Quote: The thing that sets the USA apart is that it's so powerful and heavily armed...rather like a present day Rome bestriding the world like a collossus. Furthermore, the relentless commercial marketing of American culture is robbing many other places of much of their own culture...just as the Romans did to the numerous smaller nations all around them. They were not well liked for it. That's one of the prices of empire building.

Ah, Little Hawk... I'm taking umbrage again! Please differentiate between the USA GOVERNMENT and the USA citizens, just as you would when talking about any other country.

In our day to day lives we are people just like you- we work, we play, we laugh, we cry, we love, we despair and we hope... We don't go throwing our weight around- We are human beings, some of us are Mensch, some are weasely slimeballs, some are in between...

Citizens of other countries who are not happy with the McD's and the Walmarts and whatever else, when it comes down to it, have only themselves to blame. Money is the driving force - if a property owner in that country was not interested in money, he/she would not sell the land or take on the franchise that is offered. The same thing is true here: if the franchise offerers were not interested in making money they would not make the effort to expand into other countries.

It is no more fair to blame the US people for what our government does or how our government is perceived than it is for us to blame the citizens of other countries for okaying the franchises. In both cases, some people are happy with it and others are appalled.

Ebbie