Greatest Empire Ever

[Daz_Hockey]

it's not that democratic, or at least it doesnt seem to be, look at the democratically drawn up elections over a single EU constitution, both shot down by the french and dutch.

Right afterwards, what were the German and French governments saying? "this can be worked around, we can still get a single EU Constitution".

It just seems to a lot of people over here that, although they did not win the war, they (germany) have grown strong, and created the superstate they wanted all along, ok now it's more of a socialist superstate, it is a superstate none the less

 

[EagleSmack]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

you understand now where I'm coming from now, I'm not against American celebrating it's independence, what I am against is britain sucking up to the politically correct heads of the EU, it's bad, it's really bad, I give you an example, While I was in new york, a few Aussie's told some American's that they disliked the US, so what did they reply with...and quite rightly too "well why dont you leave if you dont like it here!!"

that, in Britain, would be termed as a racial insult, to which you would have the police knocking on ur door....now thats what I'm against, while our fans have been warned that during the world cup we are not even allowed to whistle the Dambusters or great escape tune!!!!

Like I say, it's a German-dominated EU, as was planned

But do you see the arrogance of some foreigners to be standing in America and say they don't like it? That is what gets us going. People come over here and bad mouth and protest. Not to just dump on some foreigners but there are a lot of Americans who will burn a US flag and love it.

I think it would be so damn cool to hear a whole soccer stadium whistling the tune to the "Great Escape". As long as they weren't kicking my teeth through the back of my head after the game.

 

[Daz_Hockey]

sorry just a quick point on that EagleSmack...now you know the results of each, we went north...thats Canada just incase u missed em, you completely withdrew from south east asia.

 

[I think not]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

But do you see the arrogance of some foreigners to be standing in America and say they don't like it? That is what gets us going. People come over here and bad mouth and protest. Not to just dump on some foreigners but there are a lot of Americans who will burn a US flag and love it.

I think it would be so damn cool to hear a whole soccer stadium whistling the tune to the "Great Escape". As long as they weren't kicking my teeth through the back of my head after the game.

Americans have the right to burn the flag EagleSmack,

"If there is a bedrock principle of the first amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."

I'm sure you will agree with this statement. Or I hope you will.

 

[EagleSmack]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

sorry just a quick point on that EagleSmack...now you know the results of each, we went north...thats Canada just incase u missed em, you completely withdrew from south east asia.

But the fight was in the colonies.

I suppose you can say we withdrew to Guam and Taiwan. The US lost in Vietnam and the British lost the Colonies.

 

[Daz_Hockey]

It happens, it's a wonderous sound EagleSmack, I've heard 60,000 people with one voice whistling the dambusters tune, it's great.....but it upsets the germans, so we cant do it.

Yeah I agree, I have heard foreigners come into the US and seriously insult them, I only joke about things and know my limits, but my tour leader (who was an ex-us army man) told me about this tourist who, while at Arlington national cemetry told him "the only problem is they dont bury all american soldiers here, dead or alive" - now those were the words of an idiot

 

[I think not]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

It happens, it's a wonderous sound EagleSmack, I've heard 60,000 people with one voice whistling the dambusters tune, it's great.....but it upsets the germans, so we cant do it.

Well that just raises my blood pressure, you should be permitted in your own country to say what you wish without having to worry about what the Germans think. :roll:

 

[EagleSmack]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

But do you see the arrogance of some foreigners to be standing in America and say they don't like it? That is what gets us going. People come over here and bad mouth and protest. Not to just dump on some foreigners but there are a lot of Americans who will burn a US flag and love it.

I think it would be so damn cool to hear a whole soccer stadium whistling the tune to the "Great Escape". As long as they weren't kicking my teeth through the back of my head after the game.

Americans have the right to burn the flag EagleSmack,

"If there is a bedrock principle of the first amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."

I'm sure you will agree with this statement. Or I hope you will.

I know they do. But that doesn't mean I have to stand and applaud and pat them on the back. It still makes me mad. But that is why they do it anyways... to get people POed.

 

[Jay]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

But do you see the arrogance of some foreigners to be standing in America and say they don't like it? That is what gets us going. People come over here and bad mouth and protest. Not to just dump on some foreigners but there are a lot of Americans who will burn a US flag and love it.

I think it would be so damn cool to hear a whole soccer stadium whistling the tune to the "Great Escape". As long as they weren't kicking my teeth through the back of my head after the game.

Americans have the right to burn the flag EagleSmack,

That is till we add a no flag-burning clause to the constitution!!

 

[EagleSmack]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

It happens, it's a wonderous sound EagleSmack, I've heard 60,000 people with one voice whistling the dambusters tune, it's great.....but it upsets the germans, so we cant do it.

Yeah I agree, I have heard foreigners come into the US and seriously insult them, I only joke about things and know my limits, but my tour leader (who was an ex-us army man) told me about this tourist who, while at Arlington national cemetry told him "the only problem is they dont bury all american soldiers here, dead or alive" - now those were the words of an idiot

It is sickening but that doesn't surprise me. I would have accidently left the jerk somewhere far from the parking lot. Arlington is a pretty big place. My Uncle AND cousin (his son) are buried there.

 

[I think not]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

I know they do. But that doesn't mean I have to stand and applaud and pat them on the back. It still makes me mad. But that is why they do it anyways... to get people POed.

I don't like it either, but I would get very VERY VERY angry if we were not allowed to do it. Freedom of speech at it's purest form.

That is till we add a no flag-burning clause to the constitution!!

NEVER!

 

[Jay]

Were not done with you flag burners yet!!

