Current/Recent World Conflicts thread.

[JediHunter]

 

good one Tex... and i noticed... i did..

[budious]

I totally concur Budious... it is a tad on the wrong side.. thats why i kinda disagree with all the media attention this tragedy is getting...

 

I agree that the media should move off the campus immediately and that the multimedia package provided by Cho should have gotten less distribution than it did. I do think however, the American media should remain vigilant on reporting real news and not Anna Nicole Smith and the fight over baby's daddies or spending six months talking about one stupid bitch who got drunk and hung out with the wrong crowd down in Aruba.

[SOCL]

I totally concur Budious... it is a tad on the wrong side.. thats why i kinda disagree with all the media attention this tragedy is getting...

 

I agree that the media should move off the campus immediately and that the multimedia package provided by Cho should have gotten less distribution than it did. I do think however, the American media should remain vigilant on reporting real news and not Anna Nicole Smith and the fight over baby's daddies or spending six months talking about one stupid bitch who got drunk and hung out with the wrong crowd down in Aruba.

I happen to agree with you on this, too. Anna Nicole Smith's baby and all the nonsense that surrounded it, including the biological father coming out and saying "I told you so!" as though he'd won a contest, was sickening.

 

Oh, and of interest, my father is among a group of officers petitioning the garrison commander at Fort Belvoir to have regulations changed so that every death of a soldier brings the flag to half-staff. This will certainly mean being at half-staff the majority of the time, but I think we owe it. Any thoughts?

[JediHunter]

I totally concur Budious... it is a tad on the wrong side.. thats why i kinda disagree with all the media attention this tragedy is getting...

 

I agree that the media should move off the campus immediately and that the multimedia package provided by Cho should have gotten less distribution than it did. I do think however, the American media should remain vigilant on reporting real news and not Anna Nicole Smith and the fight over baby's daddies or spending six months talking about one stupid bitch who got drunk and hung out with the wrong crowd down in Aruba.

 

Once again I cant help but agree here... and again the media is at it.. now the big story is Alec Baldwin and his private voicemail message to his daughter.. which somehow got leaked... it sickens me sometimes how obssesed this country is with celebrities and their personal lives... and how fickle we are with the news.. once something is no longer "sexy" (as I call it) it no longer is worthy of our attention.. its kinda the same thing with charitable causes.. like.. (dont damn me for saying this) breast cancer is the "sexy" cancer (i know.. no cancer is sexy..) hence it gets lots of "airplay" and support such as marketing and fundraising events... but what about cervical cancer or prostate cancer?.. nothing.. or close to it.. ok.. /rant ... just this society concerns me sometimes..

 

Oh, and of interest, my father is among a group of officers petitioning the garrison commander at Fort Belvoir to have regulations changed so that every death of a soldier brings the flag to half-staff. This will certainly mean being at half-staff the majority of the time, but I think we owe it. Any thoughts?

that sounds quite cool SOCL.. im happy to hear someone is taking action.. i mean.. anyone else notice that there arent nearly as many ribbons on cars or american flag stickers on bumpers anymore?.. i think we need to restate our support and patriotism.. and permanently..

Edited April 25, 2007 by JediHunter

[SOCL]

i mean.. anyone else notice that their arent nearly as many ribbons on cars or american flag stickers on bumpers anymore?.. i think we need to restate our support and patriotism.. and permanently..

Here I do not agree with you. Yellow ribbons and American flag stickers don't mean anything, in my opinion. Too many people with "Support Our Troops" merchandise without even realizing what it means to serve. It really just makes me sick. Living on military bases, I saw a lot of people with this sort of merchandise, civilian mostly, but did any of them stay up until two in the morning to greet the soldiers at they came home? No. I'm not trying to say I'm more patriotic than people who have this stuff--not at all; I just find most of it rather ridiculous and overdone, like some fad. And did you know the person who invented the yellow ribbon car-magnet, despite making a fortune, has done no real work for the troops? If you want to support the troops, be a pen-pal or thank them.

 

Just my two cents.

[JediHunter]

i mean.. anyone else notice that their arent nearly as many ribbons on cars or american flag stickers on bumpers anymore?.. i think we need to restate our support and patriotism.. and permanently..

Here I do not agree with you. Yellow ribbons and American flag stickers don't mean anything, in my opinion. Too many people with "Support Our Troops" merchandise without even realizing what it means to serve. It really just makes me sick. Living on military bases, I saw a lot of people with this sort of merchandise, civilian mostly, but did any of them stay up until two in the morning to greet the soldiers at they came home? No. I'm not trying to say I'm more patriotic than people who have this stuff--not at all; I just find most of it rather ridiculous and overdone, like some fad. And did you know the person who invented the yellow ribbon car-magnet, despite making a fortune, has done no real work for the troops? If you want to support the troops, be a pen-pal or thank them.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Thats basically my whole point SOCL.. dont misunderstand me... i was basically expressing my contempt with the American society.. i just didnt have too much time to type it out being that im at work.. and spent too long on the internet by the time i was posting on SWR... I chose to mention the magnets and stickers as a representation of the American Society's fleeting support for what really matters... and as I figured.. the person who actually made money from the exploitation of the American public didnt even give back with any amount of the profits (or so thats how I interpreted it).. and exactly... most people would put the magnets on their cars (or the flag) in order to feel better about themselves.. they never even bothered to ask where the money was going im sure... and let me mention i never once owned such a magnet... instead I did my part by housing sailors during the persian gulf war (90-91), when I lived over there.. and will continue to contribute to the support of the troops in various ways throughout my life when I have the means.. and opportunity.. and you qualified it perfectly... a fad hence why you dont see them anymore.. i rather doubt most those people ever actually did support the troops.. as you mentioned..

