God damn which America? North-South- or Central?

[Ronnie Roach]

Come on people! Let's have geographical correctness! It's bad enough that the political right are too lazy to say: United States of America! The operative phrase is, "Of America". So when a right wing zombie ask you, "Why do you hate America?" ask which continent are you referring to? I am sick to death of phrases like: Anti-American, blame America first, America haters, and blaw, blaw, America, ad nauseam!!!!!!!! Sorry! The USA has not taken over all 3 continents as of yet! Yes! I am anal about this!
Just wait when South America unites into one confederation! You know what will it be called?
United States of South America! That will confuse some U.S Americans!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLVWzOp7Q70

[Cleita]

1. I've been waiting for sixty years for people to admit that there

are other parts of America than the USA. It hasn't happened yet. It seems America is that part of the hemisphere that speaks English except Canada of course.

[Igel]

2. You're right.

And we can't just say "United States." Mexico is, officially, los Estados unidos mexicanos--The United Mexican States, one of the other "united states".

So when it comes to say what my citizenship is, I'm forced to say, "The United States of America" (hoping that people aren't confused, because, after all, Mexico is both the United States *and* in America).

I can never say, "I am a proud American", meaning that I'm proudly a citizen of the ambiguously named "United States of America". I'm forced to say, at best, I'm a proud United American Statesian. (?) No, that can't be right. A proud "Unitedly Stated American"? Uh ... no. A proud "Americanly United Stater". No. Just as well, nobody should ever say such an expression. And when called upon to use an adjective, let's all just use "Canadian" to mean "citizen of the United States of America." Much simpler. Canadians won't mind; if they do, eh, they're a minority on the continent.

I guess it's why linguists say that usage determines what is correct, not people trying to impose etymologies or forcing definitions to comport with some arbitrarily defined set of definitions or logical precepts, not cant or jargon.

Then again, that's the kind of thinking you expect from RW zombies. Like Chomsky, for example. :-)