Is America the greatest country in the world?

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

rgambs said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

mcgruff10 said:

I was just reading about on Sweden's role in World War 2 and found the following: Was Sweden really "neutral" during World War 2?  

Sweden's role in the Second World War had its darker side, it allowed the Germans to transit troops, supplies and communications through the country.

Sweden also profited from the Holocaust. It is known that Wallenberg's relatives made money converting Nazi gold into Swedish crowns and that Sweden provided iron ore and ball bearings to the Nazis. Swedish documents reveal that some Swedes actually sided with the Nazis and volunteered to fight for Hitler. Some Swedes were members of the Waffen SS and served in police batallions.

A committee was established by the Swedish government in 1997 to investigate the transfer of Nazi gold to Sweden during the war. It is reported that Sweden received 38 tons of gold from Nazi Germany (worth today US $430 million). Many Swedish companies, such as Ericsson, AGA and Hasselblad Cameras, as well as the country's paper and wood industries traded with Nazi Germany. Swedish jewelers bought stolen diamonds, which were smuggled into Sweden by civil servants working at the German legation in Stockholm.

An exhibition on Sweden and the Holocaust, opening in Lund, not far from where Chavka Folman-Raban enjoyed her first weeks of freedom, aims to shed light on this darker side of Sweden’s relationship to Nazism. The exhibition, accompanied by seminars and publication of new research, shows how Swedish industry benefited from the war and how Swedish scientific institutions were leaders in the fields of race biology and eugenic research. 

The exhibition also shows how Nazi ideals found Swedish sympathizers and how Sweden limited freedom of speech, and introduced immigration laws which turned away asylum seekers from Germany, many of whom were later murdered in concentration camps.

Never knew this.

How very chickenshit of them (if Spirtual's explanation for cozying up to Nazis is accurate). I mean... America (and Canada I might add) sent their sons abroad to fight for life and liberty on the very continent Sweden tucked their tails on.

Chickenshit/betraying our Norweigan and Finnish brothers or a correct decision to stay out of the war - the discussion about it will never stop here in Sweden. 

Fun fact: Only time I had to endure a "sweden hater" was when I lived in Oslo for a short while and stood in cue in a supermarket. The old man behind me heard me speaking swedish and started attacking me about how much he hated Sweden and how Sweden acted in the war and towards Norway. 

Should be noted that during our neutral stance we also helped the Allied.

Well, you should know that the discussion is settled in the rest of the world, and "correct decision" is not a phrase that ever gets used.

I do not think you are an authority or well advertised in what is being settled in the world or not regarding Sweden's decision to protect its country from war and its citizens from death.

And tell me again, where was the US before their own country got attacked? Why didn't you people come to the aid of Poland in 1939 if your're not chickenshits?

Why on earth would we defend Poland?  They were conquered in thirty days by two countries that had enormous armies.  1. No way we could mobilize our troops in the time period.  2.  No way we are taking on Germany and the Soviet Union. 3. At this point in the war we are minding our own business and enduring the Great Depression.
 I mean we eventually did get involved a little over two years later and fought all over the world.
Tell me again how the Swedish armed forces helped to defeat the Axis powers?

cincybearcat said:

PJ_Soul said:

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

rgambs said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

mcgruff10 said:

I was just reading about on Sweden's role in World War 2 and found the following: Was Sweden really "neutral" during World War 2?  

Sweden's role in the Second World War had its darker side, it allowed the Germans to transit troops, supplies and communications through the country.

Sweden also profited from the Holocaust. It is known that Wallenberg's relatives made money converting Nazi gold into Swedish crowns and that Sweden provided iron ore and ball bearings to the Nazis. Swedish documents reveal that some Swedes actually sided with the Nazis and volunteered to fight for Hitler. Some Swedes were members of the Waffen SS and served in police batallions.

A committee was established by the Swedish government in 1997 to investigate the transfer of Nazi gold to Sweden during the war. It is reported that Sweden received 38 tons of gold from Nazi Germany (worth today US $430 million). Many Swedish companies, such as Ericsson, AGA and Hasselblad Cameras, as well as the country's paper and wood industries traded with Nazi Germany. Swedish jewelers bought stolen diamonds, which were smuggled into Sweden by civil servants working at the German legation in Stockholm.

