Do not Panic. Do not Run. Step calmly into your pre-prepared coffin.

[Vermillion]

Perhaps this is Bush Jr's attempt to create a 'Pax Americana' on the Augustan model.

We are in charge, and we are going to stop pretending we are not in charge, so sit up and brush your teeth or I will so put a Paveway LBG in your bathroom window.

Sadly, he does this at a time when the US 'global hegemony' in non-military terms, is at its weakest in years. The damage Bush has done to the US economy has ceased being just a left-wing talking point, and figured rather highly in both the departing words of the last Chair of the Federal Reserve, and the first words of the new one.

To my mind, the critical damage Bush Jr. has done to the US economy without once addressing the two primarch issues he faced when taking office (Medicare and Social security) will be what he is remembered for in decades to come...



Oh, and Hi all...

[Alki]

anyone got a picture of what bush had hoped the world map would look like by 2010, or something along those lines:|

[Radical Edward]

Originally Posted by Alki

anyone got a picture of what bush had hoped the world map would look like by 2010, or something along those lines:|

scorched black, accented with glowing green radioactive wastes, and trodden upon by two headed cows.

[Yahwe]

Originally Posted by Vermillion

Perhaps this is Bush Jr's attempt to create a 'Pax Americana' on the Augustan model.

We are in charge, and we are going to stop pretending we are not in charge,

Augustus' strength was that he always pretended that he wasn't in charge.

[Kaisto]

I wonder if Bush played alot of Duke Nukem back in the days...I see loads of similarities between that game and the shaping of their current politics.
I bet you he has Duke Nukem quotes on his bathroom wall

[dda]

The likelihood of America invading anyone during the rest of the Bush administration is nil to none. We haven't the troops to pull it off if we wanted to. The real threat is whether there will be some sort of massive air strike against everything in Iran that seems remotely atomic. I feel relatively certain that the US REALLY doesn't want the Iranians to become a nuclear power in the middle east. If this happens, the Israelis will not be controllable and the chance of a nuclear event will be greater than anytime since August 12, 1945.

[dda]

Originally Posted by demiGOD

as I get my anal raises

fixed

[dda]

Originally Posted by Toccata & Fugue

There was a pretty good chance of a nuclear war during that whole missile crisis thing, and lets not forget that the US has pretty much destroyed the non-proliferation treaty, and that hypocritical helping the Indians get nukes thing, that was a good idea too.

I am more worried about the US then Israel in terms of threats to the Middle East, you know because they keep attacking it.

I really don't understand why there isn't greater concern about the possibility that a terrorism exporting state, such as Iran, who clearly does not need nuclear power, will wind up with the capability to put suitcase bombs in the hands of jihadists.

What would be the English reaction if the next jihadist on the tube set off a nuclear device taking out several hundred thousand people? Do you think that they would hesitate if they had the capability? Do you think the government of Iran would hesitate to pass on neuclear weaponry? Are you willing to take the chance?

[s|k]

Originally Posted by Toccata & Fugue

Well I don't understand why there isn't a greater concern about a terrorism exporting state such as the USA, who clearly does not need more power around the world, threatening some states and all the while increasing its own nuclear capacity and that of its allies under a unilateralist doctrine.

But there we are, its all a big mystery.

The USA isn't going to put a nuclear device on a train though...no, your comparison isn't fair, because we're much more likely to just drop it out of the sky on your head. But not on any civilian population, because we have never dropped bombs, nculear bombs or firebombs, or napalm, on civilian populations, ever.

[NEWSBOT3]

Originally Posted by s|k

The USA isn't going to put a nuclear device on a train though...no, your comparison isn't fair, because we're much more likely to just drop it out of the sky on your head. But not on any civilian population, because we have never dropped bombs, nculear bombs or firebombs, or napalm, on civilian populations, ever.

lol world war 2 lol

[s|k]

Originally Posted by NEWSBOT3

lol world war 2 lol

Well what many people don't know about the atomic bombs used in WWII is that they were discriminatory atomic bombs, a highly secret technology. Basically what it did was it could discriminate children from adults. No children died in Nagasaki or Hiroshima! No when the bombs dropped the various kids in the day care centers, school, and in their homes were magically encapsulated with a radiation blast force field and saved from harm. Tens of thousands of children were saved. Thank goodness because it's terribly inconvenient to die while learning your basic Kanji and listening to stories of Momotaro. Unfortunately, the technology could not protect the elderly, those in nursing homes were not saved. But anyways, just another example of USA's 'benign' superpower.

[lokken]

Originally Posted by furball

Cassandra could see this sort of thing. She was ignored.

I sense a theme here.

Clearly only cassandra can stop the world police!

[Yahwe]

Originally Posted by dda

I really don't understand why there isn't greater concern about the possibility that a terrorism exporting state, such as Iran, who clearly does not need nuclear power, will wind up with the capability to put suitcase bombs in the hands of jihadists.

