Saddam to Swing

[yesman065]

Bruce, so what you're saying is we did just enough to get the help we needed, but still left the locals to decide whatever they wanted instead of going in and completely taking over a country and making them do whatever we wanted? Like we got the support we needed without destroying what individuality they had?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by yesman065

Bruce, so what you're saying is we did just enough to get the help we needed, but still left the locals to decide whatever they wanted instead of going in and completely taking over a country and making them do whatever we wanted? Like we got the support we needed without destroying what individuality they had?

Yeah, we didn't want more territory or people to become part of our family. We just wanted to use their island to support our Navy, and supply materiels/labor that we would willingly pay for. Do what you want but don't interfere with out operations.

The fly in the ointment is Americans, being Americans, got involved with the natives on a personal basis. The lives of many of the natives and our military/support people got very intertwined and codependent. And you know, breaking up is hard to do.

[yesman065]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Yeah, we didn't want more territory or people to become part of our family. We just wanted to use their island to support our Navy, and supply materials/labor that we would willingly pay for. Do what you want but don't interfere with out operations.

The fly in the ointment is Americans, being Americans, got involved with the natives on a personal basis. The lives of many of the natives and our military/support people got very intertwined and codependent. And you know, breaking up is hard to do.

Is that a bad thing?? This sounds a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Originally Posted by Undertoad

The only people willing to indulge in random US bashing for fun are not from the US.

Some things never change - Everyone else wants to bash the US, but answer me this - Who does EVERYONE call when they want something, need help, have a problem or a natural disaster strikes??? The US and we help every freakin one of them every freakin time!

[JayMcGee]

Originally Posted by yesman065

Some things never change - Everyone else wants to bash the US, but answer me this - Who does EVERYONE call when they want something, need help, have a problem or a natural disaster strikes??? The US and we help every freakin one of them every freakin time!

mmmmm...... like you helped in Bhopal? or after the Exxon Valdiz?

Thats the face of American Imperialism that is so despised around the globe..... the 'anything for a dollar more' ethos that relegates human vaues to the accountants spread-sheet.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Just how am I or the United States of America responsible for Bhopal?

The Exxon Valdez was an accident by an individual working for a private corporation using world standard procedures to do the job. They also paid billions to clean up. But that said how does that reflect on me or the country.

You Brits have done as much as anyone to dirty the oceans, and killed a hell of a lot more Indians than any chemical company. :p

[yesman065]

Originally Posted by JayMcGee

Thats the face of American Imperialism that is so despised around the globe..... the 'anything for a dollar more' ethos that relegates human values to the accountants spread-sheet.

Perhaps we should take all the money and build a freakin wall around our shit and let the rest of the world deal with their own problems. Would that satisfy you?

Originally Posted by yesman065

Is that a bad thing?? This sounds a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Some things never change - Everyone else wants to bash the US, but answer me this - Who does EVERYONE call when they want something, need help, have a problem or a natural disaster strikes??? The US and we help every freakin one of them every freakin time!

True, and when four hurricanes hit my house and the rest of FL I never saw other nations doing squat to help... but they sure like to bitch, all the while they use our technology, send their kids to school here, come here for meds and surgery, ask our military (that is so evil) to bail theirs out at every turn, etc, etc, etc...
If we are so evil, don't use our agricultural, pharmaceutical, medical, engineering, textile, military technology, don't come here for your education and heart surgery, don't use US dollars to save or invest, don't buy US goods, don't use US ships or military goods, don't ask us to protect you when the UN drags it's sweet ass or won't help you or our support in the UN, don't-don't-don't, because if we are the bad guys, you don't want any damn thing to do with us... so put-up or shut-up.
Bunch of spoiled-ass teenagers bitching up a storm until allowance time or they need to use the car time rolls around.
Then their ass is entitled... we need to take care of our own first, no one gets help who does not vote US interests in the UN and no one gets help until the US hungry and homeless gets taken care of first.
We need to pull out of the Middle East and let them have at it, remember, that is what the terrorists say they want. See how happy they will be when it really happens.

[tw]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

True, and when four hurricanes hit my house and the rest of FL I never saw other nations doing squat to help...

