Greetings from the U.S.

[RomaMater]

Hello and greetings. I'm very poor at introductory posts so I'll keep this brief. I'm a U.S. citizen currently residing in the homeland, a Catholic who is very devoted to the Church and its Master, and an admirer of the Kurds. I'm an avid reader of topics like history, politics (especially as it regards the U.S.) and a compulsive collector of books, curios, and the like. I'm looking forward to posting here.

[Anthea]

Hello and greetings. I'm very poor at introductory posts so I'll keep this brief. I'm a U.S. citizen currently residing in the homeland, a Catholic who is very devoted to the Church and its Master, and an admirer of the Kurds. I'm an avid reader of topics like history, politics (especially as it regards the U.S.) and a compulsive collector of books, curios, and the like. I'm looking forward to posting here.

Welcome to Roj Bash Kurdistan

American politics has always interested me - I hope to learn interesting things from you

I am very concerned about the loss of rights Americans are suffering from - and the fact that most of them do not seem to realise how much they have lost

Better to be a collector of books and curios than to sit in front of the TV

[RomaMater]

Welcome to Roj Bash Kurdistan

Thank you.

American politics has always interested me - I hope to learn interesting things from you

My best advice to offer when approaching American politics is to start from the very beginning: Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, War of Independence, War of 1812, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc. 18th-19th century America is my particular area of interest because it connects with so much else that was going on in the world at the time and sets the foundations for the present.

As an aside I think if the first generation of Americans came alive in 2014 they'd be shocked at what their country has become.

I am very concerned about the loss of rights Americans are suffering from - and the fact that most of them do not seem to realise how much they have lost

It's the erosion of rights and freedoms in the name of progress: cultural relativity, denigration and denial of the Judeochristian origins of America, multiculturalism, political correctness, and all of the rest of the garbage of that the modern West worships. To put it mildly: it irritates a lot of us and, as the recent Congressional victory of the Republicans demonstrates, there are still many here who're sick of these charlatans in the nation's capital, the state capitals, etc.

I wouldn't say that every American is completely unawares of how much they've lost or are in danger of losing in terms of political freedoms and civil liberties- the internet has been a godsend for Americans who want to stay informed. The materials available online, historical, political, and otherwise, that the average U.S. citizen (and non-U.S. citizen) has available on the web is astounding.

Better to be a collector of books and curios than to sit in front of the TV

I agree; outside of news programs or documentaries I avoid the TV. I have a DVD collection however...

[Piling]

denigration and denial of the Judeochristian origins of America

origins ? lol, American natives were Jews or Christians ?

(unleash the trolls)

[RomaMater]

denigration and denial of the Judeochristian origins of America

origins ? lol, American natives were Jews or Christians ?

(unleash the trolls)

Wise-guy. I think you can tell that I'm not referring to the tribes and tribal confederacies of the natives but to the U.S. itself.

I was referring specifically to the cultural milieu out of which the U.S. gradually emerged after the English began to colonize the Eastern Seaboard (of North America) in the mid-17th century: Western European-influenced (British but also influence from France, Holland, Spain, and Sweden), Christian (Anglican and so on), etc. Like so:



The U.S. wasn't founded by Attila and the Huns.

And yes- more than a few of the natives had been converted to Catholic Christianity by the efforts of the missionaries that came with French and the Spaniards. In other cases the results weren't so pleasant..

[Anthea]

And yes- more than a few of the natives had been converted to Catholic Christianity by the efforts of the missionaries that came with French and the Spaniards. In other cases the results weren't so pleasant..

I have never liked the way in which invasion forces have tried to convert the indigenous populations to their ways of thinking

Be it Christians trying to convert Native Americans of Muslims trying to convert Kurds - most of these conversions come under threat of violence - as is the present day case with the Islamic State trying to convert everyone to Sunnism

The worldwide destruction of many tribal beliefs has caused havoc in many parts of the world

Simple example is when Christians in Africa told the natives that to wear animal skins would send them to the fires of hell - sold them old European clothes - many of the natives became ill and some died from infections caused by cuts and scratches the natives received from bushes and plants they pushed their way through daily - the thin European offered no protection at all

The worst part is that the invasion forces allocate themselves more rights than those of the indigenous populations - the recent Islamic newcomers to Australia have more rights than the Aboriginals - things such as this can never be right

[RomaMater]

I have never liked the way in which invasion forces have tried to convert the indigenous populations to their ways of thinking

Be it Christians trying to convert Native Americans of Muslims trying to convert Kurds - most of these conversions come under threat of violence - as is the present day case with the Islamic State trying to convert everyone to Sunnism

30,000+ denominations of Protestantism vs. Catholicism (and Orthodoxy). America has largely been a Protestant nation since its inception and it was they who usually mistreated the natives- the Puritans (obsessed with the Old Testament), for example, didn't see anything wrong with simply exterminating the natives because they were heathens (at best) or animals (at worst).

I understand your point perfectly well- maintaining one's distinct customs and culture in the presence of foreign influences.

The worldwide destruction of many tribal beliefs has caused havoc in many parts of the world

I don't think anyone really misses the Aztec customs of mass human sacrifice and cannibalism. Not all customs are worth preserving I can assure you; my own ancestors in England before the Christianization by the Celts (Irish and indigenous Britons) and Romans sent by the Vatican were divided into petty kingdoms, the so-called Heptarchy, which spent all of their time fighting with each other until finally being united by the House of Wessex during the conflicts with the Norsemen. What comes down to the present of Anglo-Saxon beliefs for Christianization is enticing enough- literature in the form of the Rune Poem and Beowulf for example- but ultimately the English nationhood was predicated by Christianity and not heathenry (although there're some that would dispute this- but attempting to resurrect the old religion when very little is actually known of it is pointless). As much as I admire and am fascinated by my ancestors I live in the 21st century and not the 5th or 6th century.

And I agree with the destruction that modernity has caused on traditional cultures around the world- the Irish, for example, have been subjected to centuries of English domination and they were often treated with extreme cruelty. Cultural destruction, genocide, slavery, and so on- especially during the reign of Oliver Cromwell. He was quite an S.O.B.

Simple example is when Christians in Africa told the natives that to wear animal skins would send them to the fires of hell - sold them old European clothes - many of the natives became ill and some died from infections caused by cuts and scratches the natives received from bushes and plants they pushed their way through daily - the thin European offered no protection at all

Hellfire and brimstone don't work- it breeds either fanaticism or indifference and ultimately atheism.

The worst part is that the invasion forces allocate themselves more rights than those of the indigenous populations - the recent Islamic newcomers to Australia have more rights than the Aboriginals - things such as this can never be right

The invaders are usually given these rights by the central government of whichever country they go into.

[Londoner]

Welcome to the site bro

[Anthea]

The invaders are usually given these rights by the central government of whichever country they go into.

When Abraham Lincoln praised 'government of the people, by the people, for the people' he forgot the Native Americians

[RomaMater]

The invaders are usually given these rights by the central government of whichever country they go into.

When Abraham Lincoln praised 'government of the people, by the people, for the people' he forgot the Native Americians

Lincoln is romanticized by history.

Proper credit for 'freeing the slaves' should be given to Ulysses S. Grant- he was the President, largely seen as a bumbling drunkard these days, who passed all of the legislation that made the blacks equal in the U.S. He also adopted a much more humane policy when dealing with the native tribes, was a defender of women's rights, had a sensible foreign policy, and so on.