An exhibition on Sweden and the Holocaust, opening in Lund, not far from where Chavka Folman-Raban enjoyed her first weeks of freedom, aims to shed light on this darker side of Sweden’s relationship to Nazism. The exhibition, accompanied by seminars and publication of new research, shows how Swedish industry benefited from the war and how Swedish scientific institutions were leaders in the fields of race biology and eugenic research. 

The exhibition also shows how Nazi ideals found Swedish sympathizers and how Sweden limited freedom of speech, and introduced immigration laws which turned away asylum seekers from Germany, many of whom were later murdered in concentration camps.

Never knew this.

How very chickenshit of them (if Spirtual's explanation for cozying up to Nazis is accurate). I mean... America (and Canada I might add) sent their sons abroad to fight for life and liberty on the very continent Sweden tucked their tails on.

Chickenshit/betraying our Norweigan and Finnish brothers or a correct decision to stay out of the war - the discussion about it will never stop here in Sweden. 

Fun fact: Only time I had to endure a "sweden hater" was when I lived in Oslo for a short while and stood in cue in a supermarket. The old man behind me heard me speaking swedish and started attacking me about how much he hated Sweden and how Sweden acted in the war and towards Norway. 

Should be noted that during our neutral stance we also helped the Allied.

Well, you should know that the discussion is settled in the rest of the world, and "correct decision" is not a phrase that ever gets used.

I do not think you are an authority or well advertised in what is being settled in the world or not regarding Sweden's decision to protect its country from war and its citizens from death.

And tell me again, where was the US before their own country got attacked? Why didn't you people come to the aid of Poland in 1939 if your're not chickenshits?

Why on earth would we defend Poland?  They were conquered in thirty days by two countries that had enormous armies.  1. No way we could mobilize our troops in the time period.  2.  No way we are taking on Germany and the Soviet Union. 3. At this point in the war we are minding our own business and enduring the Great Depression.
 I mean we eventually did get involved a little over two years later and fought all over the world.
Tell me again how the Swedish armed forces helped to defeat the Axis powers?

Lol. Two modern men having some kind of nationalistic pissing contest over what their countries did in 1941. Classic.

Surprise surprise!  In a thread set up to bash the USA for all it's faults...someone very willing to point out all the faults he sees and flying that Sweden flag high...you really wonder why someone began asking the tough questions? 

This whole thread is an embarrassment on so many levels.

cincybearcat said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

cincybearcat said:

PJ_Soul said:

mcgruff10 said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

rgambs said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

mcgruff10 said:

I was just reading about on Sweden's role in World War 2 and found the following: Was Sweden really "neutral" during World War 2?  

Sweden's role in the Second World War had its darker side, it allowed the Germans to transit troops, supplies and communications through the country.

Sweden also profited from the Holocaust. It is known that Wallenberg's relatives made money converting Nazi gold into Swedish crowns and that Sweden provided iron ore and ball bearings to the Nazis. Swedish documents reveal that some Swedes actually sided with the Nazis and volunteered to fight for Hitler. Some Swedes were members of the Waffen SS and served in police batallions.

A committee was established by the Swedish government in 1997 to investigate the transfer of Nazi gold to Sweden during the war. It is reported that Sweden received 38 tons of gold from Nazi Germany (worth today US $430 million). Many Swedish companies, such as Ericsson, AGA and Hasselblad Cameras, as well as the country's paper and wood industries traded with Nazi Germany. Swedish jewelers bought stolen diamonds, which were smuggled into Sweden by civil servants working at the German legation in Stockholm.

An exhibition on Sweden and the Holocaust, opening in Lund, not far from where Chavka Folman-Raban enjoyed her first weeks of freedom, aims to shed light on this darker side of Sweden’s relationship to Nazism. The exhibition, accompanied by seminars and publication of new research, shows how Swedish industry benefited from the war and how Swedish scientific institutions were leaders in the fields of race biology and eugenic research. 

