budgie
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Posts posted by budgie
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The only way the UN will cease to exist or be relevant is if everyone stops believing in it. So far only a few dictators and the Bush admisnistration have done that. The League of Nations proved to be ineffective - the UN is not even close to doing that now. If Saddam proves to be a real threat it will stand with America against Iraq. That's the way it happened in 1991 and the first Gulf War actually reaffirmed the UN's mandate.
No need to count the the rest of the world community out just because they don't share the US president's world-view.
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not everyone on the "Arab street" hates the US. The ones that do simply garner more media attention. It's the old saying of "the squeaking wheel gets the oil" syndrome.
Godd point. The media may be responsible for many people's image of the mideast as a hotbed of america-haters. Unfortunately it is also the squeaking wheel that messes up the ride.
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Well the US certainly does not deserve to be hated for all the good it tries to do in the world. People out there just want it to tread a little more lightly. It is certainly better to have freedom and democracy shoved down our throats than what some totalitarian political and religious interpretations have to offer.
Just remember that the European and other allied nations that are traditional allies are distructful because of the way America seems to be imposing its values on the rest of the world. Remember countries such as France, Germany and New Zealand also have freedom and don't need to be rescued or told what to think and do.
It seems to me that the US feels a little bit abandoned by traditional allies when it comes to shoring up support for the war. Even governments that agree such as Britain and Australia have populations that are largely against action in Iraq. Once they feel that there is enough evidence to support action they may change their minds.
It is my hope that the rest of the world community comes to agree that Saddam can't be allowed to continue proliferating WMD and that action is necessary. Then we get rid of teh tyrant and his weapons, free Iraqis and allow them to prosper and ecverybody will be on the same page. Until then, the US will continue to feel that it doesn't have enough friends.
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As the US is the world's only Superpower, it is inevitable there will be a lot of jealousy, Also, as a woprld leader, America seeks to keep peace and stability in the world and to spread the ideas of democracy and freedom. However a lot of people win very different societies see this as imposing, meddling or trying to dominate. Can't please everyone. I thing the distrsut of America is deeper these days because of the boorish behaviour of that tool of a president. But remember the last one was derided in many parts of the world for his immoral behaviour. Again, you can't please veryone.
I for one trust America and its ideals but disagree with the methods of the current administration. A lot of people I know - even educated types - don't seem to be able to differentiate between America and its leaders. They can all sympathize with Iraqis while disapproving of Iraq's president, but because the world sorta loks to the US for political leadership, people expect much more of American leaders.
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I got more from my contact at Ubi. Apparently "Grandmaster W." is just a puppet for an even more sinister leader behind the scenes - the mysterious "Uncle D!ck". And they still haven't settled on a name for the campaign. Now it's Operation Revive Democrativity. I think the Grandmaster needsa a new speechwriter.
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This young man has caused me to reexamine my sexualilty. I feel something new and raw stirring withi...aw screw it, I'm gonna get another beer!
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More from Ubi. Apparently the enemy leader is an enigmatic demagogue known only as "Grandmaster W." And they still haven't settled on a name. Now instead of Operation Restore Demotocracy, the PR guys are now floating Operation Return Democraticness.
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I have contact UBi and they had this to say:
"The Ghosts will be called in to a large, terrorist-plagued country to restore democracy after a cunning dictator and his cronies stole the election, cancelled taxes for the rich, imposed their religious values on the unwilling, abandoned the UN and started to threaten far away republics with massive military might. The new campaign with be called "Operation Restore Demotocracy."
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@ Tollen; Letting the North Koreans starve would be dangerous. When a regime gets very weak at home it tends to lash out - which is partly why they are so boorish these days. A desperate North might actually attack the South to avert a coup at home and direct anger outward. That said, China will never let them starve.
@ 300mag: Well said. time for China to step out and fill teh shoes it so desperately wants to be seen wearing. With great power coms great responsibility. Methinks they are more interested in the power. hey may also be wary of how America's position as top dog frequently gets it accused of meddling. They may not want to fall into the same trap.
@ Warhawk; Bear in mind that while the Muslim governments are mostly on good terms with the US, the people of the Muslim world - especially the "Arab Street" - are not so friendly. This is mostly because they are oppressed by their own governments (there is not one democracy in the whole Arab world from Northwest Africa to the edge of Iran, and spanning 25 countries except for Israel), and because those same governments are being seen as kowtowing to the West. Ironically, if the Street had freedom and democracy they probably would not hate America so much for having it. A lot of it, IMO is based on envy.
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Actually political correctness is why they had the beards in the first place - showing sensitivity to the local customs. The reason they had to shave was politics. Just the opposite in out funny language. The Christian rightwingers and suburbanite nimbies back home didn't want to see US soldiers looking like the local savages. Lord no. They probably even got a letter from Laura Bush. As I understand it the issue was resolved in favor of the brass back home. The beards had to go.
