Our real strength
You notice how many of the soldiers are trying to get out of the fighting or are unhappy and how we still kick Nazi butt? Subtle but profound. Carried us so far. (Speaking as a participant in VietNam, 1966-7.)
shareYou might want to remember that the Russian Army did most of the heavy lifting in defeating the Nazis. I hate to think of the carnage that would have resulted if the U.S. and our Allies had had to go up against the Germans in a one-front war. Your use of the phrase "kick Nazi butt" is a bit far-fetched, to say the least.
shareAwefully sorry about that...we were a bit busy supporting the War in the Pacific...
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
... like it or not, is still the Best Warrior in the world because he is a Child of Freedom.
Just remember how the Greeks defeated the Persians.
The American Citizen Soldier doesn't look much before the fanatical products of
"... the slave way which has always struck with a fury that seems irresistible."
(T.R.Fehrenbach "This Kind Of War")
But he gets the Job of Preserving Freedom done.
I'm getting a bit sick of this whole "FREEDOM" thing. The US does not stand for freedom. It stands for imperialism and oppression. We've supported more dictators than Carter has little liver pills. Vietnam was an abomination before God. August Pinoche was our crowning glory. Fulgencio Batista was another one (he gave us Fidel Castro. Thanks a lot!) And then we have the immoral (illegal?) invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq for no apparent reason (Oh, you say you want to start a 13-year war to catch and kill one guy? Brilliant!) Then we've got Abu Graib Prison and GITMO. Let's rethink this whole "freedom" thing, OK? Let's come back down to Earth and admit we haven't done one single decent thing since Battleground. Eisenhower warned us about the Military Industrial Complex, but we just didn't listen.
shareAwwwww-is Realpolitik gettin' ya down?...and how are Chile & South Korea now compared to Cuba & the Norks? Doesn't Robert Mugabe tickle your pickle anymore;
You can't always get a choice of dealing with Third World Scum(tm); Please....Tell us all about the Virgin Choirboys who you would like us to support.
Oh and Ike also said this:
n the same speech, he also said:
"Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction." and
"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development."
And he also warned us against letting policy on science to be shaped by a 'self described group of experts'.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." (Paul Simon, "The Boxer")
"He that is first will later be last." The Bible
"You will come to know when the bullet hits the bone." (Golden Earing)
Louis IV and Marie Antoinette had their heads chopped off by guillotine.
The Romanov Royal Family were executed in the basement of their mansion.
Benito Mussolini was shot and hung up by his heels over a public street.
Adolph Hitler committed suicide and is burned by gasoline in a shallow grave.
I would like for you all to support truth, justice, and human decency. Ever hear of it? The US does not represent these things.
You didn't answer the question, slick....and you got a warped idea of what constitutes justice & decency.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
I made the logical assumption that your badly-framed question was rhetorical. It was not compelling enough to elicit a retort. The great wheel is still in spin, so good luck. "He that is first will later be last."
shareThe sun rises; the sun sets; everything old is new again; What virgin choirboys of the Third World would you back?
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
As an American citizen, it is not my responsibility or duty to either "back" or not "back" any so-called Third World countries or their leaders. Apparently, self-determination is a concept that many (most?) Americans have difficulty coming to grips with - except when it comes to their own interests. Fascism, as espoused by its inventor, Benito Mussolini, has as its basis, the necessity of continually expanding one's own control over other countries and cultures while superimposing one's own systems in their place. As such, the US has become inherently fascist. I am not a fascist and do not support the US in its ongoing fascist foreign policies. (By the way, shouldn't we be repaying the Communist Chinese the $7-8 trillion we owe them? Man, the service on that debt is stifling!)
shareYou totally miss the point: You bitch like a petulant little girl about who the US supports in their foreign policy yet you offer no alternatives; You must have a preference in your ideal world...any non fascist bastards you think we should back?
