what america means and what a portion of americans stand for.

In reference to the following:

http://zed.cbc.ca/go.ZeD?CONTENT_ID=136363&page=content

an email conversation went as follows.... i sent this person that link with the subj line "how true!!!"
and he/she responded in the '> ' section, and i responded to him/her in the areas without '> ' . I think what i said was pretty profound.. maybe you will too?

BTW this is an awesome site like atomfilms but not so OS specific.

--- "a friend" <-------@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I didn't think that was a "cool flash". I thought it was ridiculous.
> I know we do a lot of bad things, but I don't think you can blame it
> on the country it's self.

maybe 50% of the country... (or 48-47 with proper ballot tallying ~_^ )

> I don't like how our national anthem and

i do (now that i think about it) agree that the flag and the CONCEPT of
what america stands for did not in the least deserve that treatment....
i didnt pay attention to that.. i was paying attention to the very
pointed symbolism.

> flag were portrayed. To me that was just as offensive as the things
> we did to the prisoners in Iraqi.The end picture of Bush was funny
> u631 <-- from Lexi
>

hi lexi :)

[lexi is my friend's cat]

> as I was saying the end picture of Bush was funny though. I think

no holds barred with that bastige.... : /

> there are a lot of things he could have done better.
>
> The McDonald's and Starbucks also upset me. I don't think it is about
> that if it is it shouldn't be and not all Americans feel that way.

Ahh but that is the meat and potatoes of the symbolism.. Thats all this
was, a not-to-be-taken-literally metaphor stating that a large chunk of
our effect on the world and on ****our own people in the beginning has
been dilution and destruction of other cultures and people through our
unending thirst for world domination and our belief that the 'Merican (
`-|-' Chreyish-chun[christian] `-|-' ) way is the ONLY correct way. And
if you dont believe as we do, and do as we say to do, (and give us yer
OIL and $0.25 per DAY labor) then tha AHLMAGHTY will sentence yew evil
heathens to th' FAHRs uv HELL and We'll hep you to git there with bombs
and sanctions!

****(gross and negligent physical and cultural damage to the peoples
and cultures of native americans, polynesians and the northern north
american natives in alaska((i would have said i n u i t s but that
would be like calling the american indians Cherokees... inuit is but
one tribe of many in northern canada and alaska)) )

America is a terrible nation builder even if the other guy wants our
culture, so we should stop trying to do so and butt out! We bombed and
rebuilt Japan, and look at what happened to their culture and even
their language (granted, they had it coming and there was no other
alternative). you go to japan and look around, and if not for the
language and the actual japanese people's looks, its AMERICA! what is
their identity now? mcdonalds on every other corner and an economy
that's tied at the hip to ours! there are other examples, most
catastrophic failures. Afghanistan comes to mind :)

These horrors are the fault of the implementation, not of the original
design and plan for these united states. These horrors are the fault of
"the fan club", if you will. the fox news watchin rush limbaugh
listening god-squad hill-jacks that unfortunately, apparently number
40-50% of the voting public. Sick, isnt it?

It is the donald rumsfeld's and the jawge debye bush'es and the pastor
john ashcroft's and the karl rove's of america. They are to bear blame
for these atrocities.

The senators and representatives are to blame because they pass this
dangerous shit without ever looking at it.

The big corporate interests (represented by the well known icons of
consumerism. Likely, mc'd's and starbucks were used because the sheep
dont know who halliburton and enron type corps are other than what was
on the news just recently..) are to bear blame. Note the stars in the
flag being replaced by the icons of major corporations. You know how i
rail on about clothing companies violating third world countries?
That's what this guy is also saying with this.. a lot of corporations
take advantage of other countries poverty and create basically slave
economies.

The voters who put these war criminals in office are the most to blame
(OOOOH and are they ever). They are the ones most responsible of all.
If people just vote for someone because paster sed it was the way to
vote 'cuz hes a ( `-|-' Chreyish-chun[christian] `-|-' ), they are
defiling the "CONCEPT of what america stands for" and the symbols of
this concept. They defile those who fought valiantly to defend that
right to vote that so many people in the world will never have no
matter if we 'liberate' them or not.

You're ABSOLUTElY right about the flag and national anthem and other
revered symbols of the _concept_ of the united states. Those are not to
be blamed, nor are the soldiers who implement these things, as, sad to
say, they ARE INDEED just following orders (barring a percentage of
them who are just sickos by choice or mental condition...) .

But if the flag and national anthem represent that 48 percent segment
that would put an AWOL deserter in office, then they're fair game for
attack and misuse.

If the flag and national anthem stand for the ideals and the original
intentions of our forefathers, as I and apparently You as well believe
that they do, then they should be held sacred and untouchable.

However, These symbols, in my opinion, also stand for the first
amendment, which gives the creator of this animation the inalienable
right to do precisely what he did, and to decide between the first or
second above statement.

It also gives US the inalienable right to be appalled by it, as we both
are. That is one of the fundamental tenets of what america Truly means.
That is the america I hold very dear.

in that sense, either answer is the correct answer for HIM.

hows that for wordy :) but this is a very important subject.