Switzerland!!!

[mitsho]

BY THE FRENCH! YOU GOT YOUR ASS HANDED ON A PLATE BY THE FRENCH!



Just saying.

BECAUSE YOU* PAID HALF THE ARMY TO GO BACK TO THEIR HOME AND STILL COULDN'T CONQUER THE TICINO AS OR FOREFATHERS FOUGHT SO BRAVELY ...

more seriously, I think Ovi has summarized most of what there is to say. A word to the Army: It isn't THAT pitiful everyone makes it to be. The parts in 'other countries' (Cosovo, but also one or two 'officers' here and there...) do quite a good job, the natural catastrophe help is always 'ready' (although one might ask wether that is the duty of an army... ), and the "secret" stuff isn't to be forgotten as well. (For example: The Egyptian Fax that proved the CIA European torture prisons... but that might not be the best example as it was leaked... )

(Oh and yes, I am in the army (it's a militia mostly) and it really is a 'clowns club' most of the time as the biggest part just wants to sit off their weeks, we know we never have to go to war anyways - if we don't want to...)

About the political system (I study Political Sciences), that would be much to complicated. Still, three points. Apart from what was mentioned before, Swiss System is also very much participational: If you want to, you can get involved very much on a local level easily. Second, federalism was mentioned, and you asked about the comparison with Greek city states: Switzerlands Federalism can be compared to the American one. But remember, Switzerland has 7.2 million inhabitants, and 26 cantons (states)! The Smallest one has about 18'000 inhabitants! And - without knowing the facts - I would say that the largest is still smaller than the Smalles American state...
As a third point, Swiss Elections are due on October 21. If you are interested there is quite something going on (on a Swiss Scale) regarding discussions and "fights". The Key word here is Black Sheeps, the SVP, and Blocher&Roschacher (this "scandal" reminds of your Gonzalez btw. ...).

mfG m

 

[Grisu]

But remember, Switzerland has 7.2 million inhabitants, and 26 cantons (states)! The Smallest one has about 18'000 inhabitants! And - without knowing the facts - I would say that the largest is still smaller than the Smalles American state...

Zürich has more than twice to population of Wyoming, but then it's filled with Zürcher who probably only count half

(Oh and yes, I am in the army (it's a militia mostly) and it really is a 'clowns club' most of the time as the biggest part just wants to sit off their weeks, we know we never have to go to war anyways - if we don't want to...)

now here's a idea nah, the annual service is easily the most annoying time of any year for me...two more years then I'll be done......

As a third point, Swiss Elections are due on October 21. If you are interested there is quite something going on (on a Swiss Scale) regarding discussions and "fights". The Key word here is Black Sheeps, the SVP, and Blocher&Roschacher (this "scandal" reminds of your Gonzalez btw. ...).

I would just laugh my ass off if the SVP got sued over copyright infringement due to the black sheep, not that this will ever happen, but still

 

[sysyphus]

but ever so slowly

Patience! You're pretty much already better than the Yanks and Ruskies.

And, BTW, it's Barbibul!

 

[mitsho]

Zürich has more than twice to population of Wyoming, but then it's filled with Zürcher who probably only count half

Yeah, got me. But still, I hope you see what I was trying to point out, at least Geographically, Wyoming is way bigger... And it is probably not the archetypical american state for American democracy (just because of the size, it's more or less an "exception", if I count all the Californians, Texans, Floridians and New Yorkers - sorry to anyone I forgot). @CH: Switzerland has probably the highest cantons per capita, again, Zurich (and Berne) is the exception...

now here's a idea nah, the annual service is easily the most annoying time of any year for me...two more years then I'll be done......

I didn't mean it that way, if you chose, there is the possibility for you to go to Afghanistan. Repetition course, Well it can be annoying, but it is really refreshing for once not having to think what you are doing but just do it...

And, well, hockey, I am not that much of a hockey fan (despite my avatar, I just thought it looked cool and am really to lazy to change it), but Switzerland has now been forever on its way to the top. It seems we just never arrive....

But anyway, since we are going to be European Champion in Football next year... Ah, yes, Advertisement for anyone reading this: Next Year, we host the European Championship together with Austria. COME!
m

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Yeah, I want to feel Nazi Germany too!

In Nazi Germany, word mispells YOU!

BY THE FRENCH! YOU GOT YOUR ASS HANDED ON A PLATE BY THE FRENCH!



Just saying.

You boys also got your balls kicked in by them, too.

Just saying

 

[Grisu]

You boys also got your balls kicked in by them, too.

Just saying

though more often than not we were kicking in our own balls It's a wonder the swiss didn't die out during that time

 

[ArneHD]

though more often than not we were kicking in our own balls It's a wonder the swiss didn't die out during that time

I didn't know that there had been any Swiss civil wars?

 

[Grisu]

I didn't know that there had been any Swiss civil wars?

well there have been a few internal struggles as well as one official civil war, but that's not what I meant. I meant that swiss mercenaries were often to be found on all sides of a conflict, effectively killing each other off ...

 

[Masquerouge]

In Nazi Germany, word mispells YOU!

couldn't let one of the funniest typos I've seen in a long time pass like that, could I?