[SOCL]

Sorry, JH, I didn't mean it to sound like I was going off on you. I just get very frustrated with people who question my support for troops just because I lack a magnet, yellow ribbon, and American flag. I probably did misunderstand what you typed and I apologize for coming across in such a mean way.

[JediHunter]

oh nah man, i didnt take it like that.. i just wanted to clarify for all out there in the magic realm of the internet.. hahaha... plus i was agreeing with you.. just didnt state it clearly enough.. so i wanted to make that clear.. cuz its more fun agreeing than disagreeing... well..... sometimes... lol.. in my opinion...

[Jahled]

*blows dust*

 

*coughs*

 

US 'aims to help' Mid-East allies

 

Apparently 50% of the insurgents in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia, according to an intelligence report. I also found this in my quest to find some citation besides what I just watched on the UK's independent Channel Four News. It being a religious web-site leaves me with doubts about it's accuracy, but even if it has fumbled it's numbers for arguments sake, the irony in all this is there. The chief country on this planet funding and sponsoring this extremist fundamentalist filth just happens to be the largest exporter of Islamic murderers; and curiously has the largest oil reserves in the world, and now billions of dollars of military aid!

 

Emm..

[SOCL]

Our Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense are in the Middle East now trying to convince Egypt not to sell the Sunni in Iraq weapons. They are willing to make weapons deals with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Sunni, however; better our weapons than theirs...?

 

I'm reminded of a Presidency from the 1980s. It started with an R... Reag--something or other... Well, anyway, they sold weapons and such to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and the Iraqi's to the fight the Iranians... I suppose it was quite unfortunate that the Mujahideen formed the Taliban, and some fellow named Saddam Hussein happened to cause some trouble. I suppose it's going to be quite unfortunate when we look back and again wonder how we could have been so stupid as to make the same mistake again.

 

Bloody wonderful.

[/lots and lots of pessimistic sarcasm]

[Eagle]

Old thread and old story...

 

Here´s an interesting video of an interview of that FBI man who interrogated Saddam Hussein on a daily basis. Most interesting IMO are the two last vids "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and "An Al Quaida Connection?". Interesting insights of Saddams own personal views.

[Darth_Rob]

Yeah, I watched that in my international politics class a few weeks ago. I cant believe Saddam allowed his country to be invaded by the U.S. just to keep up his image in order to keep Iran in check.

[Evaders99]

There are books that reason our intention to go into Iraq was directly to stop control by Iran. But what do I know ... they may not be a threat (sarcasm)

 

Iranians are basically brainwashed into daily "Death to America!" chants. And the fact that majority of the world's oil is sitting around the area, you think we would just leave the Middle East to them?

[Eagle]

I dunno. I know some Iranians and they are ordinary people like us. At least those who I know don´t hate us and the way we are living. All in all I don´t trust in governments propagandas anymore. They follow their own agendas and they make us to follow them blindly. That´s it.

 

To my knowledge Ahmadinedschad hasn´t got that much power in Iran. He has to follow what the Ahjatollah´s tell him. I also don´t believe that he will be reelected after his term ends, though iranian people want to live in peace. And as long as he is in power, he is also a threat to the iranian people, because he could be the reason for a possible war against anybody.

 

Of course there are books where is speculated about the reasons to got to war with Iraq. But this interview gives us first hand knowledge of a guy who spoke to Saddam Hussein in person on a daily basis. That guy is an expert for sure and knows if he will be lied. Otherwise they wouldn´t have chosen him as interrogator. Hm, strange that he has been interviewed that way. Is that maybe the revenge of the secret services?

[Lord_La_forge]

There are books that reason our intention to go into Iraq was directly to stop control by Iran. But what do I know ... they may not be a threat (sarcasm)

 

Iranians are basically brainwashed into daily "Death to America!" chants. And the fact that majority of the world's oil is sitting around the area, you think we would just leave the Middle East to them?

 

 

Hahaaaa! Very true, very true! Get that, oil cowboy! Better than being nailed to Putin like the rest of us here in the Eu.

I want to be an arabian

 

I was wondering why nobody yet mentioned the conflict in Tibet. Don't want to rush it though. Just wondering...

