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?

[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.

[Ibby]

prettymuch, yes.

[Aliantha]

The only people who think the US is not imperial are US citizens, and not even all of them think that.

I find that very interesting.

What's so wrong with being imperial? The British did it for some time. Don't you want to be like the British?

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

The only people who think the US is not imperial are US citizens, and not even all of them think that.

I find that very interesting.

What's so wrong with being imperial? The British did it for some time. Don't you want to be like the British?

The most recent empires, those of the very undemocratic Soviets and the very undemocratic Communist Chinese, were more successful than I'd want any Communist to be at calling the U.S. names and making the world's naifs, fumblers, and fifth columnists (some in newspapers) believe it.

Consider the source, Aliantha -- I do. Then consider their converts, their shills. Perhaps they were too influenced by the despairing note struck by ex-commie Whittaker Chambers? Perhaps they were too taken in by the habit of thinking like a religion in thinking of communism? Garbage in, garbage out, isn't it?

Communism's got nothing to sell to humanity, and it should be humanity's business to reject it, even with Bombs. As in "The."

Sure, if communism is broken and cast upon the fire to be burned away from human political thought forever by peaceful means, I'm happy. If some part of it is torched by radioactive flame, the Rose of Sauron, I'm less happy -- nukes pollute -- but it's still acceptable to one who understands communism's horror. But no matter what, delenda est...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

The only people who think the US is not imperial are US citizens, and not even all of them think that.
I find that very interesting.

I find it interesting that you feel qualified to speak for 6,225,170,264 people, especially when giving an off-the-wall and unsupported opinion. :p

[yesman065]

We are even more like the British now. We got David Beckham now.

[Aliantha]

lol...lucky you. Between him and his wife, I'm not sure which is worse. I don't think either of them can read yet.