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I grant you that. At least the American president knows what he believes in and sticks to his guns.
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I can't claim to be as morally upright as yourself, but I do love techno. For a real trance anthem try Rank One's "Airwave".
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The UN needs to go to hell. The US needs to get out while we still have our freedom.
OK. So let's say the UN "goes to hell". The US invades Iraq. It certainly wins. Hopefully, the new regime is user friendly. Bush gets his oil, the Iraqi people get freedom - no more unaccounted for WMDs. The other nations are redfaced because they were ignored and it turned out for the better in the short term.
But the honeymoon doesn't last. North Korea is even more scared they'll be next because they saw Iraq's regime fall. They ratchet up tension and rhetoric, threatening the South and Japan. Maybe the US deploys more troops to the area, maybe Japan, afraid of North Korean missiles, goes nuclear. China gets nervous because they remember 60 years ago and they start to threaten Japan. They will probably call for inspections with the threat of war if they fail. The world doesn't agree? China can go it alone because the US did in Iraq.
Israel, emboldened by America's success, expells all the Palestinians. Not only does that annoy the Arab street, but it leaves the Palestinians homeless and open to abuse in jordan, syria and Lebanon, none of whom want them. Maybe the UN condemns Israel, but it doesn't matter because the strongest member abstains. The Egyptians, Syrians and Jordan take an increasingly harder stance. Vowing to force open a passage to repatriate Palestinians if necessary. Israel threatens 'massive retaliation.'
China suddenly sees the need for 'regime change' in Taiwan. god only knows why but they were never in the habit of explaining their wants to the rest of the world. They ratchet up tension across the strait. The world asks why. They say it's okay because the US had to do it in Iraq. Same thing, right?
The US needs China's support for the increasingly inconsequential War on Terror so they do nothing to defend Taiwan's freedom and democracy (which they have and are in grave danger of losing). Well at least Iraq has democracy now and Taiwan has no oil.
Meanwhile, anti-US fervor heats up in the Arab world. Embassies are bombed, terrorists spread fear and foreign workers are murdered. Bin Laden is still dead, but there are plenty more to fill his shoes.
Of course not all of this will come to pass, but we must think about the consequences of hasty action as well as of inaction. Nobody here supports Saddam, but it's obvious to the rest of the world that he is not an immediate threat. They're all wrong and America is right? Even close to half of Americans are hesitant on Bush's war, about the same minority proportion he 'won' the election with. Shouldn't the Republican warmongers at least listen to their own people? If the inspectors are given time, uncover enough dirt and if Saddam keeps up his uncooperative attitude then the UN will probably come on board. Bush's sudden hard stance on Iraq did a wonderful thing - it restarted inspections. Now that process has to run its course before we all leap into the flames.
I believe that the UN will eventually agree to regime change in Iraq because the kind of cooperation needed from Saddam, will erode his power at home and he may be more afraid of losing power to his own people. To stop this he will defy the inspections process and then the world will have an excuse to take him out. He loses either way.
But you must understand the US is not always right. If they know something the UN doesn't, if they have a smoking gun, then let's see it. But saying "To hell with the world we have a right to make war whenever we want," is bad for the US and bad for the world. The US was one of the founding members of the UN and they have a responsibility - you heard me - to play on the same team. Yes, the US will be fine after a unilaterally imposed war with Iraq, but the rest of the world will not.
As for the US getting out of the UN while it still has its freedom, freedom is not just the 'right ' to attack any enemy the you see fit. As the US is a democracy with an voice for all people, so the UN is a democracy with a voice for all nations. It seems strange that so many Americans disagree with democratic process. The US should be free to disagree with democratic decisions, but nobody should be free to override the democratic process, i.e. to wage war when they are not directly threatened. And except in Mr. Bush's simple mind, it has not yet been proven that the US is directly threatened by Iraq.
As I said if he knows something that the rest of the world doesn't, let's hear it.
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I have a black belt in Origami.
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(Best Yoda Voice); Hmm. I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience...
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Don't panic my young padawan. North Korea got nervous because of Mr. Bush's unique view of the world and his eagerness to attack Iraq. They actually believed his rhetoric about weapons of mass destruction and got scared they would be next. What they are no doubt coming to realize is that as there is no oil in Korea, they don't have to be so worried. As for attacking the south, they have such a technological disadvantage that winning on sheer numbers even sounds silly.
The North has a force only about 30% larger than the south (with combined US forces in korea, down to 25% when you factor in US troops in Japan). But given the fact that the North will be attacking defenders on their home turf with starving troops and equipment in the region of forty years out of date, they certainly would be at a huge disadvantage. They also would be spotted building up for an attack long before they started to push. With a tech gap like that they couldn't possibly have the element of surprise. Remember the allies rolled over Iraq's similar sized army in a few days after weeks of bombardment and they were on the offense - technically the less advantageous position. North Korea knows it cannot invade the south. And don't worry about the nukes; they'd end up with the whole world - even China - against them.
