Ali Al-Haidari knew the risks – but chose to continue to govern because he saw the light of what Iraq could become. Ali Al Haidari missed those first free elections later that month, but his memory and his sacrifice will live on in me, ... an evil dictator who threatens international peace and security, like Saddam Hussein, or to deal with a direct threat or aggression against one's own country, as the US had to after 9/11 and we did in 1982 in the Falkland Islands. ...A high court judge was persuaded that the flight might be unlawful because the route and destination were unknown and Iraq is a highly unstable country, as the appalling recent bomb attacks and interviews with those who did return to Iraq vividly .... Tony Blair's upcoming appearance at the Inquiry has taken centre stage, with his actions on Iraq threatening his bid to become the first EU president. While Blair won't face prosecution in this Inquiry for launching the war, ...And if Pelosi is really concerned as third in charge of our Country, wouldn't she force the lone ranger president to be responsible to the vary Constitution of our Nation? I mean if she was really concerned with America? Congress didn't approve the take over of GM. Why not? ... Lets get it done with as much fervor as we did Iraq so we can bring our kids home in one piece… if Pelosi was REALLY concerned for our welfare, shouldn't that be a top priority? ...Qassim Abdul-Zahra (AP) reports that KRG President Massoud Barzani "demanded" today that Kirkuk become a part of the Kurdistan Region. Kirkuk is disputed territory due to Saddam Hussein forcing Kurds out of the region during his reign. .... Iraq is a signatory to a number of non-proliferation treaties that were -- that were imposed after the invasion and which a number of yellow cake vials did, in fact, go missing. There are some contaminets out here in the Iraqi ...As dependence on the government in everything dysfunctional to the country's progress to the form that everyone aspires to. , On the one side the other hand, the government and economists were not surprised by the global economic crisis .... except in Cuba have been a simple theory of capital or investment, a commonly held theory and there are ideas not amount to the level of theory did not take its application, and that Iraq could become the formulation of his theory of ...The hope is that Iraq will become something like Colombia during the most violent phase of its civil war: a country that controls its borders and that can contain lawlessness and violence just enough to prevent it from overwhelming the ...Baluchistan should become a country and get parts of Pakistan and Iran. Iran should get Shia Iraq. Kurdistan should become a country with territory from Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Gaza should go Egypt and parts of the West Bank and Arab ...... peace to a shattered country. Violence in the country has dropped dramatically in recent years, but the new attacks in areas that are supposed to be some of the safest in the capital have undermined Iraqis' sense of security. ... Next to Sunni-Shiite tensions in Iraq, the issue of Kirkuk and Kurdish-Arab disputes has become a key flashpoint in this fragile nation. A political deadlock now could delay the elections and open the way for new violence and instability. ...Strauss, a man whom Rieff would call an “ex-Jew,” remarked upon Tocqueville about as sparingly as did Rieff himself. But Jewish intellectuals driven to admit that the fate of America, not Europe, had to concern them most — and both Rieff and Strauss did ... Irving Kristol was an intelligent, reasonably decent man whose hysteria about the counterculture led him to champion policies that have crippled the dollar and given the country no-win wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. [. ..."Counterinsurgency" has become the new American way of war. A once obscure theory of internal conflict, it has become ubiquitous in military circles and dominates thinking on both current and future wars. ... The surge narrative ignores these complexities and diverts attention from the point that Afghanistan is a country, not a nation. Our perceived success in Iraq has created a natural tendency to define all of our problems as insurgencies, since we now believe we have ...
I don't understand what the Europeans like about him... The way he dragged us into Iraq? Buggered up our economy? Or walked out when it got too tough for him? If he didn't have the capacity to run a country covering 200,000 square kilometres & 60 million people, why is he fit to run the European Union?
I heard its extremely dangerous and its more dangerous than Iraq?
Brazilian say that Brazil is rich and is civilised but how is that so? Brazil is actually dirt poor because they have more murders than Iraq.
Also I come from Iran but i know that Iran is richer and safter than Brazil although USA needs to invade my country. USA needs to invade us and take out Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and to liberate us.
Obama is not good for world because he only cares about USA. Bush cared about Iraqis and other people as he is a godly man. He cares about all people. Brazil is not rich enough to feeds its poor. Why dont they become part of the USA?
WASHINGTON -- A former Marine who fought in Iraq, joined the State Department after leaving the military and was a diplomat in a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan has become the first U.S. official to resign in protest of the Afghan war, the Washington Post reported early Tuesday.
Matthew Hoh, who describes himself as "not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love," said he believes the war is simply fueling the insurgency.
"I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan," Hoh wrote in his resignation letter, dated Sept. 10 but published early Tuesday. "I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end."
The move sent ripples all the way to the White House, the paper said, where officials immediately appealed for him to stay out of fear he could become a leading critic.
U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry brought him to Kabul and offered him a job on his senior embassy staff, but Hoh declined. He then flew home and met with Richard Holbrooke, the administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Holbrooke told the Post he disagreed that the war "wasn't worth the fight," but did agree with much of Hoh's analysis.
"We took his letter very seriously, because he was a good officer," Holbrooke said in an interview with the newspaper. "We all thought that given how serious his letter was, how much commitment there was, and his prior track record, we should pay close attention to him."
The revelation comes as President Obama pledged on Monday not to "rush the solemn decision" to send more troops to battle in Afghanistan as he weighs military options on what to do next in the troubled war.
The administration is debating whether to send tens of thousands more troops to the country, while the Afghan government is moving to hold a Nov. 7 runoff election between President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah. The runoff comes after complaints by international monitors of fraudulent voting in the first election.
ABC News, citing unnamed sources, reported Monday evening that Obama will likely announce his decision for Afghanistan between that nation's runoff presidential election on Nov. 7, and the president's departure for Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 11.
"I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary," Obama told service men and women at Naval Air Station Jacksonville on Monday. He promised a "clear mission" with defined goals and the equipment needed to get the job done.
Obama, who is in the process of weighing options put forward by the Pentagon that include various levels of increased troops, spoke of the latest example of the dangers and sacrifices there -- helicopter crashes that killed 14 Americans in the deadliest day for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in more than four years.
Which one would be good? Pick one.
1: The United States must remain in Iraq. We have a responsibility to support the Iraqi regime and help the country become more stable.
2: The United States must remain in Iraq. If we withdraw, the Middle East will become more dangerous and unstable.
3: The United States must withdraw from Iraq. Our military strength is diminishing as the war drags on.
4: The United States must withdraw from Iraq. The war costs too much money and sacrifices too many lives. We are risking our soldiers' lives unnecessarily.
Thanks.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Not Another Alibi - Obama's Dithering Must End
Oliver North
PIERRE, S.D.
It's already the front edge of winter in America's Great Plains. Here, where the air is clear and crisp, there is a passion for walking behind a good dog while hunting pheasants and a good "alibi" for missing a fast-flying bird is an art form.
"It was too low for a good shot" or "I didn't want to hit the dog" will get the tale-teller extra credit for "prudence" - once or twice.
But if creative excuses exceed the number of birds brought home for dinner, a hunter soon loses the respect of his peers. Even the dogs recognize someone who is better at spinning yarns than bagging game.
That's President Obama's problem with the fight in Afghanistan. He hasn't been willing or able to pull the trigger on a decision about what to do - and now he's running out of alibis.
During his quest for the presidency, Mr. Obama repeatedly referred to the campaign against the remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban as the "central front in the war on terror" and Afghanistan as "the necessary war."
In July 2008, he pledged, "I will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan and use this commitment to seek greater contributions - with fewer restrictions - from NATO allies. I will focus on training Afghan security forces and supporting an Afghan judiciary. I will once and for all dismantle al Qaeda and the Taliban." All these things still need to be done. But they haven't been. Instead, all we have are excuses.
By the time Mr. Obama made his March 27 decision to increase the "U.S. troop ceiling" in Afghanistan to 68,000, Taliban insurgents were flooding into the country from safe havens in neighboring Pakistan.
In May, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the president's handpicked field commander, was dispatched to Afghanistan to implement the O-Team's previously announced "counterinsurgency strategy." Though the previously authorized U.S. force levels have yet to be achieved, we were subsequently told by the White House that there would be no further increases in American force levels until Gen. McChrystal completed a "detailed assessment of the situation."
On Aug. 20, in the midst of a dramatic spike in U.S. and allied casualties and widespread Taliban threats of reprisals against those who went to the polls, Afghanistan held a nationwide presidential election - only the second such vote in history. Ten days later, while Washington dithered over reports of ballot fraud in the Afghan election, Gen. McChrystal submitted his 66-page assessment.
The document promptly disappeared - along with recommendations on what it will take to win - until a slightly redacted version of the report was published by The Washington Post on Sept. 21.
The subsequent furor on Capitol Hill finally prompted the O-Team to convene a series of National Security Council meetings for a "re-evaluation of our Afghanistan policy" and to "devise an effective strategy."
Instead of ordering Gen. McChrystal to Washington to testify before the House and Senate Armed Services committees about his estimate of the situation in Afghanistan, he was publicly rebuked for giving previously authorized press interviews and a speech to a security think tank London.
Since then, administration spokesmen, talking on and off the record, have constantly informed us that Mr. Obama simply cannot be rushed into a decision on our commitment in Afghanistan.
On Oct. 18, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said a determination on additional troops and resources depended on "whether, in fact, there's an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that the U.S. troops would create and become a true partner in governing the Afghan country." Hopefully, Mr. Emanuel misspoke and did not mean to imply the U.S. was going to be a "partner" in governing Afghanistan. That would be a terrible mistake.
But if he means decisions on Afghanistan will be postponed until after the final outcome of the Nov. 7, runoff between Hamid Karzai and his opponent Abdullah Abdullah, that's nearly as bad.
The Taliban won't wait. Pakistan's current military offensive against radical Islamists in the mountainous Waziristan tribal region has forced thousands of insurgents to seek refuge closer to the border and in Afghanistan.
Had the Obama administration decided months - or even weeks ago to provide additional troops, mobility assets and resources for Gen. McChrystal, many Taliban fighters might well have decided to call it quits. That's precisely what precipitated the "Awakening" in Iraq after President George W. Bush ordered a "surge" in late 2006.
The Obama administration has nothing to gain from further delay. The president's approval rating is now below 30 percent in some nationwide polling. Winter's hardship and privation are about to visit everyone in the wind-swept shadows of the Hindu Kush - soldier and civilian alike.