[Evaders99]

The average Iranian probably doesn't care. But what other government uses such religious fervor on a daily basis

http://infidelsarecool.com/2007/02/21/video-death-to-america/

I'm sure you could look up the videos on Youtube. There was a pretty good video from Dateline, I believe, that showed the "death chants" stopped for the 9/11 attacks. And then resume right back up again.

 

 

You don't hear the Chinese shouting "Death to Tibet"

[Darth_Rob]

The whole Tibet thing is insane to me. These people don't do anything, they just hang out and pray. Dang commies.

[SOCL]

Don't do anything and just pray, eh? Right. That's precisely what Christians do, too, right? Thus, they should be oppressed by the government and told that they may not have an opinion against the government and thus may not organize and protest. That makes a lot of sense. Would you say the same thing about the Civil Rights Movement, too?

 

In all seriousness, I think the matter in Tibet is quite disturbing, and by that I am referring namely to the PRC's reaction and their deployment of paramilitary and military forces to the area. In the past I was at least in moderate favor of an independent Tibetan state and not just an autonomous region under the government of someone else. Maybe a state whose survival is guaranteed by the International community? The recent events have radicalized my opinion all the more and I staunchly believe that Tibet ought break from the People's Republic of China. It's amazing that in the modern, so-called "progressive" world the International community stands for allowing another country to oppress a people so thoroughly, to the point of forcing the government of Tibet into exile (in India). To show my stance, and though it may not do much, I'll be participating in peaceful protests outside the Chinese embassy here in Washington, D.C.

[Darth_Rob]

I think you mistook what I said. I was just saying that they don't do anything to effect the government, or get in its way. They just try to keep to themselves and live their traditional life in a totalitarian society.

 

I also agree with you on China's violent reaction to peaceful protests. China has always troubled me.

[SOCL]

I think you mistook what I said. I was just saying that they don't do anything to effect the government, or get in its way. They just try to keep to themselves and live their traditional life in a totalitarian society.

 

I also agree with you on China's violent reaction to peaceful protests. China has always troubled me.

Hmm. Sorry about that. I mistook what you said to mean you didn't care for the Tibetans. My bad.

[Evaders99]

I do agree that the PRC's reaction to Tibet is strange. I don't really understand it, what's of value in Tibet? It doesn't seem like was politically a part of a China in the way the Confederate States tried to break away from the USA, or even as Kosovo was part of Serbia.

My only thought it is a national pride issue, though I doubt the average Chinese really cares. The government doesn't want to admit anyone can challenge its power. Yet the Dalai Lama has already acknowledged that Tibet is not declaring independence, rather it would seeking to placate China as an semi-autonomous region.

 

I understand the need by the PRC to retain Taiwan (though of course I don't support their rule), but Tibet just doesn't seem to have any value.

[SOCL]

I think you pegged it on the nose, Evaders: national pride. There be something in Tibet that we're not aware of, though, and I suppose cynicism makes me think there might be an untapped source of oil there. Losing Tibet, though, in my view, would actually strengthen the PRC's economy in many ways by solidifying their hold on the traditionally Chinese lands closer to the coast. It would also create a buffer state between China and India, relations being shaky and back-and-forth since the 1960s. The fact the PRC at one time backed Pakistan also probably doesn't sit well with India, as well as India's willingness to support the Tibetan government-in-exile (especially the Dalai Lama). China may in fact have fears, perhaps founded, that withdrawing from Tibet would strengthen India's position in the region as a direct rival. I think it's likely a combination of national pride and strategic positioning.

[Lord_La_forge]

The new railway to Lhasa is the best example for China's hidden strategy. They've moved hundreds of chinese families to the area. That you can call a peaceful invasion, or even a genocide. Making Lhasa a tourist-heaven is the worst they can do with tibetan culture.

 

China was proudly showing the world all those videos, where you can see, that tibetans overrun and burned down cottages, small stores.

Those were tourist-shops, gadget-shops, places that poisoned Lhasa. Saw the videos with the police on the streets? You can see, there are dozens of shops, whole streets of them even. What else could tibetan people do? The only weapon against that oppression is global publicity and futile uprisings. Most leaders of the buddhist monks were arrested before the riots anyway (just in case..)

 

The whole communist chinese propaganda makes me sick. And even though I lived only a few years in communism, the whole thing does look familiar to me, and it's disgusting. Hungarians love to remember the "good" old days, even my father has some relics of the past (huge Lenin poster and such). And we laugh a lot about that idiotic propaganda we received (90% of the people never believed in it anyway) but as I'm seeing, there is still something like this out there (maybe even worse)... Shocking

 

The Olympic Games shouldn't be in such a country. But as they've won the rights, let them do it. As the Dalai Lama said well, China need that success. But there is certainly something wrong in that country, and Tibet is the first proof.

[DarthTofu]

So, how's this for a current/recent world conflict: Russia and Georgia are at war. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/09/russia.georgia

 

The two are full-out mobilized against one another, now. Here's hoping this doesn't end badly; I'm almost eighteen.

[Lord_La_forge]

It really seems like a planned russian assault to me. Covered by the Olympics.