China would not like to see the peninsula reunified. Firstly if it were unified under the South then that's another large, free country on their borders and that always makes their government look obsolete to their own people - exactly the reson they'd love to conquer Taiwan. Factor in the possibility of having US bases moved north under a US-friendly democratic South and they certainly don't want US bases on their border. The lesser of two evils in their totalitarian eyes would be a Korea reunified under the north - but then the whole peninsula would be an economic basket case, dragging down the whole region and China doesn't really belive it can control or properly understand the reclusive, paranoid leadership of the North. remember the Chinese government are b@stards, but they're not crazy. A divided Korea is a weak one in their eyes and it reaffirms China's position as regional top dog.
Moreover, they would be very unlikely to support the North in attacking the South because the South is a better trading partner. China recognizes the South's sovereignty and would not support an illegal invasion, especially if it would bring them into contact with US troops. That's not the kind of risk the Chinese play at anymore. They also have a technological disadvantage that they didn't have 50 years ago, and superpowers don't fight eachother directly.
So we can probably rest easy on the Korean peninsula. I say probably because even I am not sure, but between S. Korea, the US and China, there will be enough level heads to keep things stable for the time being.
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I have a fairly sharp kitchen knife, two bottle openers, some scissors for cutting chicken breast, a sturdy frypan and a cute smile.
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I know what it's like Smatman. This is how I get killed on SP all the time. Line of sight is far too narrow so that when standing behind a wall, you can't really tell how much is exposed or not, and yet you still can't see past. I've accused the computer of cheating so many times but your case proves that the person behind the wall or round the corner is not as protected as he thinks.
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Indeed Force is the only way to make Saddam, comply. Men like him understand nothing else. However, it weakens the world community to have one nation meet out this justice without the consent of the others. And with force he can be contained, as he has been for the last 14 years, until his own demise. Why force change when it is not the only option left?
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Looks like the Columbia exploded while approaching. All seven astronauts on board. Not a good day all round. Sad to see these heroes die.
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But the first guy that catches it will be pretty concerned.
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By comparing ot to Top Gun I think they meant it was just another big-budget recruitment ad for the Navy
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Well, It seems from the news on Yahoo, that the allies are not satisfied there is enough cause for a war right now. I must say, I agree for the time being. Without the backing of the international community, Bush risks diminishing America's overseas clout and setting a bad example for others to follow if he goes it alone without proof of Iraq's WMDs.
With the backing of the UN, I'm sure special forces from NATO countries could train and equip a reliable opposition and let the revolution come from within. That, rather than all out war, might be more palatable to the allies. I have no love for Saddam, and with or without the UN, i will be glad to see him topled and Iraq (hopefully) given a chance at democracy. But I do like the idea of consensus too, and until we have that, it's a bad time to go to war.
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With the right effort and dedication, Iraq can make a peaceful transition into democracy. It worked in Germany and Japan (although the Japanese interpretation of democracy is a little narrow they at least have freedom). But this is why the allies are needed on board. The UN has the best experience at nation-building, take East Timor for example.
Bush (hate to say it) might be just as happy with a pro-American dictator who doesn't have WMDs as long as he can get his greedy mits on Iraqi Oil. Gotta satisfy the campaign contributors, right? But if he has the cooperation of more level headed Nations - having Britain on board is good, France as well would be even better as they have a lot of respect in the region - those players will take a serious interest in rebuilding Iraq.
I read in Time today that Britain is on board and the French may yet come on board as far as military action goes, if only to ensure a say in what kind of future Iraq has post-Saddam. Let's all hope for the best because it does look like there will be a post-saddam Iraq sooner rather than later.
america's army
in "Off Topic" Posts
Posted · Edited by budgie
I downloaded the game at last. I'm sually shy of online gaming because I fear a great fragfest with every man for himself. I have also modified my GR so much I could never play it online without crashing servers or being accused of cheating.
Anyway, I loved the training and the way the weapons have a realistic kick. The graphics and sounds are fantastic (excellent draw distance - I hope they use the same engine for GR2!) I also enjoyed a couple of online games where everyone seemed to fight as a team. Others turned into a free for all. You know it's not gonna work out when the six guys in your squad start the game by running in six different directions. Anyone know if they'll do SP missions one day?
But I desperately want to enjoy online gaming and America's Army feels right, so can you guys tell me a good server or bunch to hang out with? I would prefer some of the GR.net crowd as a matter of trust, rather than some creepy 13 year old sniper-wannabes I don't even know.