DraconisRex

quote:Originally posted by Menchise: I wonder what the point of this thread is...The New Islamic World Order (no, it doesn't exist to my knowledge, but it is a cool name...), wants to turn the entire Middle East into an Islamic Regime, which would, eventually, want to expand into European quarters. Now, if they are able to take over Israel, what little control we have over that powderkeg will be gone -- it's the only refuge that seems to truly accept the United States and its values. However, this is where it gets sticky. The following is a potential scenario I foresee as a threat to world security. I don't know if you've ever looked at a map of the Middle East and the surrounding countries. To give an idea to anyone who hasn't, Israel's western coast is the Mediterranean Sea. Barring Jordan, who seems to befriend all the countries around it, there's Egypt (Africa and Lybia are west), Saudi Arabia, Iraq (and Iran), Syria, and Lebanon, all of whom don't like the existance of Israel. It's in a bad place. In a pure democracy, it would be the wolve's dinner. If Israel falls, we lose baseline control of the Middle East. That means fallback positions to the European states would be required, as Russia and China still don't like us. However, that's not really the problem. Israel will probably nuke whoever crosses its borders in vast numbers. "If you take me down, I'm taking you out." The U.S. might not support this directly, but it would do little to stop it. World War III? Almost... Enter China. (All statistics stated herein are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise noted.) Population: 1,273,111,290. Enter Russia. Background: quote:The defeat of the Russian Empire in World War I led to the seizure of power by the communists and the formation of the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1924-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the communist period. The reason for my quote here, is that, with the 15 republics (aka governments), the strategic capabilities have probable limitations, and first-strike options for the Russian Federation might be limited. This is important, as you will soon see. As we devote our troops and weaponry to the Middle Eastern conflict (which I'm betting will come if we don't nip it in the bud), China would have a perfect opportunity to expand. To give you an idea of the SIZE of the problem, Russia has 145,470,197 (July 2001 est.) people. Of that, 38,866,147 (2001 est.) is the maximum available manpower. China has 366,306,353 (2001 est.), or 9.42 times Russia's availability. Minor problem here... Should China decide to broaden its horizons, there is nothing to stop them, short of a nuclear exchange. Even then, China has the better odds. Crowding in China is the number one problem. Although Russia is colder, it's also pretty spread-out. And gives China the upper-hand on many world events. So. If we lose the Middle Eastern conflicts, we take a chance of losing Russian assistance. China is still Socialist, and people tend to forget that. Westernizing China isn't really working, as the government says okay to levi's, but no to freedoms. Nuclear strikes in the Middle East... Chinese Empire, er, Socialist Expansion in Russia... And India.... And Pakistan.... And Afghanistan... Etc., etc., etc.,... Sounds like World War III to me.... The Berring Strait connects Russia to Alaska, and it wouldn't be much of a problem striking Canada in that case, or simply taking it over. They could effectively control our access to Alaska going that route. So long as they don't strike us, there is little we could do. But that strangle-hold is a bit frightening... So, you asked what this thread is about... Does thast help, Menchise? [ 08-10-2002, 06:48 PM: Message edited by: DraconisRex ]

According to the Associated Press, Saddam Hussein said yesterday that, "Anyone who attacks Iraq will fail." I wonder what his epitaph will read....

quote:Originally posted by Lotharr: Thanks, I'll look into it. Heh heh...the only thing around these parts to happen at the speed of lightning is trying to figure how to get out of this chicken $hit outfit Thanks go to my DA civilian battle buddies who all suffer from nicotine addiction or poor eating habits or both....well if you can't beat em'.....Funny part about drinking and the military (when I was in)... The minute I received my release orders, my desire to drink dropped to zero. Yet, while in Germany, every one of us was typically out drinking until 3 am, then getting up at 6. This was a daily occurance, at least until they transferred me to Battery Supply so I could work 17 hours a day instead of the normal 10. Workload was ridiculous. I had an advantage I still use on my resume, though... I was the 3rd in command of that office. There was the 1st Lt., then my SSG, then me. The other PFC's couldn't claim that... But, being Field Artillery, and not having a trained supply clerk, we were kinda screwed...

quote:Originally posted by Lotharr: Interesting...I'll try it because I killed all the cookies and the program didn't even blink... You know that program gives reports (to da' boss man) on what you look at, how long, by name or group....kinda creepy to me...Sounds exactly like the concepts brought up in 1984. Course, this is 2002 -- ain't no way that the Thought Police and Big Brother could even exist, much less watch you.... (Bothers me that I don't believe that for a second...)

quote:Originally posted by echo: I know, as a mother, I feel much safer knowing GI Joe has been disarmed. He has forced himself on Barbie for the LAST TIME!!!That may be, but after he gets realeased she has some kind of wild (as in 37 different Barbies at the...) party planned. You know, being a toy might not be so bad sometimes....

quote:Originally posted by Carl Burning: Im err-- almost O.K. with it.. Just as long as they dont make roach flavored ice cream.Disgustingly curious... wonder what that would taste like...? I mean, being a bug, the protein has to be good.... LOL

quote:Originally posted by Or: I like the bit about hanging all the lawyers ..from a tree... from a tree... whoops! sorry, your honor... no, we didn't mean you.... (thinks, after looking back at the speeding ticket, "in a bloody pig's eye!")

