WHAT's Good About The United States & Canada?

[MORTARDUDE]

Scamp :

I truly enjoy reading all about your adventures. Have you ever totaled up how many countries and states in the USA you have been to ? I would love to see a list ! Take care.

Larry

[Seascamp]

Been asked that question before and as far as the US goes my humorous answer has been, ?I?ve seen Holiday Inn, over and over and over again and then a few more times for good measure?. I have never worked in the New England States above Mass., in Wyoming, Rhode Island or South Dakota but have got to the rest at one time or another.

International places where I have done projects and in no particular order, maybe:

Way cool places:
Canada, UK, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Philippine Islands and Thailand.

Good places:
Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Germany, France and Italy.

Stressful but Ok places:
PRC, Japan, Indonesia, Mylisia, Singapore, Brunei, Palambang and South Korea.

So-so and stressful places:
Poland, Czechoslovakia, former Soviet Union and contemporary Russian Federation and the pitifully ornery Bulgaria in the mix as well.

Aarrgg!!/ suck it up places:
Tunisia, Morocco, Red Sea, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Eremites, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Iraq and India.

Totally scary places: South Africa, Nigeria, Lake Maricaibo/ Venezuela, and then the maximum scary place; the one and only Vietnam-Moy Hung oil fields*.

*Moy hung translates into something like ?Big Bear? so that tells the tale of that place, for sure. And I ain?t talking about no four legged bears either. The two-legged Red Bears that made that horrid mess in the first place is the thought.

Scamp

[SuperScout]

Thanks for the Great Sermon! And I mean that with all the sincerity of my heart!! We are blessed beyond comprehension, for the most part, and frequently are too busily caught up in our own little pettinesses to recognize the gifts we have received. Believe it or not, I'm the chaplain of our choir at church, and as such, am asked to offer prayers at the end of our practices. Last nite, I used the term, "... we are inordinately blessed..." and have no idea how those words entered into the dialogue with Him, but giving Him all the credit, I think I just found the answer. In my early stages of sobriety, it was suggeted by my first sponsor that I write a Gratitude List - everything I could think of for I was grateful. After I proudly presented it to him for review, he handed it back and said, "It's about three pages short!" If I would have continued adding to that list to this day, I still wouldn't be complete in my list.

One idea that should be included in the national budget is a round trip ticket once per lifetime, to each citizen, to any Third World country of their choice. This trip would be required after (1) the citizen complains about our country, but never bothered to vote, (2) thinks that "things" are awful in this country and hasn't bothered to be part of the solution, and (3) sees life as a half-empty glass.

[Seascamp]

........but I?m not optimistic it would achieve the desired results. Symptomatic of the brain mush condition you describe the individual would first and foremost blame the US for the horrid conditions encountered, renounce and condemn the US and then hopefully join some local group of revolutionaries/banditos and go on to glory from there.
Baring that happy ending, they would probably return, become perennial students at some University and then press forth to become anointed gurus of esoteric thought and set about spreading mirth, deep meaningless visions and the crabs.

Scamp

[SuperScout]

Deep and abiding gratitude for pointing out a major discrepancy in my proposed panacea for pouty piss-ants. While I recommend a round trip ticket purchase for the disaffected (or should that read infected"?), I failed to point out that their return to This Glorious Land of Freedom, Decency and Dang-Near Boundless Credit would be subject to having first attained a modestly successful degree of appreciation of said freedoms. Their re-entry would not be allowed until such time as they genuinely demonstrate appreciation for and gratitude in our blessing, and a firm promise to help to make things better. If not, they can stay outside, looking in and wondering whey they were so stupid.

Oh yeah, they would be barred permanently from a 50-mile radius of any school, college, university, or Karma farm.

[MORTARDUDE]

Scamp :

Thanks much !!! ...did you keep many souvenirs from all your travels ? If so, please post some pics. Would be nice. Take care.

