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I love this country and [almost] everything about it! I'm willing to fight for this nation and possibly die to protect her. I absolutely hate it when people disrespect America in any way, shape, or form. I think America is the greatest nation on Earth, no matter what flaws she has. And I truly wish more people felt this way about our nation, the nation that protects us daily and watches over us so we don't get killed by terrorists, etc. God Bless America. :)
wow, this is turning one sided(as expected). i hope stalin, chavez and whoever the hell is in charge of palestine to read pyg's comment. GO AMERICA. cmon enemies, show your cowardly selves, my opponents. before you do, you better leave the country so i dont hunt you down:)
What do you like about it? Do you like the war crime she has commited? Do you like her black widow ways? Or pherhaps its hypocracy? If you like the land, america, I agree. I love its beaches, economic oppurtunities, terrai, multicultural communites. But I hate the government and how it was acted towards other countries so far.
Well, i do love America. This is why it pisses me off when people disrespect any of our presidents (from other countries of course). like the Palestinians and Hugo Chavez talking shit about Obama... fuck you guys, he's my prez.
i mean, at home hated towards the prez is fine... i never had a real problem with people who hated Bush. But when people outside of our country start talking shit about our president, it's go time.
so fuck Chavez, fuck Putin, Fuck the Palestinians and any other fucker who decides to talk shit about us and our leader, whoever the fuck it is (unless he took power by force, which would not be the American way, so we would be in a time of Revolution).
Hitler loved Germans who equated Germany with himself. Explain to me, and all who read your reply, why the government of the U.S. is the U.S.? You have spoken as though you only recognize the government. Does the government, which you so willingly deify, provide you with the welfare that the banks are receiving now?
If you were a German of the Nazi era you would have un-doubtedly loved Hitler while cursing everyone who bared true witness of his wickedness.
The U.S. was originally intended by our forefathers to supposedly be a nation of sovereign individuals and sovereign states. Why do you fail to recognize that the U.S. is not, in its current form, that which our forefathers intended?
You are playing the role of a blind person. When the blind lead the blind, shall they not both shall fall into the ditch?
Look! How can you be boastful of a country of men and women who sit back and watch their government, which they elected, deprive the future generations of the wealth of their labors for the benefit of banks, insurance companies, and ultra-rich CEOs?
Are your receiving a paycheck for such non-sense?
Are you aware that patriotism protects individuals from governments that are destructive of the purposes for which they were created?
Be a man in mind and put away your petulant pontifications!
Do I love America? No! I can only love individuals.
Demonstrate how it's possible to love a country.
Your position is absurd to say the least.
You affirmed that you are a patriot for government. That makes you a stooge and a pawn of the government. What is your pay scale?
look, i understand that criticizm of a leader might be in order, but when foreigners just disrespect OUR leader... it's upsetting.
I dislike Obama and most of his policies, but as a man he's an alright dude. I criticize him all the time, but when others who don't even live here decide to criticize him (and it's been mainly because of the fact that he's the president of the United States) it makes me angry.
"who the fuck are you to get into our business? your government is ten times shittier, so fuck off".
it's not that i blindly follow Obama and the government, beleive me, I don't; it's really just about principle.
i know that the people elect the politicians, which in a sense makes them the controllers of the government, but lets face it:once they are in office we have little conrol over what they can do. we couldnt stop any of the political scandals from happening (i.e. clinton, kennedy). we just let them do what they have to (or want to) do. and i think that they have done a pretty damn good job. i would like to see anyone else on this website do any better. i for one am proud of m leaders, despite their flaws and i am also proud of america.
GO AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please support with some evidence your justification for thinking they, politicians, have done a good job. For we can't rationally debate matters of subjectivity.
Your post is similar in principle to affirming that one person is prettier than another, although both have some blemishes of sorts.
Debates are centered around objectivity, not subjectivity.
why are you such an expert on how we are supposed to debate? its really helpful. anyways...
"Please support with some evidence your justification for thinking they, politicians, have done a good job. "
i havent had to lead a group of rebel infiltrators into the white house to stop them from killing my family. :) Basically, what i'm saying is that although they make some mistakes, we are a hell of alot better off with them than with any other country's government. i wouldn't trade them for anybody or anything (not even a Baby Ruth!).
I partially agree. I'm not a fan of Bush, but I got a little pissed off when Chavez went up in front of the UN and basically said Bush was the devil. There are lots of things to hate about Bush, but theatrical grandstanding is just stupid.
However, you should also realize that as the world's largest economy, our country effects practically every other country on the planet, so "our business" literally is "their" business. If the President decides not to regulate Wall Street for 8 years, and the market tanks, the markets in other countries tank as well.
