[Kruger]

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A pro-Kerry letter-writing campaign by Britain's left-leaning Guardian newspaper, targeting undecided U.S. voters, has provoked outrage across the Atlantic.

The paper has encouraged its readers to express their opinions on the November 2 presidential election to voters in the key swing state of Ohio -- to the fury of Clark County, about 45 miles west of Columbus, the state capital.

"Hey England, Scotland and Wales, mind your own business. We don't need weenie-spined Limeys meddling in our presidential election," was one of the e-mail reactions to the campaign.

The Fox national cable television network tore into the newspaper and even John Kerry's own Democrats expressed horror at the campaign.

"We all feel it is not a good idea. I think it was unwise. It is so poorly thought-out," said Sharon Manitta, spokeswoman in Britain for Democrats Abroad.

But the newspaper, whose cartoons regularly portray President George W. Bush as a semi-literate ape, was unrepentant.

"We did consult a number of opinions and made our decision accordingly," assistant features editor Paul MacInnes told Reuters. "It has been an operation to give our readers an opportunity to express their opinions."

With just two weeks to go before the election, Kerry is running neck and neck with Republican incumbent Bush.

Ohio is a key swing state which Bush won by just four percentage points in 2000, and Clark County is at its heart.

The campaign is a bid to sway voters on the county's electoral register who have declared themselves undecided.

As of Monday night, more than 14,000 people had registered to write to a voter in Clark County, which has a population of just 143,000.

Individuals like film director Ken Loach, spy writer John Le Carre, historian Antonia Fraser and opposition Liberal Democratic parliamentarian Menzies Campbell have all written in their own capacity -- not that their names necessarily carry much weight in Clark.

The Guardian, which simply bought a list of registered voters and extracted the undecided, pledged that it would only give out the name of each voter once, to avoid them being swamped by unsolicited mail from complete strangers.

"We know that in many ways this is the world's election, and we understand the passion and concern in many parts of the world over it. But I wonder how people here in the UK would react to Americans telling them how to vote," Democrats Abroad's Manitta said.

"This will certainly garner more votes for George Bush. I have strongly advised other media entities who have come to me and suggested this against doing so," she added.

While some e-mails to the Guardian from Democrats in Ohio were supportive, others suggested the campaign was misguided.

But their mild admonitions paled into insignificance against the more reactionary views received by the paper.

"Real Americans aren't interested in your pansy-ass, tea-sipping opinions. If you want to save the world, begin with you own worthless corner of it," wrote one from Texas.

[kwyckemynd00]

That cracks me up coming from a group of people who are always *****ing at the US to stop meddling in others' business Methinks those journalists just have an agenda ... I know, I know, what a unique thought, right ?

EDIT: To tell you the truth, some of the responses to the letters made me proud to be an American. I'm glad we can still use phrases like "pansy ass tear sippers" etc. LOL. I love it!

[goldylight]

here are some responses:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselection...329858,00.html

I liked this one:

Have you not noticed that Americans don't give two shits what Europeans think of us? Each email someone gets from some arrogant Brit telling us why to NOT vote for George Bush is going to backfire, you stupid, yellow-toothed pansies .

I don't give a rat's ass if our election is going to have an effect on your worthless little life. I really don't. If you want to have a meaningful election in your crappy little island full of shitty food and yellow teeth, then maybe you should try not to sell your sovereignty out to Brussels and Berlin, dipshit. Oh, yeah - and brush your goddamned teeth, you filthy animals.

Wading River, NY

[200wannabe]

Being from the UK I don't feel I am qualified to offer an opinion on who should become the next President, i would respect the decision of the american people.

Tea sipping and yellow teeth? That however is a little deluded.

[Jeff]

Yeah lets not beat up on the british they have been great allies over the years, their hippie self-deluded lefties are no different then ours. The only nation to stand with us more often then the UK, are the aussies.

We got enough idiots in our county to deal with

Check out Jimmy Carters latest, I think he got a bad burger from Burger King while eating with Mikey Moore

Carter: The Revolutionary War Was "Unnecessary"

Originally Posted by pinko_commie_*****

Well, one parallel is that the Revolutionary War, more than any other war up until recently, has been the most bloody war we’ve fought. I think another parallel is that in some ways the Revolutionary War could have been avoided. It was an unnecessary war.

[jweave23]

I definitely agree that it is not the place of another countries citizens to attempt to sway our vote in our own country.