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
No, I didn't miss the point you were trying to make. But again, your point was rhetorical and unworthy of a retort. You're looking to choose up sides and go to war. I am not. Every country has a right to choose its own path and leadership and shouldn't need to acquire the approval of the US. Let's not "support" or "back" anybody. Let's stay in our own backyard, mind our own business, and solve our own considerable problems. By the way, did you know that the People's Republic of Vietnam is one of our trading partners?
shareDon't get involved; OK that's a legit position to take; It will be like that soon enough as the ability & appetite of the US wanes. Of course with nobody around who can fill the need on a full time basis, I expect a rather large amount of chaos to ensue.
However, rather a lot of people simply don't like the US & will still 'pitch a bitch fit' if something happens & the US doesn't 'take action'; I do hope you aren't one of those types who complaines when the US doesn't take action in a particular foreign policy situation because then that would be two faced ass-hole-ery of the worst sort.
And yeah, The People's Republic of Vietnam is our trading partner & the Former South Viets still like us. I could indulge in good humor & say we should lose more wars.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
When you stop to consider that the US creates, and has created, most of the "chaos" in the world post-WWII, any future non-involvement is hardly an issue. When WWII was won, the automatic high-faucet flow of US tax dollars was SUDDENLY cut off from the Military Industrial Complex. Each and every new appropriations cycle had fed the beast. War is big money. Hence Korea. Then that flow got suddenly cut off. (Had to be careful not to let too many of the Draftees get slaughtered. This consideration represented a prudent limit to the war.) Then the BIG BONANZA came with Vietnam. The Backroom boys with the big cigars were in hog heaven. For ten years they managed to drag it out: Win and you win - lose and you win. And, in the end, they could blame the entire debacle on Jane Fonda. The stupid Vets still talk about her with venom. (Wonder how many lives she saved by taking her courageous stand?) After Nam, the bottom fell out of the appropriations tax money. War was now out and there was no way to get the war drums beating again. From 1972 until 2001 is a long time without those tax dollars (about 30 long cold hungry years in the backroom with no Cuban cigars to ease the pain.) Then the absolute worst human being in the history of the US was "magically" elected President (with a little boost from his brother down in Florida and another little boost from the US Supreme Court). And suddenly - again as if by magic - 911 occurred. Well, you can fill in the blanks from here. Phoney terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (watch "911 Mysteries" on youtube.com), immoral and "illegal" invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq, all-volunteer military, and voila! 13 years of war in the Middle East with no end in sight. They FINALLY figured the goodhearted American people out and made them their bitches. THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. And they're slathering at the bit to take the presidency in 2016. With all three parts of the government under their control, and the Patriot Act already in hand, doomsday is at hand. Be careful what you wish for, my friend.
shareNo; for better or for worse, when the 'policeman' leaves 'shyte happens'. And there is always a policeman, whether it's US, the British, the Romans, Macedonians or the Persians. Usually there is a 'smooth' transition from one power to the other but sometimes there are decades without somebody to stabilize.
Oh and this:
And suddenly - again as if by magic - 911 occurred. Well, you can fill in the blanks from here. Phoney terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (watch "911 Mysteries" on youtube.com)
Inside job eh? Why not destroy it with both buildings full of visitors & workers-a few hundred thousand people were in it on a daily basis. Why not have fifty thousand dead? A hundred thousand dead? If it was an 'inside job' why pull punches? But anyway: Sorry...you just showed your tinfoil. Bye now.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
share
You have a way with rhetorical questions. Why this and why that? What are you afraid to see? Why are you hiding behind your questions? And why go scurrying away at the first sign of trouble. You know the truth, but you're in an ongoing state of denial. Like the man said, "You can't handle the truth." When you deny the truth, you deny America. See you later, sucker. Good luck.
shareThe Cuban situation was not of our making. We didn't put Batista in power. When Castro was winning and Batista asked Ike for aid, Ike denied him. jingster6666 is either a liar or ignorant of history.
He calls the US imperialist. This is another lie. We've never been an empire. We've repeatedly offered Puerto Rico the chance to decide if they want independence, statehood or continue with the status quo. That is the opposite of imperialism.
