Why the fuck am I not surprised...

[miditek]

Okay, it's just a Yale thing then But then if you want to rattle off a list of Nobel laureates from those same schools, it would never end...

It's quite true that both Harvard and Yale have a long list of very distinguished alumni. I also mentioned Teddy so if there are any Harvard grads lurking here, that they won't feel left out.

[stratoplayer]

And another example, I am a bit of a gearhead so I was a bit mad about brand recognition...

http://www.leftlanenews.com/many-us-stu ... rican.html

[NeonVomit]

L-o-n-d-o-n-i-s-t-a-n-!

Just saw this... if this is the way you show appreciation towards America's closest ally, then I'm not surprised more countries won't give the US the same amount of support as Britain!

[miditek]

L-o-n-d-o-n-i-s-t-a-n-!

Just saw this... if this is the way you show appreciation towards America's closest ally, then I'm not surprised more countries won't give the US the same amount of support as Britain!

There are actually quite a few Brit/Scot expatriates that live here in my city, and am friends with several of them. One of my favorites is a Scot, who happens to be an ex-Royal Marine, and here's his take on the situation, and I quote:

"F----ing Paki wogs! They should deport 'em all. I hate those c--ts!"

Real friends like him actually understand that "Londonistan" is meant as a warning. How the hell would any Englishman or Scot be happy with 2 million Pakistanis, Arabs, and Persians in London when the population is only 7 million? Another friend, Michael, and Englishman, laments the fact that many areas of London are already off-limits to the police, and in some instances, are already under Sharia to a degree.

My friend Dean echoes this as well, and very much wants Britain to be for Britons, as opposed to those that refuse to assimilate and actively seek to cause more trouble. If these people are content to turn their own countries into a third-world shithole, then what do you think that they have planned for Britain, pray tell? The Brits that I know are rather hospitable people, but the jihadists are making a mistake by taking advantage of their good nature.

(I know, just because these people come from third world shitholes, this must, in the mind of the left, automatically mean that all other countries in the west should also be dragged down, that way, the suffering can be spread about equally, even if Britain had nothing to do with it to begin with. Classic Marxist theories.)

They also have not forgotten the metro bombings, and not to mention the other plots have been thwarted.

Try again.....

[NeonVomit]

I thought you meant that as another hint at European governments supporting Islamic extremism, and not a commentary on London's social issues.

Yes, some areas are police no-go, but those areas are mostly populated by the black Caribbean community. I've lived in one of those areas. Immigration is a problem as it is everywhere else in the developed world (not least the US).

Parts of London under sharia law?! What?! Total, complete, utter rubbish and other people who live in the UK on this forum will back me up on that. That's the first I hear of it, and I live here... that's a pretty flawed analysis to say the very least, whoever told you that is either severely paranoid, a member of the BNP or just plain crazy. The Pakistani community is not involved in much crime (not in London at any rate, in Birmingham there are tensions between the Asian and black communities but that's a different story), they've just always been the traditional target for xenophobia (your ex-royal marine friend being a good example). If you actually lived here or indeed ever visited London, you'd know that.

People have not forgotten the 7/7 attacks, believe me. However, people have also moved on. Terrorist attacks of that nature are nothing new to London, we've had the IRA bombing campaigns of the 70's and 80's. There was no backlash against the large Irish community of the city then, much like there hasn't really been a blacklash against the Islamic community. People know that it's the fringe lunatics who believe in such things and not the majority. Londoners are renowned for their stoicism and ability to just get on with life no matter what and aren't about to let terrorists get in the way of everyday life.

How the hell would any Englishman or Scot be happy with 2 million Pakistanis, Arabs, and Persians in London when the population is only 7 million?

Wrong, again.

In the 2001 census, 71.15% of these seven and a half million people classed their ethnic group as white (classified as White British (59.79%), White Irish (3.07%) or "Other White" (8.29%, mostly Polish, Greek Cypriot, Italian and French)), 12.09% as Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other South Asian ethnicities), 10.91% as Black (around 7% as Black African, 4.79% as Black Caribbean, 0.84% as "Other Black"), 3.15% as mixed race, 1.12% as Chinese and 1.58% as other (mostly Filipino, Japanese, and Vietnamese).

Taken from Wikipedia, I know it's not the most reliable source in the world but to someone *actually living* here, those figures seem pretty much correct.

I think you misunderstood the number. There are about 2,000,000 people living in London born in other countries, mostly other EU member states (particularly Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, Poland and France), Australia/New Zealand, India, Pakistan, former British colonies in sub-saharan Africa and the Caribbean, the USA, and Turkey. Not all foreigners in London are Muslim! I should know, I'm one of them...

London is an awsome place. Try visiting sometime, you won't be disappointed.

[miditek]

I thought you meant that as another hint at European governments supporting Islamic extremism, and not a commentary on London's social issues.

Believe it or not, it was not Americans that actually coined the term "Londonistan", but it was actually a British author by the name of Melanie Phillips. I am not sure if you have ever heard of that book, but you may want to do a quick browse of it the next time you visit the local bookstore.