Dredd: quote:Just gotta hope Bush gets elected for a 2nd term so he finishes what he started. I'm betting it's going to come down between Bush and that really Bush-critical anti-war Democratic contender. You might not be aware of this, but Congress won't remove a President from office during wartime, or permit it to happen. It's bad form, and there are policies in-force to ensure that the President stays in place until the end of the war. So, if the Middle East wants to play war, let 'em. After we get done, we'll call it the Middle Eastern United States Colonies....

quote:Originally posted by EAGLE: Yup i agree i just looked at 10 lines and i can guess where it will go and how it will end as such documents usualy have similar format and style That's why I posted it... It may have some valid points, but it's kinda moot 200 years later...

quote:Originally posted by Dredd: Anything that's that long isn't worth reading and is obviously wrong. I got to about page 15 before realizing i had about 70 more to go.Yeah, I got to about page 3 before I realized that the whole thing was moot.. Ugh.

Writings on the wall prove we ain't U.S. THE UNITED STATES IS STILL A BRITISH COLONY

Okay okay... Subject dropped from this thread... If anyone wishes to continue it, start another thread.

quote:Originally posted by fendi: I'd reserve that honour for Steve Vai. Now thats a guitarist.Understood... But I'm from a much older generation... quote:"And now we take you back to the good ol' days, when Def Leppard was real Def Leppard, Foreigner was real Foreigner, and the Soggy Bottom Boys had never been heard of yet..."

quote:Originally posted by fendi: quote:Originally posted by DraconisRex: Cool as a Santana concert...So I take it its not cool then. I was at the Meriweather Post Pavillion last Friday, when Santana came by. It was extremely cool. Best guitar player on the planet, imho.

quote:Originally posted by IceCold: Remember, Hitler drummed up support for the Nazis by promising to protect Germany from certain groups and degraded them to a sub human state. Sound familiar? Germany was the cultural capital of the world before the world wars.Is that where we're headed? If so, what do we do about it?

quote:P.S. Draconis, Bomb dogs train in my warehouse. It's cool. I'm sure it is. Dog's noses are the keenest around, because they don't smell the mixtures of stuff like we do -- they only smell the baseline stuff. For example, eggs, salt and pepper, we smell the combination. They can identify each seperate ingredient. Cool as a Santana concert...

quote:Originally posted by IceCold: Every minute they spend wasting time with POINTLESS activities would be better spent focusing on possible terrorists, but wait that is ethnic profiling Considering federal employees are now working at security WE are PAYING these people to waste time being MORONS!!!Everything you buy seems to be helping to support stupidity... What to do... What to do... By definition of function, profiling is exactly what a police officer is supposed to do, as profiling isn't just about race/religious divisions. It's about identifying people based on evidence, reported witnesses, etc. If you heard that a white guy just robbed a downtown bank, wouldn't you think it stupid that cops were stopping all the Mexicans and Chinese to bring in for questioning? I mean, come on, people! [ 08-07-2002, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: DraconisRex ]

quote:The lines dividing the democratic and republican parties have blured a bit since the republicans have pushed the Office of Homeland Security into existance. No, the lines were drawn when Federalists (as in George Washington) were no longer the only party.... It's all about control... quote:The office of Homeland Security sounds too much like the gestapo for my comfort as a citizen of a "free" society. For that office plans to throw the consitiution out with Ashcroft's dirty socks. There's nothing in the world like a good ol' revolution to wash socks and such. You can call this a free society if you want to, but I keep thinking of all the taxes collected illegally to support a Gestapo -- what's next? Are we gonna start burning Canandians or Mexicans in Incenarators (sp??) because terrorists MIGHT get past them? And the minute anybody says, "But it's the patriotic thing to do," I'm going to remind them, forcefully, that the "SS" were patriots too. Either learn from history, or get to repeat it. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the early bird can stop the new Roman Empire from starting.

quote:Originally posted by $iLk: The United States is a Constitutional Repuplic. A Republic in which the members of the government are divided constitutionally and limited to certain extents of power - theoretically. Democracy is majority rule; i.e. three wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner. If you want the true outcome of a democracy, look no further than post civil war Southern States. The white majority kept power and the rights of the minority were trampled. This country provides safeguards against that. Democracy is an ugly word, if this were a democracy we would likely be at the mercy of the whim of mob rule.Once more, with passion.... Unless you can kill off all the democrats in the United States, it will be, it is, a DEMOCRATIC (note that that's not democracy) REPUBLIC with a Constitution. Period. So long as Democrats have any control of any portion of either the House or the Senate, then it isn't entirely a true Republic. Republicans only are authorized by definition to run a Republic. Any questions?!? As far as mob-rule is concerned, we are, in some ways, subject to that as well, especially in terms of our taxes. When was the last time you checked to see what portion of your taxes were paying for the have-nots in the food stamp line? Without a democratic element, I can guarantee you that Welfare would not exist to the extent it does now. I'm not complaining, but I am telling you that the United States is more like the USSR used to be before the wall fell in a lot of ways... [ 08-06-2002, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: DraconisRex ]

