I've got a problem with the Europe statement

Post #33,077 by wharris2 3/21/02 8:17:09 PM Reply	I've got a problem with the Europe statement What "missions" do we have in Europe? With Russian invasion fears being, at least barring a coup, a thing of the past, the Balkans? That's Europe's problem and should have been from the start. You want peacekeeping? Fine, EU, keep the peace. But we don't need to be there at this particular point in time. The Pacific and Asia, I think, are legitimate arguments, with China and Korea both doing some sword-rattling. The commanders themselves may be exhibiting bad hand-wringing cover-their-asses judgement about Iraq. Last time, we had a massive troop buildup, but it turned out the oh-so-powerful Iraqi army was a bunch of over-hyped, under-equipped, downright cowardly incapable pansies. And I seem to remember hearing something about how Afghanistan was going to cost rivers of American blood. Well, gee, we've had a couple of choppers taken down by the enemy, but haven't we had more losses due to friendly fire than to the AlQuada? "I didn't know you could drive to Europe." -- An eavesdropper, piping in when he overheard a conversation about someone who had driven to Montreal.
Post #33,147 by marlowe 3/22/02 11:41:05 AM Reply	Balkan situation is only stable while pressure is applied. Thus it has always been. Neither the Serbs not the Bosnian Muslims know how to play well with others. Shove democracy down their throats and wait a generation or two. Nothing short of that will cure them. We've already started to see some real attempts at democracy thereabouts, but it will take a while to take hold. In the meantime, apply pressure to the wound. Arguably, European nations should be applying the pressure and footing the bill. The mess is in their back yard, after all. But they're too busy whining about those ugly Americans to actually do much of anything. [link\|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/index.html\|http://www.angelfir...e/index.html] Truth is that which is the case. Accept no substitutes. If competence is considered "hubris" then may I and my country always be as "arrogant" as we can possibly manage.
Post #33,150 by Brandioch 3/22/02 11:49:00 AM Reply	You complain, but offer no rational. >WHY< is it >OUR< job to handle >EUROPE'S< problem? Just because they whine about ugly Americans? So, we have to risk our lives cleaning up someone else's mess if someone else is willing to whine about us? Dude, that's pathetic even by your standards.
Post #33,174 by wharris2 3/22/02 2:30:09 PM Reply	Re: Balkan situation is only stable while pressure is applie But they're too busy whining about those ugly Americans to actually do much of anything. Another reason to feed them their own home-built shit. We've saved Europe twice (you can argue about how much our involvement in WW1, but no question that we did contribute there - but there's no question we won WW2), yet they seem to be ever increasingly anti-American. France, in particular, has anti-Americanism up their collective butts. Next time Germany or anyone else invades you, suck it up, you deserve it. Me, I'd apply the same to the House of Saudi and our other so-called allies in the mideast. Kuwait? You don't like us? OK. (withdraw all troops). Saudi Arabia? People celebrating in the streets at the bombing of the World Trade Center? OK, withdraw all troops, or, as Jerry Pournelle suggests, raze the ground upon which any such celebration occurred, salt it, and make a monument visible from orbit. Sadaam Hussein, we don't like you, but this time, we don't mind too terribly much if you move in on the area. I'm getting a bit tired of political expediency. If your citizens hate us, with state-supported publications egging them on, then you don't deserve our support. The hell with you, Egypt, Saudi, Kuwait. We have one true ally in the Mideast. Israel, like it or not. "I didn't know you could drive to Europe." -- An eavesdropper, piping in when he overheard a conversation about someone who had driven to Montreal.
Post #33,194 by Simon_Jester 3/22/02 5:56:29 PM Reply	Interesting... We have one true ally in the Mideast. Israel, like it or not. Hmm...hasn't Israel spied on us and (to be frank) stolen Nuke technology from us? (They ain't that great an ally.) (And there is a strong history of Saudia Arabian support for the US.)
Post #33,195 by wharris2 3/22/02 6:01:40 PM Reply	Re: Interesting... Most (all?) of the people who bombed the World Trade Center were Saudis. The House of Saudi has financed the AlQuada heavily. These are our friends? Israel has spied on us, true. (Smack'em for that.) But they haven't poured money on terrorist organizations. "I didn't know you could drive to Europe." -- An eavesdropper, piping in when he overheard a conversation about someone who had driven to Montreal.
Post #33,209 by a6l6e6x 3/22/02 9:13:44 PM Reply	And don'r forget the USS Liberty in 1967! In 1967 Israel deliberately (i.e. no mistake) attacked the [link\|http://home.cfl.rr.com/gidusko/liberty/\|USS Liberty] a US Navy intelligence ship. Alex "Never express yourself more clearly than you think." -- Neils Bohr (1885-1962)
Post #33,233 by marlowe 3/23/02 11:34:39 AM Reply	Beggars can't be choosers There aren't a lot of democracies to choose from in the Middle East. In fact, unless you count the region of Anatolia as part of the Middle East, there probably aren't any besides Israel. We must make do with what we have. [link\|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/index.html\|http://www.angelfir...e/index.html] Truth is that which is the case. Accept no substitutes. If competence is considered "hubris" then may I and my country always be as "arrogant" as we can possibly manage.
Post #33,236 by Brandioch 3/23/02 12:44:12 PM Reply	Is that why we hosted the Taliban, in Texas, in 1997.... but they are a terribly fundamentalist repressive threat to our security in 2001? BTW, did you see how they treat their women? So we'll find an ally in a group that has executed 3000 prisoners in the past. We must make do with what we have. Fascinating. Truly fascinating. I mean, it would be hard to imagine us doing anything worse than what we've done. To quote your sig back at you. If competence is considered "hubris" then may I and my country always be as "arrogant" as we can possibly manage. I see "hubris" and "arrogant" but I don't see "competence" in this little history. Maybe you might try replacing "competence" with "ignorance" in your sig.

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