The Af
I became the first moron and the second son of a President to ever become President. I became the first President in history to spend the US into complete oblivion by invading Iraq and wasting a trillion dollars and thousands of American lives chasing mythical WMD. Put this country so far in debt. Grandkids,will have Grandkids
trying to pay it off. I became the first President to set out to completely harm Seniors in this country. By stealing money from their Medical Programs to pay for malcontents and losers that didn't want to contribute on their own. I became the first President whose only governing experience was running Texas to screw our allies straight into the ground like a rail spike. I became the first president to ever bow to a Arab king and kiss his
*** when I visited King Fahd back in 2006.
I became the first President to fill my cabinet with incompetent bozos and idiots like Rumsfeld and Cheney and Condoleezza Rice.
Damn am I good or what.
Rush Limpballs does meet the level on the bar, to all of your points you have
made. Shame isn't it. Hear finally the sheep thought they were going
to get a leader that completely had their best interest at heart.
Yeah right.
Edit. looks like little texas moe has messed up his attends
again. Poor thing. thanks for the rant Moe. Glad to see you
got an account back again. We really didn't miss your BS.
But it is America and those without a brain have a place in
it. ASSUMPTIONS JOE they will kill you everytime. And
you are living proof of that.
About me: Certifiable Lunatic.
Browny Troop. 1963 to 1967. Girl Scouts. 2044th Den. Hq Girl Scouts Communications center.
1974th Comm Grp, Girl Scouts Fighter wing
Hq. Command Post. Comm Center Korat Girl Scout Troop
Thailand
State Police Officer from 1968 to 1988.
Deputy Sheriff 1990 to 2000.
Education school of hard knocks.
There are were 4 brothers in my family. two of them have been on this service for over 2 years
Huge Areola. And One you knew as Chief Girl Scout.
We Buried the Sgt/Maj at Arlington National
cemetary 9 days ago. He was given a great
send off. All of us whom are still alive carry
his tradition forward for loving America and
defending it. All of us have served in one form
of service or another. Either Military or Law
Enforcement.
As American Indians we have a long tradition
in family and what it means. For those that
understand our way of life. Their needs to be
no explination. Rest in Peace my brother.
We will meet in Hell
ive looked everywhere for this question but all it talks about is who will rule what . i need this for my projects so please answer it.
any suggestions?
btw, ths is like a short lil memoir....
The rough, bitter smell of my dad’s BDU’s wrapped itself around my nostrils--dawdling, lingering, taking its own sweet time around my face. I breathe deeply, trying to preserve the smell forever in my mind. I have no idea what is going on, but I have a feeling that it’s not good. My dad delicately peels my determined arms away from his body before I have time to notice. With a small wave of his hand, the final good-bye, he slowly marches off towards his terminal—not once looking back. Now I know --if he had, I would have seen him cry.
Hurt and confused, I clutch my mother’s hand. I look up at her, the question of Where’s daddy going? on the tip of my tongue. A small drop of water falls on my new dress. Then another. Then another. All thoughts about my dad drain away as my mind concentrates on finding the source. I gasp in utter horror as I realize--my mother’s face is leaking! Big, horrible, nasty, drops of salty water pouring down her face! My poor mommy has a broken face. I want to cry out to her, but it is impossible. I am too terror-stricken to speak.
I stumble along next to my busted-faced mother, barely conscious of what’s happening around me as we make our way to the car. Your dad is doing his duty for the country. We should be proud of him. So let’s dry our tears, shall we? He’ll be okay. my mom reassures me. But her words just make it worse. Because I thought I understood. My father doesn’t love me or my mother. He left us just when we needed him the most—when my mother busted her face and leaked out water. And the anger snake bit me, seeping its hatred-poison into my veins.
But somehow, my mother knew what was going on with me. She understood exactly how I was feeling and gave me an outlet—Moonlight Sonata, a piece by Beethoven. Without a word, she took me to the music store and bought me a keyboard. And my amzing mother taught me how to use my long fingers to animate the piano that day. After all of that awful poison had been sucked out of my system, she explained to me about my dad. He’s such a good nurse, that the Army can’t keep their hands off him! They need him more over in Iraq to help care for the wounded. But you’re his big girl; you can handle him leaving for a year! And think how surprised he’ll be when he comes home and finds you playing the piano, just like an angel! Shhh, it’ll be our little secret. she smiles at me. I look deep into her eyes and notice they remind me of strawberry jelly—pink and soggy. My eyes searched her face like mad, looking for the cracks that must have been there earlier, when she was leaking. But her face is flawless. It took me a while to grow out of that innocence and figure out that what she was doing was called crying, and that it’s what happens when you feel overwhelmed by sadness. It took even longer to make me realize that it came from pink eyeballs, and not from cracks in your face.
The piano was the way for me to connect with my emotions. Whenever I felt lonely, depressed, angry, spiteful, I played it on the piano. My mother could always tell the way I was feeling by the songs I played. And every day, I practiced for hours on it. I loved everything about it—the sound, the colors, its looks, its sturdiness, its way of looking humble yet elegant and the same time. I hadn’t known then that what I had really liked about it was that it would always be there for me, whenever I got home, waiting for me to bring it to life. And deep down, I think I knew that it gave me hope. By the time I would have finished learning Moonlight Sonata my dad would be home, safe and sound, ecstatic at my piano playing. My keyboard is still in my room, proudly on its stand, for everyone to see—a symbol of hope and security. I still play on it, all the time. I practice until my fingers become sore. And then I practice some more. Because the magical, tingly sound of the keys reminds me that it doesn’t matter if the Army separates my dad from us or moves us across the country for the umpteenth time; we will still be a family. I know now that nothing will ever change that.
really? haha thx, i hate writing tho....do u have any suggestions/criticisms?
thnk u very much...no hes not, its a kinda put urself in ur partners shoes....
lol thx, haha my teacher told me i was an awful writer cuz i dont put emotion into my writing, so its not really me...i dont knoe how to do that though.....
I mean, all these people don't understand politics. They TALK a good game, but in the end, are full of sh-t. I mean Glen Beck should be on Nut Time TV and Moore edits his movies in a way that is very misleading. There are scenes from his movies that are 100% made up bullsh-t. Roger&Me and Bowling For Columbine pop to mind. And Bill O'Rielly - King Nut Bag - I recall him loosing it on Gulf War Moms protesting for peace. Yet he has no children serving over seas and calling one mom protesting for peace (who LOST HER CHILD in Iraq - yes, he was killed) non American. And people freaking out on Colbert - honestly - your taking this guy's word to heart?
Why do you Yanks get so upset over these morons? Is your country THAT divided?
liocdam: I'm Canadian too... We have Rick Mercier, Don Cherry, Lorne Green... But they are WAY less annoying then those fools on Fox News or Moore put together!!! And don't forget buddy - I am saying Don Cherry is NOT AS annoying. But his sport jackets are!
Page 1344- But they are being American, no? Don't you guys have the right to say whatever you want? So they are being American. (I say this as not being a fan of these wankholes-including Moore)
I am college graduate, in my mid 20's, and got laid off from my government job. I took a lower paying part-time job to make ends meet, and have not been successful in finding a suitable full time position. I know it is like "Join the club" because there are millions of others in similar situations as myself.
I am considering to enlist in the Marines. However, I know currently that the recruitment business is booming due to the weakened job market, and the demands to deploy more armed forces to Iraq, and/or Afghanistan. Being that there are potentially hundreds of thousands if not millions of others just like myself looking to enlist, recruitment or enlistment standards have been raised to be more stringent.
I want to enlist in the Marines to serve my country, gain more valuable skills to be more marketable in the civilian job market, and to accomplish something while gaining discipline, and confident. I spoke to a recruiter, and he said that I preliminarily meet the requirements to enlist. However, he said that there are very limited openings, and there is a likelihood that I could only enlist in a delayed entry program. He also said the first step for me to take to see if I 100% qualify or not is to take a 3 hour battery test, medical test, and a PFT Test. He left it up to me to when I want to commence these tests contingent upon the schedule openings of this marine recruitment center.
I know that this decision is strictly up to me, and basic training is the hardest thing I will probably ever do in my life. I also know that becoming a Marine if successful is not a walk in the park, and that if successful it is what you make of it. I am having second thoughts, and need other opinions.
My questions are:
What are the pros and cons of becoming a Marine?
Is becoming a Marine quite an accomplishment to add to a resume?
Are civilian employers prejudice against those who have experience in the armed forces?
Are skills acquired in the Marines applicable or compatible with desired skills, and attributes from civillian employers?
Is the reward of becoming a Marine really worth the risk of losing one's life while being deployed?
How common is it for recruiters to mislead potential recruits or actual enlisted recruits about compensation, positions, benefits, etc.? I understand that everything is merit based (meaning you have to put your time in and demonstrate success), and nothing is guaranteed. Are there often scenarios where recruits or enlistees are told that they will get this or that if they succeed, and then are left empty-handed in the end?
Would you recommend somebody like me to stay out of the military, and to get more education and/or more skills, and to keep trying to get a suitable position in the civilian market? It seems like everything is going to s***, opportunities are drying up, and overall things are getting worse every week. I am not looking for pity, or the "Oh poor me". Why does it seem like you try to do something to better yourself (Sharpen Your Resume, Get More Education, Acquire More Skillls, Interview Well With Confidence Outlining Yourself And As To Why You Are a Great Candidate,etc.), you successfully do so, but it still is not good enough to get a suitable position?
Who's Partisan Now? - The Press as Paladin of a Presidency
By Jeffrey T. Kuhner
President Obama has declared political war on the Fox News Channel. He refuses to appear on Fox News - at least for the rest of this year - and has unleashed his administration's attack dogs. The goal is to vilify the network's hard-won reputation.
"What I think is fair to say about Fox - and certainly it's the way we view it - is that it really is more a wing of the Republican Party," said Anita Dunn, White House communications director, on CNN. "They take their talking points, put them on the air; take their opposition research, put them on the air. And that's fine. But let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."
Ms. Dunn's comments are a blatant attempt by the White House to delegitimize and undermine Fox News' journalistic credibility. The administration is seeking to portray the network as a media arm of the Republican Party.
This is false. It has repeatedly highlighted Republican Party scandals - former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford - as well as the wasteful spending and runaway deficits that took place under President George W. Bush. When the war in Iraq was going badly prior to the 2007 troop surge, Fox News did not shy away from covering negative stories on the ground.
Contrary to its slogan, however, Fox News is not "fair and balanced." It is clearly a center-right network, where conservative commentators outnumber liberal and centrist ones.
Moreover, Fox's news operation also slants conservative not so much in its coverage, but in the choice of topics: fiscal irresponsibility, the expansion of big government, an imperial judiciary, the war on terrorism, radical Islam, crime, teenage out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and the culture wars. Many of these issues are downplayed or ignored by its rivals.