So I don't fault people who valid complaints (as opposed to just wry satire) about our President or government.
really? just random down votes? i know it's not any of the oldfags cause that was a while ago. some random bastard just came here and down voted my argument (probably cause he hates America).
Joe, there are many people who love this country but are not blind-sided. There are problems here and it's absolutely patriotic to point these things out...if that is of what you speak.
I'm not sure I made myself clear. People are different. Some like beer (for example) and some like wine. Now, lets say that this is a predominantly beer drinking nation. If someone says that France, a predominantly wine drinking nation, is better, and that we should see the errors of our ways and change from drinking beer to drinking wine, I'd be like, "Why have two predominantly wine drinking countries? Why not leave this country alone, the way it is, so that people who like what we like can come here and enjoy it and the people who like what the French like could go to France?"
OK, I'll try again. Instead of making one country more like another country, why not just have two different countries so that people have a choice as to where to live? If we make one country more like another country, then people who liked the first country wouldn't have a place to go.
First off let me just say that I don't think that America sucks. I think America does things that at times, do suck...but the country does not. I think Pyggy is way off the mark here. Other presidents of other countries have a negative opinion on our president...where's the harm in articulating that? What are you guys going to do...pump up your testosterone and beat them all up? Don't be ridiculous! Show them what we stand for and stop embarrassing us as a country!
We stand for human rights, free speech and all the rest. Would you act in a way that belies our foundation? Would you not extend those rights to people we wish to live in a Democratic Society themselves? Grow up people and stop making this a pissing contest.
nooooooooooo!!! not kuklapolitan! oh, i guess i'll get embarassed later by you for this. you are the last person who i want to argue with, but i will stand firm with what i have said.
"What are you guys going to do...pump up your testosterone and beat them all up?"
hells yeah! i'll punch em in the face! just because belief in freedom of speech is a part of our country's creed does not mean it applies in the overall way we handle ourselves to the rest of the world. i believe quite a few people got it right when they said, in short,"i don't care if people in our country talk bad about our pres., but if some other crappy country talks about us, we'd kill 'em." its just the way things are. and if people who wished to become a democratic society, they would know not to piss us off, because we would make it to where they arent even a society.
DJ! I love my country and so do you. Even if we disagree it means nothing in our friendship. We're simply debating. I see it one way and you see it another. I don't say I do not understand you guys but geeze it's just a bit much. You don't have to agree with everything I say nor I, you. I give you the op to voice your opinions so please return the favor...in all due friendship.
PS: I wrote I LOVE MY Country on the first one too...I don't know why it didn't take! Stupid site
What does it mean to be patriotic towards a country? Certainly it's not about the land itself. Perhaps it's the people on the land? People in America are just like people all over the world, however, and that's because they are from all over the world. There's no reason to support or value people solely for being on a specific piece of land.
Is patriotism something supposedly akin to love? People talk about "[their] country" as if it were another person. A country is an idea, and worshiping an idea is never rational. You cannot love or respect a country. Such a statement is meaningless. Is supporting the decisions of individuals in the U.S. government considered to be patriotic? If so, then patriotism is not a virtue.
I do not support coercion, and so I do not support any governments. I do not love or respect people for arbitrary reasons, such as where they were born. I think ideas, places and people can be wonderful and beautiful things.
I am not a patriot; I am a lover of freedom and thought.
Integrity, you took the bait. You should have known this was an idiot debate, and any realistic notions of humanistic citizenship would offend their naivete. So to speak, here in the conversation begins the beatdown on integrity.
yah integrity, sorry for all the stupid people. and by the way, "naivete" is not a word, Hgrey. idiot. there is no beatdown on integrity. why is everyone pissing me off today?
It is a word. Sorry you don't know it. It is a bit obscure, and I omitted the accent on the last E. Some put an umlaut over the I, but I'm not sure if it's considered the official spelling.
"1. The state or quality of being inexperienced or unsophisticated, especially in being artless, credulous, or uncritical.
2. An artless, credulous, or uncritical statement or act."
And it perfectly fits the uneducated idea of patriotism, that one should have unquestioning faith in his country.
i did shotty research, my bad. sorry for calling you an idiot, its just that lawnman pissed me off. were you calling this whole debate dtupid or was your comment focused on a particular person
The positions "No" and "America sucks" are put together on one side. It might just have been hasty on your part, but they don't necessarily go together. This is an example of a False Dichotomy, a logical fallacy that insists if you don't support one side, you must support the extreme of the other. Arguably, it's a flaw of the 2-sided debate itself. But generally, the topic of one side should be open-ended.