Soy 'un hijo de la playa'
The bit of history you forget is that the USA crushed the Spanish in a war that lasted only months in 1898. We freed Cuba from Spanish domination in that war and let them go there own way in 1902. We made the Republic of the Philippines wait until 1946. We still own Puerto Rico and Guam. Guamanians are apparently happy to be a possession while retaining other rights of citizenship while the Puerto Ricans are divided over the three options: continued status as a possession, statehood, or independence.
You also seem to be completely disenchanted with the life that our supremacy in the world has provided you. I promise not to hold you back. As soon as you find this brave new world that you want to join, please go. They may even allow you access to the internet so you can share your vacuous opinions with us. You mentioned the bravery of the Russians (a tragedy created by Joseph Stalin because as a Georgian he had no regard for Russians, Ukrainians, or the eastern Slavs and Mongols). Go there for a couple of decades and see how great they are since we freed them from the shackles of communism.
Gee, Dannieboy, I wonder who will free us from the shackles of capitalism? We are NOT supreme in the world, we're a joke! Other cultures feel sorry for us: General poverty, lack of national healthcare (the only industrialized country in the world without it), divided against ourselves, dollar almost valueless, world credit rating substandard, $18 trillion in debt with $8 trillion owed to the Chinese Communists, manufacturing gone to other countries ("rust belt"), can't win in Afghanistan or Iraq, honoring snipers as heroes, disrespecting the President of the United States in favor of the leader of a sandbox country who hates us - - I'm getting kind of tired of typing.... Dannie, you've got the Stupid Disease, and there just ain't no cure. Why not join the other 21 Vets who commit suicide every single day due to their mis-deeds. If you had a brain you'd be dangerous.
sharejingster, you still haven't explained why you lied about the Cuban situation.
Is it because you have a hair across your ass regarding the USA?
Or is it because you can't be bothered to educate yourself regarding history?
By the way, isn't it true that Castro visited the USA after his takeover in 1959 and treated like a hero? So who then was responsible for relations between Cuba and the USA falling apart?
Soy 'un hijo de la playa'
Gee, Dannieboy, I wonder who will free us from the shackles of capitalism? We are NOT supreme in the world, we're a joke! Other cultures feel sorry for us: General poverty, lack of national healthcare (the only industrialized country in the world without it), Divided against ourselves, dollar almost valueless, world credit rating substandard, $18 trillion in debt with $8 trillion owed to the Chinese Communists, manufacturing gone to other countries ("rust belt"), can't win in Afghanistan or Iraq, honoring snipers as heroes, disrespecting the President of the United States in favor of the leader of a sandbox country who hates us - - I'm getting kind of tired of typing.... Dannie, you've got the Stupid Disease, and there just ain't no cure. Why not join the other 21 Vets who commit suicide every single day due to their mis-deeds. If you had a brain you'd be dangerous.
shareAnd, you, jingster cannot keep track of how often you write a post, much less history, economics, science, math, or any other of the academic arts.
You should invest in a soap box so you can rise on a street corner and sell your *stuff* to the homeless masses you care for so much. They might kill you in a drug or schizophrenic rage, but that is the risk that a visionary takes in advertising the word.
The only thing worse than a stupid *beep* is one with a vocabulary and an axe to grind against the country that makes his particular rants possible...if you are soooo upset with America, why don't you just leave? After reading your posts on this thread, it appears that you are ISIS material...GFY.
Meanwhile, to your earlier point, without the US being the global "police", the lack of that particular role will produce, worldwide, what is now occurring in Baltimore - unfettered malevolence on a scale not seen since the Mongol hordes.
@jingster6666 It's true that there is a hell of a lot wrong with the USA and it's certainly easy to catalogue it and demonize the entire country. However, your conclusions are rife with oversimplifications. America has done quite a lot for the rest of the world over the years. Sometimes it's a case of two steps forward and one step back, other times it's one step forward and two steps back. Right now we're probably more dysfunctional than we've been since the Civil War but the USA has a conscience that motivates so many of us to want to fix mistakes and make things better. It's a daily battle but one that is being fought. I'm not sure any other country has had our mindset coupled with our internal conflicts and position in the world. For that reason, I remain a long-term optimist.