In other words, Fox has filled an ideological vacuum left by the likes of CNN and MSNBC. The reason its ratings are soaring while its competitors are declining is that Fox consciously - even proudly - caters to God-fearing, gun-toting, red-state viewers. It speaks to the populist, patriotic and conservative values embodied by Middle America - principles that have been consistently mocked by media elites.
Fox is despised by the Obama administration and its leftist media allies in part because of its success and profitability. Moreover, Fox is feared because its growing power stands as an indictment against the desiccated liberal establishment.
For decades, the Washington press corps has presented itself as the guardian of political order and institutional stability. They are the real "news experts" whose experience and rational judgment are necessary to preserve "fairness" and "objectivity." The rise of Fox News and the New Media - Internet news sites, such as the Drudge Report, World Net Daily and Newsmax, along with talk radio - has ripped away that shallow, smug and self-satisfied journalistic veneer.
The emergence of Fox News is a sign many Americans no longer trust the political and media class. It is part of a larger populist revolt that is slowly reshaping our society. The American people crave government accountability and political transparency. Moreover, many in the heartland rightly sense that something has gone terribly wrong. They are slowly losing their country to globalist progressives who no longer share any attachment to traditional America.
For Ms. Dunn and the White House, Fox News' real transgression is not its purported links to the Republicans. Rather, it has given expression to this populist-patriotic resurgence by covering the "tea party" protests and the heated town-hall meetings on Obamacare, as well as exposing the neo-Marxist radicalism of former green jobs czar, Van Jones, and the rampant corruption at ACORN (the activist Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).
Mr. Obama occupies the White House in large part because of a sycophantic, fawning press corps. They carried him all the way to power. During the campaign, MSNBC's Chris Matthews even declared that Mr. Obama's speech "sent shivers up my leg." Mr. Matthews' statement captured the establishment media's incestuous relationship with the president. It has abrogated its sacred duty to be critical and skeptical of political leaders - regardless of party affiliation.
It is only natural for Ms. Dunn to claim that, as opposed to Fox, CNN is a genuine news network. Mr. Obama's team is accustomed to soft media treatment. In fact, they expect it. And it is what they have received from CNN - even to the point of appearing ridiculous. CNN's Wolf Blitzer - I could not make this up - did a "fact check" to defend the president's policies from a "Saturday Night Live" skit. This is how desperate CNN has become to prop up Mr. Obama's dwindling poll numbers.
For decades, The Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, CBS News, AB
racism is unbecoming has no way to get to her says,""the boy"? Your racism is showing, hon. And FOX News is an arm of the Republican Party, and does not provide news. Instead, they provide opinion and propaganda."
Someone must pay you to be stupid.
Folks, really. Is Iran and North Korea a bigger threat to our safety and Liberties or is it our own government?
Since 9/11 the it seems as if the government is deliberately using terrorism to abuse their power and assault our rights. Iraq was a perfect example, if we didn't take immediate swift action they were going to nuke us - remember? Despite the fact over 60% of America disapproved of the invasion the government did it anyway.
The Patriot Act, which was also passed in fear of terrorism and this single bill went through congress with virtually no debate in less than 2 days and increased the governments power significantly. It is the most destructive bill to have ever past buy increasing power were power wasn't due, and attacking our constitutional rights.
There are even people who believe that we need to adopt WW2 policies on how they treated Japanese Americans and sent to internment camps and send Muslim Americans to the same thing.
Do you know who Michelle Malkin is? Perhaps one of the more nutty "conservative commentators" in her defense of internment book she basically says we need to adopt that same policy to suppress harboring terrorism.
And on top of everything else the government is destroying our dollar. Policing the world isn't making us any friends and it is isolating us more and its costing us the MOST money. Putting sanctions on all these countries isn't doing US any favors, it's only shooting ourselves in the foot.
When will the sheep of America finally wake up and realize that both of the major political parties are incompetent, no longer useful and are a threat to liberty. When the dollar crumbles and becomes worthless, will be the same day we lose our sovereignty completely and the world will embrace a global currency.
Who's Partisan Now? - The Press as Paladin of a Presidency
By Jeffrey T. Kuhner
President Obama has declared political war on the Fox News Channel. He refuses to appear on Fox News - at least for the rest of this year - and has unleashed his administration's attack dogs. The goal is to vilify the network's hard-won reputation.
"What I think is fair to say about Fox - and certainly it's the way we view it - is that it really is more a wing of the Republican Party," said Anita Dunn, White House communications director, on CNN. "They take their talking points, put them on the air; take their opposition research, put them on the air. And that's fine. But let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is."
Ms. Dunn's comments are a blatant attempt by the White House to delegitimize and undermine Fox News' journalistic credibility. The administration is seeking to portray the network as a media arm of the Republican Party.
This is false. It has repeatedly highlighted Republican Party scandals - former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford - as well as the wasteful spending and runaway deficits that took place under President George W. Bush. When the war in Iraq was going badly prior to the 2007 troop surge, Fox News did not shy away from covering negative stories on the ground.
Contrary to its slogan, however, Fox News is not "fair and balanced." It is clearly a center-right network, where conservative commentators outnumber liberal and centrist ones.
Moreover, Fox's news operation also slants conservative not so much in its coverage, but in the choice of topics: fiscal irresponsibility, the expansion of big government, an imperial judiciary, the war on terrorism, radical Islam, crime, teenage out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and the culture wars. Many of these issues are downplayed or ignored by its rivals.
In other words, Fox has filled an ideological vacuum left by the likes of CNN and MSNBC. The reason its ratings are soaring while its competitors are declining is that Fox consciously - even proudly - caters to God-fearing, gun-toting, red-state viewers. It speaks to the populist, patriotic and conservative values embodied by Middle America - principles that have been consistently mocked by media elites.
Fox is despised by the Obama administration and its leftist media allies in part because of its success and profitability. Moreover, Fox is feared because its growing power stands as an indictment against the desiccated liberal establishment.
For decades, the Washington press corps has presented itself as the guardian of political order and institutional stability. They are the real "news experts" whose experience and rational judgment are necessary to preserve "fairness" and "objectivity." The rise of Fox News and the New Media - Internet news sites, such as the Drudge Report, World Net Daily and Newsmax, along with talk radio - has ripped away that shallow, smug and self-satisfied journalistic veneer.
The emergence of Fox News is a sign many Americans no longer trust the political and media class. It is part of a larger populist revolt that is slowly reshaping our society. The American people crave government accountability and political transparency. Moreover, many in the heartland rightly sense that something has gone terribly wrong. They are slowly losing their country to globalist progressives who no longer share any attachment to traditional America.
For Ms. Dunn and the White House, Fox News' real transgression is not its purported links to the Republicans. Rather, it has given expression to this populist-patriotic resurgence by covering the "tea party" protests and the heated town-hall meetings on Obamacare, as well as exposing the neo-Marxist radicalism of former green jobs czar, Van Jones, and the rampant corruption at ACORN (the activist Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now).
Mr. Obama occupies the White House in large part because of a sycophantic, fawning press corps. They carried him all the way to power. During the campaign, MSNBC's Chris Matthews even declared that Mr. Obama's speech "sent shivers up my leg." Mr. Matthews' statement captured the establishment media's incestuous relationship with the president. It has abrogated its sacred duty to be critical and skeptical of political leaders - regardless of party affiliation.
It is only natural for Ms. Dunn to claim that, as opposed to Fox, CNN is a genuine news network. Mr. Obama's team is accustomed to soft media treatment. In fact, they expect it. And it is what they have received from CNN - even to the point of appearing ridiculous. CNN's Wolf Blitzer - I could not make this up - did a "fact check" to defend the president's policies from a "Saturday Night Live" skit. This is how desperate CNN has become to prop up Mr. Obama's dwindling poll numbers.
For decades, The Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, CBS News, AB
On Friday, U.S.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner speaking with the Editor of "The Economist" John Micklewait ... said, "The U.S. Must Live Within It's Means once it's economy recovers ..."
First thing I noticed was, he didn't say "we" rather he referred to the U.S. as "it's." Considering the Bailouts, Stimulus Packages were Washington's ideas, not to mention all of the PORK and Earmarks inherent of EVERY BILL ... I believe Mr. Geithner should have used the word "we" in his word usage, as Presidents and Congress do MOST of the Spending.
Americans use Credit Cards, while the U.S. Government tosses Billions around to Blow Up Iraq, then rebuild it. To take 2.6 Billion Dollars away from the Defense Fund for "pet projects" instead of supplying our Troops. Hillary gave 9 Billion Dollars to "GAZA Relief" and Billions more simply given away ... I guess, because The U.S. is cool or something. (Just too much to remember, ya know?)
But we Commoners are supposed to Live Within Our Means ... HOW?
NAFTA gives our jobs away or other countries are allowed to buy our companies and take our technologies with them.
So, is the United States supposed to live in poverty ... which is what our means will be soon, as it already is for many who are victim of this "recession" ?
I knew if Bush got a second term, we would be living in a Third World Country, eventually. Well .........?
Are we all going to get our jobs back? Will our standard of living return? Will we be able to become the Consumers we once were? Will our Government STOP SPENDING? Will we STOP FIGHTING UNJUSTIFIED WARS?
When will WE make America Great Once More? We certainly wont get there being on the course we've been set on, that's for sure!
he makes his life so chaotic he doesnt even have time for me or himself, and though he sleeps with me he doesn't want to admit we're boyfriends..
Unless he really leaves this country after getting his citizenship, I'm sure we can at least remain friends cause i know he does care about me. Though If we keep seeing each other only once per 1-2 weeks, it might possibly become a both saddening and rejoicing "friendship". But I guess after all, i should just embrace every day as it comes, with or without Sanas.
So that's the story i wanted to share. Thank you very much, if you have read up to here. Might you have time, please enlighten me with some of your insights on relationships/astrology. I wonder if our relationship will stand to the future. I will just hope,, and enjoy the days we have.
male, Roermond, The Netherlands, 14 november 1985
male, Baghdad, Iraq, 26 november 1985
Kindest Regards
I just wanted to tell a short story about myself and how i came to meet a guy who really seems to love me in return. Hopefully some of you have time to share your insights on our -unfortunately- fairly unsure relationship.
Since i started to truly open up to love, relationships and friendships in August 2008 i haven't had much success in finding a suitable partner. Soon in September moved to a different city to study and the experiences that followed were overwhelming and valuable to me. I made lots of new friends and i was glad i was able to move to a different place where i gained freedom for more personal growth and development. But i had crushes and infatuations from one guy to another until i came to realize something must be wrong in my attitude.. I had been falling for guys who were only handsome, guys who just wanted a quicky, who were always abroad, depressed or simply not interested in me.
