Actually Black I spent my years in uniform and ate my sand.
My brother-in-law, several close friends, and my former unit are over there now.
I don't blame America first since I believe these Islamofascist feel it is their religious duty to destroy us but that does not mean that a rational person cannot understand how liberal "Hollywood" culture could give a negative impression to other nations.
It is not improbable that more people in the middle east recognize Madonna than Dick Cheney. Like it or not Hollywood represents America in the minds of many overseas. Being a father of two youngsters I can see how that would give one pause if they were not used to it.
Thanks for the rational discussion. I am sorry my point did not meet your expectations so feel free to ignore my posts from now on. Have a nice evening.
I think there is a basic disconnect here, and it is the fault of the interviewer.
I will preface this with this statement: When we hear the words "quoted out of context" around here, it is usually liberals trying to make an excuse and weasel out of what they said, which is usually exactly what they mean.
In this case, this short interview with Dinesh D'Souza is very much taken out of context. In the interview, Dinesh D'Souza speaks with the bank of knowledge that comes from having written his book, the interviewer has read it, as have many of us who agree with the points Mr. D'Souza makes.
The point is, if you have read his book "What's So Great About America", you understand perfectly the context in which this discussion takes place. Without having read it, it is akin to listening to a joke between a bunch of friends who all "get the joke" because of a shared experience, and you, as an outsider, are puzzled that those in on the joke can double over laughing.
Anyone else on this discussion who HAS read his book...do you agree with me? BlackIrish, if you read his book, you would understand he is NOT by any stretch of the imagination a "Hate America Firster".
He wrote his book "What's So Great About America" by deliberately choosing to view the USA through the eyes of one type of "foreigner" (an immigrant teenager from India) to help us see America through the eyes of another type of foreigner.
The book is most definitely NOT a "Why do they hate us" book, it is more oriented towards explaining our enemy so that we have a better understanding of why we need to fight them.
Basically, in the book, he talks at length about these issues, and you realize that the title of the book is only the hanging question, and the entire book is the answer about what actually IS so great about America.
I feel 100% confident that anyone who has read the book will agree with me. There is a major context issue.