State Abbreviations
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Coming in due course will be the following cities:
Boston.
Chicago.
Houston.
Los Angeles.
New York.
New Orleans.
San Francisco.
Santa Barbara.
San Diego.
Seattle.
Washington D.C.
And places:
The Grand Canyon.
Lousiana Bayou.
Niagara Falls.
The Rocky Mountains.
Yellowstone National Park.
Yosemite National Park.
Arizona.
Arkansas.
California.
Colorado.
Florida.
Illinois.
Louisiana.
Maine.
Michigan.
New York.
Ohio;
Texas.
Utah.
Vermont.
West Virginia.
Wyoming.
and
Hawaii!
(one of the most amazing places that I have visited so far)
September 11th 2001 has made a bigger impact upon the world than many people have even started to realise.
It marks the point at which the American Nation once more started to show their true colours.
Initially, the rest of the world showed a real sympathy for this terrible tragedy. But for the Americans it was to bring home the fact that even seemingly big, invincible America is vulnerable.
It also marks the point at which America, (or perhaps just its Government?) decided to seek revenge in earnest. For a country that I think even now would claim to be Christian, this has always struck me as odd. It was the Jewish philosophy that taught "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", not the Christian one.
So we now seemingly have a nation, (or is it just this nation's Government?) hell bent on seeking revenge. Not a good recipe for world peace.
But what of the people themselves? Well, like all nations they are are of course a right mixture. Some are friendly, some won't look at you twice.
But my overall impression of the nation as a whole is that despite living on a vast continent,
this nation is most spectacularly insular. Many of them have not even been out of their own state, let alone to have travelled to another country. This means that by and large they are totally ignorant of what is going on in the world as a whole.
And ignorance most definitely brings fear. So they fear what might happen to them if they were to allow it. Thus they seem to be hell bent on attacking anything and anyone who MIGHT just, at some time in the future, pose a threat to them. The Iraq situation would seem a classic example of this.
They are at the same time, often spectacularly arrogant. I often think that arrogance (generally) is an attempt to disguise insecurity. And I certainly think that Americans by and large are incredibly insecure.
Many of them also strike me as being lazy and badly disciplined. It is at times as if they cannot be bothered to make the effort to get something right. It would seem to have shown itself several times in the Iraq situation, (I cannot call it a war) when, amongst others, they ended up killing members of the British armed Service in so called "friendly fire", and then making excuses for their mistakes.
They also, as a nation, strike me as being most incredibly rude, and bad mannered.
I happen to think that good manners are very important. We all of course slip from time to time, and blame it on being " in a bad mood" or "tired". But some of the most basic common courtesies, such as saying please and thankyou, or excuse me please, cost nothing, foster goodwill, and in some cases even reduce tension. (The motorist for example who acknowledges with a wave your letting them through, brings a sense of pleasure with it that you have been helpful, whereas no response leaves one feeling frustrated, and possible angry and thinking "Why did I bother?")
On the plus side, (and there is a plus side,) they can be most incredibly generous, and very hospitable. But with so much wealth, some of them can easily afford to be.
So my final impression is that America is like a spoilt child, one that has had too many toys, and still wants more. And if it can't get them it will scream in an attempt to get what it wants. And what happens then? One loses patience with the child, and loses all respect for it.
And then says enough is enough and turns their back on it.
And that would seem to be what is happening to America today by much of the rest of the world. Or will if it goes on in the way it is doing at present.
Please don't misunderstand me on this matter. I really like the country, and many of its people. But I do fear for world stability, because I think that the American "initiative" is not in fact doing anything to help it.
(Written in August 2003.)