I realized i shouldn't be desperately looking for a guy to cling on, i should love myself first and enjoy all the little things in life that can be as simple as a hot shower or chocolate. And above all, it's not worth to crave for a relationship that will never be, it's also about the merits within a person, including the quality of loving you in return. Why head over heels for a person who wouldn't even care to look back at you ever?
Soon after this contemplation, it was mid-August 2009, i met Sanas. For the first time in my life i met a guy that was truly interested in me as well. I felt the amazing chemistry we had, he is very communicative, we tell each other lots of stories and i can tell he has a good heart. He wants to pay everything, he makes salads and cuts fruits for me, when we watch a movie he would lean onto my heart or lay his head on my lap, holding my hand, squeezing it softly, he gives a kiss every now and then. As weeks pass by, we do everything what lovers do.. yet there is no confirmation of whatever we are.
In fact, I'm a dutch guy of chinese descent and he is a christian Iraqi refugee of arabic descent. He works like a machine and is busy studying dutch, so we don't see each other more than once per week. Still, I like him so much, i don't want to lose him and value every rare time we could meet up, but i couldnt bear the vague, insecure relation anymore. So i finally blurted out..
"there is something i wanna tell you, but i dont really dare"
"i already know what you wanna tell me, just say it, Ian"
"i think i like you more than just liking, when can i call Sanas my boyfriend?
"look Ian, i like you sooo much and i know you like me sooo much too. I don't think i would ever find someone else like you in this world. You're the best guy i have ever met and unless the ex's i had i know you are so sweet, simple and honest. But you will have a good future and job after your studies. What do i have? I have a shitty life in Holland, i work like a machine, i hardly have any spare time, so right now we can't have a relationship"
"If you really like me so much why can't we already be together? There is more to life. I don't care about money or status. I know you are busy and i respect that. Nothing has to change, i don't even need to see you more. I don't want anyone else than you."
"These are rules i came to realize, i can't change it. I know you dont care about money and status, but it's about me. I don't want your help, but as soon i know i have a good future i will come back to ask you to be my boyfriend, i never had time for my ex either, we can build up things fast but i will destroy everything as fast"
So weeks pass by and we continue to have a good time whenever we meet up once a week. I tried to talk about the subject again, but i don't want to push it anymore, cause after all we do have a good time and maybe it's not worth risking losing everything just because the relationship needs labelling. Then, last wednesday he was supposed to have dinner at my place together with my friends. He called off on the same day cause something popped up in his busy schedule. I was so disappointed and i have to wait till the saturday of next week to see him again. Although i know he wasn't lying about wednesday, it made me think about where this is really going to lead to..
I wish i could spend my life with Sanas, but i couldn't just devote my life and feelings to him if he can't even admit that we are boyfriends. He's so sweet to me that i only yearn for eternity and more. I'm afraid that in the end we are just friends or that he is even going to leave the netherlands, since last time he did halfly joke that he's going to leave this country for life was too hard for him.
Now I question myself whether i really want to fall in love with Sanas and keep putting so much effort in a relationship without knowing where it leads to. Maybe he is the wrong guy after all? He smokes 1 pack per day, he is so stressed that he already has a few grey hairs, he often just sleeps 5 hours per day,
he makes his life so chaotic he doesnt even have time for me or himself, and though he sleeps with me he doesn't want to admit we're boyfriends..
Unless he really leaves this country after getting his citizenship, I'm sure we can at least remain friends cause i know he does care about me. Though If we keep seeing each other only once per 1-2 weeks, it might possibly become a both saddening and rejoicing "friendship". But I guess after all, i should just embrace every day as it comes, with or without Sanas.
So that's the story i wanted to share. Thank you very much, if you have read up to here. Might you have time, please enlighten me with some of your insights on relationships/astrology. I wonder if our relationship will stand to the future. I will just hope,, and enjoy the days we have.
male, Roermond, The Netherlands, 14 november 1985
male, Baghdad, Iraq, 26 november 1985
Kindest Regards
I asked why the Marine Corps wouldn't take me back over my tattoos. One lady saw fit to tell me that she wouldn't hire me, nor should anybody else, some implied that I was a sh*tbag while I served, etc etc. If anyone wants, email me, and I will personally send you a copy of my SRB, that should give you a true hint to the character of my service. Let me apologize in advance for wanting to enlist and go to Iraq with my brothers, I didn't realize it would cause such a stir. And sorry for getting tattoos on my neck when I got out, I didn't realize it would affect other's lives. Why the hostility? Again, all I want to do is serve my country, both sides of my family immigrated in the last 50 years and I love the United States, the great people that constitute its land, for the oppurtunities it gave my family. Again, sorry for being tattooed, sorry for wanting to get paid such a vast sum ( sarcasm intended). I certainly never thought I was going to become a millionaire as a SGT of Marines. God Bless you all, you ALL are why I wanted to serve to begin with.
Peace Prize Acrimony: Once again, Obama Evokes Passionate Response
By Eli Saslow
The Washington Post
Updated: 10/10/2009 09:06:43 AM MDT
WASHINGTON -- The new winner of the Nobel Peace Prize walked out of his house just after 11 a.m., dressed handsomely in a dark suit and a classic blue tie. He descended a marble staircase into a manicured garden, flowers in full bloom, and stepped to a podium on a perfect autumn day. After making a joke about the lightheartedness of children, he said he was "surprised and humbled" by the award. Then he asked the world to unite by providing all people with opportunity, dignity and freedom from violence and disease.
All told, Barack Obama spoke for six minutes Friday. He said little concrete, nothing controversial, nothing contentious. And yet, once he walked back into his house, contention dominated the day.
This is how it has always gone with Obama: His latest coronation, this time as Nobel Peace Prize winner, inspired a dozen different reactions that were similar only in their intensity.
Instead of the universal tribute that often comes with a Nobel Prize, Obama's award resulted in a deluge of response that included all the divisiveness of the presidential campaign. Friday's reactions to Obama, Nobel Peace Prize winner, tended to cast him as either a savior or a fraud, with little conversation in between. There was bewilderment and cynicism, hopefulness and pride. Debate raged about who Obama is and what he will become.
Some called Obama's prize the ultimate endorsement of a great president; others called it evidence that, once again, charisma had trumped results. Some called it a miracle; others called it a joke. Some believed Obama had earned the prize by uniting the country, rewriting black history and redeeming America to the world; others said Obama had earned -- and accomplished -- nothing.
As for Obama himself, the man already burdened by so many expectations seemed to interpret the prize as one more promise to fulfill. He now belongs to a group whose membership includes Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa, company that Obama said he does not "deserve." Only two other sitting presidents have shared the honor, and none who still had at least 39 months in office to fail or flourish under the weight of the world's biggest prize.
"I will accept this award as a call to action," Obama said.
Obama had never even known he was nominated for the prize. He was awoken by a phone call at 6 a.m. telling him he had won. It was not "how I expected to wake up," he said, and others who learned of the award soon thereafter experienced similar surprise. Robert Eberle, president of GOPUSA, assumed he was the victim of a practical joke. "Are you kidding me?" he wrote in an e-mail to employees.
But as the day wore on, bewilderment gave way to cynicism for many Republicans and some of Obama's opponents in Washington. William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, announced that his publication would forgo its usual "Parody Page" and simply publish news of Obama's prize, because it was more ridiculous than anything editors could possibly make up. "Thank you, Nobel Committee, for making my job easier," Kristol said.
Republicans across the country reiterated the same critiques of Obama heard so often during the campaign. How could an award given for a lifetime of extraordinary achievement go to a man who was a junior U.S. senator at this time last year and an Illinois state senator five years ago? Had the Nobel Committee decided to honor aspirations instead of accomplishments, ambitions instead of realities?
"Like most liberals, the Nobel Committee seems to think that Obama's pretty words are a perfect substitute for him actually doing something," said Todd Harris, a Republican strategist. "But if pretty words alone could provide leadership, then why not just give the presidency and the Peace Prize to a Hemingway novel?"
Obama's supporters reacted with equal passion. Climate-change activists congratulated Obama and implored him to proceed directly from the award ceremony in Oslo to climate talks in Copenhagen. Supporters of his domestic agenda heralded the award as a momentum boost that would help Obama end the war in Iraq and pass health- care reform. World leaders sent congratulatory notes, including one from French President Nicolas Sarkozy that read: "Finally, it sets the seal on America's return to the heart of all the world's peoples."
Just as on Election Day, optimism spread as if contagious. Here, thanks to the Nobel Committee, was hope that Obama could unite not only Democrats and Republicans but the entire world. Here was hope that he could make sweeping changes in perceptions of race and religion. Here was hope that he had renewed America in the eyes of the world. Here was hope that more immense progress was still to come -- for climate change and nuclear weapons and the economy --
David Cameron has styled himself as the 'heir to Blair'. In Manchester last week there was evidence of this. He said: 'It's your character, your temperament and your judgement that count so much more than your policies and your manifesto'. Come the next election we are going to face a choice between 'Macho Dave', 'Dithering Gordon', and 'Schoolboy Nick' in that case. Surely that is a bad thing. Tony thought that by riding roughshod over the views of his party and the country and taking us into the Iraq war he was doing the right thing. Shouldn't we be grateful for parties and manifestos as a way of keeping our leaders humble? It was the Conservative party who got rid of Thatcher after all. And it is the queen who is head of state and represents the nation. Like it or not, PM's are merely asked to serve at her behest.
East Indians in my country?
I'm a very passive person, and also a very docile person and so today I was very astonished to ask two east Indians in a club I was in about the language they where speaking and if it was from the native land of India in the man's washroom of coarse,
and to my own disbelief they both took a fence to me asking where they're language is Nativity spoken so much so that they managed too threaten me, in my own country over off all things India,
P.S.. everyone I have ever met from India has been a comedian and very nice people too talk too,
but,
I find myself very a fended by two east Indians "not India of coarse since I asked if they where speaking a language from India."
so I lost faith in anyone of there decent and my hatred and become event in so much so that I swear to hate all east Indian "except India" to this day forward"
and then I took my bus ride ride of shame home of coarse,
But on my way home from the club there was a east Indian women setting across from me and since I have denounced them entirely I look at the old person in shame,
but during this I had realized to myself that every time I look at her in shame,
she seeming new all of what I was thinking and felt ashamed also of looking at me and every time I thought I hate her heritage she looked at me in compliance of her shame I stopped thinking such thoughts which brings me too my question....
...
Do you think women should finally be in control of Iraq and Afghanistan ?
