tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post7673309467720203398..comments2024-03-14T07:32:30.141+09:00Comments on Marketing Japan: Japan is Much Freer Than the United States #2mike in tokyo rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977446676243085409noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-89219161296796119172012-02-24T12:39:18.323+09:002012-02-24T12:39:18.323+09:00I left America to move to Japan the day after this...I left America to move to Japan the day after this was posted. Honestly its the best decision I have ever made.<br /><br />America is a terrible place to live, filled with fat, uneducated, rude imbeciles. Here is a big f*** you to the red, white and blue. I hate you, American. Because you are no longer good or great.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13063657918020227271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-50392238885782038132011-07-24T11:53:23.595+09:002011-07-24T11:53:23.595+09:00This would never happen in Japan:
Homeschool, Anti...This would never happen in Japan:<br />Homeschool, Anti-vaccine Family Being Destroyed by CPS: Chronology of a Kidnapping:<br /> http://www.activistpost.com/2011/07/homeschool-anti-vaccine-family-being.htmlmike in tokyo rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04977446676243085409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-17592738421071203252011-07-24T11:09:48.156+09:002011-07-24T11:09:48.156+09:00Homeschooling on the rise in Japan: http://www.hsl...Homeschooling on the rise in Japan: http://www.hslda.org/hs/international/Japan/200202110.asp<br /><br />It might not be "legal" but people are doing it anyway... Score another one for Japan's freedom! It is an unenforced "law" (and a very vague one at that).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-31959090556757614002011-07-24T08:06:31.569+09:002011-07-24T08:06:31.569+09:00Home-schooling not legal in Japan? Ok, give one fo...Home-schooling not legal in Japan? Ok, give one for the USA!Sethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-28484053908176977302011-07-18T22:31:08.933+09:002011-07-18T22:31:08.933+09:00Andy in Japan wrote that he didn't think homes...Andy in Japan wrote that he didn't think homeschooling was an option in Japan. <br /><br />He's right! Technically (legally), it isn't. But there are in fact so many school "refuseniks" (登校拒否)that I understand authorities turn a blind eye in many cases. So, homeschooling exists de facto in Japan, although it is legally not permitted. (See <a href="http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Japan/English/english-Constitution.html#CHAPTER_III" rel="nofollow">Article 26).</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-55820415561850420082011-07-17T11:50:24.291+09:002011-07-17T11:50:24.291+09:00Dear Anonymous above. Your argument and logic are ...Dear Anonymous above. Your argument and logic are so poor that they make another great article. I just wish you had enough balls to at least write your name to these silly comments. See you in my next blog. I will deconstruct every single argument you make.mike in tokyo rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04977446676243085409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-4571454870850053472011-07-17T10:45:30.257+09:002011-07-17T10:45:30.257+09:00As the writer who so rankles the blogger enough to...As the writer who so rankles the blogger enough to warrant a follow-up blog post, I would like to respond that I agree that the military industrial complex, the drug war, and our privatized prison system represent detestable facts. But so is Japan's 99% conviction rate. So is the deep control the LDP government exerts over the press. So is the power of the bureaucracy and the corruptive, malignant influence of amakudari. <br /><br />So what I have a problem with is absolutist statements like "Japan is freer than the U.S." And I have serious doubts about whether your way of defining freedom are sound. You write so much about critical thinking but I find obesity, divorce rates, and drug abuse have little to do with a society's freedom. It seems you conflate lifestyle choices with freedom, misrepresenting your argument. It would have been much more sufficiently argumentative had you described the difference as one of quality of life rather than freedom. Linking your Lew Rockwell articles doesn't mean diddley-squat to me. I don't give a hoot who Rockwell is. The guy carries nothing in the way of legitimate scholarship as far as I'm concerned. Just another American fringe movement. <br /><br />And what the hell is a "free market anarchist?" Would love to read your blog on that one. I'm sure as usual it will be extremely offensive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-13055662925499709002011-07-17T03:26:50.487+09:002011-07-17T03:26:50.487+09:00I thought of your blog thread when I came across t...I thought of your blog thread when I came across this:<br /><br />"...There is accumulating evidence that the Washington – Wall Street moral hazard experiment has gone disastrously wrong, and that just like any other accidental discharge of a deadly virus, the moral hazard virus is now loose and swiftly propagating throughout society. By so blatantly colluding with Wall Street, Washington has lost all moral authority, and the people now have only one place to turn: themselves.