Personally, I love this country, and I think it's one of the best on the planet. But I object to a lot of its actions and institutions, vocally. It is the role of a patriot to question the behavior of his country in order to improve it if need be. This is an example of "Yes, Go America."
"No, Go America:" would be a blind supporter of everything the US does. He calls himself a patriot, but is instead a Nationalist. While it's not microbiologically similar to rabies, the symptoms of Nationalism are the same.
I have to finish a report, so I won't do the other two choices. But do you see what I'm saying? And no, this wasn't targeted at a particular person. I don't know you well enough, so it was more targeted at what the debate seemed to imply about the person who made it.
yeah, but i'm just trying to see which side people go to. what side does their argument lean more to. like you said it is a flaw in 2-sided debates, but you can still make your own tag.
Nicely put. One up vote. I noticed that your profile says that you like "logical and meaningful discussions." Well, I fall short on the meaningful part but I like your logic ;)
my main idea of patriotism is being proud of my country and trusting that it is the best in the world. is it truly so wrong to show a little pride. i do not believe that a country is an idea, it is the unification of a people through land and also thought.
What does it mean to be proud of your country? How can you trust that a country is the best in the world, and why would you? I don't see anything wrong with pride, unless it's baseless. What is there to be proud about, in regards to a country?
Can you please elaborate on what you mean by a country being the unification of people?
i can trust that my country is the best in the world by comparing it to the other countries and know for 100% of the time that i would choose this country over all others. despite its flaws, i still love it. there is alot to be proud about in this country. freedom for one, and constantly advancing and striving to become better time and again makes me proud of my country. ( start playing national anthem) By unification of people, i mean that in the rough times, like now during this recession, we have people that will still give to charities, help each other out, and basically come together when times are hard. we band together and fight for each others rights and freedoms. i love your questions! you are really fun to debate with!
I will attempt to use terms that are within the limitations of your comprehension in order to rebut your claim.
If you take 300 pieces of crap and form them into 300 different shapes all you have in the end is 300 forms of shit. They are all shit, but one may be formed into a shape that is preferential, and the same may not smell as bad as all of the others. You can compare shit with shit all you want, but in the end, it's all shit in comparison. And you, thereby, implicate yourself in the preference of shit. (I am unsure if you know what dung is.)
You've implied, in other debates, you are a Christian of some sort. What did a certain apostle say about comparing things as a justification for believing certain things?
Lastly, how can you pledge your allegiance to the flag of the U.S. "and" claim to be a Christian. Christianity has no land that is called the land of the Christian. Does not the scripture read, " No man can obey two masters."? Are you going to say that God is the Lord of the U.S.?
oh lawnman... why are you such an ass... if you want to have another religion debate, then make one. there's this nifty little button in the top left of your screen that reads "Create" this is where you go when you want to talk about a topic which is currently not being discussed. but for you (because you're special) i would recommend the button in the very top right of your screen. it says "X". this will hopefully get you off of this site you belligerent pompous ass...
anyway, back to the whole Christianity thing...
"And you, thereby, implicate yourself in the preference of shit"
first off, America is not a piece of shit. if you think it is you can go freeze your ass of in Russia. don't insult my country, you dick.
"What did a certain apostle say about comparing things as a justification for believing certain things?"
i am a student, not a pastor, not a youth pastor, not a bible scholar, not a theologian ( thats a guy who studies religion)
"Lastly, how can you pledge your allegiance to the flag of the U.S. "and" claim to be a Christian. "
just like this: i am a Christian and i love my country too.
"Are you going to say that God is the Lord of the U.S.?"
whether you like it or not, this country was founded on biblical principles. though in secular textbooks it takes out the "God" in just about every important document, this country's foundation is Christianity.
while we're in the middle of talking religion ( despite the debate topic), what inflames you so much about somebody who believes in God? clearly you have gone out of your way to bring it up. go see a psychiatrist or get examined or take a test. do something about it!
there are three things you don't do when you are talking to me. in order of importance, they are 1.) do not attack my religion 2.) do not insult my country, and 3.) do not insult my intelligence. you have succeeded in all three.
it takes alot to get me fired up, but you did it. congrats you stupid bastard bitch shit faced idiot asshole. have a fun time burning in hell while i and many others are up in heaven!
by the way, bad debate formXDXDXDXDXDXDXD!!!!!lmao
i am sincerely sorry for anyone who had to read those horrible words, unless of course it was lawnman. if it was lawnman, i hope it sinks in and eats away at the very core of your being.
If you want to ignore the validity and method of my argument, I care not. And if you want to attempt to insult me or make me "feel" something, you will never succeed. I am a man of reason not a man of feelings.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that I value the judgment of ignorance.