I'm a very passive person, and also a very docile person and so today I was very astonished to ask two east Indians in a club I was in about the language they where speaking and if it was from the native land of India in the man's washroom of coarse,
and to my own disbelief they both took a fence to me asking where they're language is Nativity spoken so much so that they managed too threaten me, in my own country over off all things India,
P.S.. everyone I have ever met from India has been a comedian and very nice people too talk too,
but,
I find myself very a fended by two east Indians "not India of coarse since I asked if they where speaking a language from India."
so I lost faith in anyone of there decent and my hatred and become event in so much so that I swear to hate all east Indian "except India" to this day forward"
and then I took my bus ride ride of shame home of coarse,
But on my way home from the club there was a east Indian women setting across from me and since I have denounced them entirely I look at the old person in shame,
but during this I had realized to myself that every time I look at her in shame,
she seeming new all of what I was thinking and felt ashamed also of looking at me and every time I thought I hate her heritage she looked at me in compliance of her shame I stopped thinking such thoughts which brings me too my question....
...
Do you think women should finally be in control of Iraq and Afghanistan ?
so great ok? Also if you don't like the content - im not asking for your opinion on whether or not you LIKE barack obama - but whether it is a good piece of literacy in general. ok here goes.. also what level do u think i'll get for it?
Barack Obama: Reasons Why I admire him.
Barack Obama is the current president of the United States of America, and the first African American president. His being a black president is important because he gives a voice to millions of powerless Afro- Americans. Secondly he is trying to overcome the effects of centuries of racism and continue the tradition of civil rights begun by, in particular, Martin Luther King. Barack has proved his strength of character – he also proves to be an articulate man supplying great wisdom and knowledge of the world around him, which can be passed to everyone who is willing to accept and learn from their mistakes. He understands the concepts of right and wrong, and his compassion and understanding as a politician seem endless.
Barack was born in Honoulu, Hawaii and was raised from humble beginnings - two years after his birth his father and mother divorced. After his mother remarried to an Indonesian student, Lolo Soetoro, all Indonesians were forced to relocate back to their old country thus Barack’s family went to live in Indonesia. When Barack was ten he returned to Hawaii to live with his grandparents - where in 1979 he graduated from High School and then moved to New York City to graduate at Columbia University in Political Science. Later he graduated at Harvard Law School. During May 1985 Obama was later hired as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland .In 1989 Obama visited Europe and Kenya for 5 weeks where, after many years, he met his paternal grandparents. Later in 1996 -2004 Obama worked as a lecturer at Chicago University and Law School. Finally in 2007 Barack decided to run for presidency against Hilary Clinton and defeated her for the Democratic nomination before finally beating Republican nominee John Mcain. He became president on January 20th 2009.Obama’s struggle to overcome adversity and difficult circumstances in his family like his parents’ divorce make him – in my opinion- a strong and admirable character. His mother taught him to work hard, get a good education and inspired him which enabled him to become what he is today. He is an inspirational role model for many Americans - black or white – if there is determination to overcome prejudice then nothing can stand in your way.
Another reason why I admire Obama is because he opposes the war in Iraq by courageously sticking to his position when others named him as unpatriotic for going against his country and waving the white flag of surrender. He is also, I believe, very wise, as he plans to withdraw troops from Iraq.He recognises that he cannot leave the country without helping to rebuild the ruined country and training Iraqi and Afghani troops to bring stability, autonomy and defeat Al Quaida. Obama realises also that American troops are doing more harm than good by being in these countries since it gives an excuse for terrorists to bomb and harm innocent civilian. Obama recognises the need for America to use its power and resources to help these poorer and weaker countries.
Obama is also a brave and compassionate leader because of his policy on healthcare. This is a radical policy he is trying to introduce. For the first time he is trying to introduce changes that will help millions of poorer Americans to have access to proper healthcare. This shows that he believes in social justice for poorer people and he is the enemy of putting profit before people’s health. Many Americans, that can afford it – may I add – protest against this and accuse Obama of trying to introduce ‘socialism’ into the American health care system, studies have shown 45 million Americans do not have access to healthcare.
Overall, there are many more admirable things about Obama, more than I can write about, but I feel Americans are incredibly lucky to have a president like Obama with his compassion, understanding, wisdom and his ability to be positive when looking towards the future. He aspires to be a champion of all Americans particularly the disadvantaged and the poor. Both at home and abroad he wants to heal and bring people together as one united front. Quotes from him shine a glimmer of hope in the direction of an answer to reach some form of unity and peace and however hard it may be- yes we can.
What do you think?
An extract from an article by Mark Leonard, from the Irish Times Newspaper from 2005.
For all the talk of the American Empire, the past two years have been more about the limits of American power. Its economic lead over Europe is disappearing (in 1950 its GDP per capita was twice that of Western Europe, while today it is almost the same size), while the political price for saying no to the superpower has never been lower (as Germany, France, Mexico, Turkey and Chile found over Iraq). In fact, the US leads the world in only two ways: it has the biggest army in the world, and the most popular "popular culture". But the combined might of the US military could do nothing to stop 9/11 or halt terrorism in Iraq, and the more America's presence around the world becomes militarised, the less attractive the American way of life becomes.
Meanwhile, across the pond, Europeans - often by accident - have been developing a new kind of power that cannot be measured in terms of military budgets or smart-missile technology. It works in the long term, and is about reshaping the world rather than winning short-term tussles. And when we stop looking at the world through American eyes, we can see that each element of European "weakness" is in fact a facet of its extraordinary transformative power.
In just 50 years, Europeans have made war between European powers unthinkable; European economies have closed the gap with the US; and Europe has brought successive waves of countries out of dictatorship and into democracy. If you look at a map of the world, you can see a zone of peace spreading like a blue oil slick - from the west coast of Ireland to the eastern Mediterranean; from the Arctic Circle to the Straits of Gibraltar - sucking in new members in its wake. Around the 450 million (as of 2009 it's 500 million) citizens of the EU, there are another 1.5 billion people who depend completely on an EU that is their biggest trade partner and their biggest source of credit, foreign investment, and aid. These two billion people (one-third of the world's population) live in the "Eurosphere": Europe's zone of influence, which is gradually being transformed by the European project and adopting European ways of doing things.
Europe's power is easy to miss. Europe doesn't flaunt its strength or talk about a "single sustainable model of progress" as America does. Instead, like an "invisible hand", it operates through the shell of traditional political structures. The Dail, Irish law courts, and Irish civil servants are still here, but they have all become agents of the European Union, implementing European law. This is no accident. By creating standards that are implemented through national institutions, Europe can take over the world without becoming a target for hostility. The same is true of European troops abroad who often serve under UN or NATO flags rather than the European one.
While every US company, embassy and military base is a terrorist target, Europe's invisibility allows it to spread its influence without provocation. The fact that Europe does not have one leader, but rather a network of centres of power united by common policies and goals, means it can expand to accommodate ever-greater numbers of countries without compromising their independence, while continuing to provide its members with the benefits of being part of the largest market in the world.
Europeans are not interested in classic geo-politics when they talk to other countries: instead, they use the law to change them from within. Instead of talking about the war on terror or the balance of power, they look at what kind of government they have. What values underpin the state? What are its constitutional and regulatory frameworks?
Europe's obsession with legal frameworks means it can transform the countries it comes into contact with, instead of just skimming the surface. The US might have changed the regime in Afghanistan, but Europe is changing all of Polish society, from its economic policies and property laws to its treatment of minorities and what gets served on the nation's tables. The lonely superpower can bribe, bully, or impose its will almost anywhere in the world, but when its back is turned, its potency wanes. The strength of the EU, conversely, is broad and deep: once sucked into its sphere of influence, countries are changed forever.
Ok, i am an Iraqi Muslim who got an imigrant Visa to the United State and became a U.S. Citizen so now this place is my country and i love it, but there is only one issue i wanna talk about, in Iraq and as you know it considered as a Muslims Country but we have a christian which is maybe 8-10% so in all of their major events like christmas, Easter, Great friday, etc.... the christians get day or two off or more as their holiday, if they are student and even if they have an exam they won't have to attend and the teacher should make another exam for them, if they were employees in the government or others they will get a holiday with pay, this is the rules to keep their right, so i am here in America and as you guys know we practise Ramadan Once every year and after ramadan we have the feast (3 days) where we make a big meals and invites family and friends and go out and have fun, but i didn't get to do all these so do my family, we dont have days off for our feast and we couldn't celebrite the feast also we have the big feast that come 70 days after Ramadan and that where people scraifce a Cow or Lamp and give the meet to the poor people then we celebrite too, anyway i think we (as a muslim) have the right to ask for at least 1 or 2 days off for each Feast, if not 2 days then 1 day.. it is very important to us to be with family and celebrite the feast so do you think we have the right to ask for this because i do
although i don't know who to ask, LOL
Incorrectly Political :
why would you say that we both are enemy, your wrong we are not, me and my family have plenty of christian friends who we love and they love us too, and here in America i never have a problem being muslim and also in Iraq Muslim and christian gets along real good we they like each other...
For example:
TAXES
Why do liberals support Democrat candidates that want to raise taxes? I mean, doesn’t it defy common logic that if people have less to spend, then that will generate less money for the Feds? Doesn’t it also suggest the notion that in that support, a Democrat, or a liberal, does not trust their own self in how they will spend the money they receive?
EDUCATION
Why do liberals claim to be more intelligent that Conservatives? I mean, doesn’t it defy common logic that academic achievements in a multi-cultural educational system, has been steadily declining here in this country but yet, liberals continue to support that diversity? Doesn’t the declining educational system mean that our children are becoming less smart set forth by the liberal agenda of “fairness”?
WAR
Why do liberals always take an anti-war stance when it comes to stopping the spread of communism, countering tyrannical regimes, supporting the invasion of our allies, or rooting out terrorism? I mean, doesn’t it defy common logic that in order to enforce the stability of a region(s), means that sometimes war is necessary? Doesn’t it defy common logic that in order to suppress, or sometimes root out the despot’s on this planet that are systematically slaughtering their people, that war is sometimes necessary? Why are all the anti-war protesters silent now that Obama is in office? Are we not still in Iraq and Afghanistan? Is not GITMO still open?
ABORTION
Why do liberals take sides for pro-choice individuals? I mean, doesn’t it defy logic that the anti-war liberals protest against war time actions when those war actions by our military have been conducted up for good causes like stopping tyranny, stopping mass murder, political genocide, communism by repressive regimes, engaging in act of defense of our allies,etc... but yet, they have no problem in supporting murder of innocent children who are guilty of nothing?
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
Why do liberals (such as during the Bush administration) always whine and cry about individual rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution being trampled on (of which there were none), and then we have someone like Obama that is clearly trampling on the Constitution, but yet now the liberals are silent?
MARXISTS AND COMMUNISTS
Why is it that when GW Bush was in office, all the liberal activists were calling Bush every name under the sun that had to do with despot Marxist and Communist regimes? Doesn’t it defy logic to call GW Bush all these name (name calling that was clearly so far-fetched) but now, we have a Marxist President with a cabinet full of self proclaimed Communists and Marxists and now the liberal establishment is stone silent?
