Time for the Commonwealth to stand up and be counted…
… and for the US to join it.
The Commonwealth is a cosy little club, made up of what was the British empire,which meets every four years for the Global equivalent of the Village sports Day. It comprises 53 Nations containing a population of nearly 2 billion. Apart from the UK, other leading members are Australia, Canada, India and South Africa. It devotes much of it’s time to good works involving Democracy, Economics, Education and other worthy causes. What it doesn’t do is peacekeeping. It is about time that it started.
The UN as we all know is a joke. To my knowledge it has singularly failed in just about every peacekeeping operation it has ever organised. Rwanda, Bosnia, the Congo and Darfur all spring to mind. I wont even start on the Middle-East. It has become hijacked by the enemies of freedom and those who wish to knock back America. Kofi Banana was the last in a long line of ‘ineffectual’ Secretary Generals, who is still managing to avoid some interesting questions re: Oil for fraud and a certain Mercedes!!
In order for a successful peacekeeping mission you need the usual suspects, principally Great Britain, Australia, Canada backed up with US firepower. As these countries are usually first in and last out, with a fairly no nonsense attitude, and all are members of the Commonwealth except the US. Let’s face if you want peacekeeping done properly ‘call the Anglosphere’.
This is why I think the US should rejoin ‘the Empire’. A common language, legal system, and sense of ideals exist between us so lets put it to some good use. Too many people are dying around the world while the UN fifs and fafs about. The Darfuris are going to be a long time waiting for the UN peacekeepers while Khartoum has France and China in it’s pocket. Mugabe has friends in Bejing so little will happen there until it’s too late. North Korea got nukes and Iran will a have them soon because of the UN’s complete lack of authority. Any other countries from the Coalition of the Willing should also be invited to join, well the ones that stayed the course. Poland would make a good candidate.
NATO is great on paper and Kosovo and Afghanistan are reaping some benefits. (Ok Kosovo is still a mess, but imagine what would have happened if it had been left to the UN) But NATO has too many members, Belgium, Turkey and the Germans spring to mind who do not pull their weight. You cannot be a part time member! Either you are in or out. Had the 3ID come south from Turkey in 2003 things in Iraq may be different today. Who knows they never got the chance.
As for the French. Can anyone remember the last time they actually won a battle? Or even fought one? Dien Bien Phu didn’t quite go according to plan, and look at all the grief that caused!!
So come on America quit the UN, boot them out of New York. The site should become the ‘Ronald Reagan Memorial Park’ because he did more for Peace, Freedom, and Democracy than the UN has ever done.
The world needs the Anglosphere to take the lead and we cannot do it without you.
I will not start on why Israel should be invited to join the EU, except to say if it qualifies for the Eurovision Song Contest it qualifies for the EU. And it will annoy the Austrians!!
Topics: Uncategorized
Posted by Theo Spark at 7:12 am on Tuesday, August 28, 2007
31 Responses to “Time for the Commonwealth to stand up and be counted…”
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August 28th, 2007 at 9:06 am
GOOD IDEA!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:06 am
(yeah, I yelled that :))
August 28th, 2007 at 9:54 am
To take the idea a step further, imagine it as a free trade zone as well.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Less than 1% of Americans are of British ancestry, according to the last census. America isn’t an Anglosphere country. Hasn’t been for a long, long time.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Corndog - sure we are, as most of the basis of our culture is derived therefrom.
However many Germans, French, Spanish, Russians, Nigerians, fill-in-the-blank there are here.
I’m a mix of 1/4 English, 1/4 Irish, 1/2 German. And even having been born in Germany and lived there for over 15 years off and on, all I think of myself is - ‘Murican… *and* Anglospheric.
And I like Europe, as long as I can avoid sneering Euro intellectuals and deal with the people who just live there day to day.
And I’ve been in Brazil and Bolivia. And Korea. And the Middle East. And I’ve found good and bad in all of ‘em. But I freely admit, I’m most comfortable in the anglophone countries.
Your argument also applies to… heck, England, Canada, and Australia, in some respects.
It’s the culture, not the putative place of birth, that matter.
Theo - there is a venue, admittedly rather smaller than the Commonwealth as a whole, that does what you speak, if mostly on the military side - the ABCA Alliance.
Australia, Britain, Canada, America (if you’re Ozzie, the other way around if you’re “Murican).
August 28th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Having some time, I decided to check Corndog’s assertion.
Therefore, off to the Census Bureau we go for Census 2000 data.
Turns out I’m a mix of 3 of the top four ancestry groups as reported, German, #1 at 15.2% (gotta thank that failed 1840’s revolution), #2, Irish, at 10.8% (thank the Brits for their mismanagement), and number 4, English, at 8.7% (see above). #3 is African-American, at 8.3%.
Want to see the data for yourself, go here:
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf
Corndog - where do your numbers come from? I’m curious, not combative.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Well, let’s see…Australia, (commonwealth) Canada (exception Quebec) all U. S. States and the U.S. itself (exception Louisiana) primarily based on a form of the Napoleonic Code…hmmm think they have something in common with, Quebec…nahh, lol) are based on, or a form of English Common Law.
