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International Coalition for British Reparations: People of the World, it's Time to get Paid.

Letter To The ICBR: Re: International Coalition For British Reparations

03.02.2007

Dear Sir/Madam,

Firstly, please allow me to introduce myself. My name Is Russell Baxter, and I'm a 26 British man. I recently read an article on Steven Grasse, about his new book, which lead me to your website. I would like to express my outrage as what can only be described as a contemptable exercise. I cannot label myself as an "amateur historian", only as I feel this is just another way of saying you're not recognised in the field. It would be the same as me calling myself an amateur astronaut, or anything else I'm not actually qualified for.
This new book, and your website will no doubt be entered into the history books, as one of the pivitol moments in the decline of Anglo-American relations. It baffles, no, infuriates me that our country can be blamed for ALL of the worlds misgivings,atrocities, mistakes and misdemeaners. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the total bastardisation of British history. It seems strange to me that infact one nation can be blamed for all of the current and past problems of the world.
Britain was a fore-runner in the colonies race, this is undisputable, and I have no doubt that said colonies were obtained by bullying and no doubt more nefarious methods, and I can have admit that other nations MAYBE would not have started their own "foreign policies" were it not for aggressive policies abroad. HOWEVER, the fact that you blame this, among other reasons, as one of the key factors in the worlds degredation, is not only ludicrous, but frankly appalling. You cannot re-write history, merely to take the emphasis off of your own down-beat country. No doubt, you think your country's "war on terror" is related to our "mis-management" of the Ottoman Empire, and not at all to do with your "glorious" Presidents ineptitude. Presumably, Iraq being an oil-rich country, baring in mind President Bush's background, has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the matter, or revenge over the Gulf War.
Your call for reperations over Britains "crimes" is another area of interst to me. Our alleged irradication of "indiginous culture and language"? Maybe you should also start up an International Coalition For Christian Reparations, although, no doubt, in your mind, that was another thing no doubt started by the British.
You blame modern terrorism and Muslim extremism on the "global misrule" of Britain, yet you also blame Britain for being a superpower, so which exactly do you want? We're blamed for having colonies, yet then blamed due to "misrule" of countries which you think we shouldn't have! You blame us for "waiting until their backs were up against the wall before getting into action", yet you have also criticised our foreign policy, World War 2 being caused by Britain due to fears over Germanys desire for an empire, so when, exactly, are we supposed to act against other aggressive nations? Most of the worst tyrants were put there or caused by us, according to you. How so, exactly. Surely it would be just as easy to blame Garibaldi and his march for a unified Italy, or any other significant person in the course of history. How about Jesus? If he hadn't claimed to be the son of God, and impeded other nations cival libities and human rights, there would have been no persecution, Crusades, or indoctrinations of other faiths.
It seems funny to me that you blame "bad inventions" as another factor in your call for reparations. I didn't realise that the Black Plague had been invented, but thank you for giving us credit. Machine guns, a British invention. It seems strange that this should be included, baring in mind we've only just paid back the last $65 million to your country, for loans provided to help with the Second World War. It seems you don't mind your country profiteering, but ours should be held to account for it.
But by far the most inane, ludicrous, over the top, and outright idiotic comment on your website has to be the statement that "they control what we say through their hold over English, the global master language." I don't think we can really be blamed for peoples inability to express, or that we have any "hold" over the language. The very fact that your entire is written in such a language as you evidently feel is somehow censored by our Evil Nation, makes a mockery of your organisation, and indeed, yourself. Your website is provided in solely this language, yet arguably, there are other languages that are widely used, so why use solely the language of the people you so obviously despise?
I would greatly like to have contact with Mr Grasse,the spokesperson for your organisation, and would be most indebted if you could facilitate this for me.

Yours Sincerely Outraged

Mr R Baxter

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