No Shorts Allowed !!!

This thread is getting out of hand, and darn funny. And really, Columbus discovered the Bahamas ... good job Chris! In actuality it is believed that he was a great navigator as he successfully navigated to the same area several times. Also, there was no question of the world not being round, just most people didn't think that there was land inbetween India and Spain. Yes, Columbus was Italian, many great explorers were. I BELIEVE Vespuci was too. The "map maker" (can't remember the technical name) spelled Amerigo Vespuci's name wrong and it became America. At least that is what I remember hearing. I fully agree that "Americans" are ethnocentric and egotisitical. We are brain washed to believe that we live in the best country in the world. That we have a right to intervene when anything bad is going down in another country, we also have a right to determine what is bad and what is ok (i.e., killing thousands of Iraqis bad, killing millions of Africans ok). We are blind to the fact that many countries hate us and don't agree with our politics. We are the bullies on the playground. We still have the idea that any brutal dictator is ok as long as he is our brutal dictator (and I don't mean George W.) I do think it is wrong that we call ourselves Americans. I have a good friend from Argentina who is completely offended by that and thinks that it shows our ignorance. I happen to agree. I was born and raised in the states and I am glad to have been. I do think we live in a great country in part because I can talk about what an idiot I think our president is and it's ok. This has gotten so political ... a shorts thread, who knew?! To end this on a lighter note senior year in college one of my best friends and I were studying and all of a sudden she puts down her book and says to me "Did you know that Columbus didn't sail over on the Mayflower." I think I laughed for about 10 minutes before I could respond.

This thread is getting out of hand, and darn funny. And really, Columbus discovered the Bahamas ... good job Chris! In actuality it is believed that he was a great navigator as he successfully navigated to the same area several times. Also, there was no question of the world not being round, just most people didn't think that there was land inbetween India and Spain. Yes, Columbus was Italian, many great explorers were. I BELIEVE Vespuci was too. The "map maker" (can't remember the technical name) spelled Amerigo Vespuci's name wrong and it became America. At least that is what I remember hearing. I fully agree that "Americans" are ethnocentric and egotisitical. We are brain washed to believe that we live in the best country in the world. That we have a right to intervene when anything bad is going down in another country, we also have a right to determine what is bad and what is ok (i.e., killing thousands of Iraqis bad, killing millions of Africans ok). We are blind to the fact that many countries hate us and don't agree with our politics. We are the bullies on the playground. We still have the idea that any brutal dictator is ok as long as he is our brutal dictator (and I don't mean George W.) I do think it is wrong that we call ourselves Americans. I have a good friend from Argentina who is completely offended by that and thinks that it shows our ignorance. I happen to agree. I was born and raised in the states and I am glad to have been. I do think we live in a great country in part because I can talk about what an idiot I think our president is and it's ok. This has gotten so political ... a shorts thread, who knew?! To end this on a lighter note senior year in college one of my best friends and I were studying and all of a sudden she puts down her book and says to me "Did you know that Columbus didn't sail over on the Mayflower." I think I laughed for about 10 minutes before I could respond.