Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Immensely pissed off. You know how last time Blogger wiped my post. Just did it again. Grrr.
So now onto the other thing pissing me off. Bush.
State visit - why him, why now? Now is because apparently US politicians start producing election publicity materials about now. Roll VT: Opens with wide shot of motorcade[1] processing up the Mall, past the mixed US and UK flags. Cut to shot of Bush talking to white-haired woman as they walk about a big house with lots of glittery bits. Cue the cheering crowds (preferably with an old fashioned phone box in the background)[2]. Switch to shot of Bush and TB in UK parliament, with VO talking about the deeds of the great and the good. Full screen slogan - Britain Backs Bush[3]. Should do nicely to convince the Kansas farmers.
[1] That must be one of the most horrible words in the language.
[2] May require careful selection of shot angle, and redubbing over prominent jeering.
[3] Or "Brits Back Bush" for the more down-market channels. Possibly might consider "GB 4 GWB", if it's not too near any romantic or sexual content.
And what do we get out of the special relationship? Oooh, they think the US will drop the tariffs on EU steel imports. Which the WTO has ruled illegal, and given the US till December to remove, before the EU can impose sanctions. Oh and US manufacturers like Ford are lobbying hard as they have to buy overpriced steel, and still have problems with supply. And the US steel producers have undergone the necessary changes to allow survival in a globalised market. So the tariffs are no longer needed, and are damaging, and about to get more damaging for the US. So show your generosity Mr Bush, and drop them as a sop to your special friends the British. (And which sense of "special" is that? The 'Mummy says I'm "special"', sense?).
Still doesn't negate the rejection of Kyoto, drilling the Alaskan Nature Reserves for oil, refusing to submit to or support the international court (guessing they saw Iraq coming), and generally making a mess of their foreign policy - gotta love their approach to war in Iraq - and them going "what's guerilla fighting?". It's what other people told you would happen, just like in every war you've been in so far (strange that they always take a while to believe it will happen, having said to the experienced people "Heck we're Americans, that don't happen to us").
Quite funny that this guy will also meet the relatives of some of the British war dead, yet refuses to allow media in his own country to film the return of dead bodies from Iraq.
Oh and apparently the USSS are annoyed because they won't get diplomatic immunity if they happen to shoot someone over here. At least we now know what Americans mean when they're being "diplomatic".
And you know how people have a tendency to chuck rotting food at politicians? Well, Ken Livingston's given me an idea. Bird Seed. You know how the president's car is bullet-proof and bomb-proof? ...but is it pigeon-proof? You get to keep your eggs, but still annoy him, although you might get charged £50 for the privilege.
Before you get cross, I'm not being anti-American, just anti the ones who voted for him, and those that have put up with him.
And if we're going to have a "leader of the free world", could the rest of the free world have some input into who gets to be it?
Although if you're looking for a reason to be anti-American - stupid names. Not American, but stupid none-the-less - stupid company names.
So now onto the other thing pissing me off. Bush.
State visit - why him, why now? Now is because apparently US politicians start producing election publicity materials about now. Roll VT: Opens with wide shot of motorcade[1] processing up the Mall, past the mixed US and UK flags. Cut to shot of Bush talking to white-haired woman as they walk about a big house with lots of glittery bits. Cue the cheering crowds (preferably with an old fashioned phone box in the background)[2]. Switch to shot of Bush and TB in UK parliament, with VO talking about the deeds of the great and the good. Full screen slogan - Britain Backs Bush[3]. Should do nicely to convince the Kansas farmers.
[1] That must be one of the most horrible words in the language.
[2] May require careful selection of shot angle, and redubbing over prominent jeering.
[3] Or "Brits Back Bush" for the more down-market channels. Possibly might consider "GB 4 GWB", if it's not too near any romantic or sexual content.
And what do we get out of the special relationship? Oooh, they think the US will drop the tariffs on EU steel imports. Which the WTO has ruled illegal, and given the US till December to remove, before the EU can impose sanctions. Oh and US manufacturers like Ford are lobbying hard as they have to buy overpriced steel, and still have problems with supply. And the US steel producers have undergone the necessary changes to allow survival in a globalised market. So the tariffs are no longer needed, and are damaging, and about to get more damaging for the US. So show your generosity Mr Bush, and drop them as a sop to your special friends the British. (And which sense of "special" is that? The 'Mummy says I'm "special"', sense?).
Still doesn't negate the rejection of Kyoto, drilling the Alaskan Nature Reserves for oil, refusing to submit to or support the international court (guessing they saw Iraq coming), and generally making a mess of their foreign policy - gotta love their approach to war in Iraq - and them going "what's guerilla fighting?". It's what other people told you would happen, just like in every war you've been in so far (strange that they always take a while to believe it will happen, having said to the experienced people "Heck we're Americans, that don't happen to us").
Quite funny that this guy will also meet the relatives of some of the British war dead, yet refuses to allow media in his own country to film the return of dead bodies from Iraq.
Oh and apparently the USSS are annoyed because they won't get diplomatic immunity if they happen to shoot someone over here. At least we now know what Americans mean when they're being "diplomatic".
And you know how people have a tendency to chuck rotting food at politicians? Well, Ken Livingston's given me an idea. Bird Seed. You know how the president's car is bullet-proof and bomb-proof? ...but is it pigeon-proof? You get to keep your eggs, but still annoy him, although you might get charged £50 for the privilege.
Before you get cross, I'm not being anti-American, just anti the ones who voted for him, and those that have put up with him.
And if we're going to have a "leader of the free world", could the rest of the free world have some input into who gets to be it?
Although if you're looking for a reason to be anti-American - stupid names. Not American, but stupid none-the-less - stupid company names.