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
Why is it that liberals continue to whine and cry about individual freedoms and rights, but yet, turn right around and support liberal progressive policies that launch massive govt entitlement and other massive govt institutions that further guarantee suppression of individual liberty? Doesn’t it defy logic to you to support actions like that?
HEALTHCARE
Why is it that the liberals support the govt option healthcare? I mean, doesn’t it defy logic to support a govt run plan that has already been proven to ration healthcare but yet, liberals support the same option that rations care even though they themselves might be subjected to that rationing?
IMMIGRATION
Why is it that the liberals in Congress refuse to shut down the borders? I mean, doesn’t it defy logic that while illegal immigrants are not only over burdening our healthcare system, eroding educational institutions by bringing down our standards, bringing eradicated diseases back across the border, shooting at our border patrol agents and when they return fire, our agents are the ones that go to prison thanks to the ACLU, etc…all of which have been proven, but the liberals still support it anyway?
Why is it that when a Republican President is in the White House, the liberals do everything in their power to undermine that Presidency by claiming that the Republic President is not following the law. But when it comes to illegal immigrants, who are clearly breaking the law, suddenly it's ok for the liberals?
i am from iran.people in iran are hopeful to change the reign and become free.but i concern about attacking of the other countries.you should not allow your goverments to attack to us under the name of freedom and make iran like iraq!in iran we ourselves could become free.Yes?
Against all objections, Iran is advancing projects on nuclear weapons. I think they’re actually taking a calculated venture, exploiting currently vulnerable conditions of USA, attributable to its severe economic recession, along with and partially due to two unsatisfactory wars. The scenario of the war in Afghanistan is now foreshadowing an outcome similar to that of former Soviet Union’s invasion in the same country. If now Iran, which is more organized and technologically advanced than Iraq and Afghanistan, really threatens to become a nuclear power, the feasibility of a military action to thwart its ambition seems questionable.
For the past several years, I've heard that Iran was "supposed" to have the "bomb" by the end of 2006.
2006 came and went.
NO BOMB.
Bush then said, "Iran will have the bomb by the end of 2007."
Again...
2007 came and went.
NO BOMB.
Bush then said, "Iran will *definitely* have the bomb by the end of 2008."
2008 came and went and you know what...?
STILL NO BOMB.
Then he said--just before leaving: "Iran will have the bomb by 2009."
It's almost October now, and do you seriously *think* that Iran will have the bomb by the end of this year?
NOPE.
I'll wait though and mark each year with a chuckle and a shake of my head--at my government's lame attempts to keep scaring the people into *thinking* that a third-world nation with a 30-year+ technological infrastructure is going to have that Easy Button and make a "bomb" out of simply...nothing?
Curiously enough, the same US intel agencies whom fraudulently sold us the debacle (and national embarrassment) that was IRAQ, is now saying that Iran will get "the bomb" by the end of 2010 or by 2014.
I don't know about you, but this kind of "guessing games" is wearing mighty thin on me.
Point 1? Iran is BEHIND us in both cultural advancement and technology. For YEARS the country has lived and worked in complete *isolation* from the rest of the world and has yet to *produce* anything on its own in independence--without relying on outside help for assistance. (Notably China and Russia.)
Point 2? Low-level enrichment does NOT equal the bomb! Correct me if I'm wrong here, but aren't these same people whom we have constantly *elected* to both Congress and the White House KNOW this??? Because *unless* we are somehow "reinventing" the Laws of Physics for our own political good...? I don't think we're going to be seeing a "mushroom cloud" over the US in the near future.
Or anywhere else for that matter.
Point 3? Has anyone quite figured out that threats of sanctions and other measures against Iran hasn't WORKED in the past and won't work now?
Bush threatened such and Iran just chose to *ignore* him.
Now...
Obama is operating from the same page and it left me wondering if these same government ignoramuses realize or *understand* that WE are just wasting both our time and our breath.
Iran is still going to do what it wants to do and there is *little* we can do in return to stop them from developing--yes--NUCLEAR POWER.
Isn't that what the US is actually afraid of? A nuclear-POWERED country that holds the world's third largest supply of oil? With such energy dependence, wouldn't one think that would be a devastating *blow* to US hegemony in the Middle East? (Not to mention: Iran becoming a real-time power player in that region; possibly keeping (ironically) Israel in check from doing anything stupid.)
Mmm...
One would think.
Seriously, Iran has said over and over again that inspectors are free to come and go as they please, to ensure its facility is complying with International Law. Why do we (the U.S.) always think this is a bad thing? I do understand the U.S. standpoint, but I also understand Iran's standpoint. I agree 150% of what Iranian President said about "I do not have to disclose all my facilities to Mr. Obama and his Administration." Since when did we become the world police? And lets think about how we are the world police! We have red buttons too! And the U.S. has about as much proof of Iran's supposed WMD's as they had with Iraq's supposed WMD's. At what point is our country going to accept that we are inadvertently keeping people from exceling. I think that if the U.S. should require Iran to shut down its nuclear power facilities, WE the United States of America, should shut ours down first. Who agrees with me, or am I really out on a limb for this?
actually Cecil, im thinking we have given them an ultimatum. Comply with US (not world) demands or face further sanctions and/or worse. and only AFTER that threat, Iran is making sure its weaponry is perfectly functional swearing they will crush any force that tries to mess with them. They are a force to be reckoned with, even before this new crisis, im sure they coulda taken any of their neighbors at any point in the past decade yet they have chosen not to. Why not compare them to us. We are the ONLY country that has even used nukes, that in itself would scare me, if i was on the other side. they want a better more efficient source of electricity. I can hardly blame them for that. Again, I reiterate, they have opened the doors for inspectors. And instead, the US shouts 14,000 miles away shut down or else... I think we are bullying
actually Cecil, im thinking we have given them an ultimatum. Comply with US (not world) demands or face further sanctions and/or worse. and only AFTER that threat, Iran is making sure its weaponry is perfectly functional swearing they will crush any force that tries to mess with them. They are a force to be reckoned with, even before this new crisis, im sure they coulda taken any of their neighbors at any point in the past decade yet they have chosen not to. Why not compare them to us. We are the ONLY country that has even used nukes, that in itself would scare me, if i was on the other side. they want a better more efficient source of electricity. I can hardly blame them for that. Again, I reiterate, they have opened the doors for inspectors. And instead, the US shouts 14,000 miles away shut down or else... I think we are bullying
After the Black and Caspian Sea flood around 5500 BC, the Nordic Indo-Europeans (Caucasians - from the Caucasus Mountains between the Black/Caspian Sea in Western Russia) wandered in all directions. The tribes who traveled south, south-east became known as the Aryans and Indo-Aryans. These invaded countries known today as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and India (all names derived from the word "Aryan"). Some even broke off and headed West to Ireland, inspiring its name as well. Eventually the Aryans were overwhelmed by the growing indigenous Semitic and Arabic peoples of the Middle-East, and were submerged by 250 BC.
So why is it that it's become a trend now to speak of the Aryans as if they were descendants of the largely Arabic peoples of today's Middle-East? Yes, there are many in these areas with Aryan ancestry, some noticeably more than others. And yes, the Aryan language is still used as are their symbols (Swastika). But these are only cultural survivings of the Aryans. To credit the overwhelmingly Arab and Semitic Middle Easterners today as the "original Aryans" is disrespectful and demeaning to Caucasians.
So my question is almost rhetorical, because I know why this lie has become popular, but thought I'd get some different perspectives anyway. Thanks for reading and hope to see your answer.
do you think that the superpower countries will give them the right to live in peace
With the Arab-Israeli dispute still going on, and many misguided people taking the side of the Palestinians, will the truth make any difference to them?
I fear not, and that the violence and antisemitic propaganda will continue.
There are three major lies about the Arab-Israel conflict. Throughout the years, they have gone through many metamorphoses and became first legends and, later, were transformed into commonly known "truths".
1. Israel was created due to European guilt because of Holocaust.
The modern Zionist movement emerged at the end of the 19th century with the goal of building Eretz-Israel, the Land of Israel, to create a Jewish state on the Jewish ancestral land. In July 1922 the League of Nations entrusted Great Britain with the Palestine Mandate, recognizing "the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine."
The Palestine Mandate was created exclusively for the benefit of the Jewish People, just as other mandates were intended for the creation of Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries.
2. Palestinians are a nation.
Since Jews were dispersed from Judea and Samaria by the Romans 2,000 years ago, there has never been any independent non-Jewish state or kingdom established in the Land of Israel. As the Jews came back and drained the swamps, made the deserts bloom and developed industries, Arabs, Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Circassians, Turkmen and Egyptians followed. They came for jobs, for prosperity, and were encouraged to migrate by the region's controlling powers, Ottoman and British, in order to prevent the creation of the Jewish state. For political reasons, they began identifying themselves as a Palestinian people only in 1964, on the initiative of Egyptian-born Yasser Arafat.
3. Israel is the occupier of Palestinian land.
The Palestinian Mandate (Article 5) clearly stipulated that "no Palestine territory [designated for the Jewish state - SS] shall be ceded or leased to, or in any way placed under the control of, the Government of, any foreign Power."
This means that the United Kingdom illegally ceded the Trans-Jordan to refugees from the Saudi Arabian Peninsula. And the United Nation's partition plan of the remaining parts of Palestine in 1947 was also illegal. In addition, in spite of the fact that the partition plan was devised to sabotage the creation of the Jewish homeland (the creation of two states on six ugly triangles - a completely unworkable political map), the Arabs rejected it. Therefore, they lost any legal standing on the land. They knew it - and that is one reason why seven Muslim states declared war on Israel in 1948.
But no one is interested in facts nowadays, or ever, especially where Jews are concerned. After 60 years of anti-Israel propaganda, facts are forgotten and distorted, legality is brushed aside and a new reality is forged. It is the same old ugliness with a new "politically correct" phoney face.
Dickens Cider - good point. But you said it as if I was against Israels right to live there in peace. Read my added information again.
Not many answers here. Perhaps I made the question a bit too hard for most lefties. Let me rephrase it.
Do you still hate Israel even though your reasons have all been proved to be false??
Yep. This was far too complicated a question for the left.
Either that or they couldn't stand the facts so did their usual 'la la la Im not listening' routine.
Why or why not?
ABOUT CANADA:
Canada is safe, clean, friendly, and more peaceful and internationally-acclaimed than the USA according to most statistical surveys and the United Nations Human Development Index, which ranks Canada higher than the US.