quote:Originally posted by IceCold: Let me give you all a little history lesson, EVERY terrorist organization that began through a nation state as a means of gaining independence HAVE been successful. Ethiopia is an excellent example of such (The Mao Mao rebellion). Jumping from Israel's side to the Palestinian side would be reckless and impossible. Israel holds too much of an influence over the Government to permit such an act. In my opinion, any government founded on the basis of religion is a bad idea. "The last time we mixed religion and politics people were burned at the stake," ~UnknownIsrael is right in the middle of the conflict area, surrounded on all sides by Islamic states that would like nothing better than to see her fall. The PLO, Islamic Jihad, and most other terrorist groups want only peaceful destruction of what they believe is an abomination unto Allah. Historically, though, both religions are brethren to each other, which makes Cain and Able look like Mickey Mouse and Pluto, by comparison.

quote:Originally posted by Parias: Guys, seriously, quit mocking the airport security goons, they were just doing their jobs. G.I. Joes are a valid and extremely serious threat to international security, and what these people did was fully justified in my eyes. I mean, geez, didn't any of you see Small Soldiers?Yes I did, and that is why what they did is totally ludicrous. I'd be more worried about that 72-year old woman in a wheelchair than the GI Joe doll....

From the CIA World Factbook about the United States: quote:Country name: conventional long form: United States of America conventional short form: United States abbreviation: US or USA Government type: federal republic; strong democratic tradition Capital: Washington, DC While you are right about the United States being a republic, it is a democratic one. Hence, the term "democratic republic" used by both my American History and Political Science professors. It isn't a democracy -- I never said it was. I said, and meant, that it is a democratic republic. (For the record, a republican democracy has about the same chance of survival as a cow literally jumping over the moon...)

quote:The *UN* created Israel While it is true you are right, everyone seems to forget (or didn't know) that the Israel the U.N. created isn't the same bunch of people that were there in Biblical times. Most of them have gone into Egypt, Africa, Lybia, etc. It's kind of like that white American Hippie that's in my mother's Bible as Jesus -- that ain't Him, ain't never been, and ain't never gonna be. Our supposed "religious backing" of Israel is a flat farce -- the whole thing stinks like yesterday's diapers. For all intents and purposes, it's the same group of brothers fighting each other over the same God -- but none of them seem smart enough to realize it.

quote:This is why this country was not and is not a democracy. Problem is, that that is no longer true, as you can see from the MANY unconstitutional laws that have been passed. Yeppers... And how many Special Interest Groups do you see lobby on a daily basis (most of them working for companies to pass laws that only benefit them)? I think we need an Electronic Town Hall, where all ballots, email to politicians, etc. are recorded in a permanent log that can't be changed, and is available for public inspection. How about this horsepoop where Congress isn't subject to search by National Security looking for Intelligence leaks? That is of the purest quality, and sounds like the whole bunch of them has something to hide.... Are they not American Citizens? (If not, leave office... and the country...)

quote:no action by the government should ever fall outside of the constitution, without an amendment, because otherwise it destroys the whole foundation the country was built on. And I thought the tollroads on federally-owned Interstates were Constitutional... NOT!!!! Even with an Amendment, I question the validity of several of our laws, starting with the 16th. I'd recommend a mild change to the Constitution that stated that no state-ratified law would become an Amendment without first being approved as constitutional by the Supreme Court (I think they do that, but not like what I'm thinking...) Any such changes to the Constitution should be ran as a test-run prior to becoming law, to see how the PEOPLE (Geeze, Senators, that's a CONCEPT!) react. Direct taxes, state taxes on excised (aka EXEMPT) items, etc., are not Constitutional. Even though the 16th Amendment gives them the power to bypass Apportionment and authorized direct taxes on income, it in no way authorized the existance of a seperate company (you read right) called the Internal Revenue Service (this is as bad as that EZ-Loan discussion elsewhere.) And certainly did not authorize said company to act as police and jury (images of Gestapo here) toward U.S. citizens without needing due course of law. The 4th Amendment is violated almost daily by government agencies in their course of their assigned (but not necessarily legal) duties. It reads: quote:The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Has this been changed by the existance of the IRS? Police confiscate property daily from suspected (note that word) drug dealers, gun runners, etc. Excuse me, but unless they're not U.S. citizens, what constitutional right do they have to take propety that does not belong to them? And keep it, guilty or innocent? Without due course of law? I just have problems with agencies acting like that without constitutional laws to back them up. (The SS were patriots too...) And the pansy public just continues to take it.... I can understand seizure if a person is found guilty and a court order has been issued. Otherwise, that's no better than the Barbarians taking on the Romans.... Pillage, plunder, murder, rape... These sound familiar? [ 08-06-2002, 05:52 PM: Message edited by: DraconisRex ]