In fact, 4 U.S. States are called commonwealths…Kentucky, Virginia ,Pennsylvania Massachusetts .
I do believe Theo nailed it.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
“This is why I think the US should rejoin ‘the Empire’”
Uhm, no. We fought two wars to get out of the empire. We don’t have to be part of the royalty-buttkissing club to work with them.
Again, no. Absolutely not.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Less than 1% of Americans are of British ancestry, according to the last census.
sigh Missing the point, as usual. Honestly, Cornhole, how do you manage to be that obtuse, it’s practically an art form with you.
The Anglosphere, for your information (as if you didn’t know) is based on language and system of government (variously interpreted), not on race. Everybody here understands this. Except you, apparently (but then you really do, don’t you.)
Theo Spark has an excellent idea, especially the part about booting the UN off US shores, akin to evicting a raddled old whore from your apartment house because of the seedy customers she keeps bringing in.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Dangit. My census data post should have African-American’s at 8.8%, not 8.3%. I’m typing challenged today.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
corny gets his obtuseness directly piped into his noggin by his assigned Thought Boss. It’s a lefty thing.
Good artcile, Theo. Except you got one thing backwards. The rest of the Anglosphere should quit dragging their feet and put their stars on our flag.
If push comes to shove, we already have plenty of both guns and butter, we just need the rest of y’all to get onside so we can clear the deck and get busy.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
“Theo Spark has an excellent idea, especially the part about booting the UN off US shores, akin to evicting a raddled old whore from your apartment house because of the seedy customers she keeps bringing in.”
Great, Becca, so where the Commonwealth states that it: “support the United Nations and seek to strengthen its influence for peace in the world” then you agree with that.
And when the Commonwealth states that: “cooperation is essential to remove the causes of war, promote tolerance, combat injustice, and secure development among the peoples of the world” then you’re down with that, too. Just so we know.
Arggh, the data came from the 2000 Census.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
“support the United Nations and seek to strengthen its influence for peace in the world” then you agree with that.
I do not. I believe the United Nations, in the state it’s in today, is a lost cause and should be abandoned in favor of the Anglosphere.
“cooperation is essential to remove the causes of war, promote tolerance, combat injustice, and secure development among the peoples of the world” then you’re down with that, too.
Absolutely. And the only viable actors doing that today are members of the Anglosphere.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Less than 1% of Americans are of British ancestry, according to the last census. America isn’t an Anglosphere country. Hasn’t been for a long, long time.
Interesting that corndog focuses on racial profiles, and not cultural. I thought all liberals were multicultural.
Great, Becca, so where the Commonwealth states that it: “support the United Nations and seek to strengthen its influence for peace in the world” then you agree with that.
If you read Theo’s post, corndog, you might note that he very clearly said:
So come on America quit the UN, boot them out of New York. The site should become the ‘Ronald Reagan Memorial Park’ because he did more for Peace, Freedom, and Democracy than the UN has ever done.
C’mon, corndog, cherry picking comments (i.e., quoting out of context) is sooooooooo 2004, remember?
August 28th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Jeffy and Becca,
The quotes I pasted are direct from the Commonweath’s Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, in which the commonwealth countries declared what their common values were. You want the U.S. to join the Commonwealth, then this is what we agree to.
August 28th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
The site of the UN should be used to build luxury condos. Why not make some money on the deal?
August 28th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
corndog, you’re assuming no change of course for the Commonwealth. Theo is suggesting changing the course of the Commonwealth…..drastically.
Obtuseness ill becomes you. You ought to try comprehension for a change. I’m sure that you’ll like it.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
By the by, I never said either way about this idea, corndog. I’ve just been picking at your usual inane and illogical contributions. But I understand how you would conflate matters, as is your usual wont.
But since you ask, I agree in part with Theo. I think we ought to dump the UN, NATO, the Commonwealth, and all the other groups, into the dustbin of hitory where they all belong.
Then we start a new world organization, membership by invitaiton only. Membership would be drawn mostly from the Commonwealth, include the US and other genuine democratic type governments (e.g., Israel), but eliminate all of the thugocracies.
I’m thinking of something like “The Commonwealth of Civilized Nations“. Barbarians and socialists need not apply.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I never said you liked the idea, Jeffy. My sentence was a conditional: if you like this, then this is what you have to buy. Logic and comprehension, heal thyself.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Remember, a member of the Commonwealth does not have to recognize the British monarch as head of state, e.g. India.
America can join….even after the Revolution.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Ah, but I never said whether I liked it at all, corndog. Rebecca did say that. Thus, your including me in the conditional was simple conflation on your part. No doubt ‘cuz all us wingnuts look the same.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I am definitely for dumping the U.N., not the least because it treats the various thugs running slave states as equals with the democracies. It is the ultimate relative ethic being played out, and we can easily see the consequences. Only under such a scheme could a swindle the size of Oil for the Fun and Profit of the Transnational Alliance of Con Artists be possible. And that was just the scam we found out about–and wouldn’t have found out about if the US hadn’t deposed Saddam. Do you ever wonder what else the Turtles have gotten away with?
