Why are we the F'ing world police?

[Greybeard]

Hmmm, we are entering another theater with no exit strategy and takiing huge losses.

Reminds me of a certain "domino theory" from the 60's-70's. If these wars are all about the oil, why are we still paying outrageous prices at the pump. (well at least in CA we are)

Given a choice I am guessing that most of our servicemen would rather be home with their families. When you see them make sure you say thank you for their service. Is there even a draft still occurring? Many did not make the choice to go, and certainly not the choice to come home in a box, if there was enough of them to put into one.

Are these men and women going to be called "baby burners" when they come home? Look up the painting Vietnam Reflections and try to get some idea.

Fortunately my name is not there. But several of my friends are. OK, where am I going with this? I am just so f'ing tired of the US sticking our noses in to protect democracy and put "the right" form of government in somewhere.

Don't we have enough issues at home with which to deal? Sure, not everyone in a foreign country hates what we are doing, but let's try to protect ourselves and our own borders. Yes, some of these nuts are worth fearing. Remember 9/11? Let's secure our borders and then help others.

Either that or break out the daisy cutters, napalm, punji sticks and hit with a d@mn hard preemptive strike.

What the he!! am I talking about? I have no idea. I just want the best for our men and women and I have twin grandsons I want to see grow up in a better world.

[migopod]

I just got back from a week away from the internet, but looking over the Google news page I don't see any reference to the U.S. invading anywhere new. What's this new theatre?

[telkanuru]

[Sins of the Fleche]

I hadn't heard of a new conflict, but on a related note, I did read yesterday in the newspaper where Obama was trying to block an American businessman from building some apartment complexes in East Jerusalem because they constituted a "Jewish settlement in Palestinian territory."

So show of hands, do you think our President is a micro-manager to an extreme degree with a taste for the trivial, or is he simply bored with arguing with Congress about healthcare?

[Greybeard]

OK, maybe it is not so new. Afghanistan. What do you think of the new thing about trying to prove Obama is not a citizen as required by the Constitution to be president? There is all this brou ha ha about not releasing his birth certificate.

Aren't birth and death records public? Is this national security? How about someone files a FOIA claim to have it made public? If there is nothing wrong, why not show it?

If I recall my civics classes isn't this a fine example of socialism trying to be input? But if he is not "qualified" per the Constitution, who do we get? Biden? Pelosi? (I bit my tongue)

If we are attacked I have a simple two word plan. "carpet bomb" Now I am coming off as some sort of whacko myself. I just want our boys home and respected.

Baby burners indeed. harumph

Yes, my brain issues have affected me. but crawling around in deserts and jungles is.. crap I don't know what

[migopod]

100% Bogus article?

In reality B. HUSSEIN Obama is not an American Citizen. In fact (this may shock you to discover) he is actually an alien reptile from space. He has the ability to time travel, which allowed him to journey to the past and create his own birth certificate, hypnotize the Hawaiian state government (actually it was due to his temporal meddling that the "foreign and exotic" state of Hawaii even got admitted to the union), falsify the so-called "moon landing" and also participate in the assassination of J.F.K.

His time travelling abilities also allowed him to invade Afghanistan and invent Socialism.

The above facts are all 100% true because they're on the internet.

[Phaeton]

We're the World Police because we participate HEAVILY in the global economy and international tension often has bad consequences for us. We also are the world police because we (the electorate) actually give a damn about ensuring that basic human rights are followed around the world.

Looking inside our own borders and keeping out domestic house in order in a completely infeasible way of working with the rest of the world. With the way money, resources, and people flow around the world, events in Afghanistan, Sudan, China, or Mongolia have a defined effect on us.

Instabity in Africa has lead to havens for Pirates (in particular Somalia). They attack American vessels. Opium production abroad (primarily in Afghanistan) allows local gangs and other criminal organizations to sell it and make a profit. Financial connections between gangs and terrorist organizations abroad have been proven. Especially in CA.

The computer you're typing on probably had the majority if its components built in Japan. Probably some built in Korea, and maybe one or two built in China. This morning I was listening to a CD of a Serbian signed to an English label whose inserts were designed in the Netherlands and produced in China.

Lets not get started on my T-shirt, my cell phone, my shoes, and what I ate for breakfast.

Historically, we have a long history of protecting American interests abroad. The Barbary War. Big Stick Diplomacy. Dollar Diplomacy. These are all related. By being one of the most powerful and spread out nations in the world, the problems in other countries rightfully worry us.

Think about it: Wouldn't a regional war in Asia be awful for technology costs? Doesn't conflict in natural resource rich countries hurt prices? Don't most terrorists come from nations where they are appalled and radicalized by human rights violations and oppressive regimes?

[keith]

You'd prefer the Italians?

[lindajdunn]

OK, maybe it is not so new. Afghanistan. What do you think of the new thing about trying to prove Obama is not a citizen as required by the Constitution to be president? There is all this brou ha ha about not releasing his birth certificate.

