Foreigners on DU

[WillyBrandt]

C'mon--you know who you are. Three questions for you:

(1) Where are you typing from?

(2) Why are you on a message board for die-hard rabidly parisan members of the Democratic Party? (like me)

(3) Is it your experience that folks where you are make a distinction between the USA and its rotten "leadership"?

I ask the third because everytime I read/hear foreign news sources say, "But America abstained from supporting the World Effort for Happiness effort. It offered a counter-proposal to incraese the number of landmines"--I get a shiver. Because America DID NOT say that, and I wonder if foreigners conflate the people with the powerful.

[Lefty48197]

1. Villy Bront! Mein hero!

aber ich bin ein Americanische.

[WillyBrandt]

2. Es tut mir leid, Lefty

Aber ich bin auch Amerikaner. Ich will wissen, wer die Auslander sind...

[wyldwolf]

3. You do know DU is based in Canada, don't you?

ha ha! Just kidding.

[WillyBrandt]

4. They need a LiberalUnderground, eh

Incidentally, I saw, asked two questions of, and shook hands with Clark yesterday...

[wyldwolf]

5. What did you ask him?

[WillyBrandt]

8. Two questions

Lots of folks asked him stuff. I had an opportunity for two:

(1) You saw a lot of this on the day you announced, but how do you expect to deal with all the slime that the Right will throw at you?

and

(2) Do you speak Spanish well enough to use it during the campaign?

For (1), he replied that he didn't worry about it, that he had dealt with FAR worse, and could handle this. Most people don't listen to this sniping anyway.

For (2), he replied something in Spanish, then said that he could speak it well enough to give a speech, but not conversationally.

[WillyBrandt]

12. one thing, also

He is freaked out about the direction in foreign policy that PNAC/Bushco is offering us. You only get a glimpse of this when he's on TV, but he is seriously worried about the prospect of more war.

And he looks exactly like he does on TV, by the way :)

I think Martin Sheen was there, or some guy who looked very similar. It was at Barry Levinson's house. Not my kind of gig--very good people, loyal Democrats, donors, granted. I prefer events with The People, at restaurants and meetups, with barnstorming, etc. But it was nontheless quite good.

[HEyHEY]

31. good idea

Outsource DU!

[Spazito]

6. Canadian foreigner reporting in....

Question 1: answered in post title

Question 2: I come to DU because it is a great place to reassure myself that there are people who know what is really going on and are trying to get the truth out. It is also a great place for the collection of news from around the world.

Question 3: Yes, Canadians differentiate between the Bush cabal and the American public.

Question 3: The US did not sign on to the landmine treaty, their "reason" was North Korea.

[WillyBrandt]

10. thank you canadian foreigner!

n/t

[juajen]

23. Ah, Spazito

I do not consider Canadians "foreign". Thou art my brother. I know a hell of a lot of Americans feel the same. Thank God for my Canadian brothers and sisters.

[Spazito]

25. Thank you!

We are surely brothers and sisters, we will look out for and support each other!

[salmonhorse]

7. “Bullshit, Gene.”

Roebling and Gene. They’ve played this game on many occasion’. Sharp & stab’by foils? None for each other, “He’s here, ‘the doc’. They’re here for what they hope to be beyond this membrane.” As the membrane slowly modulates with beauteous prismatic colors, “But they still do not understand. They still want only more, ever more markets. Markets. Markets. Markets. And that is all they want. Gene, Good Brother.”

“Well sure, Roebling. You’re the one who keeps telling me to never ever state the obvious. But ole Petrie here is still an American. Right?” baiting the trap. Albeit a tiny: little trap.

“You fool’. I’m no American. I’m from Connecticut. Were you to have been invited to any of my or my associates A-list, invitation only salon’ you would have been apprised post haste of that I can assure you.”

http://dadadot.org/td.htm

[JanMichael]

9. Oh please!

(1) Where are you typing from?

Well I know one from France...Ooooh NO! The frogs attack! Everybody RUN!

(2) Why are you on a message board for die-hard rabidly parisan members of the Democratic Party? (like me)

Because they want to? Remember Herr Commissar: "This is a message board for Democrats and other progressives." http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html

Personally I like the different perspective.

(3) Is it your experience that folks where you are make a distinction between the USA and its rotten "leadership"?

Hmm, let me guess, some do and some don't. Maybe if some Eurofreak comes here to start trouble, obviously due to his horrible "Amurikan" bashing media, the exposure to Liberal/Progressive Americans could be a good thing? Maybe?

[DemExpat]

11. Ik ben ook Nederlands - Amerikaans.....

I can assure you that most Dutch realize that there are different and contrasting opinions and ideologies in the States.

