Freezy_Breezy said:
But see, it's stuff like that (Don't insult someone from the same political party) that makes you (not personally, collectively) seem incapable of critical thought. Affiliation with a party makes you correct? Fuck that. I can't stand anyone in the political system in my country, they're all cunts. I distrust anyone who links themselves to a party and sticks to it. People are manipulative pricks, and politicians are some of the worst who are more than happy to exploit loyalty.
Oh, no, I understand that. And I am more than happy to bash current generation Republicans who have lost thier way and spawned the likes of the Tea Party. And a little critic is not considered an insult. I mean when that pack of insane people who call themselves "Presidential nominees" start lashing out at EACHOTHER! Guys, theres plenty of ways to convince us Repubs that Obama has been bad for this country. Focus on that, because you are not doing yourselves any favors.
ps, I have my own reason for disliking Obama, but I would rather not have the whole forum desend from on high to deliver godly beatdown on me, so I will just say I think he has failed, but so has 80% of congress, so it has nothing to do with him personally. Lets end it there.
Wait what. North Vietnam was a communist state, not a socialist state. I honestly have no idea how you can find good in an atrocity like Vietnam, and how do you feel guilty for looking badly at war? It's WAR. It's literally wholesale slaughter for the sake of a number of people sitting in a house far far away. War was at it's moral height back pre/in the middle ages when the commanders and kings would ride into battle alongside their armies. Now we can drop bombs by satellite, fuck me.
War is not good. Killing is bad. I can't fathom how you can be so pro-war yet anti-genocide. There's no difference. Except, maybe, that you've thrown a gun at the feet of the other side, so they can kill some of your people too. Yay.
Huh. My AP US History teacher said they were closer to a socialist nation than a communist nation. Maybe today they are. Whatever.
Also, I think the main reason I CANT look badly on Vietnam is because I start to remember the venom that people spit at the soldiers after that war, and I start to think "Oh God no. Im going to start insulting the most insulted vets in history." Irrational? Maybe. But it still scares the heck out of me that it would happen.
Another also, I agree with you, I prefer the generals who rode into battle with thier men. But it didnt end in middle ages. Erwin Rommel was known to go to the front before the start of an attack and asked his commanders THEIR opinion on the operation since he knew they had more frontline experiance than he did. William Westmoreland insisted on staying in the MAC-V compound in Vietnam until he was fired in 1968. General McChrystal in Afganistan was know to overlook the battlefield in a Blackhawk to make sure things were going well. And Admiral McRaven has his SEALs carry cameras on thier helmets so he can give better orders to them. And this is the tip of the Iceburg. There are still PLENTY of generals who care about thier men. Good, Now then...
Did I ever say war was good? No. I long for the day when war can truely end.
"Some day, the people of the world are going to want peace so badly, the worlds governments better get out of the way and let them have it."-Dwight D. Eisenhower. Also, two other quotes that show my thinking are "Fight for peace"-unknown, "If you want peace, prepare for a war."-unknown, and "Speak softly and carry a big stick. You will go far."-old African proverb (We have the "big stick". Now we just need to work on "Speak softly")
But as it stand now, we will have to deal with war because the evil men in the world will use force to enact thier endgames. We could send aid workers to help, sure, but what happens when the local warlord thinks "Oh, look, easy food and medicine." I'd say I am more pro-intervention than pro-war. To me, War means it can be waged for anything. Resources, revenge, power, money, religion, etc. Which out of those the only "good" one is revenge, but only in the form of striking back in self-defense.(Ive seen enough stratagy in my day to know that "self-defense of YOUR land ONLY" is one of the quickest routes to defeat there is) But Intervention means we step in to stop the bloodshed of a genocide, or take down an opressive government, etc. Sure, you still use the military to do it, but the end results are far greater than with a war.
As for the last bit, I am assuming you are talking about the US giving Saddam chemical weapons. Yeah, If I ever see the moron who thought THAT would be a good idea, I will strangle him.
This sure is the meat of things. This is why the rest of the world hates you, and this is why you're the butt of all jokes. You've elected yourself the one true moral authority of the planet, you've alienated everyone else, you have this bizarre compulsion to "liberate" (but only when it's in your own self interest) and you have an incredibly, embarrassingly lax understanding of other cultures, peoples and generally how the world works. You want to liberate people? Tell Israel to go and fuck itself. Gaza is a mess. Maybe before you start invading other countries, slaughtering people and fostering hate towards yourselves you should sort out the atrocities some of your allies are committing.
I know that, and I hate it. But in the states, we even make fun of ourselves. Maybe thats why the Midwest wants to pretty much drop off the face of the Earth. WE (espcially Kansas) are the butt of AMERICAS jokes. But one thing the Midwest holds dear is tolerance. We may not know or understand your ways, but for the most part we acknowledge your right to do your thing. Plus, I WISH we would ACTUALLY "liberate" or defend a country that didnt have its name written in oil. Lets go and end Assad and free Syria. They have very few natural resources (that I know of) so we could go and silences some of the dissent, because "Wait, they just invaded a country with an evil dictator and no natural resources. Maybe there is something to this madness." Also, I agree with you on Isreal, to an extent. I acknowledge their right to exist, but they are putting NO effort into finding peace with the Palistiaens and are slowly turning into dictators and bullies. And youve seen what
I think of dictators and bullies. I think Id have a hard time convincing other Americans of that though.
The outsiders perspective is this; The US, and it's military, are assholes. Morally and ethically corrupt yet someone still 100% sure they're doing the right thing. It's positively astounding. You believe, assuredly due to this blind patriotism, that you are the best, and thus everyone else should be like you. And herein lies the problem. Because you've grown up thinking, unquestionably and unqualifiedly, that you are great, how can we tell you any different?
I know that the personification is Uncle Sam. I think that fits. A crazy Uncle with a multipe personality disorder (seriously, stepping into another region is like stepping into another country here) who sometimes screws up and sometimes forgets his way, but at his heart he truely wants to help. At least, that the way I see it.
In all fairness to you, that's a very historical constant within your country. It's always been that way, that's how your peculiar strain of evangelistic Christianity developed. And I still don't know what "wash your flag" means. And it really says a lot about it when the word "commie" is still in usage. Sigh.
When I talk about "Locally" or "Round Here" I dont mean America as a whole. I mean REALLY local, as in the state of Kansas, or EVEN MORE local, as in the collection of >50 farmers 20 miles from the nearest real city, which only has 23,000 permanent residents (51,000 total though) As for why "commie" is still used...have you ever been in the rural Midwest. It is LITERALLY like stepping back in time. The rural area I live in is like some sort of strange Limbo that time seems to have ground to a halt. Most people drive only 1950-'80 vehicles, we still have the morals of 1950s America (minus racism and sexism) and the code of law of the "Wild West". As for why "Commie" is a dirty word still, most people see ANY for of communism, even true communism, as nothing short of slavery and dictatorship. Most people around here still care about others, but they prefer to help out of the kindness of thier heart, not be forced to. Like if you need some hay for your livestock, just take your truck and drive to your neibors house and ask for some. Or if you are broken down on the side of the road, they will stop and help you get it rolling again, or stay with you until a wrecker shows up.
As for the meaning of "wash your flag", It literally means washing the American Flag, with soap and water, in a large basin, sitting in public view, saying why you are doing it.