<br /><br />An ethic of, "If they can do it, so can I," is spreading, as people realize that fabric of American society has been shredded and replaced by a free-for-all mentality whereby everyone must fend for oneself in order to survive ... Homeowners evicted by foreclosure trash their homes in rage on the way out the door, with an estimated 50% of such dwellings damaged. Looters and squatters destroy many of the rest, stealing copper pipes, wiring, granite counter tops and anything else of value.<br /><br />... The bottom line issue is one of fairness. Comity and civil society are at risk when people feel they are being taken advantage of at a fundamental level."<br /><br />http://thedailybell.com/2690/Anthony-Wile-The-Morality-of-GoldAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-27356084732564340232011-07-16T21:26:20.567+09:002011-07-16T21:26:20.567+09:00The Military Industrial Complex needs its drug fix...The Military Industrial Complex needs its drug fix. It is evident by the sick facade of NATO & UN political imperialism.<br /><br />Any American who fails to deem what is truly going on is truly in sick denial. Death to the USA military industrial complex!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-13614351158806887052011-07-16T18:24:25.995+09:002011-07-16T18:24:25.995+09:00Ouch! Ballyhoo American guy gets blown out of the ...Ouch! Ballyhoo American guy gets blown out of the water! Painful to watch!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-48725201044375049712011-07-16T18:22:42.831+09:002011-07-16T18:22:42.831+09:00Although I am not sure about whether Japan is inde...Although I am not sure about whether Japan is indeed a better place to be than the US because 'better' is very subjective, as far as freedom of speech goes regarding the head of state - do you remember that book Naoto Kan's wife published? <br />This would not have been possible in most countries, i.e. a book casting doubt on a current PM's abilities by his own wife.Murasaki Shikibuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10956944811391367016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-8370675525236860552011-07-16T15:42:18.711+09:002011-07-16T15:42:18.711+09:00Andy, I am amused by one American who wrote that h...Andy, I am amused by one American who wrote that he went to the bar to smoke and drink. At the bar, he could drink. When he wanted to smoke, the bartender told him that he had to go outside to do that. When outside, he couldn't take his drink as it is illegal to drink in public.<br /><br />It is this sort of madness that has ruined that country.<br /><br />PS: You don't hear Japan or the Japanese running around claiming to be the "Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free" like Americans like to do either.mike in tokyo rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04977446676243085409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-90733222921777659252011-07-16T14:13:08.030+09:002011-07-16T14:13:08.030+09:00The "maudlin" blog of mine that Mike pri...The "maudlin" blog of mine that Mike printed and linked to seems to have drawn a somewhat negative reaction.<br /><br />Firstly, we do have to recognize that the value people assign to personal liberty is subjective. What is small potatoes to you may be a big deal to me. Sure, drinking beer in public, not being harassed by cops, and living in a low crime environment might seem like small matters. There are many things that I could add to that list. <br /><br />For example, in Japan, not getting groped or nudie scanned at the airport and not having to send in a list of overseas financial accounts to the government would be good places to start in terms of important civil rights that American's no longer have.<br /><br />On the other hand, there is no right to have a firearm for self defense in Japan and I do not believe home schooling is an option here either, though private schools are quite common.<br /><br />What is clear to me is that it is undeniable that personal liberties in America have been strongly eroded under the Bush, Clinton, and Obama crime family regimes. That sort of erosion is making countries like Japan look better every day.Andy "In Japan"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04505038501136945817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-59888508833988726672011-07-16T13:28:19.101+09:002011-07-16T13:28:19.101+09:00Many of these remarks remind me of "They thou...Many of these remarks remind me of "They thought they were free" http://www.swans.com/library/art16/xxx140.