The exhibition also shows how Nazi ideals found Swedish sympathizers and how Sweden limited freedom of speech, and introduced immigration laws which turned away asylum seekers from Germany, many of whom were later murdered in concentration camps.

Never knew this.

How very chickenshit of them (if Spirtual's explanation for cozying up to Nazis is accurate). I mean... America (and Canada I might add) sent their sons abroad to fight for life and liberty on the very continent Sweden tucked their tails on.

Chickenshit/betraying our Norweigan and Finnish brothers or a correct decision to stay out of the war - the discussion about it will never stop here in Sweden. 

Fun fact: Only time I had to endure a "sweden hater" was when I lived in Oslo for a short while and stood in cue in a supermarket. The old man behind me heard me speaking swedish and started attacking me about how much he hated Sweden and how Sweden acted in the war and towards Norway. 

Should be noted that during our neutral stance we also helped the Allied.

Well, you should know that the discussion is settled in the rest of the world, and "correct decision" is not a phrase that ever gets used.

I do not think you are an authority or well advertised in what is being settled in the world or not regarding Sweden's decision to protect its country from war and its citizens from death.

And tell me again, where was the US before their own country got attacked? Why didn't you people come to the aid of Poland in 1939 if your're not chickenshits?

Why on earth would we defend Poland?  They were conquered in thirty days by two countries that had enormous armies.  1. No way we could mobilize our troops in the time period.  2.  No way we are taking on Germany and the Soviet Union. 3. At this point in the war we are minding our own business and enduring the Great Depression.
 I mean we eventually did get involved a little over two years later and fought all over the world.
Tell me again how the Swedish armed forces helped to defeat the Axis powers?

Lol. Two modern men having some kind of nationalistic pissing contest over what their countries did in 1941. Classic.

Surprise surprise!  In a thread set up to bash the USA for all it's faults...someone very willing to point out all the faults he sees and flying that Sweden flag high...you really wonder why someone began asking the tough questions? 

This whole thread is an embarrassment on so many levels.

You take this thread and your time on a message board to seriously. 

Not really...in fact most of the time people get made at me for making sarcastic comments.  Heil Sweden! 

eddiec said:

Here's something that bugs me, and it could easily be rectified. 
I currently live in Ireland. When I go the supermarket, I bring the same two tote bags I've been using for the past few years. If you forget your bags, they charge you a small fee for each plastic bag you need or you can purchase a new reusable tote. This forces most people to bring their own reusable bags.

When I visit my parents in New York and go to the supermarket, (and I'm only using NY as a reference, I don't know how it is in other states), it's a horrific waste of plastic. A lot of aisles will have people who pack your bags, and they literally barely fill each bag before starting to fill another one. I'm talking like four oranges and they consider it full. One time I needed to pick up just a handful of things, so at checkout they started bagging them up. When I told them I didn't need a bag, the two people at checkout looked at me like I was a psycho.

jeffbr said:

Exactly. I reuse the plastic bags for things like dog shit. I also use it as an outer bag (to prevent leaks) for my paper bag I use for food waste which goes into a yard waste bin. So I'm hoping not to completely lose by supply of these handy bags, but I also rarely get new ones and have been working through my old stock. Many cities around me have banned them, and I'm sure a statewide ban is coming soon. I carry reusable bags in my trunk so I always have some to take into grocery stores. And I have a massive Ikea resusable bag that I keep in the trunk for Costco trips.

eddiec said:

Here's something that bugs me, and it could easily be rectified. 
I currently live in Ireland. When I go the supermarket, I bring the same two tote bags I've been using for the past few years. If you forget your bags, they charge you a small fee for each plastic bag you need or you can purchase a new reusable tote. This forces most people to bring their own reusable bags.

When I visit my parents in New York and go to the supermarket, (and I'm only using NY as a reference, I don't know how it is in other states), it's a horrific waste of plastic. A lot of aisles will have people who pack your bags, and they literally barely fill each bag before starting to fill another one. I'm talking like four oranges and they consider it full. One time I needed to pick up just a handful of things, so at checkout they started bagging them up. When I told them I didn't need a bag, the two people at checkout looked at me like I was a psycho.