Aren't birth and death records public? Is this national security? How about someone files a FOIA claim to have it made public? If there is nothing wrong, why not show it?

Oh, good grief! Not that again!

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2...n_the_usa.html

The director of Hawaii’s Department of Health confirmed Oct. 31 that Obama was born in Honolulu.

Holocaust deniers. Obama birthers. Flat Earthers. I see that 25% of young people don't believe we ever went to the moon. It was all filmed in a secret government location.

Head. Desk. Repeat as needed.

[telkanuru]

What's the joke?

"How do we know that the CIA had nothing to do with the Kennedy assassination?"

"Because he's dead."

[Phaeton]

I see that 25% of young people don't believe we ever went to the moon.

Moon? What Moon? There is no moon. Don't you know that the moon is really a a man-made satellite set up by Illuminati who went back in time so that they could modify the entire progression of human history?

Oh, F.netters. You ignorant, ignorant fools.

[foibles]

Phaeton's right. That's no moon. It's a space station...

And from deep within it, Marilyn Monroe, primogen of the Tremere clan, ordered the CIA to assassinate Kennedy... Both of them. Although never specifically stated, the motivation behind these assassinations is generally believed to be romantic rather than political in nature. Beware the wrath of illuminati scorned.

[lindajdunn]

Phaeton's right. That's no moon. It's a space station...

And from deep within it, Marilyn Monroe, primogen of the Tremere clan, ordered the CIA to assassinate Kennedy... Both of them. Although never specifically stated, the motivation behind these assassinations is generally believed to be romantic rather than political in nature. Beware the wrath of illuminati scorned.

Is Elvis there as well?

[foibles]

Is Elvis there as well?

No. I don't think so. During JFK he was busy playing footsie with Ann Margret. When RFK was shot, he was filming his 1968 TV "Comeback Special".

The triggerman, I'm told, was none other than the Lizzard King himself. That's what Hoffa told me anyway.

[treehugginfencer]

I agree only with your conclusion that we shouldn't fight war! Other than that, ALL TROOPS ARE MURDERERS! The great John Kerry said it best "the military is for people who aren't good enough to go to college!" I sure am glad I'm going to LA Community College and studying art appreciation instead of killing innocent terrorists!

[Sins of the Fleche]

And so the troll re-emerges from its cave.

[DavidX]

i think at the end of the day we go to war because its fun and we like to - im sure if we really really wanted to we could resolve almost any conflict without mass scale combat but seriously - what fun would that be. We've been at war with eachother since we sprang from the muck or from when the hebrew god breathed tetragrammaton into existance - whatever makes your rod hard.
One of the best things about incarnational existance here (especially at this time in history) is the breathtakingly wide variety of experiences you can have - heaven and hell are right here - waiting for you to sack up and jump in. I wanted to be a soldier - I wanted to have a band of brothers that I shared my life with and ended others with. So I did - I got to have my privledged american upbringing (I got one of the first nintendos for my birthday! how awesome is our generation for video games!?!) and later I got to go a bunch of foreign countries and do spy **** and murder people - than I get to come back and go to college and not really worry about it anymore.

We war for the same reason we do tons of stupid **** that makes no sense on paper.

Because we like to.

You can use all kinds of things to stir yourself up - nationalism, idealism, bloodlust - but at the end of the day all youre doing is psyching yourself up to have a bit of fun.

All our messes, all the resulting collateral damage and heartache and pain is the necessary byproduct of intense interactions that we thrive on as a species. They will only end when we as a species evolve past the need and desire for them.

Even the angels make war.

(oh and the illuminati are a bunch of pussies)

[I_luv_saber]

We won't stop being world police until the world at large steps up. The world will not step up more until it stops being done for them. It's a catch 22.

That being said, we (not as a people necessarily, but as a country) like being able to dictate world policy (perhaps not dictate, but have a strong influence on anyway). Any country wants to have more influence and more weight to throw around in order to better protect itself and it's interests (whether or not it actually accomplishes this is irrelevant, the belief it does dictates the action), and America is no different. Indeed we probably take it further than most other countries.

Should everyone else do more on the world scene? Yeah, probably. Will it happen? Nah. It's far easier to sit on the sidelines and blame others rather than put yourself in a position of responsibility.

However, I think things are moving noticeably towards more world involvment as opposed to some years ago...

[Sins of the Fleche]

saber, I agree with everything you said, but I think emerging world powers like India and China have watched America (and the West in general) and the example we set in the 20th century, and they are trying to emulate us and indeed surpass our earlier benchmarks in industry and politics.

So I agree with you, I think America is soon going to have company in the "big boys on the block" department, but what will be the really interesting thing is to see if all the policemen start having jurisdictional issues.

[Inquartata]

The director of Hawaii’s Department of Health confirmed Oct. 31 that Obama was born in Honolulu.

Hey, if China can falsify passports and birth records so that it's 12-year-old gymnasts can compete in the Olympics...