No Big Macs with fries. No Budweiser.

What, because the UK is known for its fine cuisine? (I can't argue with the beer thing, though. Most mass-market beer over here is crap.)

The world would be significantly different if any country had ceased to exist 50 years before any given point in time. Ask an Indonesian what the world would be like without the Dutch, or an Australian aboriginal without the British, or . . . you get the picture. The U.S. is neither the first nor the only country to invade a country and do horrible things to native populations. As with every other country, some of our contributions have been good and some not, but that's the way the ball bounces.

I'm with Amos 10:22 p.m. above--as the Spanish say, "A good horse is never a bad color."