Friday,
July 20, 2007
Italians Love Americans, and HATE
The
ANNOTICO Report
Italians feeling about
Americans, is overwhelmingly positive. As a people,
they like us. They remember our time as allies in
And
in even tiny villages, there are newer memorials, placed there in memory and
honor of those Americans who died in the
There
is still great affection, warmth and love for Americans. The author often finds
more open affection and warmth in
But
unless you get to know Italians very well,
however, they will be too polite to ask you why any of us still support the
failed leadership of our country.
But
the Italians know that the
The Italian
friends also know that America kidnapped a man off of the street of one of
their cities, sneaked him out of the country and tortured him in one of the
prisons in a third country we use for that purpose.
There have been
so many other transgression, too numerous to mention, that have stripped the
Fortunately,
however, there was an extensive 47-nation survey released by the
Over the
last five years,
It then goes on
to explain, Far more people express positive
opinions of Americans than they do of the
Americans Are Still
Welcome Abroad
FayObserver.com
-
Denny
Shaffer
July 20, 2007
I just returned from three weeks in
The easy answer
is no, but it is not a complete one. The question is more complicated than it
seems, so permit me if you will, to split the question, give my observations,
some authoritative opinion and then my conclusion.
If you are asking
about how folks there feel about Americans, it is overwhelmingly positive. As a
people, they like us. They remember our time as allies in
In my village
atop a mountain in
On that same
hilltop is a newer memorial, placed there in memory and honor of those
Americans who died in the
It is so
consistent with the way I am treated in
I mean no offense
to my friends here, but that is more open affection and warmth than I find most
days in
But my Italian
friends also know that America kidnapped a man off of the street of one of
their cities, sneaked him out of the country and tortured him in one of the
prisons in a third country we use for that purpose.
They know that
they supplied troops and other support for the war in
Two
questions
So the question
becomes two. How do these people feel about you and me, the American people?
And, how do they feel about American policy? There is still great affection,
warmth and love for Americans. There is a sadness and anger for the policies of
President George W. Bush and his administration.
Yes, that is just
my opinion. I have been a visitor in
Fortunately,
however, there was an extensive 47-nation survey released by the
Over the
last five years,
It then goes on
to explain, Far more people express positive
opinions of Americans than they do of the
In answer to the
question, Do you have confidence in President
George W. Bush to do what is right in foreign affairs?, 70 percent of
those surveyed in
Support for
U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism was only 38 percent and 41 percent in
The leaders of
both countries, Berlusconi in
My
conclusion?
You will be welcomed with friendship and warmth in
Unless you get to
know them very well, however, they will be too polite to ask you why any of us
still support the failed leadership of our country.
Denny
Shaffer has received the Governors Award and the Order of the Long Leaf
Pine for public service. He served on the City Council and as national
president of the Sierra Club. He is a former member of the Observers
Community Advisory Board who contributes occasional op-ed columns
The
ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:
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Italia
Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com (3 years)
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