The ankle bracelet is the coloquial term for a tracking device that the government puts on high-risk people in house arrest or other such situations where it is imperitive to public safety that their movements be monitored.

For the record I don't see how the PATRIOT act and such is "giving into the terrorists" since the PATRIOT act has sunset clauses that make the act die unless it is re-chartered every few years. So basically it's when we decide we don't like the PATRIOT act is just disapears on its own... and there are lots of people keeping a very very close eye on how the PATRIOT act is used.

Sturioflakes, is your opinion about the socialist government the prevading one in Spain? Because in America now the pervading perception of the Spainish is that they are about as whimpy as the French. (I don't mean that to be nation bashing, I'm just relating the viewpoint of most Americans)

First, you should talk about Goverments, not about people, in Spain we live over 40 million people, it is not good to generalize. In europe there are also stereotipated images of american people...

In Spain the population is divided, half supports PSOE, but many that supported them and gettin sick as well. The other half saw what happend, a nation intimidated by the terrorist, and they did not like the reaction of the goverment.

In Spain the population is divided half in left handed and half rigt, we only have 2 big parties, PSOE and PP

Well, I didn't say it was fair that Americans do that. But most people don't want to dissect every nation down into its components, they just have a 1 sentence statment that defines their feelings towards a certain nation... which of course means people since in a democracy the gov't is supposedly a reflection of the people.

This isn't an American phenomenon, it's a human one. Although with all the talk about America going on in Europe recently, in general Europens probobly have a more complex opinion about Americans than Americans do any group of Europeans.

When I think of the US i do not think in a guy driving his truck with the confedere flag through the country side,chewing tobacco and listening to Garth Brooks. I think that generalizing is a primary emotion, if we think rationally we should understand that there is a big diversity out there

any way, when I began this topic I was just trying to explain how is the situation now in Spain, and the debate has degenerated a litle bit don´t you think?

Originally Posted by staurofilakes

When I think of the US i do not think in a guy driving his truck with the confedere flag through the country side,chewing tobacco and listening to Garth Brooks. I think that generalizing is a primary emotion, if we think rationally we should understand that there is a big diversity out there

Yes, but again, it's more of one of those things like there's so many countries out there and the average American cares quite little about other countries anyway. So he doesn't really care to do a doctoral paper on the makeup of a country, he just hears "Spain elects new anti-US socialist party in sweeping vote" and that is all they feel they need to know about Spain until the next big news about your country pops up in another 4-5 years maybe.

Maybe you should feel lucky, I think if you asked people what they thought of Poland or Itally or Greece they'd probobly just shrug their shoulders and go "Meh, I don't know, don't care... now someone hand me another Bud light"

Yes, you are right, I think that is one of the problems of US citizens, you live in a bouble, isolated from the rest of the world, may be in order to understand many things that happend in the world you should take a look outside and open your eyes just a litle bit

And I don´t feel lucky if the elections in my country are a notice in yours.
I think that it is your problem if you are not well informated.

Originally Posted by staurofilakes

Yes, you are right, I think that is one of the problems of US citizens, you live in a bouble, isolated from the rest of the world, may be in order to understand many things that happend in the world you should take a look outside and open your eyes just a litle bit

And I don´t feel lucky if the elections in my country are a notice in yours.
I think that it is your problem if you are not well informated.

Nice Generalization there. I'm pretty well informed about world events. But it seems to me that your spitting out the same old tired Euro "the US needs to look at what the world wants first."

Umm it was Whispering Death that made the generalisation ie.

Yes, but again, it's more of one of those things like there's so many countries out there and the average American cares quite little about other countries anyway. So he doesn't really care to do a doctoral paper on the makeup of a country, he just hears "Spain elects new anti-US socialist party in sweeping vote" and that is all they feel they need to know about Spain until the next big news about your country pops up in another 4-5 years maybe.

staurofilakes just agreed with him.

But it seems to me that your spitting out the same old tired Euro "the US needs to look at what the world wants first."

I think really what he is saying is that the Americans should spend some time trying to understand other opinions, this doesnt mean they have to accept them, follow them or support them just understand that what you do affects others, this is in reality no more than what most people expect of each other regardless of nationality.

To be honest about it. I care less that nations such as France,or Germany didn't support the Iraq Action. I care less that Spain pulled whatever force they had there out. Thats their stance and their entitled to it. I don't need to understand it or care about it. Nor does the US when planning actions we just know to count them out.