[OT] UK TV Licenses (was Re: These darned old computers)

Actually it came from Canada your neighbor on the north where the Bush administration is doing everything in it's power to wipe out our economy and social programs like health-care for his corporate sponsors, not to mention the opposition to the KYOTO Accords as our lakes and country are being wiped out by acid rain and pollution drifting north from a corporate friendly administration denying there's a problem. Jack Vallenti the Hollywood lobbyist has virtually wiped out our independent film culture, and our media was forced to accept US publications like Time on par with Canadian ones back in the Kennedy era. Yes, and many Canadians have little critical perceptions and watch the same TV programs you do. The US cultural behemoth is like the Borg. You WILL be assimilated Due to NAFTA our manufacturing industry is a fading memory, and even our resource industries like lumber are under attack by powerful US industries, ignoring the provisions of NAFTA. Under NAFTA we are sued if we prohibit certain chemicals in US products known to be dangerous to public health. Inflated US subsidies to agriculture are decimating our farmers, and on and on. Fortunately we aren't an enemy cause our government more or less toes the US corporate line. I guess it could be worse. Thank Gods for corporate- sponsored democracy. Self-defense ? Oh c'mon. That's laughable coming from the most powerful country in the world. At present in most countries the US is simply a bully using it's economic and military strength much as Britian did in the 19th century. Is it just an accident that Americans are despised the world over ? Just envy ? Both my parents were born in the US, I lived for a couple of years in the Boston area, my former wife is a US citizen and I could have likely claimed dual-citizenship. I have many US friends, my argument isn't with them, it's with brain-dead US firsters. As far as social programs for those not fortunate enough to have a big paycheck, the small farmers, the migrant workers who put produce on your table, the homeless, the hi-crime impoverished ghettoes, try comparing them to every major industrialized nation. Try approaching it without flag-waving, read Michael Harrington. Studs Terkel, and many, many US authors that love the US but not it's business-oriented government (maybe read one that isn't US Amerrican), especially both the last two administrations. Watch less indoctrinating spindoctor releases on mainstream TV. Ask why the US was the last country to accept commonly available social programs in all the major industrialized nations. I avoided the Phrase "brainwashed by monetary interests". My apologies to the list. This is no place for this sort of rant but the gross assumptions of some US list members is too often ignored and repeated. I'll not respond to further provocations on this thread. Lawrence lgwalker(a)mts.net bigwalk_ca(a)yahoo.com