[Torie]

You have a talent as a wordsmith, but that is about it. Americans did some very nasty things to folks with whom they disagreed in the past. They slaughtered American Indians almost as if they were animals. They volunteed for combat in New England in incredibly high numbers during the French and Indian War, because they wanted to drive the Papists out of North America. These hard bitten congregationalists were fanatically anti-Catholic. And then of course there was the slavery thing.

Ya the crime rate is up. That's what happens with urbanization, and the creation of an underclass, and the ready availabilty of all those goodies in a consumer society.

In any event, I suggest you read up some more on American history. It will be an eye opener.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"...they wanted to drive the Papists out of North America...."

Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah!! I guess they failed since two of my extremely Papistical ancestors manned the front lines of the Grand Army of the Republic. Maybe that was it, though. They were meat and potato Papists, and gave as good as they got. (Another lost art in the "pluribus" part of "E Pluribus Unum").