Again too much Fox News hyperbias. When Katrina hit New Orleans, the French, British, Mexican, and numerous Caribbean nations immediately offered assistance. Many had equipment immediately available that was desperately needed in New Orlean. The American government refused to permit any to help. Why did Fox News forget to mention that? Something about the pride of a president is more important than lives in New Orleans?

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by tw

Again too much Fox News hyperbias. When Katrina hit New Orleans, the French, British, Mexican, and numerous Caribbean nations immediately offered assistance. Many had equipment immediately available that was desperately needed in New Orlean. The American government refused to permit any to help. Why did Fox News forget to mention that? Something about the pride of a president is more important than lives in New Orleans?

Can you give a link to that or some proof?

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Can you give a link to that or some proof?

Wow, look at alllll that aid refusal.

The United Kingdom dispatched 500,000 ration packs worth EUR 3 million, to the region. However, many of the ration packs did not reach victims due to laws regarding mad cow disease[29]. It also offered medical experts, Urban Search and Rescue equipment, Marine engineers and high-volume pumps, skilled personnel including engineers who could support recovery efforts for installations and systems, technicians, staff trained in disaster management and emergency response activities. It also pledged to release an extra 2.2 million barrels of oil.

Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas received almost 196 Mexican troops, 14 truckloads of water, a mobile surgical unit, 45 military vehicles, 3 tons of purified water, and more than 250 tons of food, bottled water, canned food, disposable diapers and medical supplies. The Mexican Government sent $1 million through the Mexican Red Cross which collected an additional million, as well as 200 tons of food delivered in five airplanes from the Mexican Air Force by another Mexican Government body. The Mexican Navy sent two ships, 385 troopers, eight all-terrain vehicles, seven amphibious vehicles, two tankers, two helicopters, radio communication equipment, medical personnel and 296 tons of food as well.

Oh, wait, here's some refusal!

France - Concrete help was refused by the government initially

...but then...

on September 2, Condoleezza Rice said that the US authorities would assess the situation and contact French authorities accordingly. On September 4, US authorities formally requested French assistance. France offered disaster relief stocks prepositioned in Martinique (600 tents, around 1000 beds, 60 electrogenic groups, 3 pumps, 3 water purification stations, 1000 folding jerricanes and other material). A 35-person team of the Sécurité civile (Civil defence) from Guadeloupe and Martinique were made ready, and a 60-man "catastrophe intervention" aeromobile detachment were prepared to be ferried from mainland in a short time. The Ministry of Defence offered 2 planes already in the zone and 6 more from mainland France, and two ships of the French Navy (probably the BATRAL Francis Garnier or Champlain, and the frigate Ventôse) and a 20-person team of emergency medical specialists. The non-governmental organisation Télécoms sans frontières and the company Véolia environnement offered aid in communications and water management, respectively. On September 7, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs stated that an Airbus Beluga from Toulouse with 12,7 tonnes of supplies flew to Mobile, Alabama, after a brief stop in the UK to load more food.[8] Two Casa airplanes from Martinique landed in Little Rock, Arkansas, ferrying tents, covers and 1000 rations of food for 24 hours.

What a crock of shit.

[tw]

Originally Posted by yesman065

Who does EVERYONE call when they want something, need help, have a problem or a natural disaster strikes???

So who did respond to Liberia's call (a country created by Americans) when they recently needed from a military massacre? Not the US. So who rescued hundreds of Americans recently in Ivory Coast? Not the US. Why did the entire USS Lincoln task force sit nearby in Hong Kong for five days - never moved - as people were dying after a tsunami and after the world had been providing assistance? Who rescued so many Americans in Tehran when fanatics overran the US embassy? Whose army is so overtaxed due to so many humanitarian missions all over the world? Not the US. Who provided the Russians with necessary rescue equipment when their training submarine was trapped beneath the Pacific (as Americans argued for hours how to transport rescue equipment). Who had to be called to transport the USS Cole back to America for repair? And who paid for the rescue of Kuwait? Who bent over backwards to transport Seventh Corp to Saudi Arabia?

If you think only America does all these things, then your news sources sound too much like those liars over at Fox.