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-83756876822067127242011-07-16T12:59:35.212+09:002011-07-16T12:59:35.212+09:00It is not a good thing to brag that poor South Ame...It is not a good thing to brag that poor South Americans are still flooding into the USA... Especially when you consider the huge rise of upper middle class and wealthy Americans leaving the USA over these last 10 years. "The top-earning % of US taxpayers are Leaving the USA at the highest rate in history. ....Not only the Income Tax, but other legislative and regulatory attacks on success are forcing many of the people who pay the lion's share of taxes, to leave the United States and because of some of that legislation, those producers are now taking all of their wealth with them, thus very disproportionately reducing the tax and investment base in the United States." http://actionamerica.org/taxecon/ticktick.shtmlmike in tokyo rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04977446676243085409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-78772942482196189312011-07-16T12:43:51.657+09:002011-07-16T12:43:51.657+09:00They don't flood into Japan because, unlike th...They don't flood into Japan because, unlike the USA, Japan has a sensible and rational law concerning immigrants.<br /><br />Score one more for Japan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-84612859325454878072011-07-16T12:01:41.636+09:002011-07-16T12:01:41.636+09:00And yet, they keep coming. Those foreigners keep f...And yet, they keep coming. Those foreigners keep flooding into America year after year after year. Why they don't likewise go pouring into Japan in the same numbers is anyone's guess. But Japan can have them. America is overcrowded. And Japan can have all the other knuckleheads running around making this country a mess. Then I can relax and live life like the good old days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-57868777068046030932011-07-16T11:01:14.011+09:002011-07-16T11:01:14.011+09:00Dear M.
Excellent! Thanks for posting an intellig...Dear M.<br /><br />Excellent! Thanks for posting an intelligent and well-thought out point. <br /><br />I will venture, though, that once you live outside of your own country, not only do you understand the new country better, you get a massive education on your own!<br /><br />Your point is well taken! As an free market anarchist, I will take your argument one step further... I believe it is the military-industrial machine that has ruined the USA. The drug war is just another extension of that monster that will - and is currently - destroying that country. Those people will not relinquish control easily. <br /><br />M. Thanks for adding a sensible point! If you stay and fight, good luck to you. I ran away long ago and haven't regretted it even once. Any other expats share the sentiment? <br /><br />PS: M, have you ever been to China? I have. I could easily see living in Shanghai. Wonderful place!mike in tokyo rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04977446676243085409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2207076947655236975.post-14679492172220552282011-07-16T10:50:52.809+09:002011-07-16T10:50:52.809+09:00"#1 The United States has the highest incarce..."#1 The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and the largest total prison population on the entire globe."<br /><br />I have read this "fact" many many times, but it has always bothered me. Our prison system needs a big overhaul. Our "War on Drugs" is a failure. The incarceration rate, however, does not necessarily reflect the quality of life in a country. <br /><br />I understand that at least one country executes their political prisoners and sells their organs for profit. It isn't the USA...although it is for certain that we are *not* pristine. Neither are other countries. <br /><br />According to Wikipedia: "Even though other countries have more prisoners annually, the fact that the United States keeps their prisoners longer causes the total rate to become higher."<br /><br />Also from Wikipedia: "That means roughly 1 in every 32 Americans are held by the justice system.[4][5] According to the International Centre for Prison Studies (ICPS) at King's College London, of that 7.2 million, 2.3 million are in prison. The People's Republic of China comes in second place with 1.6 million, despite its population being over four times that of the United States.[6]" <br /><br />Despite the fact that China has a lesser incarceration rate, I wouldn't want to live there!<br /><br />There is more to living in a culture and, therefore the country, than twenty statistics.<br /><br />I am here and will make the best of it. This is where God has placed me just as God gave me the parents I had. We chose to remain here just as I chose to respect my parents. You chose Japan. At least we both had the freedom to make a choice. We will live with our decisions.<br /><br />M.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com