 

[I think not]

Ya that's right, it's called freedom of expression, it's a political statement, it can be against government policies or Supreme Court decisions.

FREE SPEECH!


8)

 

[EagleSmack]

But if we can make it UN Constitutional... then they wouldn't have the right!

Easy ITN... we're just joshing you (a little)

 

[I think not]

Re: RE: Greatest Empire Ever

But if we can make it UN Constitutional... then they wouldn't have the right!

Easy ITN... we're just joshing you (a little)

I know it's a very touchy issue with veterans in particular, like yourself, but that's what many have served and died for, for the rest of us to be able to speak freely. Thank you! 8)

 

[Penguin_Commando]

I don't know - has anyone considered the Carthagian, Islamic, Macedonian (Alexander the Great), or Polynesian Empires yet? All were essential to the founding of our modern world. How about the Holy Roman Empire? The West Roman under Constantinople? The French Empire - not as big as England's but huge. Spain's Empire. Holland - the Dutch. The Aztec, Maya, and African Empires, possibly more advanced ever than Eurpoe was culturally. The USSR was huge in its day, the Warsaw pact covering a huge amount of land. I would say that every Empire in history has been great - how can they not be - but possibly the greatest was the British in sheer size. But they are sharply contested by the Mongols - even larger - and the Chinese empires. There are so many I am forgetting.

What about unions - the UN covers much of the world's surface - are not they an empire? the AF, NATO, the Commonwealth, and could Australia be considered an empire - it covers a continent. Define empire.

My favorite empire is possibly the Roman Empire,
followed by the Macedonian,
followed by all the others all equal.

All the best,

Penguin Commando

Penguin Commando

 

[Daz_Hockey]

I don't know - has anyone considered the Carthagian, Islamic, Macedonian (Alexander the Great), or Polynesian Empires yet? All were essential to the founding of our modern world. How about the Holy Roman Empire? The West Roman under Constantinople? The French Empire - not as big as England's but huge. Spain's Empire. Holland - the Dutch. The Aztec, Maya, and African Empires, possibly more advanced ever than Eurpoe was culturally. The USSR was huge in its day, the Warsaw pact covering a huge amount of land. I would say that every Empire in history has been great - how can they not be - but possibly the greatest was the British in sheer size. But they are sharply contested by the Mongols - even larger - and the Chinese empires. There are so many I am forgetting.

What about unions - the UN covers much of the world's surface - are not they an empire? the AF, NATO, the Commonwealth, and could Australia be considered an empire - it covers a continent. Define empire.

My favorite empire is possibly the Roman Empire,
followed by the Macedonian,
followed by all the others all equal.

All the best,

Penguin Commando

Penguin Commando

Nah, I'd consider Australia part of the commonwealth of nations and formerly part of the British Empire...although if you go down that route, you could just consider that Britain was part of the roman empire...so it gets tricky.

But I consider Rome to be the defacto empire in the world......nothing has come close since...even if I am British (were were just trying to impersinate the romans).

 

[Penguin_Commando]

Yes, but what is an Empire? Is is how you see yourself? I can tell you that the Japanese Empire wasn't regognized as such by the US. Definately the United States is an Empire, but it is an empire more of thought and ideas and the influence it has. Military has much to do with it, but if citizens see themselves as an Empire, it IS an empire.

Personally, if we do follow Geographical routes, we are all part of the Human Empire, just a very unstable, disturbed, fueding, dissagreeable, arguably powerful Empire that is bound to collapse and propell us all into a new age. I dunno what that'll be though!

Interesting. I do say. An empire of buissness? An empire of words? An empire of people? What are we talking about? What do we really know about the nature of Empires, except that they grow like radishes and fall like elephants. (Radishes grow fast - in case you are wondering.) (Elephants fall fast - and usually squish people unfortunate to be below them.)

When these empires fall - these empires of today - we will be seeing major changes. Even in Australia. Hey, maybe someday we will all be part of one great Australian Empire!

History has a way of making irony into reality.

All the best,

Penguin Commando

 

[mech]

I am going with the empire of the Cholas of Southern India. They never subjugated (like every other empire mentioned here) but merely spread their language and culture to Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore (in Tamil it means Lion City)...

Next comes the Vijayanagar Empire, also from the South.

You might notice a trend here:

1. The greatness of an empire is in how it exerts its influence. Violence and subjugation (British excelled at this) is not the way. OK you owned 1/4 of the world. But did they want to be ruled by you? Probably not.

2. The great empires are from my part of the world

In conventional history books the South of India is completely ignored. The only "Indian" empire people normally think of are the Mughals of the North (not Indian, but actually Afghans).
In fact I find that the South is being ignored in all spheres of discussion about India (Bollywood is in Hindi, a Northern language which less than half of all Indians speak), but I suppose that topic is for another thread. The original inhabitants of the subcontinent are the Dravidians, i.e. South Indians. The northerners are a hybrid mix of warring nations that overran that part of the country. Tamil is at least 3000 years old. Tamil and Greek are the only existing ancient languages still being used. Hindi is not more than 500 years old.

 

[mech]

And I don't know what happened 60 years ago, but it's disgusting that in today's India, English and Hindi are somehow placed on a higher pedestal than the other languages, with no concern to how dear people hold them. Around Independence time, influence was exerted by the bastard northerners, and so somehow Hindi is a "national language". Hindi is not compulsory in my state right now (although the central government is trying to change that...we should speak whatever language we want..what is their problem?). I hope my state never gives in to these intolerant ass-scratching monkeys from the North.

I am proud of my present home Canada for recognising both French and English, since both are spoken here.

its good to rant.