You boys also got your balls kicked in by them, too.

Just saying

Oh, definitely we kicked and got kicked by pretty much every single European nation, some of which don't even exist anymore...

But Marignan, 1515, is a date firmly engrained in French culture, dunno why. Like when there's a reference to an history class, it will often be around "Marignan? 1515!".. so I couldn't let it pass either

oh, yes, preemptive strike:

"you remember it probably because it's the only victory France ever had!"
"of course the only victory France could have was over the neutral Swiss!"

Ahr. Ahr. Ahr.

 

[ArneHD]

<SNIP>

To be fair, just about every European nation has had it's balls kicked in by every other nation. And another thing, people often say that France is easy to defeat and site WW2 as evidence, but EVERY OTHER NATION INVADED BY GROUND BAR THE SOVIET UNION WAS DEFEATED BY THE GERMANS!

Why do people expect the French to survive when no one else did?

 

[Grisu]

Oh, definitely we kicked and got kicked by pretty much every single European nation, some of which don't even exist anymore...

ah, the story of europe in a nutshell

But Marignan, 1515, is a date firmly engrained in French culture, dunno why. Like when there's a reference to an history class, it will often be around "Marignan? 1515!".. so I couldn't let it pass either

ironically it's one of the most ingrained battles in the swiss psyche as well. of course never as popular as the battles of morgarten and sempach, but still. It was basically our Waterloo

"of course the only victory France could have was over the neutral Swiss!"

Ahr. Ahr. Ahr.

back in these days, this was no small feat, in fact, from the top of my head I can't really think of anybody else that really beat the old confederates...

 

[Masquerouge]

ah, the story of europe in a nutshell

True dat!

ironically it's one of the most ingrained battles in the swiss psyche as well. of course never as popular as the battles of morgarten and sempach, but still. It was basically our Waterloo

Waterloo is pretty much in our psyche too One of the great ironies of life is taking the Eurostar in Paris to London, and arriving at Waterloo station... can't beat that

back in these days, this was no small feat, in fact, from the top of my head I can't really think of anybody else that really beat the old confederates...

hey, now you really expect French bashers to care for accurate historical facts?

but yeah, Swiss mercs were the best landtroops at the time. The only problem is, as Mitsho pointed... they were mercs

 

[Grisu]

Waterloo is pretty much in our psyche too One of the great ironies of life is taking the Eurostar in Paris to London, and arriving at Waterloo station... can't beat that

yeah, them english are meanies

hey, now you really expect French bashers to care for accurate historical facts?

yeah, where would we get if we actually cared about historic accurateness

but yeah, Swiss mercs were the best landtroops at the time. The only problem is, as Mitsho pointed... they were mercs

yeah, just imagine what they could have achieved if they had actually fought for a couse they believed in instead of money....but then they wouldn't have been the swiss

 

[carmen510]

Swiss Army Knife FTW

'Nuff said.

 

[dosed150]

To be fair, just about every European nation has had it's balls kicked in by every other nation. And another thing, people often say that France is easy to defeat and site WW2 as evidence, but EVERY OTHER NATION INVADED BY GROUND BAR THE SOVIET UNION WAS DEFEATED BY THE GERMANS!

Why do people expect the French to survive when no one else did?

the french surrendered 8 days after the germans invaded, poland held on for at least a month, and most of the other countries may have been defeated but at least they fought for their countries, unlike the french who surrendered and collaborated for the rest of the war

 

[Verbose]

the french surrendered 8 days after the germans invaded, poland held on for at least a month, and most of the other countries may have been defeated but at least they fought for their countries, unlike the french who surrendered and collaborated for the rest of the war

Either retake your math classes or read a quality account of the 1940 Battle of France. You have a problem either with math or history.

 

[BaneBlade]

the french surrendered 8 days after the germans invaded, poland held on for at least a month, and most of the other countries may have been defeated but at least they fought for their countries, unlike the french who surrendered and collaborated for the rest of the war

I like it how today fat, dumb internet kiddies who have absolute no knowledge about anything pre-1990 disgrace people on all sides, who fought and died for their countries, their loved ones and their believes.
Not that you are one, but you're obviously lacking in historical knowledge, just like the trolls.

 

[REDY]

We surrendered even before war

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Most important of all, they're getting better at hockey.

So how popular is hockey in Switzerland? I heard they get fairly good attendance for their elite league...

Anyway, nice to see the sport spreading.

 

[Lambert Simnel]

As a reflection on one aspect of the original questions, I think Switzerland is one of the hardest countries in the world to gain citizenship of. Partly as a result, I believe the larger Swiss cities have a fairly significant number of "temporary" immigants, who have neither citizenship nor voting rights. In this respect, looking quite narrowly at just what proportion of the people who live in an area can determine its government, I rather suspect Switzerland is, in places, one of the least democratic countries in Europe.

I'm happy for someone to challenge this by the way, and particularly to produce some authoritative source of stats on this - I'm principally going on the basis of visits to Switzerland (mainly Geneva) and discussing such things with work colleagues from Geneva and Zurich.