I am not Canadian (I'm American) but I like Canada a lot and I want America to have more in common with the Canadians. Otherwise I may want to move to Canada where the quality of life is better and you live longer and healthier.
THINGS WE COULD BENEFIT FROM THAT CANADA HAS AND WE DO NOT:
1) UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE: The USA could benefit from universal healthcare with a public option like you have in Canada so that healthcare is free for everybody.
2) LEGALIZE HARVESTED HEMP - I think the USA should legalize the processing of hemp seeds and if it increases the risk of legal marijuana here and there, so what? Why is it so terrible a crime to get high?
3) LOWER DRINKING AGE TO 18-19 INSTEAD OF 21:
In Canada, the drinking age in Ontario is 19 and in Quebec it is 18. Why can't it be lowered from 21 in the USA so they learn earlier on to drink responsibly instead of having to have this thing called Fake IDs, what a waste of prison space. In Canada, not worries.
4) BECOME A MOSAIC, NOT A MELTING POT:
In the USA, everything is all about melting pot assimilation; everyone is coerced to assimilate into one capitalist culture, instead of embracing the mosaic of international immigrant cultures.
Why can't USA embrace diversity the way Canada does? In Canada, diversity is celebrated and there is no forced assimilation.
5) BECOME A BILANGUAL COUNTRY (ENGLISH AND SPANISH)
In Canada, there are two official languages (English and French) and in the USA, why can't it be (English and Spanish) since we have large numbers of Mexicans in the Southwestern United States? Why can't we sing our National Anthem in Spanish and English, and make a bilangual US Constitution as well? Instead of English Only?
6) ENGAGE ONLY IN WARS WHEN THE NATION IS THREATENED DIRECTLY:
In Canada, the rule of thumb is not to engage in war unless your nation is being threatened. Canadians therefore did not engage in the unnecessary Iraq War. Why can't the US have the same principle before taking on Wars? Wars also are VERY expensive and could better be spent on better education for our children.
So why did we fight in Iraq, the Persian Gulf War, Vietnam, and the Korean War? Did these wars seriously save our country from an attack?
7) ELIMINATE HAND GUN OWNERSHIP - SAFER SOCIETY:
Due to hand gun ownership, Americans can be shot by drive-by shootings, all kinds of violent crimes due to guns. In Canada, hand guns are not legal and the crime rate is MUCH MUCH MUCH lower. Why can't we eliminate gun ownership in America and work on public safety so nobody needs a gun? The more people have guns, the more they will want to use them, the more violent our society becomes.
8) CONSIDER MORE THAN A 2-PARTY POLITICAL SYSTEM:
Why can't we have a multi-party system like the Canadians have?
9) ELIMINATE PRISON SENTENCING FOR TAX EVASION:
Why do you go to prison in America for tax evasion? Canada has no prison for failure to pay taxes, instead you just experience bad credit, which is much more sane. Or you have property seized I think, but no tax prison.
10) PROVIDE HEALTHIER BENEFITS FOR WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE:
Why can't the US have one-year maternity leave in the work place for women? I can go on and on.
11) LEGALIZE SAME SEX MARRIAGE BY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT:
This has been done in Canada long before it was done here
What are other things we can do to make the USA more like Canada?
If not, I would not mind moving to Canada, but why not be more Canadian-like?
ATTN: Loyalist Cannons, you never heard of Manitoba Harvested Hemp? It was sold in abundance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. The Hemp Chocolate milk samples were free for all people all ages. Little kids were drinking it even.
Here are my beliefs
A.Healthcare
•Every American should have affordable health care. America is the only democratic, developed, and wealthy nation on this earth that doesn’t provide health care for ALL its citizens. Today, 47 million Americans are uninsured and 8 million of those are children. This should be unacceptable. Through President Barack Obama’s Health Care Bill, we will achieve the healthcare crisis that is literally strangling the life out of Americans.
B.Energy and Environment
•The biggest crisis in the history of this man is occurring right now. Because of our skyrocketing carbon emissions since the Industrial Revolution, global warming is occurring, which has and WILL wreak havoc on the earth. Because it is unprofitable for businesses to implement energy reform, the United States must provide incentives for businesses to use “Green” technologies. The United States must also provide a minimum fuel mileage for all US cars, which would not only help the environment but help US auto makers to reform.
C.Immigration
•A heavily patrolled wall on the border of Mexico would prevent immigrants from entering America illegally. The illegal immigrants already here must become legalized citizens without penalty because of the cost and the sheer difficulty of rounding up all the illegal immigrants.
D.Foreign Policy
•Strong relations with Europe must be continued as well as trying to strengthen relations with Russia and China. The United States also must continue to support Israel, but not without alienating the rest of the Middle East. The US cannot support Israel with weapons, but more or less our moral support for lack of better words.
E.National Security
A plan to withdraw COMPLETELY all American troops from Iraq in one year must be drawn up and implemented. American ground troops must be removed from Afghanistan because the terrorists are not the entire country; they are in the mountains. Strike teams must be drawn up to kill the terrorists.
F.Civil Rights and Liberties
Gay Marriage must be legalized in the form of a Constitutional Amendment. A voucher system for schools in America would increase the quality of education for all in America. Parents would choose where there child went to school (private or public) with a government voucher. A free market would be created of the school systems, increasing education for all.
G.Science and Technology
•Stem Cell research must be government subsidized thousands of times what it is now. I also support abortion fully and completely.
H.National Debt
•To help bring in government revenue, prostitution, gambling, and marijuana needs to be legalized across the country. Taxing the hell out of it would help make a significant dent in the national debt. The three of them are not legalized across the country and are burgeoning industries that make billions together.
"NEW FEDERALISTS?"
This appeared in TOI today.
A Strange Meeting
Wahhabism finds an unexpected counter
Ali Khan
A village in Barabanki district is a microcosm of the struggle between the Barelvi Sunnis and those with Wahhabi inclinations. The town’s population is largely Sunni with a Shia minority. Before partition, the rulers of the estate were Shia and a collateral branch of the Mahmudabad family. Mahmudabad’s Muharram processions are famous all over India and in some parts of the world. When processions were banned in Lucknow, people flocked to Mahmudabad. Bilehra always had smaller processions but the thing that stood out was that most of the crowds were Sunni Muslims.
With the arrival of funds from some Middle East countries as well as returning migrant workers, some of whom had spent years away from home and were influenced by their surroundings, Bilehra gradually saw the rise of Wahhabism. The crowds in Muharram diminished and the number of people who attended prayers at the Barelvi mosque also fell. According to one young man, for a number of years the people who subscribed to the Barelvi school of thought would outwardly show loyalty to the Wahhabis.
The Wahhabis – with their puritanical behaviour and insistence that some Sunnis and all Shias are essentially infidels – have polarised Muslim societies worldwide. Their literalist interpretation of the Quran is reductionist and does not allow scope for debate, analysis or a contextual, historical and consequently nuanced understanding. They strictly forbid music, religious or spiritual, and the veneration of holy men amongst many other things.
A number of urs, gatherings around the tomb of a Sufi pir where music is performed and poetry is read aloud in remembrance of the Prophet, his family and the pir, are held in and around Bilehra. People who attended these functions are now subject to the taunts of students at the Wahhabi mosques. During Muharram, people would be afraid of going to processions or keeping a tazia, a paper replica of the shrine of Imam Hussain in Iraq, in their houses since these acts would also mark them out for heckling and jeering. The less powerful Barelvis could not match the money or resources thrown at them. But it is not power or money that has shaken or caught by surprise the Wahhabis.
Earlier this year an individual ignored and labelled a madman roaming the streets of Bilehra became the crucial factor in the
resurgence of the Barelvis. Mastaan Baba was homeless. People remember him wandering around, sleeping under trees, eating what little he was given and never trying to gather any worldly possessions. About six months ago, he was asleep as usual underneath a mango tree in the fields adjoining the Kerbala, where the tazias are brought after the processions and buried. A little girl came and lay down next to him and when he noticed her he got upset, pushed her and asked her to go away. Apparently, when she got up, her back had straightened and she was no longer a hunchback.
People flocked from villages all around to see the girl and to see this man. He continued to wear what he had always worn, a dirty white kurta, a black lungi or cotton towel wrapped around his legs like a sarong. He carried a little satchel tucked under his arms. The little brick room in which he sometimes slept has now become a beehive of activity. People have set up shops around the room, a power cable that was meant to be laid a long time ago is now finally in place and there is a constant throng around him.
Politicians, IAS officers and many other officials have all come to him in different capacities. Since that night he hit the girl, there have been more stories about his powers and how he has changed people’s lives. Hindus and Muslims both are seen around him. This article is not about whether following him is permissible in Islam. It seems that people are desperate to seek out men who have not been ‘corrupted’ by the material world. The rise of Mastaan Baba in Bilehra has had an inadvertent effect on Bilehra’s Muslims.
People who had gone over to the Wahhabi mosque and others who had hidden their true sympathies with the Barelvis have started to drift back. Whereas the Barelvi mosque used to be nearly empty with about 30 people, recent Eid prayers saw close to 300 people in attendance. Wahhabis in Bilehra who openly condemned anything involving the veneration of living or dead men as innovations in Islam, have found themselves drawn to a quiet, wandering man. A few refuse to acknowledge Mastaan Baba but, according to people who live there, their wives and daughters regularly and secretly go to visit him!
It seems there are now a couple of more people in Bilehra who claim to be Mastaan Baba. Regardless of whether this man is genuine or not, it seems he has managed to single-handedly and unintentionally stall the rise of Wahhabism, in and around Bilehra.
The writer is a religious studies sc
What strikes me as fascinating about History is that there is no right answer. In fact, it is up to those who are studying it to make their judgement using sufficient evidence of the past. One reason why I am keen to study History to a greater extent is because it not only enables me to be analytical and judgemental on some of the biggest events in World History, however it also allows me to look at hindsight at big world events and relate it to international affairs occurring today.
For example, Seán Lang wrote an article in the ‘‘20th Century History Review’’ referring to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.The article refers to the main reason as to why Britain invaded Iraq.Despite the fact that in the early twentieth century Iraq was a British Colony, and the RAF used systematic bombing against a revolutionary which caused great hatred between both countries. Less than a hundred years later, Britain invaded Iraq.The article claims the main reason for the invasion was that Sadam Hussein’s government was a threat to Britain's due to his government reserving weapons of mass destruction.One might ask: Can this reason justify that over 1million civilians were killed, kidnapped, or forced out of there homes to become refugees? Events like such allow one to develop their own opinions and judgement's through looking at current world affairs in comparison to past world affairs.