Phillips does not claim that European governments were actively supporting the radical Imams, but that the government was tolerating far too much more than they should have. At any rate, it is a fascinating essay.

It's important to realize that many Americans feel that we really don't want to have to liberate Europe again for a third time in less than 100 years. You certainly don't have to agree with that assessment, but I believe personally that there is a very real danger, as do many of the conservative elements in Europe.

Yes, some areas are police no-go, but those areas are mostly populated by the black Caribbean community. I've lived in one of those areas. Immigration is a problem as it is everywhere else in the developed world (not least the US).

Don't you think that it's a bit dangerous to allow such types of areas to even exist- meaning that the police are forbidden from going in there?

Parts of London under sharia law?! What?! Total, complete, utter rubbish and other people who live in the UK on this forum will back me up on that. That's the first I hear of it, and I live here... that's a pretty flawed analysis to say the very least, whoever told you that is either severely paranoid, a member of the BNP or just plain crazy.

Here is one of many examples of the spectre of Sharia invading British society, and not to mention, countless news clipplings of "honor killings":

Sharia law is spreading as authority wanes
telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/29/nsharia29.xml

Don't you think that this should serve as a warning to all Brits, native born or otherwise? And again, this is merely a single example.

The Pakistani community is not involved in much crime (not in London at any rate, in Birmingham there are tensions between the Asian and black communities but that's a different story), they've just always been the traditional target for xenophobia (your ex-royal marine friend being a good example). If you actually lived here or indeed ever visited London, you'd know that.

But don't you think that foreigners that move to another country should follow the rules, or simply go back from whence then came? Another thing that I find amazing is that the metro bombings occurred right under the nose of agencies such as Scotland Yard and MI6? If there were a sufficient number of "moderate" Muslims there, then they would put their country first, and pick up the phone and call the police when the see or hear something. I don't believe that there is a lot of that going on; and in my opinion, withholding information about terror plots by a moderate makes that person or person(s) no better than the ones that are actively seeking to cause damage.

People have not forgotten the 7/7 attacks, believe me. However, people have also moved on. Terrorist attacks of that nature are nothing new to London, we've had the IRA bombing campaigns of the 70's and 80's. There was no backlash against the large Irish community of the city then, much like there hasn't really been a blacklash against the Islamic community. People know that it's the fringe lunatics who believe in such things and not the majority. Londoners are renowned for their stoicism and ability to just get on with life no matter what and aren't about to let terrorists get in the way of everyday life.

What happens if the police don't do enough, the "moderates" turn the other way, and let's say, a 1.0 kiloton (suitcase) nuclear device gets detonated inside London? Do you think that the radicals will even care if other Muslims get killed? Do you not think that al-Qaeda is not actively planning such an incident, and more importantly, that they do not have the capabilities to carry out such attacks?

Food for thought, but I've got to run for now, but can follow back up with you more on this later.

[NeonVomit]

What is your solution to certain areas existing populated by a specific racial group? It is a sociological phenomenon that is present everywhere in the world. Police are not 'forbidden' from going there - in the UK, the term means that police avoid the area unless it is necessary; they will be attacked if they do. It is more an issue of poverty and crime rates than one of religion or ethnicity. London is a huge city. All cities of this size have areas like that.

My sister works for the Daily Telegraph. It is a tabloid (not a real newspaper) aimed at a conservative reader base, something akin to the National Inquierer over there in the US, I pay it as much attention as I do celebrity news (which is all it's really good for). It is not a reliable source of news and certainly not a beacon of balanced, professional journalism. Honour killings have happened, and have been met with outrage and disgust by community leaders and the British public in general. Those guilty of carrying them out are virtually always caught (they are almost always close relatives and leave vast amounts of evidence behind) and most often sentenced to life imprisonment. They are only really noticed because of the relatively low murder rate of the capital. If one actually believes that the British legal system would possibly allow 'a network of islamic courts' to exist, one clearly has never lived in the UK. It simply would not stand with the overwhelming majority of the British public.

Plots to attack London again have been foiled, some due to anonymous tip-offs by members of the public. What nationality or ethnicity or religion were they? We will never know. People are aware of the terrorist threat. The Metropolitan Police has terrorism as its number one priority, and have vast practical experience in this field, far more than any police force in the United States. If you'd ever travelled on the London Underground since the 7/7 attacks, you'd know what I am talking about. So 'the police not doing enough' is quite a difficult thing to imagine, as is the moderates looking the other way. People in general do not discriminate against ethnic groups, but the Muslim community has been under closer scrutiny since the events of the summer of 2005 and is as upset about what happened as everyone else.

People here know terriorism is always a threat. They just don't get overly paraniod about it. It's nothing new to us. The IRA tried to break the will of the British people by attacking the capital, and failed. Al-Qaeda will not succeed, either.

Please do not try to tell me about the city I live in, one that (it seems) you have never even visited. I do know an awful lot about it and the current issues facing it, a lot more than you do. I never try to 'inform' anyone living in the US about their domestic issues - I might voice my opinions on such things as illegal immigration and gun laws, but I assume they know more about those things than I do.