American Thoughts - Page 2

[jbennet]

i know - my (white skinned) mate is from south africa but he has american citizenship (his mum was amaerican, his dad was afrikan) - does that make him african-american or is that title only for black people?

[sneekula]

My neighbor is roughly 90% white, but has still enough african features so the many bigots in town will routinely call him black. Like black would be something nasty. Black is beautiful!

[GrimJack]

i know - my (white skinned) mate is from south africa but he has american citizenship (his mum was amaerican, his dad was afrikan) - does that make him african-american or is that title only for black people?

Well, generally when someone becomes an american citizen and wants to hyphenate themselves, they use the country they are from not what continent they are from. Since most black African-Americans do not have the history to know what country they came from (which may not even exist any more, anyway), and people get uncomfortable using broad labels like Negro or Black, they fall back on a more neutral label like African-American.

[jbennet]

i see.

what about caribbean blacks though?

we use black or afro-carribean but black is the current term

your right about the history thing though. you americans kinda take it to heart though, i knew this american guy who constantly referred to himself as being "irish-american" because his granddad was like 200 years ago, i mean, by that reackoning, prettymuch every person in the UK is irish

[GrimJack]

Interestingly enough - none of the natives in the Caribbeans survived the influx of Europeans, most of the islands are now nearly exclusively black and so are referred to directly by their island/country - ie Haitian, Jamaican, etc. By default, I guess, they became the natives of those islands.

Yeah, we got so little history of our own that we still reach back to claim other's

[ZZucker]

I am a mix of Irish, Italian and French and have no choice but to call myself an American.

[jbennet]

my gran is irish
scottish parents
i was born in england

[Ene Uran]

"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber."
— George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., April 10, 2002

The boss is right, it's a scary thought to have lots of senator clones run about!

[vegaseat]

I am just glad they are not cloning George W. Bush!

[ZZucker]

Americans admire a people who can scratch a desert and produce a garden. The Israelis have shown qualities that Americans identify with: guts, patriotism, idealism, a passion for freedom. I have seen it. I know. I believe that.
-- Richard M. Nixon

[vegaseat]

Two interesting comments by our ex First Lady:

I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell this to my children, they just about throw up.
-- Barbara Bush

Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is.
-- Barbara Bush

You have to admire her for being so honest!

[jbennet]

who cares what clinton did

[jasimp]

A lot of people who really shouldn't.

[GrimJack]

Like the bumper sticker says:
No one died when Clinton lied

[sneekula]

In the US we just saw the government pony up $30 billion of taxpayer dollars to enable one bunch of sharks in pinstripe suits to buy another bunch of sharks in pinstripe suits.

[ZZucker]

The nations business is business after all.

[GrimJack]

Or, as the Brits stated it:
We are a nation of shopkeepers

[vegaseat]

Or, as the Brits stated it:
We are a nation of shopkeepers

As luck would have it, the US is a nation of shoppers!

[Lardmeister]

The US is also a nation of lawyers. We have by far the most lawyers per capita of any country. Long live the lawyers!

[Aia]

Like the bumper sticker says:
No one died when Clinton lied

No one died when Clinton lied.
Sorry sight that rhyme implied.
Has the time finally arrived,
When we must to that poor mentality be subscribed?
Glutton for pleasure, this Clinton was
At the eve of the September attack.
Some may say how lucky the man was
When the strike came, it was not his watch.
Others may feel, it ain't right not to cash
What he helped and allowed to be set up.
In his legacy perhaps a tiny stain
Regardless, skeptic I must remain.
For what form of luck can be bestowed,
that compensate for such a large nose?

[sneekula]

No one died when Clinton lied.
Sorry sight that rhyme implied.
Has the time finally arrived,
When we must to that poor mentality be subscribed?
Glutton for pleasure, this Clinton was
At the eve of the September attack.
Some may say how lucky the man was
When the strike came, it was not his watch.
Others may feel, it ain't right not to cash
What he helped and allowed to be set up.
In his legacy perhaps a tiny stain
Regardless, skeptic I must remain.
For what form of luck can be bestowed,
that compensate for such a large nose?

I don't think I would ever dare to publish such poor peotry! Bold font too!

[Aia]

I don't think I would ever dare to publish such poor peotry! Bold font too!

That's one of the difference between you and me, then. You forgot the italic part.
Concerning "such poor `peotry'" , I wanted to keep with the proper bumper sticker style of "pedotry"

[sneekula]

A society without religion is like a vessel without compass.
-- Emperor Napoleon

[Aia]

A society without religion is like a vessel without compass.
-- Emperor Napoleon

Vessel with broken compass at high sea
Capricious command obeys at ease.

~ A dead crew member.

[GrimJack]

No one died when Clinton lied.
Sorry sight that rhyme implied.
Has the time finally arrived,
When we must to that poor mentality be subscribed?
Glutton for pleasure, this Clinton was
At the eve of the September attack.
Some may say how lucky the man was
When the strike came, it was not his watch.
Others may feel, it ain't right not to cash
What he helped and allowed to be set up.
In his legacy perhaps a tiny stain
Regardless, skeptic I must remain.
For what form of luck can be bestowed,
that compensate for such a large nose?

I am not a poet but ...

American Haiku

The U.S. is known
for truth and justice for all
Please not for torture

Afghani Haiku

The taxi driver
never spent a night away
then tortur'd to death

Poster's Haiku

"It's not bad poetry"
t'was said, "I meant to be bad -
I did my best work"

[ZZucker]

It's tax time again, 133 million US taxpayers have to file their 2007 tax forms with the IRS. Form 1040 comes with 92 pages of instructions and takes taxpayers an average 33 hours of preparation to complete. You after year our lousy legislator promise to simplify this, and every time around it gets even more complex.

[Ene Uran]

This year, thanks to George Bush, after we file our taxes we all get back around $500, starting May, so we can stimulate the Walmart economy.

[Aia]

>This year, thanks to George Bush
Don't be ungrateful and send a thank you card to the man.

>after we file our taxes we all get back around $500
Is not "we all". Only if you have earned qualifying income of at least $3000 and your net income tax liability is more than zero.
It's not around $500 is $300 individual ( $600 joint filers ) if you have earned at least $3000 and your net income tax liability is zero, or up to $600 individual ( $1,200 joint filers ) if you earned at least $3000 in qualifying income and your tax liability is more than zero.
Did I make it clear? ;)

Additionally you may also receive $300 for each qualifying child for the child tax credit.

>May, so we can stimulate the Walmart economy
Or stimulate your bank account.

[sneekula]

The difference between the short tax form and long tax form is simple:

If you use the short form, the government gets your money.

If you use the long form, the accountant gets your money.

[sneekula]

Welcome Pope Benedict XVI!
He is rich, he is powerful and guess what ladies, he is single!