Are the United States truly united?

Yes, of course. We have different points of view about various issues, but we all pay our taxes, support our government in our own way, and love our neighboring states.

This is just like any family unit, isn’t it?

The “united” in “United States” refers not to some single-mindedness among its citizens, but rather to their political association with one another. The states were united first as a confederacy under the Articles of Confederation and latter as a federation under the US Constitution. Don’t look for more in the name than is there.

Though @YARNLADY‘s answer shows that we’re still united in a very real way despite whatever personal disagreements might exist.

Of course, with 50+ kids in the family you have to expect some occasional arguments about how to do things.

@WestRiverrat *** YAY *** GOOD ANSWER *** YAY

<slips Whoopie Cushion under @WestRiverrat‘s seat>

I’m still skeptical about how united we’re painted out to be. I mean, in my family, we never judged anyone based on how they looked. @SavoirFaire So you’re saying, were not really united. Because my political association might differ from someone who is Republican, per say.

I think on the whole it is, but with so many people taking advantage of its democratic principle of free speech by disrespecting and abusing it, I sometimes wonder. Like those “Americans” who take the U.S. flag and hang it upside down or burn it because they argue that they have a right to do so, or those people who complain how bad America is yet still choose to live here unabashedly.

@dreamwolf Political association ≠ party association. Every citizen of the United States is politically associated with one another by virtue of their citizenship. We use the word “politics” in a very narrow sense when we think in terms of parties—which is exactly how party leaders want you to think, of course.

Just look at 9–10 to 9–12-2001. on 9–10 Bush and the democrats in the Senate and Congress would argue violently about what color the sky was. 9–12 they were on the steps of the capital singing together.

We can beat each other up all we want, but someone outside the family does one of us a hurt we all step up. That fall was the only world series I rooted for the D@mn Yankees.

I don’t think we are very united at all, at least not as a nation.

I live in the Seattle area, but I was born and raised in New England, and you would swear that they really were two different countries. Couple that with the growing divides along economic and political lines and you get a nation falling apart at the seams.

No. A man sits in jail in Nevada for marijuana. A man is free to grow and sell in California.

It’s like the United Kingdom, we’re all united in our hatred for the French ~

@atch Not so fast – there are 100’s of people in California jails who thought that was true, but it isn’t.

@YARNLADY Maybe he confused CA with WA? Or maybe they are referring to the fact that some states issue cards that allow you to grow 15 plants while other states throw you in jail for a single joint.

@jerv The laws of each state vary widely in the enforcement. Sometimes people will get jail time, and other times they will get off scot free. There is no logic or consistency about it.

@ucme Sorry about the recent riots there. Has it quieted down somewhat?

@YARNLADY My point exactly!

@MRSHINYSHOES Oh yeah, flash in the pan, as these things tend to be.

@ucme I still remember the incident involving Prince Charles and Princess Camilla in the limousine being attacked by an angry crowd outside a theatre. Lol. Sorry, I shouldn’t chuckle about it.

@MRSHINYSHOES No, you should, chuckle long & chuckle loud. I know I did!

@jerv That’s what I’m getting at. Growing up as a child I thought everyone was “one” kind of American learning about Sam Adams our forefathers as heroic figures and stuff. Then we get thrown into the “real world” and its pretty much hurry up find a job and contribute to this brute force and machine that we call America. Now I love the U.S.A. but our cultures are ridiculously radical. From the skepticism of familiarity between folks in the rural countries, to the very diverse fast paced city life, to the easy going life styles of what suburbia brings, to what harsh realities the uneducated face within the projects. What I’m hoping is one day we will all rise above our self fish lifestyles and get everyone up to speed in a “fear free” nation. Then we will be truly United in my opinion. I’m not saying we should all drop our individualism, but we should encourage others more, and empower them, especially the uneducated within the projects.

@ucme I only like Prince William and Kate Middleton. (And the late Lady Diana of course. She didn’t have a bad bone in her body.)

As for Camilla, didn’t someone once call her the “Old Sausage”?

@MRSHINYSHOES Camilla is known simply as horseybitchface.
Charles probably calls her old sausage, coz he likes to banger!