The Associated Press
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NEW YORK -- It started the day after the presidential election with one student posting a picture of himself on the Internet holding up a sign reading: "Sorry world (we tried) -- half of America."
Within a few days, says University of Southern California student James Zetlen, his Web site www.sorryeverybody.com had received 27 million hits.
The site features 2,200 pictures of contrite Americans holding up placards expressing their sorrow at the re-election of President Bush. There are 1,000 more pictures waiting to be posted.
"It was mind-boggling the amount of emotion the Web site has triggered," says the 20-year-old neuroscience student.
Not all the emotional responses have been positive. Zetlen’s site for rueful Americans has spawned eight Web sites for people who say they’re not at all sorry that the Republican incumbent won over Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Zetlen said that the reaction from outside the United States has been overwhelmingly positive.
"The international community is absolutely mortified at what has happened," he said.
About half of the 3,000 e-mails he received came from abroad. The worldwide reaction included responses from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Australia. The German daily newspaper Der Spiegel wrote about the Web site and the French daily newspaper Liberation called the number of penitent people "impressive."
All the pictures share a common theme, asking forgiveness of the world for the re-election of Bush.
"Sorry everybody, the inmates are running the asylum. AGAIN! Please don’t hate half of us," says one. "Dear World. We are so sorry! It makes no sense to us either," reads another.
One man’s sign reads, "This one of the 55,902,001 Americans that voted against Bush would like to apologize for the 59,422,689 idiots who did."
Some non-Americans have posted supportive photos and messages. Stefan from Germany says, "On behalf of my country I accept your apology. I know you tried hard."
Zetlen voted for Kerry but did not play any role in the Democratic campaign, which he now regrets. "I wish I had done more. I am sorry I didn’t try hard enough," he said.
He adds he is surprised at the number of submissions and traffic the site attracted. USC asked him to take it off the university’s server because it was taking up 82 percent of the traffic.
I heard about this site today. They also talked about the republican version of that site. "We're not sorry". I couldn't find the link or I would have posted it.
It seems like a huge waist of time to cry over something that is done and over with. They should start preparing for 2008. They're going to need all the time they can get to deliver a candidate that the American public can trust. The Deomcrats are in a serious world of hurt if they push Hillary forward.
I don;t imagine Kerry running again. He and his adviser sure made a horses ass out of himself and the democrats this time.
"Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those who say this are witless." ~Ayatollah Khomeini
USA1 said this in post #2 : I heard about this site today. They also talked about the republican version of that site. "We're not sorry". I couldn't find the link or I would have posted it.
It seems like a huge waist of time to cry over something that is done and over with. They should start preparing for 2008. They're going to need all the time they can get to deliver a candidate that the American public can trust. The Deomcrats are in a serious world of hurt if they push Hillary forward.
I don;t imagine Kerry running again. He and his adviser sure made a horses ass out of himself and the democrats this time.
I agree. Hillary or Kerry again is foolish. The Dem's need to start polishing someone new right now.
Thats just the saddest, most pathetic little self flaggelation experiment i've ever witnessed.
"SORRY WORLD......WE'VE APPARENTLY DECIDED TO LOOK AFTER OUR OWN INTERESTS RATHER THAN YOURS. WE HONESTLY TRIED TO GET THE REST OF THE COUNTRY TO PLACE OUR FUTURE AND SECURITY IN THE HANDS OF THE WORLD (WHICH, INCIDENTALLY, WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO SEE US FAIL IN EVERY VENTURE WE UNDERTAKE).
WE PROMISE TO TRY HARDER NEXT TIME BY FURTHER UNDERMINING THE POLITICAL PROCESS, ENLISTING MORE VOTERS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO GRASP OF THE ISSUES THEY RALLY AROUND, MORE DECEPTIVE WEBSITES AND BLOGS GEARED TO MAKE ALL AMERICANS FEEL ITS THEIR DUTY TO APPEASE THE WORLD, RATHER THAN EDUCATE THEMSELVES, AND BASE ALL OUR OPINIONS ON THE WHIMS OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC LIBERAL MEDIA SOURCES.......WHICHEVER ONE CAN MAKE THE MOST LURID AND SHOCKING CONSPIRACY THEORY.
PLEASE FORGIVE US....WE'LL TRY AGAIN IN 2008"
*check this photograph.....is ANYBODY going to make this woman happy?*
11-13-2004 08:04 AM
