us money and not make it look like welfare.

Most of the citizens of this country are closet socialists, and they're about evenly divided between the two major parties.

As far as actually fighting for freedom, the Republicans in charge right now have a rather weak record, but it hasn't hurt them politically because most people are more interested in who can talk the talk, as opposed to who can walk the walk. After all, John Kerry, an actual combat war hero, was defeated by George W. Bush, a texbook REMF if ever there was one.

I think "patriotism" is a bogus concept, so it's appropriate territory for the more bogus of the two major parties. The Republicans will always be better at "patriotism" because it's all talk and no action, image without substance.

The Anti-Americans

There was a time when an event that caused a national crisis occurred the people we hired to manage our living conditions would make moves to correct the conditions . They were real Americans . What we have now is a gang operating for and racking in the cash from foreign lands and corporations . Operating clandestinely and openly to peel off more and more of American land , business , and jobs . Truman and Nixon both were Americans that made adjustments to prevent onditions similar to what we exsist with now . The present admin and their aides in congress care not about Americans . In this time of lose of income for Americans and higher cost of living not one penny has been cut from the money appropriated for foreign lands . Just think about this . WE BORROW MONEY TO GIVE AWAY , SOME OF WHICH IS KICKED BACK TO OUR LAW MAKERS . When the old politicians are proclaiming experience , keeping this business going is what they are talking about .

>

LOL! Anyone can "believe" in anything, you moron--what does that have to do with reality? Gee, it's a really nice thought that Republicans "believe in conservatism," but why don't you go ahead and give us an example--any example--of how Republicans or the Republican Party have actually practiced "conservatism" over the years? There's been a Republican in the White House for 28 of the last 40 years--have you seen the government getting smaller or limited in any way, shape or form in that time? LOL! Have you seen the protection of individual and/or property rights getting stronger in that time? It's a joke--you people just make shit up as you go along. Why don't just face reality? Republicans, for the most part, are fearful, standard-issue automatons who do what they're told, when they're told, and who LIKE IT THAT WAY. The federal government could be on a campaign to destroy your currency and widen its control over everything you do--and that's exactly what they're doing--and every last one of you will genuflect and shower them with praise...as long as there's that (R) in front of their name. Why do you even bother to get into these discussions? Turn on "American Idol," go to church, have some beers with the guys, mow the lawn, and shut up.

'WE BORROW MONEY TO GIVE AWAY , SOME OF WHICH IS KICKED BACK TO OUR LAW MAKERS .'

borrow? shit, i thought they were just taking it all these years? you mean the millions i've put into the system over the years was a loan?

yipee!!! when can i expect the first payment?

GreenwichJ:

There's no such thing as anti-Frenchism, or anti-Japanesism. To have an ideology devoted to opposing you, you have to be top dog, not an also-ran.

Uh.. really? Maybe you could ask a couple generations of Chinese folks about the Japanese or the people of a recently post-French colony country in Africa about French government policy?

candoxx:

Anti-Bushism is real, and I'm sick of you Cons clothing Bushie selves as "americans" when you are just a bunch of brain farting, religous stater, neofascists.

I love it!!!!!

Anti –Bushism is indeed real and McBush would be just a continuation of the same. Americans sometimes do foolish things but Americans are not fools. Come November the democrats will take back the White House and end this fiasco.

GreenwichJ

All the flag waving, lapel pin wearing and warmongering in the world won't change the fact that we Americans are hated. We have the Republicans in general, our incompetent president and current old, out of touch, warmonger GOP nominee and all their followers to blame - and they claim to be patriotic! They are pathetic.

irvingchang:

'WE BORROW MONEY TO GIVE AWAY , SOME OF WHICH IS KICKED BACK TO OUR LAW MAKERS .'

borrow? shit, i thought they were just taking it all these years? you mean the millions i've put into the system over the years was a loan?

yipee!!! when can i expect the first payment?

On a serious note Chang, America is borrowing money to fund the war in Iraq,(approx. 10B$ per month), thus the writer’s statement that we are borrowing money to give away, is indeed correct. Whether your post was slaked with sarcasm or you were being facetious it is a fact the USA has mortgaged itself to China to stay in a war that should never have been fought in the first place, and was done solely to get a grip on the oil in Iraq and further enrich big business and the already wealthy. This price is being paid for with the blood of the working class and the poor. They are the ones dropping like flies in the Middle East, getting killed, maimed and mentally bruised/damaged. The price continues for all Americans will have to pay back this loan and again the working class and the poor do not have the benefit of skilled accountants and lawyers to avoid paying taxes so the bulk of this burden will again fall on their backs. BTW we call this patriotism too!

'America is borrowing money to fund the war in Iraq,(approx. 10B$ per month), thus the writer’s statement that we are borrowing money to give away, is indeed correct.'

we have been running up debt and borrowing money since i can remember which is getting to be a long time. the dems have run congress for 60 of the last 70 years and it hasn't bothered them until recently.

why the recent jock sniffing for balanced budgets?

Arlington: Really? I think we can take a couple of singular examples to determine the truth or falsity of your statement.

Let's look at a pair of natural disasters, similar in scope, but happening in different parts of the country and in different years.

First: Hurrican Katrina's impact on New Orleans. I think you'd agree that New Orleans, for all its location in the traditionally conservative South, was and remains a bastion of liberalism. When it was hit by a storm, many of its residents failed to heed a week's worth of hurrican warnings. They didn't move, or even try to help themselves, until they looted private property. They were the first to call for government aid, and the first to complain that it was inadequate once it was provided. Even now, almost three years after the storm, people are still begging for additional government aid. The parish New Orleans occupies was solidly "blue" in 2004.

Now: The flood of 2008. This created financial losses and personal disasters in six states. Yes, federal disaster assistance has been requested -- but people got out of their homes before the flood got to them, except in the case of two flash floods. People listened to the warnings, and took steps to protect themselves. There was no looting. Government aid was no faster here than in New Orleans (in part because of slow movement by state governments), but there has been no criticism that it didn't come fast enough, and three years from now (IMHO) people won't still be asking for aid as a result of this flood. Of course, two of the affected states, Iowa and Missouri, were "red" in 2004. I'm not seeing the socialism, closeted or otherwise, to which you refer, in the case of the 2008 flood. I saw it in full after Hurricane Katrina (and, BTW, I was there, on the ground, for both disasters -- I live in the middle of the 2008 flood zone -- Davenport, Iowa -- and I deployed to Diamonhead, Miss., for hurrican relief with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. My experience is both first hand and fact-based).

If favoring socialism is not patriotic, then I think these examples can show us at least a little of who is or isn't patriotic.