Am I an asshole? Without doubt, yea, I know of none greater than myself. However, what I also excel at is reason.
I appreciate your zeal, yet your zeal is less than reasonable. If you want to be forceful/persuasive in argument you must accept the challenges your adversaries present in debate. Your response in anger of my rebuttal evidences you did not recognize my argument. My argument did not attack you, it simply questioned the inconsistency of the two attributes, i.e. Christianity and Patriotism. It is not an argument of religion, it is an argument of the incompatibility of Christianity and Patriotism. If you are unwillingly, or incapable of reconciling the two then so be it, but overlooking the challenge of your opposition will never enable you to question your own presuppositions.
Am I a Christian? Read the scriptures and answer that question for yourself, for the scriptures are the witness of they who serve God and they whom serve not God.
Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth?
Lastly and not the least, I remember when I too was ignorant of reason and spoke from ignorance, yet, when I recognized such I purposed to no more be rash and emotional about truth and knowledge.
so i'm a zealous unreasonable kid and you are a reasonable *hole. hehehehe, its like we were made to argue. XD
i believe i did answer your religious question "how can you pledge your allegiance to america and God?" granted it contained no reason, but i was just eager to get to the insulting part. yes, my emotion overpowered my reason. (not always a bad thing).
here is my revised answer: i can pledge my allegiance to both because they are both in different categories. i pledge myself to God first and foremost. he is in a "spiritual category" if you will. my country is categorized in my "physical category". and also, there is another little bible verse that says "give to caesar what is caesars, and God what is Gods". by this logic i can decipher the true relationship between the spiritual and physical categories which i have created. i am giving God praise and worship for being , well, God. i am giving america praise for being the best that it can be, for that is all it can ever hope to be. God is perfect in every way.
are you a christian? even if i throw all of your previous arguments against christianity, i can tell you are not by just this one. you say that you excel at logic. by being such a logician, you cannot accept any chance that something cannot be explained by the laws which govern this universe. God, being one of those things, is immediately cast away from your mind. you try to explain everything, and so when you cannot, you run from it or push it away from you, for fear that it will consume your rational thinking brain. one day, hopefully, it will corner you and you will not escape the truth which is God.
you are not an enemy because you tell me the truth, because 1.) that was not a truth to me, truth being defined by each person for himself, and 2.) you are my enemy because you insulted my religion, country, and intelligence.
p.s. this would make a good debate topic! ( the whole logic+emotion+religion)
A logician, as some say that I am, is the watchman of sound reason. If you were to read all of my posts, which I have submitted at CD, you will find not one instance wherein I deny the existence of God.
The Almighty is not illogical; should not we, his creation, be logical? Logic is the only tool we mortal men have in the fight against lies and irrationality. The Apostle Peter said, "we should be of sound mind", I agree.
Can I logically prove the existence of God, the Creator of the heavens and Earth? No! Can I syllogistically, and validly, arrive at that conclusion? Yes. Can I convince a madman he is mad? No! Can I be convinced he is a madman? Yes, and I will use sound reason to arrive at that conclusion.
Lastly, God is the author of sound reason;He is not the author of illogical thoughts. Faith in God that is void of understanding is mere superstition.
Consider the study of logic, for logic will open a new door of understanding.
It's not that America sucks but it's that today, the meaning behind being a patriot has been lost. Most people think that fighting for their own country makes them a patriot? What if a person was fighting to further the interest of a select few rather the whole? Does that make the person fighting a patriot?
These days, the meaning behind being a patriot and a terrorist have been twisted. Today, we have been conditioned to what a patriot looks like and how a terrorist looks like. But, has anyone ever consider that a person wearing a nicely pressed suit working in a prestigious building might be a terrorist that is endangering this country?
A true patriot would fight against domestic threats and threats a broad. These days, to become a patriot, one has to fight only international threats! Sadly, the domestic threats are much more dangerous than those aboard.
As much as I love this country of mine and however much I may try to better it, I might be looked upon as a terrorist by those that currently run this country.
why would they look at you as a terrorist? it is also interesting that yolu say patriots should fight domestic threats, because i want to be a cop when i grow up.
america is good and bad but i think patriotism in general is for idiots. there is no way you can like every aspect of america. i think that in order for a country to be good, you have to be critical of it. if you just blindly agree with everything about it then you will have a crappy country. thats the reason why companies have complaints departments. at this point, it seems like no americans have the courage to complain about anything because they will get locked up in guantanamo bay. i dont think things will get any better and i think americans will just end up accepting whatever authoritarian ways the govt dishes out, all in the name of national security.