Only thing they shake their heads about is how approval ratings are so high, and how so many would elect such a government.

But the Dutch certainly are not anti-American, they just wish Americans in general would be more internationally oriented and not just focussed on themselves.....

:kick:

DemEx

[boxster]

14. Many of us in the US feel the same way.

they just wish Americans in general would be more internationally oriented and not just focused on themselves

I am certain that a lot of Americans wish for this, as well. Unfortunately, this administration has taken the US further down the path of isolationism.


PS: the Netherlands - home of one of my favorite rock groups!!

[DemExpat]

18. The Golden Earrings? Can't think of any other internationally

aired group.....
Shocking Blue from the 60s?
Or the guitarists from David Roth's group are Dutch......

:hi:

DemEx

[boxster]

20. Golden Earring, it is!

Most Americans know them for only 2 songs - Radar Love and Twilight Zone. I have at least a dozen of their CDs - pretty much everything from the mid 70's on, except for the past couple of years.

[Zorra]

21. I like "Vanilla Queen"

:hi:

[DemExpat]

22. Barry Hay used to live on the street behind me.....

he moved to Amsterdam last year.

He also has a Jack Russell Terrier like mine - seen him walking his dog in the park......just some little anecdotes....

'When the Lady Smiles' is one of my favorites of theirs...
Their first hit here was kind of strange, but I liked it too...kind of...way back in '68/'69!
'Just a little bit of Peace in My Heart'

:-)

DemEx

[boxster]

26. Hehe....

Too funny - 'When The Lady Smiles' is my favorite GE song, and one of my favorite songs by anybody ever. :P I was aware of 'Radar Love' and 'Twilight Zone' when they came out, but WTLS made me a serious fan.

My favorite CD of theirs is probably "The Hole", but I'm also quite fond of the live, acoustic CD they released a few years ago - 'The Naked Truth'. For a very 'electric' band, it's amazing how well their music translated to an acoustic format.

People in the US have no idea that they're still around or that they've released a zillion CDs over the years. More than half of my collection is imports from Europe or Canada. Some of my earliest uses of the internet were spent looking for GE CDs. :silly:

[DemExpat]

29. Cool.....yeah, they ain't half bad for

a groups of The Hague boys.....

:hi:

DemEx

[number six]

45. ummm....

Bettie Serveert (not exactly famous, but Dutch)... no one else comes to mind

[Orrin_73]

37. Nog een Nederlander hier

Im Dutch/Turkish and live in Holland.

[La_Serpiente]

13. Blah Blah blah

Quien vive en Mexico?

[Zorra]

16. Por que?

Yo vivo en Mexico.

[wyldwolf]

15. qoSlIj DatIvjaj

qoSlIj DatIvjaj! tlhIngan maH! nuqDaq 'oH puchpa''e'?

[IndianaGreen]

17. Are you working for Ashcroft nowadays, Konrad?

What do you want, proof of a green card before people post?

Your namesake was not like that!

[WillyBrandt]

19. Chill out

I'm just curious. I read foreign political boards, and I wonder if people from outside the US just like fellow progressives or if they are political junkies looking for a rich resources.

Christ. Green card. What the hell are you talking about?

(Konrad? You've got you're German politics seriously mixed up. Franz-Josef would be a far better epithet.)

[JackRiddler]

24. Can you answer one too?

(1) Where are you typing from?

Berlin, but I'm a New Yorker (city) born and raised...

(2) Why are you on a message board for die-hard rabidly parisan members of the Democratic Party? (like me)

Strange, I'm not a die-hard rabid partisan party person; I admit I'd like to push such persons to greater skepticism about everything, including the Party. But it does collect a lot of fine progressive thinkers, people who work on the same issues that interest me.

(3) Is it your experience that folks where you are make a distinction between the USA and its rotten "leadership"?

Absolutely. Sometimes too much so. A lot really think the problems came in with Bush.

Now a question for you...

Since you didn't, did anyone else ask Clark the 9/11 question (i.e., does he support full disclosure of all facts relevant to our making decisions as a democratic society, and will he make it a campaign issue?)

[WillyBrandt]

28. At this event, no one did

Lots of questions, but not that one at this event. I'm almost certain that he would say he would want openness on this front, but I can't speak for him.

Nonetheless he spoke with great passion about the possibility of future war--with Iran, Syria, Somalia, etc.--if the gang in power is not removed.

