Thread: A few years wasted...

This is one of the few times that I have ventured into the Issues forum with my thoughts.

I spent over a decade of my life being an earth dart. Furthermore, I was in most of the countries that Carlin talks about.

I tend to agree with him.

"Symbols to the symbol minded"

Classic.

I'm with you on this Hillbilly.

Much of his stuff has already been posted on here.

Never mind.

The man thinks.

A real bonus.

Thanks for the post.

Originally Posted by jandajoy

"Symbols to the symbol minded"

Classic.

I'm with you on this Hillbilly.

Much of his stuff has already been posted on here.

Never mind.

The man thinks.

A real bonus.

Thanks for the post.

Kudos...and seconded. A classic. Vintage Carlin. Nice post Hilly!

RS, my mind is a morass.

Where did we put all that good stuff, with Carlin, Fry and that nearly dead bloke?

Originally Posted by jandajoy

RS, my mind is a morass.

Where did we put all that good stuff, with Carlin, Fry and that nearly dead bloke?

Ahhh.....try the TD multimedia forum.

I have judged most girls I have met out here with the same morals as I would have back home but as time tells... I have learned the stories of these girls if it be
their own parents disowned them when they were kids ... or died ... or just abused them.(NOTE) They are bar girls im refering to which I have not had a sexual relationship with,Just girls I have got to know,At first glance I have thought what a scum bag of a girl you are for stealing a farangs wallet or lying to him about which boyfriends or how many boyfriends she has... after hearing the full story over years of coming here I can understand why the last thing that comes to mind to these girls is honesty and morals ...

I'm not a Pacifist, but in my lifetime I've seen little justification for foreign wars- even if we totally ignore the considerable moral issues and just evaluate the results.

Looking at the American war in Vietnam and surrounds, some might justify it on the grounds of Domino theory, drawing a line in the sand and all that. But at the end of the day the war was lost- and Vietnam has entered the world community as a significant and growing manufacturer since. Trying to impose this at the point of a gun just delayed matters.

The 'proxy wars' against Leftist movements in central and south America similarly don't seem to have achieved anything- the Sandinista's are now in charge in Nicaragua regardless, and most of the other states in the region have 'left leaning' governments, elected democratically. Colombia being the major exception. Hardly a scourge, a growing cancer effecting our national security as it turned out. Their swing to the Left can be explained by their post colonial history more effectively then any concocted Domino theory. Let them make their own mistakes, like Vietnam and China before them.

But of course the fallacies of Domino theory were replaced by the fallacy of 'nation building' and that other silly malapropism the 'War on Terror'. The results in Iraq and Afghanistan largely speak for themselves, at a time when the financial cost is particularly galling given the huge government debt and deficit the US is carrying.

The sole major beneficiaries of these wars have been that segment of big business devoted to arms dealing and it's many spinoffs, and of course the ever expanding National Security apparatus in the US centred on the Pentagon. The amalgamation is loosely termed the Military Industrial complex. Eisenhower was prescient and warned wisely, but of course people didn't listen- they rarely do when their State apparatus is selling them the opposite spin.

Now the largest manufacturing sector remaining in the USA is military and aerospace, and of course France and Britain are major arms dealers too. In fact the permanent members of the UN security council are also the five largest arms dealers in the world! How ironic that we, the great champions of free trade, have only seen our share of world manufacturing decline except in the state cosseted and subsidised sector of arms manufacturing and it's considerable R & D support sector.

Like Einstein said, "Why War?". We're much better at winning the Peace, if we set our minds to it.

Originally Posted by sabang

I'm not a Pacifist, but in my lifetime I've seen little justification for foreign wars- even if we totally ignore the considerable moral issues and just evaluate the results.

Agreed. The only one remotely excusable in my lifetime is the Bosnian war.

^yep. Don't worry there will be more disappointments with the war-monger rightwingers in the states. When it happens, of course, Brits and Aussies will be invited to participate in the crime.

Originally Posted by Eggroll

^yep. Don't worry there will be more disappointments with the war-monger rightwingers in the states. When it happens, of course, Brits and Aussies will be invited to participate in the crime.

and you reliably will....Maybe if you don't follow, the right wingers will rethink their options.

I don't know, HB. If we hadn't spent our youth plummeting towards the earth at panel-popping speeds, neither of us would be where we ended up. And, we both ended up in good places.

Good point. If I had always been stateside my eyes might have not ever been opened up to another world and possibilties.

I'm certainly not sorry i spent time in the armed forces- i just disagree with the mostly spurious conflicts they are sent to fight. In the case of Australia, it's almost always 'other peoples' wars anyway.

As I am sort of a semi-history buff I can understand why the US helped out England. I can understand why the US reacted to Pearl Harbor.

But some of the recent conflicts have got my head turning.

A not so recent one was Operation Just Cause. I jumped from 500 feet, I was there, bought the t-shirt and still I wonder why? At that time I just said yes sir.

After reading numerous books about this invasion afterwards, I began to rethink why did the US do this to begin with...

The germans and those are the only ones we bombed
But only because they where trying to cut in on our action
They where trying to dominate the world
BULLSHIT that’s OUR job
That’s our fu*king job !!!!!






Aaaaaah I feel so much better now. Thanks Hillbilly !

There Is No Understanding Most Time The Americans Go To War ! Its Gung Ho Then Make Excuses Later !

^ I am no advocate of war, but I would hardly say it is a 'Gung Ho' mentality. Media may portray it that way, and those that don't think, believe it that way.