I do find the absolutely vulgar, irreverant, and hostile responses quite funny, but what is slightly disturbing is that these are quite typical idiotic, "red-blooded American" responses from a surprising amount of the American population (I'm sure Texas has many million alone ). The only thing that would make it better would be a clip of one of them saying that while sitting on a lawn chair outside on the deck of their trailer, wearing ragged boxer shorts and a stained paper thin wife-beater, smoking a Marlboro, eating chips with gluttunous zeal, and slugging Budweiser in a can while farting. LOL, damn I love this country!!

[VanillaGorilla]

The only thing that would make it better would be a clip of one of them saying that while sitting on a lawn chair outside on the deck of their trailer, wearing ragged boxer shorts and a stained paper thin wife-beater, smoking a Marlboro, eating chips with gluttunous zeal, and slugging Budweiser in a can while farting. LOL, damn I love this country!!

LOL there is nothing wrong with wearing matching wife beater and dirty boxers. You should have added holding a gun as well.
As apposed to a snotty sanctimonious elitist, sipping tea, holding the tea cup with his pinky pointed up, in his smoking jacked, who thinks everyone who doesn't agree with him ( socialism) is a stupid Neanderthal.
or.... the tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, non shower taking, college student or college professor hippy, who doesn't realize the 60's have been over for almost 35 years, who thinks they are intellectual but can only debate by screaming slogans or labeling and totally ignoring the substance of the oppositions arguments.

[Iron Warrior]

Originally Posted by jweave23

The only thing that would make it better would be a clip of one of them saying that while sitting on a lawn chair outside on the deck of their trailer, wearing ragged boxer shorts and a stained paper thin wife-beater, smoking a Marlboro, eating chips with gluttunous zeal, and slugging Budweiser in a can while farting. LOL, damn I love this country!!

[jweave23]

Originally Posted by VanillaGorilla

LOL there is nothing wrong with wearing matching wife beater and dirty boxers. You should have added holding a gun as well.
As apposed to a snotty sanctimonious elitist, sipping tea, holding the tea cup with his pinky pointed up, in his smoking jacked, who thinks everyone who doesn't agree with him ( socialism) is a stupid Neanderthal.
or.... the tree hugging, Birkenstock wearing, non shower taking, college student or college professor hippy, who doesn't realize the 60's have been over for almost 35 years, who thinks they are intellectual but can only debate by screaming slogans or labeling and totally ignoring the substance of the oppositions arguments.

LOL, yeah that's not a bad view of the teams

Also let me add the religious fanatic who shouts Bible praises when defending something their brainwashed mind considers "immoral" and "against God". Maybe even the same people whose hypocritical views are so full of hate that they seem to be forgetting the teachings of love in their supposed sacred book. They appear to be especially prevelant in the southern United States and any other place where critical thinking skills aren't required or considered desireable.

[Jeff]

I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details.

God does not play dice with the universe.

I maintain that cosmic religiousness is the strongest and most noble driving force of scientific research.

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.

Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e. by a wish addressed to a Supernatural Being.

The highest principles for our aspirations and judgements are given to us in the Jewish-Christian religious tradition. It is a very high goal which, with our weak powers, we can reach only very inadequately, but which gives a sure foundation to our aspirations and valuations. If one were to take that goal out of out of its religious form and look merely at its purely human side, one might state it perhaps thus: free and responsible development of the individual, so that he may place his powers freely and gladly in the service of all mankind. ... it is only to the individual that a soul is given. And the high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule, or to impose himself in any otherway.

I guess Einsteins critical thinking skills weren't up to your par jweave. If only he would have renounced his belief in a higher being, just think of where he could have gone.

[jweave23]

Originally Posted by Jeff

I guess Einsteins critical thinking skills weren't up to your par jweave. If only he would have renounced his belief in a higher being, just think of where he could have gone.

My post had absolutely nothing to with, nor implied anything about, Einstein or any other science vs. faith topic. That was your spin alone. My post was a mockery of the atypical religious, right winger. Nice try, but it wasn't meant to be rebutted or have this discussion inferred

I take this all very lightly, hence the joking mockery of the typical personality sides that VG and I did. I thought that was obvious, apparently not.

BTW I have read much of Einstein's work, my first major in college was physics, after all. I'm not engaging in a tangent debate of this nature...I'm not sure how much time you have on your hands but I sure as hell don't have time for that here.

[Jeff]

Don't take it personal, I knew you were fooling around. I don't want any metaphysical debates with anybody, they make my brain hurt. I was just flickin' the jab at you. Yes it was completely obvious that you were baiting, I thought my comment was also obviously sarcastic.

Do you work in the physics field? I minored in physics as an undergrad, but decided against majoring in the field, it was impossible to find work at the time I graduated.