August 28th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Corndog - I used the 2000 Census and linked to the source.
I can’t find anything anywhere that supports your 1% claim. Got a link?
August 28th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Argghh,
It came from some report from the Census Bureau. In the census report link that you provided, British ancestry accounts for 0.4%, so the Census Bureau must have generously rounded the number up to 1%. Now that I look your chart over, though, I see that only 1.5% claim “white” ancestry, and 7.2 percent claim “American” ancestry. That just can’t be right. So I’ll go with calling the whole thing a crock. The point still being, though, that few Americans consider themselves to be part of the “Anglosphere.”
August 28th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Jeffy says: “Ah, but I never said whether I liked it at all, corndog. Rebecca did say that. Thus, your including me in the conditional was simple conflation on your part.”
Jeffy, if you agree with me, then you’re going to have to say so in your next post. Oh, wait, you don’t agree with me, so you don’t have to say so. Good thing I didn’t say you did, or I would have been conflating on my part.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Buh?
August 29th, 2007 at 12:46 am
As long as the UN exists I am not in favor of leaving it, although the US should reduce its contribution from 22% to an amount proportional to our population as a percentage of the world’s population, about 5%. The reeason is so that we can use our veto to prevent passage of resolutions inimical to us and our friends.
Once Blighty joins the EU it will be lost to the Anglosphere. It’s nearly there now, what with the ancient English and Scottish laws being replaced by ukases from Brussels, and the willful destruction of the Bill of Rights and the Common Law by recent governments, especially New Labour. The Glorious Revolution will have been reversed.
But the comments on the uselessness of the UN are right on. We should have nothing to do with that pernicious and dysfunctional organization outside of using our veto when warranted.
If we want to encourage economic development around the world there is no better way than to encourage globalization, the spread of private property rights, rule of law, and strong but limited government. Much of the problem lies in the weakness of governments. They must be able to keep the peace, which means coming down hard on malefactors. Of course, in many places, like Zimbzbwe or North Korea, the government is the malefactor. It’s actually a delicate balance. We take it for granted because Medieval English kings spent centuries establishing government strong enough to see that their subjects could live in peace. And they did it by hanging and flogging and beheading people, up to and including Dukes, as well as by spreading the Common Law throughout the realm. That’s the sort of thing places like Nigeria need today.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:40 am
Corndog - I see your point on the math of the issue. It helps if we use comparable numbers, and I wasn’t using the same metric you were, so I was effectively comparing Granny Smith’s to your Red Delicious’.
In that respect, I like the trend even better, as it would indicate perhaps that people see themselves more as “Americans” than hyphenated Americans.
And I’m sure you’re correct in regard to whether or not people see themselves as a part of the “anglosphere” as a social/cultural construct.
Doesn’t mean that once you explained it to them - especially if they’ve ever done any serious traveling outside of the United States, they might not be more amenable to the concept, regardless if they’d want the US to join the actual construct.
Like the Russians and the Chinese, we Americans suffer from the fact that we live in such large countries, where traveling long distances doesn’t really get you into dramatically different cultures - unlike Europe, where you’re tripping over something every hundred miles or so, even inside the larger nations of Europe.
It does make us insular.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Arrgh,
You like the trend? I thought it stank. I (and it sounds like, you as well) can’t genuinely say I’m really anything but “American.” The fact that people still look back a number of generations to define what they are seems odd to me. I know people who say they’re “Welsh,” even though their ancestors came from Wales in the 19th century. But your fourth paragraph, I think I agree with.
Becca says, “Buh.”
Becca, I was trying to show Jeffy how a conditional statement works.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
“Remember, a member of the Commonwealth does not have to recognize the British monarch as head of state”
Irrelevant. Joining would gain us nothing at all, and would be a symbolic destruction of our independence from Britain. I’m about as pro-Anglosphere as it gets, but no, this is the stupidest idea I have seen in a long time.
Mouthbreathingly, chin-droolingly stupid. I’d say those of you who think it’s a good idea need to re-read some history.
August 29th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Corndog - the trend, over time, is for less people to be concerned about their hyphens - that’s the trend I find appealing. In spite of the best efforts of various groups to actually *promote* that sort of balkanzing of the populace.
I expect 1st and 2nd, and even 3rd generation American’s to still have ties to wherever they came from - it’s an anchor that can actually help keep them balanced as they settle in and plug into the larger culture and yes, make their impacts on that culture.
But at some point, I do want to see “acculturation and assimilation” to occur, where people more strongly identify with what follows the hyphen, rather than what precedes it.
I’m actually the third generation on the Irish bit, 4th on the German, and, gad, 12th on the English bit.
I’ve actually met the English and Irish parts of the family. They consider me ‘Murican, too.