What would be the English reaction if the next jihadist on the tube set off a nuclear device taking out several hundred thousand people? Do you think that they would hesitate if they had the capability? Do you think the government of Iran would hesitate to pass on neuclear weaponry? Are you willing to take the chance?

there is no 'greater' concern.

let me be frank. I do not sleep well knowing that america has nuclear weapons.

the idea that a jihadist might detonate a nuclear weapon in london is terrifying.

But my friend, I fear your government more.

America has nuclear technology. Iran does not. To be fair France has nuclear technology. Iran does not.

This emotive idea that america should be allowed carte blanche to invade whomever it wants is a disasterous absurdity.

there is a lot of fear-mongering going on. Bush is a demigogue himself.

As an adult i no longer jump at shadows. As an educated adult I no longer believe tripe. Iran is no threat to Britain. Iran will never be a threat to Britain. There is only one nation who has shown itself willing to use nuclear weapons...

[Vermillion]

Originally Posted by Yahwe

As an adult i no longer jump at shadows. As an educated adult I no longer believe tripe. Iran is no threat to Britain. Iran will never be a threat to Britain. There is only one nation who has shown itself willing to use nuclear weapons...

Lord knows why I am taking a position here which might be seen as defence of Bush Jr, for whom I have an actrive dislike, but I'm not entirely sure that is fair.

I don't like Bush, but he does not frighten me because I am not American, and thus it is not MY civil liberties which are being chipped away at, it is not my state that is turning more Orwellian month by month. The actions of Bush have made HIS state more of a target for the world's fanatics (though to be fair, it was already) not mine.

I have no fear whatsoever of Bush Jr randomly uncorking nuclear weapons. He is incompetent, a bit slow, and of questionable (to be generous) morals, but to start lobbing nukes around one would have to be certifiable.

And besides, it is I fear a bit trite to say that the US is the only country which has a history of using nukes: it is true, the two war-ending nukes are the only time nuclear weapons have ever been deployed in anger, but let us be fair for a moment:
-Had another allied nation developed the bomb, and been in the same situation, they would almost certainly have used it, had a nation on the Axis side developed the bomb they absolutely would have used it, so really you are denegrating the US for technical achievement of being the first past the post, not much else.
-More importantly, I think in the many decades SINCE those two bombs, the US has shown a remarkable restraint in using nukes, when other countries might have. Leader after leader who were willing to be hawks or interventionist or violent always refused to consider nukes. Kennedy who had tried to invade Cuba bent over backwards to avoid the posibility of their use. Eisenhower refused to allow nuclear weapon yeilds and effects to be disclosed to his Chiefs of Staff because he did not even want them PLANNING for nuclear use.

I'm not afraid of Bush pressing the button, Its just not going to happen, unless somebody deploys nukes against the US, and even then I'm not sure a nuclear response would be automatic, depending on the situation.

Thats not to defend him in other areas, he is obviously not above the ill-advised and ill-planned use of conventional military intervention willy-nilly, and bankrupting his nation to do so...

[Dace]

Originally Posted by Vermillion

I don't like Bush, but he does not frighten me because I am not American, and thus it is not MY civil liberties which are being chipped away at, it is not my state that is turning more Orwellian month by month.

i thought you lived in the UK tho :confused:

[QazokRouge5]

If the US took over the world, you would all be better off. Look at how happy we are. Don't you people want to be happy like us?

[Ste]

Originally Posted by QazokRouge5

If the US took over the world, you would all be better off. Look at how happy we are. Don't you people want to be happy like us?

I don't want to be that fat and stupid

[Vermillion]

Originally Posted by Dace

i thought you lived in the UK tho

I do, but the moment this state starts following along the footsteps of the US along the same levels, I can always flee back to Canada.

besides, at the moment, and for the next 2 months, I am in France doing some primary research for a publication...

[JonnyBGood]

Originally Posted by Vermillion

besides, at the moment, and for the next 2 months, I am in France doing some primary research for a publication...

great french military victories am i rite oh wait i am not silly me whatever was i thinking

[Dace]

Originally Posted by Vermillion

I do, but the moment this state starts following along the footsteps of the US along the same levels, I can always flee back to Canada.

fleeing comences in 5, 4, 3, 2 etc

[dda]

Someone in France who will run. Shocker!

[Dace]

Originally Posted by dda

Someone in France who will run. Shocker!

apparantly the French have the best natural directional sense of any nation in the world

it's all to do with them running away when attacked

those who didn't know which direction was "away" didnt contribute to the gene pool no more

[_RATM_]

Originally Posted by Dace

apparantly the French have the best natural directional sense of any nation in the world

it's all to do with them running away when attacked

those who didn't know which direction was "away" didnt contribute to the gene pool no more

Dace is Ace.