Spot on. What was unique about George Bush’s reaction to terrorism was his selection as an object lesson for potential state sponsors of terrorism, not a country that was full of fundalmental Islamic terrorists that had been engaging in anti-U.S. terrorism, but one that had not been, Iraq. What we went into Iraq to destroy did not exist until we invaded and awakened the country's nationalism. The result is that we have created the breeding grounds and recruitment stage for the most radical Islamic uprising the world has ever seen. Total failure.

Agreed

Ok, I wasn't going to say anything at first but I have to step in and defend myself here.

First of all, I said region of the world, not country. I don't think anyone will argue that as a whole, the Middle East runs itself like one giant Taliban like community.

For the most part, there is:

No fraternizing with the opposite sex
No alcohol
No pork
No music
No education for women
Common life imprisonment
Constant observation of hardcore, fundamentalist Islamic values
Barbaric capital punishment such as stoning, execution by grenade (yes that is actually a method) and the ever popular beheading.
Occasional goat sex (which is understandably punishable by death)

These guys have been raised in a Spartanesque, boot-camp like society no matter where they are from. Even if Iraq isn't like I said it was, or seemed to imply, let's face it, you do one thing out of the ordinary, and you're dead.

Why else did Saddam get a 100% approval rating from his "elections" shortly before getting invaded? Maybe because every voter was accompanied into the booth with a gun barrel jammed to the side of their head?

If you're saying that the Middle East itself is the most oppressive region in the world then you might as well just say that Islam itself is the problem seeing as all the countries, except Israel, are Islamic. Some rules are just Islamic teachings that are in the Quran such as the one about not eating pork because the pig is considered to the dirtiest of creatures as it lives in it's own excrement.

To generalise all Muslim countries as being like the Taliban is also inaccurate. If you think that all Arabs spend their days being opressed and having sex with farm animals, which is what I'm thinking after reading your list of things you think are banned, then it seems as though you've fallen for the mass media stereotyping of Arabs.
Islam at one point in history was one of the most culturally advanced societies on Earth in the first few centuries after it was created.

With regards to the comment on Saddam's 100% approval ratings I think you might be confusing dictatorships with religious fundamentalism. Like Licho says above- Saddam wanted to reduce the role of religion in the state.

China breaks away from the dollar, Yuan goes up, makes Chinese goods increase, people buy less Wal-Mart shit/junk/etc ...mass layoffs ensue...military recruiters enjoy long lines willing to serve in latest US oil, I mean, democracy building endeavor. <--this may be off a little...

Draft...nah...economic exploision will fix that...maybe

At the height of the troubles in the 1970's the British army deployed 30,000 troops in Northern Ireland to contain the IRA. The population of Iraq is 12-15 times bigger than that of Ulster. It is also geographically a lot bigger. This means you need a lot of soldiers to pacify the country. The argument that the Iraqi police and army can pick up the burden does not stand up to examination. The British had far better trained ancillary forces in the form of the Ulster Constabulary and the Ulster Defence Regiment yet they still struggled to maintain any form of peace. Given that Iraq makes Northern Ireland at its worst look like a Quaker convention I calculate you would need at least 400,000 troops to stand any chance of success. There are no prizes for guessing how they are likely to be obtained.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 2/19/172...

Sorry bad link. It should be

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl? ... 19/1728242

Yes, overstretched, and this is a cause of concern for those of us who are hawkish on foreign policy. The most important role of the military is to deter aggression against us and our allies, and if we're tied up in a quagmire, our deterrent capability is compromised on two levels. One, by the fact that forces are engaged in one location, making them unavailable for other engagements. Two, by the fact that any situation meeting the criteria for "quagmire," e.g. Iraq, also diminishes the perceived ferocity and capability of our forces as a whole.

Re. draft: The simple factor of allowing gay people to serve *honestly* (rather than under the Clinton doctrine of "don't ask / don't tell the truth"), would increase enlistment by 5% to 10% overnight. And these new recruits, seeing themselves as the first wave to break segregation, would have a strong incentive to perform in an exemplary manner.

Re. economics: Allowing a recession to occur in order to obtain more volunteers, flies in the face of conservative principles. On the other hand, it may be acceptable to Neo Cons. Between fiscal irresponsibility and military recklessness, I have practically given up on trying to predict what kinds of perverse gyrations the Neo Cons will come up with next.

Re. camel spiders: That photo which appears to show spiders the size of dinner plates was taken from a screwy camera angle. Look at the size of the soldier's shirt sleeve cuff for comparison. Those spiders are, in reality, "only" about the size of your hand, and they are not seriously poisonous (though the bites, if left untreated, could become the site of nasty infections....)

I think Israel will be used to fight Iran - they just purchased a huge order of JDAM's. I also think Colombia is being armed to gaurd Venezuala.

maybe the US wont be using its own troops in the coming theatre's.

At least not until they get their first draftees (20-year-olds are 1st up) notified and trained...that's gotta be 6 months to a year....

SWITCH TO EUROS, WORLD! STOP US! PLEASE!

Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

Think so? Hope you're right!

Let's face it, gg3, it's not like we don't deserve it....

Good Lord.... The military is now beginning to use combat robots. Cool and yet a bit freaky at the same time...

Article

Picture

To quote a line from the star wars spoof "Space Balls":

"Oh shit...there goes the planet."

I wonder how long it will take them to develop Metal Gear. (if they haven't already.)

At least you won't see these things wasting tax money while trying to impress the ladies on the beach.

http://www.hersenscheet.com/images/uplo ... foutje.wmv

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