share@robrosenthal1
Apparently you've not kept up with history or current world affairs, sir. America has done NOTHING for the rest of the world but bring dictators, povery, war, death, and destruction. Witness the two phony wars in Afghanistan and particularly Iraq. These are abominations in the sight of God, as was Korea and Vietnam. (Lt. Wm. Calley lives comfortably down in the state of Georgia). If you "remain a long-term optimist," then you are a hypocrite and a fool. The American flag is drenched in human blood. Do you find it so hard to come to grips with the fact that 911 was an inside job perpetrated by ultra-Right Wing elements of the US Government in behalf of the Military Industrial Complex? It's been going on over there in the Middle East for 15 years now, and each appropriations cycle these ghouls line up to reap the rewards of war. You're rediculous, sir.
Sure they are...why they just make Rwanda, The Former Yugoslavia & the Congo conflict pale in comparison....
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
@jingster6666 okay, now I get it. I started to get the idea where you're coming from with the "abominations in the sight of God" line but the 9/11 thing sealed it. You're delusional in multiple directions. Let me guess, the Holocaust is a hoax, right? And mankind never landed on the moon. If you think "America has done NOTHING for the rest of the world" then it is you who are the fool.
I'm not going to continue this pointless argument with a person who employs every logical fallacy known to man as his tactics. As Churchill said, "A fanatic is someone who can't change his mind and won't change the conversation." Oh, and why don't you invest in spell-check? You're spelling is ridiculous.
As a Scandinavian, I for one am greatly indebted to the USA for a lot of things. 400 000 of your young died to rid the world of two great evils, Nazism and Japanese Fascism, and bought freedom for millions of us, not least us in Europe. You further helped not only your allies but your beaten foes to get back on their feet after the war, and your troops guaranteed that the Communists would not dominate all of Europe. It was Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, so hated by the left, who broke the back of Communism and freed millions who were under their thumb. I often wonder at the self-hatred that seems to possess some Americans. Were it not for the USA, I shudder to think how history would have unfolded during the 1900s and even now.
shareHey as 'Jones'(Albert Popwell) from 'Firebase Gloria' said to R. Lee Ermey: "Hey there's a lot of stuff I don't like about my country, but what I do like, I like a lot".
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
Excuse me, Danny, but are you a member of the disco-dance, singing group "The Village People"?
shareYou don't like it, get the hell out.
Here, you get to hold any idiotic opinion that you want. You get to share that opinion with anybody, whether or not they care to hear it. That's a pretty good deal.
We got stuck in both world wars because of who we are and what we had become. Both times we were attacked. When we fought back none could stand before us. Why was that? Because the conflation of history made us the most powerful nation in the world. We were the only ones who profited from WW II because we were too far away to attack directly and more powerful economically than the rest of the world put together.
Now you and ever jackpot, self appointed expert in the world wants to declare that the Soviet Union was the great hero because Joe Stalin's grotesque stupidity was outweighed by Adolf Hitler's more grotesque stupidity.
Joe Stalin eliminated all of his experienced general officers over fear that they would try to overthrow him. He refused to believe that Adolf would violate his promise to be friends before it was convenient for Joe to attack Germany first. He sat on his haunches for weeks while the Germans advanced against no opposition.
The only thing that saved the Russians was that Adolf refused to stop Operation Sea Lion and focus on the Soviet Union. He started Operation Barbarossa six weeks later in the year than common sense dictated. If he had ignored Great Britain, depending on the U-Boats to cripple the country and reserved the Luftwaffe for use against Russia, and then invaded in late April instead of the first week of June, the Germans would have taken Stalingrad and Moscow in the first summer. The Russians would not be out of the war, but they would have to fight back from Siberia.
Then brilliant Adolf declared war on us, not the other way around.
America did not seek to become an empire, we became one by default due to our location and our economic system. We have never liked being an empire and our leaders have not performed well trying to think like emperors. They insist on believing that other world leaders are pragmatic and will think like we do. Maybe they will learn. Maybe you will learn, but probably not.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.
Mr. dannieboy20906,
the troll's tactics are just spurious & specious arguments ad nauseum.
Yawn. As if we haven't heard this a thousand times before from clowns like you who think they're so much more enlightened than us patriotic fools.
share