On the thread about how Brits are becoming an assortment of on-line gamblers I made an observation involving the geography of the island as it pertains to nastiness of attitude and civility.  Another poster, claiming to have spent a number of years on the island hopped on like ugly on a monkey to set me straight. 

I don't have a problem with that.  Personal experiences differ, and generalities, while they tend to contain enough truth to sting, also tend to be riddled with exceptions.  If the poster had stopped there I'd have to agree with (most of) (or some of) what was posted.

Unfortunately, the poster went on to express a smugness and spillage into some matters that went beyond my, admittedly flawed, generalizations.  The poster was obviously oblivious to history, both of the US, and of Britain.  Actually included in the post the allegation that Britain's been a consistently good and strong ally to the US.

Patently absurd.

Britain, and every other country on this planet, has sponged the blood and tax money of Americans whenever they could, so long as it furthered their own interests.  American blood spilled all over the world to protect the interests of Britain throughout the 20th Century. 

True also of France, the Philipines, the USSR and China through WWII.  Post WWII, American tax dollars rebuilt Japan, Italy, the Philipines, France and West Germany, while Americans bore the burden of the cost of defense of all.  America and Britain created Israel, and provided the weaponry for it to defend itself during the early years, while American taxpayers paid the bills.

America has no allies.  There's not a speck of gratitude in any of those countries for the Americans rotting in their graves, their lives forfeit to the best interests of Britain, France, Germany, indirectly, the USSR, Korea, Japan.  Those countries have drained us dry, bankrupted US taxpayers, and bought us with the industry we built for them.

I have to respect scam artists who know how to spot a mark and bleed him dry, toss him off when he's no longer useful.  I have to respect those countries I've named.

Because, blogsters, we Americans are the folks who love being scammed.

Eventually, we'll probably learn, but we'll be dead broke in the learning.

The poster on that thread is a person well-scammed.  But a scammee who loves the feel of it.

Jack