Studying History involves being able to understand the functions of a Political System and how that contributes to further world events. My two weeks internship with my local MP, Jim Fitzpatrick, allowed me to understand and grasp the nature of British Politics to a greater extent.By shadowing an MP, I witnessed the ways in which propaganda and media was used to convince voters to vote for the right MP.I compared this with the ways Hitler used propaganda during his time to get votes and the ways in which he convinced Germans to guarantee their vote.From my experience, I learnt that the same tactics were used; i.e speeches, newsletters, posters.Even criticisms about other parties were used during the 1930’s and even now.My experience has taught me how much we have learnt from History and how much it has changed our lives.
a mate of mine told me i have a few grammatical errors.
but i can't spot my own mistakes!
this is my first draft, so it's not finished
thanks for any help.
Well, I'm not rich yet, but maybe God will let me have it later.
Anyways...I grew up on the southside of Chicago, saw the exciting streets of drugs and violence. I worked in two mob restaurants as a teenager through high school. I had sex and lived with a 32 year old Bulgarian women, that I was going to marry for her stay here, but never did. I went to the marines after high school. I saw many countries. I learned to speak Japanese in Japan during my stay there. I saw Iraq and a lot of dead bodies. I got out the marines, fell in love with the most beautiful someone else high class asian wife. A bad experience actually , but learned to move on. Then the same thing happened again right after her with another asian, but same results. I went to ITT tech for electronics throughout all the adultery stages. and got my Bachelors through there. Learned great skills, but not good enough for industry unfortunately. I met some kids from UAE, became friends with them, and learned how to read in Arabic and speak a little as well. Throughout my ITT years, I had some really beautiful meals, and some really beautiful prostitutes as well. Now I am in University majoring in Japanese and Electrical engineering. And hopefully will find a ob that will make up for all my struggles after I graduate.
Here it goes:
What strikes me as fascinating about History is that there is not right answer. In fact, it is up to those who are studying it to make their judgement using sufficient evidence of the past. One reason why I am keen to study History to a greater extent is because it not only enables me to be analytical and judgemental on some of the biggest events in World History, however it also allows me to look at hindsight at big world events and relate it to international affairs occurring today.
For example, Seán Lang wrote an article in the ‘‘20th Century History Review’’ referring to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.The article refers to the main reason as to why Britain invaded Iraq.Despite the fact that in the early twentieth century Iraq was a British Colony, and the RAF used systematic bombing against a revolutionary which caused great hatred between both countries. Less than a hundred years later, Britain invaded Iraq.The article claims the main reason for the invasion was that Sadam Hussein’s government was a threat to Britain's due to his government reserving weapons of mass destruction.One might ask: Can this reason justify that over 1million civilians were killed, kidnapped, or forced out of there homes to become refugees? Events like such allow one to develop their own opinions and judgement's through looking at current world affairs in comparison to past world affairs.
Studying History involves being able to understand the functions of a Political System and how that contributes to further world events. My two weeks internship with my local MP, Jim Fitzpatrick, allowed me to understand and grasp the nature of British Politics to a greater extent.By shadowing an MP, I witnessed the ways in which propaganda and media was used to convince voters to vote for the right MP.I compared this with the ways Hitler used propaganda during his time to get votes and the ways in which he convinced Germans to guarantee their vote.From my experience, I learnt that the same tactics were used; i.e speeches, newsletters, posters.Even criticisms about other parties were used during the 1930’s and even now.My experience has taught me how much we have learnt from History and how much it has changed our lives.
i haven't finished it, this is my first draft so i don't expect it to be wicked.
anything i should change/add/moderate/leave out/include?
thanks
There's a huge difference between saying we should simply leave Afghanistan, and saying that our Counter-Insurgency (hereafter CI)strategy will not work there, and we should use a different strategy to achieve our true military objectives there.
CI is based on two ideas: 1) protect the people (from each other) and 2) assure good governance (resembling USA).
Both of these ideas were tried in Iraq, where Senators Graham, Lieberman, and McCain (see Wall Street Journal, 15 Sept 2009 "Only Decisive Force Can Prevail in Afghanistan") tell us they were wonderfully successful.
Let's look at that. It's a little early to predict success in Iraq. We haven't quite left yet. When we are well and truly gone from that place, I think it will revert to chaos. Everyone bombing everyone all the time.
We did expend 5000 American lives there and Trillions of dollars, so if the place doesn't fall completely apart after we withdraw 15% of our troops, that not surprizing.
It's too early to declare "mission accomplished" in Iraq.
And clearly too early to use Iraq as a model for the benefits of CI warfare (which didn't work in Vietnam, and didn't work in Iraq).
CI is based on the idea that the common peasants can be recruited by either side. If the Taliban recruit them, we can never kill the Taliban, it always a My Lai situation where the terrorist hide among the local villagers. Gen Petraeus, and now Gen Stanley McChrystal, tell us that winning requires that we bring the peasants to our side so the Taliban has nowhere to hide. The environment becomes friendly to our forces, and unfriendly to the insurgents.
The problem is there's too many people to be bribed. They are spread out over too large an area. We can't possibly protect them or pay them. We can't police every back alley of every village in an country the size of Texas and the topography of Switzerland. The cost in American lives will be too high, and frankly we just don't have the cash for it.
In Iraq, we took in steamer trunks of $100 bills to buy the affections of those tribal leaders who, for huge wads of cash were willing to mimic being on our side for a few weeks in Anbar Province. Big deal! Money does talk. We knew that -- right? So it's not the Petraeus Miracle -- it's just the way of the world, not a new discovery.
If there is a safer and cheaper alternative that will get the job done, then the CI Strategy is the wrong one, and we should switch over to the safer cheaper strategy -- which is called Inside the Wire.
The problem is that the fix is in for CI in Washington. All the suppliers of weapons have set up their political contributions based on the idea that no new strategy would be used -- it would be CI right till the end.
Graham, Lieberman, and McCain need to be introduced to a new generation. McCain was one of the Keating Five who cost America $500 Billion in the Savings and Loan scam. Lieberman was the guy who insisted that all Labor Union rules be followed, so it took almost four years to set up the Department of Homeland Security -- no deadwood could be fired, no incompetents let go. Graham (along with Henry Hyde) caused about 1/4 of Clinton's Presidency to be spent explaining what he did with the fat girl behind the copying machine. This grievously harmed the most successful Presidency we've had since Eisenhower. Clinton in 8 years created 23 million new jobs. If we could have a month out of that Presidency today our recession would be over and we would be dancing in the streets.
Anyhow, these three morally bankrupt Senators are not just urging that we stay in Afghanistan (which I agree with), but they are also urging that we stick with CI as our strategy, whcih seems to me very dumb.
The mission is to kill 20,000 Al Qaida and 150,000 Taliban in Afghnaistan. This can be done out of Bagram and from the Fleet offshore using Predator and other airborne assets.
The contractor arrangements now in place would be disrupted, of course. New fixes would need to be put in. But the Agencies that could do the job are: 1) Space Command, 2) National Reconaissance Office, and 3) National Security Agency, with a little help from about 24 men in CIA Black Ops to do PIR device placement, which must be done on the ground, and by hand.
So there is a better strategy. It's just less convenient for the Washington Pols -- the morally bankrupt status quo seekers who like the arrangements that are now in place.
The Sheeple are hardly in a position to call for a radical change of strategy -- but George Will has done it, and I am doing it.
What do you think?
Let me be the first to share my opinion. I think the current situation in Iraq is horrible. I don't know why High level Military officials in the Pentagon claim that the situation is improving in Iraq or has improved compared to what it was like in the past. Now you hear of Sucide bombings against innocent Iraqi's by either Pro-Saddam extremists or Al Qaeda. And also how it is unsafe for foreigners to travel in the country. The War was the wrong thing to begin with, and so was removing Saddam Hussein from power. And doing so there came consequences Lots of innoncent Iraqi lives and U.S. solider lives have been lost. Also millions of U.S. dollars spent, Iraq becoming a haven for muslim Extremists thanks to Saddams removal. All this because of some false intelligence such as weapons of Mass Destruction and Saddams link with Al Qaeda. By the way Saddam Hussein always opposed Al Qaeda just as Al Qaeda opposed his dictatorship in Iraq. Also Saddam Hussein was eniemies with Iran and the current Iranian President Dr Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad(like Al Qaeda). Also Saddam Hussein was believed to have supported muslim Extremist group(s) in Palestine. Saddam Hussein was accused of killing Shi'te muslims, Kurds and torturing Iraqis and others and killing civilians during the Gulf War back in 1990 I think it was. Anway I think the U.S. should clean up the mess that they brought into Iraq even if it means staying in Iraq for the long run or so. We bear the burden of whatever goes in Iraq if we give up and abandan it. Also Iraq has nothing to do and never did with our security back here in the United States the main reason to stay in Iraq is to clean up the mess there but I don't think that the current U.S.-Iraqi security pact is bad. I hope that Iraq does not fall into the hands of the Al Qaeda who will enforce certain practices deemed un-Islamic by Islam. Al Qaeda does not care about just fighting the infedel occupation no they want a Islamic caliphate. They claim that they will be rewarded by God in heaven for establishing the Islamic Caliphate.
How come all these conservative rednecks and jesus freaks all of the sudden are flipping out over obama's healthcare plan? Can half of them/you even spell "healthcare"? Republicans had the White House for 8 years, and Congress for 6 of those same 8 years. Where was all this concern then? Where was the outrage? I understand most of you never graduated high school, so then how did you become so informed here recently?
You know why healthcare wasn't fixed during the W era? You were too focused on banning gays and starting false wars. Obama's healthcare plan will cost too much? How much has Iraq cost us, and how much will it cost us for years to come? Oh and thanks for catching Bin Laden. Just a cracker jack job. But hey, if gays get married, THEN, and only then, will our country be in peril.
Take your ignorant selves back to your Baptist churches and keep it to yourselves while the rest of us deal in reality and rational thought. Go fix a car or maybe a toilet, grab a 6'er of budweiser and beat your wife and keep her in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the rest of us brain haver's are going to try and do meaningful things in the name of what is right, not what satisfies our archaic, ignorant and purely retarded beliefs.
I am sad, because 2001 was the year when we the American people sold our souls to our imperialist government. As has been proven, the war on Afghanistan was less a war on terrorism and more about the illegal drug trade money that Wall Street was getting from opium, coupled with the war on drugs in this country (coincidence, or is it?). The war on Iraq was all about oil, and our future plans are along the same lines. We (Bush) also became pawns of the Israeli government, which resulted us/our actions being condemned by almost every country in the world, as well as the UN. Hopefully with Obama, that will change and a viable solution will follow. And lastly, the economy, unemployment issues. Doesn't look like its going to be sorted anytime soon, and the health care plans. Our national debt is over $12 trillion, dont know how we'll pay it off.
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