Larry

[Keith_Hixson]

When I was a small town mayor. Our local congresslady would drop by.
Her name was Jolene Unseld. One of the sweetest nicest people I have ever met. We met on several occassions and talked about everything from Mountain Climbing (her husband Willie was a very well known and famous Mtn Climber, he died on Mt. Rainier after scaling most of the major peaks in the World. I have climbed many of the great peaks in Washington including Mt. Rainier.) We would have friendly discussions about politics, very seldom agreed but we communicated. I never voted for her, but I considered her a friend, and she probably knew that. I think thats the way it should be. We talked issues. I would think after we had finished one of our sessions. This is the way politics should be.
However, we so often don't separate the person from the ideology. I have often thought, what a wonderful neighbor that Carter would make. We could go fly fishing together and argue world politics and still remain friends. I have always felt he was one of the most honest men in the oval office, but I never voted for him.

Ain't America great! The expression of free speech without fear of prison or the firing squad. The peaceful change of power from one president to the next. Even the controversial election didn't turn violent. WOW! That just doesn't happen anywhere else in the world!

Thanks for all your positive responses.

Keith

[williams919]

Scout,
I am with you and the plane tickets. Although the flight requirements might be added to. Nah, then it would seem like another governement politicla adventure. I feel that the American Society as a hole/whole is spoiled. So many have nothing to remember so they can't forget! They bitch about everything and so few have had to do without. I reckon when ya get older ya start looking around at your life and the world and look back at where you have been, then you wonder where the hell were all those a$$holes that are bitching when you were neck deep in $hit.
Just an opinion, I could be wrong and according to my wife I amgetting better at being wrong as the years go by.

"Everyone wants to be a Cowboy, but Nobody wants to wade the $hit!"
God Bless us all and I for one am glad I can sit here and do as I want without someone looking over my shoulder with control over me.
USN Retired but Ain't never forgettin where I have been!!!!
Willie

[Hoyin]

Ok I am a bit late replying to this but some of you all got my emails from Mongolia where I repeatedly said unless you have lived in a third world country you dont know how wonderful the Unitied States is, and my serious intention of kissing the ground when I returned to it. Which I DID! (Other passengers thought I was insane but what the hell.)
We have cold places sure..but not perma frost and most of us dont live in a tent with a wood stove fueled with dung.
The lucky ones in Mongolia with an apartment had to rely on central steam heat from the plant god knows where and if you didnt get enough heat from it you couldnt turn it up nor down. There were no controls.
We dont have to boil everything nor soak apples in bleach.
You can actually make hot water here in this nifty things called microwaves in 50 seconds..compared to an hour and a half on my horrible Russian stove.
Lets not *even* get into toilets...
Hey, in the Unitied States most drivers actually do slow down rather than decide to speed up and play chicken with you..if the car wins they keep driving. Someone will drag your carcass outta the way.
Then there was the poverty, the dzud (a weather pattern that brings about famine) extreme and I mean EXTREME alcoholism..and due to that probably the most violent viscious fights I have ever witnessed.
Two flights up behind double glass and can hear this man closed fisted punching the woman on the ground in the face. The only reason I didnt interfere was I promised my friend in the states I wouldnt go down there. She was afraid I'd be killed and she was probably right.
I havent seen many dead children on the streets here in the USA.
We have it SO good and we are so ungrateful
and...I hate to sound materialistic because that is not the point, but you can buy anything here, or have it deliverd. *anything*
We have more food....we have soooo much food.
One day after I came home I was bawling in the produce section of the Raleys supermarket. That was the most overwhelming beautiful sight I had ever seen.

China was lovely as long as you stood your ground..different but lovely. In its own way, so was Mongolia. Japan was gorgeous, but the Unitied States is incredibly beautiful and blessed.

Politically truthfully Mongolia was a lot more open and free thinking and speaking..however corruption is so much a way of life left over from the Russians that if they didnt want the bribe I wondered about it...it just became standerd and yep I bribed my way through all kinds of stuff..thats how its done.

Sorry for the rambling but that hit a nerve. Keith you are so right..we have so much.

[BLUEHAWK]

So much Reverend, to be grateful for on earth, as it is in heaven.

Wonderful thread.

Thank you. :re:

This is the prayer I taught myself 50 years ago, with some Elder guidance, to say at table:

"Heavenly father, we thank you for the many blessings you have given us. Help us to right our wrongs, and to live quiet, peaceable and humble lives.
In Jesus' name,
Amen"