Anger against America as Bush visits London

Having read and listened to the furore around Bush's visit to London, I am left wondering what his legacy for America will be.

Never in the past would 100,000 people in England come and protest against America. Never has anti American policy feelings run so high. What has happened to the high standing that America held in in the past?

Once bush has gone how many years will it take to rebuild the international political disaster Bush has turned the country into?

Will this be the first president to cripple America overseas, and once and for all bury the American reputation for the "land of the free and home of the brave"?


[Edited on 18-11-2003 by Netchicken]

the land of freedom stops where the land of freedom of
others starts

will you think this bush is bad will you have not seen it all yet

Protesters are planning on toppling a statue of Bush. Why they have a statue of him I don't know.

NC,

I was pretty much under the impression that Anti Americanism has always existed pretty loudly in Europe, even UK. That doesnt surprise me in the least, really.

What I am shocked is at the audacity and lack of good taste and shame Bush posseses in going over there. That surprised me.

But nothing shall change. Americans before Bush were hated and disliked terribly overseas, and wil continue to be, the only thing that has changed is that people have a focus for thier hatred, and are more vocal.

If Bush has changed anything, hes opened the way for America to hate itself.

Speaking frmo what ive seen in this country, we've usually hated most americans. Just Bush took it to a new level, through his stupidity and lack of care for anything but capital and his own needs.

Originally posted by Netchicken
Having read and listened to the furore around Bush's visit to London, I am left wondering what his legacy for America will be.

Never in the past would 100,000 people in England come and protest against America. Never has anti American policy feelings run so high. What has happened to the high standing that America held in in the past?

Once bush has gone how many years will it take to rebuild the international political disaster Bush has turned the country into?

Will this be the first president to cripple America overseas, and once and for all bury the American reputation for the "land of the free and home of the brave"?


[Edited on 18-11-2003 by Netchicken]

It's always been there. Hence, when I've traveled to your country or anyplace else, I'm speaking their language first, Spanish second, French third and English as the default.
The diff is , and it's a big DIFF, is that we had gone from strongly disliked/moderatedly hated because of our conspicuous consumption society based on marketing & near zero substance as a definition of culture

to being hated for

All the above + military corporate imperialism as our foreign policy + non stop demanding of exceptions to playing in the worlds sandbox because we're AMERICA.
Add to that the vinegar on the cut of letting someone steal the White House who is so void of diplomact & intelligence that it truely is offensive.
Like sending the stable boy with # covered boots to be a stand in for the Major Domo.

Originally posted by Saiyan
will you think this bush is bad will you have not seen it all yet

I'm sorry, but wtf did you just say?

Originally posted by Scarface
Speaking frmo what ive seen in this country, we've usually hated most americans. Just Bush took it to a new level, through his stupidity and lack of care for anything but capital and his own needs.

How does the general public in England feel about B�air? I know the public was against the war, but somehow B�air got approval to help. Do most people hate him as well? If not, they should. He was duped into supporting an unpopular war.

(btw, I don't support Bu$h, B�air, �hene�, Rum$feld, or Ri�e.)

Dont forget Asscroft, the Heinrich Himmler of the 21st century.

Get it through you're thick #ing skull.
The protesters are NOT anti American. They are anti Bush or is it uncle george.
And as for Blair he'll be out on his ear next election no doubt about that.
A point mentioned on UK TV last night was that the US media have not broadcast the coffins of dead US military soldiers returning from Iraq, also that Bush is shielded or not shown with any protesters when he travels about the US. Why would they do this?

To answer your question, Lexus,

The American media will not broadcast coffins returning because they learned thier lesson in Vietnam: if the public gets the truth of what thier war is actually costing, they are gonna get tired of it quick.

Keep the sheeple believing our soldiers are happily serving over there and everything is hunky dory, and we wont have to worry about those turbulent massive messy protests and love ins that littered the 1960's. When they show the gruesome reality, ti might make people really womnder if the war is worth the cost in thier kids lives.

As for sheltering Bush from the protests, thats simple. he knows whats happening, he simply doesnt give a #, because he is a crazy braindead chimp who is gonna kill alot of people if he isnt stopped.

The british people think alot of the americans, but are just against the Bush administration. Eastern Europeans countries may be anti-americism, but Most of Europe isn't anti - america because we don't agree with your president doesn't mean we against America itself.

a little off topic...Bill Bonner, in London....

*** "Is it overkill?" wondered the Daily Mail, with a bad choice of words.

Half of London's police, 14,000 men, plus 250 armed secret service agents, have the job of trying to make sure that U.S. President George W. Bush survives his trip to Britain's capital. A better headline, on our opinion, would have been "Is it worth it?" There are no shortage of candidates for America's top office. In short supply, on the other hand, are police in London...and parking places, most of which seem to have been eliminated in London's drive to keep George W. Bush among the quick.

"Even mobile phones will be cut off," continues the Daily Mail. Security agents are worried that mobile phone signals could be used to set off a bomb.

Bush, say the protesters' signs, is Britain's most unwelcome visitor in a long time. But at least he is not likely to be arrested, as was Chile's former president General Augusto Pinochet, for 'crimes against humanity.'

*** A note from friend Byron King: "This quotation is from Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father:

'Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt.' - Benjamin Franklin

"His roots were in an English-cultured Colonial America, and he was truly an Anglophile. But later in his life, he showed a fierce and abiding love for his native land. As he was leaving Independence Hall at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, he was asked by a passerby what form of government the nation would have. He replied, 'A republic, if you can keep it.'

"One of the finest modern historians, H.W. Brands, in a biography published in 2000, considered his life and called Benjamin Franklin 'The First American'. Today, the nation reveres the memory of Benjamin Franklin by placing his face on the $100.00 Federal Reserve Note, one of the most commonly used debt instruments in the world. Go figure..."

*** "It's so odd," we remarked to a friend, "the way the English upper classes all seem to have some speech impediment. Either they stammer, make some goofy expression with their mouths, or some silly laugh."

"You see," our friend explained, "accents are so important in Britain that making some gesture with your mouth is extremely significant. The upper classes, having perfect Oxbridge accents, feel the need to compensate. They are so confident of their superiority that they give themselves a handicap to prove it...like a guy who spots you a few points when you go up against him in sports. No matter who wins...he's the winner."

In nature, some of the fittest males give themselves a handicap. Bright plumage on a bird, for example, signals to the females that this guy can survive - even though he stands out like a traffic accident. A more discreet animal may have a survival edge...but lack a way to communicate his genetic fitness to potential mates. We have even heard of some animals that display their handicaps when pursued by predators. Rather than dart to safety, some males deliberately make a show of bravado in order to impress the females.

In America, the rich have always handicapped themselves in other ways. They play golf....buy expensive houses, fancy cars...learn about French wines and cigars...and often even get divorced so they can marry a 'trophy' wife. All of these things cost time and money...effectively giving their competitors a few points advantage.

But now, the whole nation seems to want to give itself a huge handicap...buying things it doesn't need and cannot afford with money it cannot earn and doesn't intend to pay back.

Often, we note, the handicaps are a little too much. The tycoon collapses under the weight of his acquisitions. The colorful male bird ends up as some other male's meal. And the upper-class Englishman sounds as if he is brain- damaged.

www.dailyreckoning.com...