[earthman dave]

27. Foreign scum here...

(1) Southampton, England
(2) I thought it said "democratic", as in, y'know, democracy and stuff. (A couple of "greens are the real enemy - with us or against us!" threads soon set me straight on that one)
(3) Sadly, no, although i try and point it out to anyone who fails to make the distinction when they're talking to me. It's the old "nations as people" propaganda tactic, Iraq=Saddam, France=Chirac, England=Blair nonsense, it's a way of making things simpler i guess. Hopefully the fact that Blair doesn't represent my hypothetical interlocutor might make him or her think about whether the US govt represents Americans generally, but yeah, the usual talk is "those violent, destructive Americans". But then, that's the way the media talk, with a "today france said such-and-such", bloody good co-ordination if it did =)

[T_i_B]

42. Hello earthman dave

Chelmsford, Essex reporting for duty here! :hi: How are things down in Southampton?

[HEyHEY]

30. Canadian here

1-In Vancouver BC
2- I'm on the board to read about US politics and learn a bit about Americans.
3- Well, I don't think a lot of people make the distinction... it's too bad though. I think mainly it is that people are so used to paying attention to the right wing Qmericans that they don't realize there are sane ones.

[jumptheshadow]

32. Wonderful questions

I've wondered myself about all the questions you've asked. It's very cool that the Internet enables so many people from around the world to speak directly to one another.

In my business life about 80 percent of the people I deal with are native of other countries or are actually living in those nations.

In my estimation:

Five to 10 percent agree with Bush.

Sixty-five to 70 percent are in the middle, most are anti-Bush but not anti-American.

The rest have serious issues with Americans since the buildup to the Iraq war.

That's just my experience.

Welcome to everybody whose posting from a different country.

[BonjourUSA]

33. Frog here

From Perpignan, in the South of France.

In #11, DemEx said exactly what I think.

But, if Bush is re-elected, the gap between American and French could become deep. Today, as in all the European countries, we make a difference between American people and its government... For the moment. The French bashing made us laughing and a recent poll shows 60% of americans like French again ! ;)

[Selwynn]

34. If we wish we were foreigners, does that count?

Patriotism blah blah blah... I'm not ashamed to say I'm pretty damned embarassed of my country these days.

[Dirk39]

35. Hallo Willy...

I'm typing from Germany and I'm on that message board, 'cause I've missed you for many years now, and than I found out, where my hero, Willy Brandt, is!
Yes, people make a distinction here, but it doesn't make it easier: Here in Germany, some anti-american resentment hides behind criticism of the Bush-Administration, while on the other hand, the right-wingers try to "unmask" every criticism of capitalism and neoliberalism as being "anti-american".
But here is my question: why why why didn't you throw Gerhard Schröder out of your party? Why? How could you let this bastard happen?
Greetings Willy,
Dirk

[WillyBrandt]

40. Gruss Gott, Dirk

I'm very sorry, Dirk, about the Schroeder fellow bothering you. I'd come down and help but I've got Franz-Josef Strauss up here causing trouble (we're trying to build a wall around him).

Yes, it's upsetting that America gets to be the proxy for any position in European political debates. It's a little weird sometimes, really. But there are worse things.

I feel that if the US elects a smart Democrat in 2004, then we can pull ourselves out of this mess, and reclaim our reputation with Europe. (I think there will be such RELIEF that this nightmare is over, that Europe will be eager to work with an American multilateralist).

But if we have to wait until 2008 or (horrors!) longer, then we're all fucked. The USA, the EU, all of us.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

36. I'm a Canadian obsessed with American politics.

I know more about American politics than most American politicians!

Some people have called my fascination 'sad', 'pathetic', or 'needing of a life'. My response? 'Go hug George Bush you fascist asshole!'.

Not really, but hey. Like some people enjoy football or soap operas, I enjoy immersing myself in the internal (and external) dynamics of the world's most powerful (and greatest?) nation.

[Democat]

38. Don't forget to check out this website!

http://www.democratsabroad.org/

[iangb]

39. Stone the fuckin' crows!

1. Aus-fuckin-'stralia.

2.(a) Because the Board rules invited me, and others like me, to contribute.
(b) Because I'm constantly fascinated by some of the stupid questions asked by some contributers.
(c) Because having the most powerful nation on Earth being led by the dumbest person on Earth puts us all at risk. It's our business too.

3. Yes.

[T_i_B]

41. Hello WillyBrandt

(1) Guess where?

(2) I agree with the ideals of the Democratic party of the United States, plus I cannot abide the wanker in the whitehouse.

(3) On the whole yes, most people do make the distinction, but there are always a few who don't. Fortunatly even after all this they still tend to be a bit of a minority. There are certain things about the USA that IMHO you cannot help but love. :-)

[number six]

43. I'm a Canadian

who realizes that whoever is President of the US has just as much say in the running of our country as our PM or anyone else in Canada. Does that work?

[reprobate]

44. Born and raised in the Old American Republic. I feel like a foreigner now