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Demeter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:20 PM
Original message
"A Message from John Cleese - British comedian:"
http://www.continentaldivide.us/authorArchives.php?articleID=545



To the citizens of the United States of America:

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent
candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we
hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective
immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour', 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'.

Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell- checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

8. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline)-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try Rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.

13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God save the Queen.


I ESPECIALLY LIKE POINT #5!
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rwenos Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:26 PM
Response to Original message
1. But Brits have PLENTY of Lawyers
They have two kinds, barristers and solicitors.

And then there's the problem of our nukes, subs and carrier battle groups.

Amusing. But I for one would not ever want to be a "Prisoner of Majesty."
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Ellen Forradalom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:26 PM
Response to Original message
2. Point #5 re: therapists
Guilty as charged. I'm SUCH a Californian.
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Annces Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:29 PM
Response to Original message
3. He is great - thanks n/t
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El Supremo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:30 PM
Response to Original message
4. Funny but false
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Demeter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:44 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. Thank You for the Post! Very Enlightening
Sort of growing like the Robin Hood legends--and for good reason! The English know how to spin a good tale!
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Lobster Martini Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:31 PM
Response to Original message
5. All right! Thirty minutes before tea! Earl Grey for everyone!
...and not that horrible Twinings crap...the good stuff...

:hi:
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Lydia Leftcoast Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 02:44 PM
Response to Original message
7. Not by Cleese
It gets posted every few weeks, and it's still not by Cleese.
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Diclotican Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 03:05 PM
Response to Original message
8. Demeter
Demeter

Old but god. I get my own copy witch I still have right after the first blunder of Mr Bush... And would it not be funny, or nice if you was "taken back" into the fold of the British empire.. Even the old kings of old times was not that stupid as your current President.. Even poor old George 3 of England, who was in some times mad, because of some illness he have from his mothers side, was not that silly, stupid and arrogant as your current George..

But, it may not be the case... But you would maybe given some acceptance of Representatives to the Parliament, that was the whole ground for revolution in 1776, and should been doing already.. Then mr Washington would be little more than a rebel, and the whole history of the north american continent would be diferent.B-)

But to be honest.. I would not be the american public, if you have to pay taxes back to 1776... O dear, the debt the american "dependence" would be in then... But what with the current US debt, would it be washed away?

Even if is not John Cleeve, the author have it right when it come to american beer.. That stuff sucks big time... Even the Indians (as in India) have much better beer than your american stuff... Yeak...
Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language

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Demeter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 03:14 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. I Think Rule By Monty Python Cast Would Be a Definite Improvement Over BushCo
who makes any other slapstick group look like geniuses.
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Diclotican Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 03:28 PM
Response to Reply #9
11.  Demeter
Demeter

It would not be that bad, after Bush and Corporate I guess:eyes: :toast: But on the bright side, you would get better beer, and some decent roundabout... And even some decent humor in your life.. I for one have always loved the british form of humor.. Understatement type of humor.. Right to the point, and with a deep you just have to "figure out" to understand.. If you don't understand the deep end of the british humor.. Then forget try to understand it.. Either you have the sense of british humor, or you don't. You cant learn it I am afraid;)

Diclotican

Sorry my bad English, not my native language
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pansypoo53219 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Mar-29-08 03:20 PM
Response to Original message
10. i would gladly
take brown over georgee.
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