Guard Dog

There are some nations that would immediately surrender to the aliens then begin collaborating with and aiding them in their war against the rest of the world. Not mentioning any names here.

I did not say the Hague was corrupt, I said the UN was corrupt. And it is. If you like I can fill out this page with linked articles detailing it. Most prevalent would be the billions in bribes taken by Kofi Annan's son and his ilk during the Oil for Food scam. I have never hid my disdain for the UN and would as soon as see the US wash it's hand of it. The disposal of the vanquished is the right of the conqueror. That is just how the world works. It sucks sometimes but the whining and hand wringing of old men in Belgium will not change that. It seems to me the world is usually perfectly happy to accept or turn a blind eye to whatever atrocities come so long as they are done to someone else. If any nations is moved to act and bring justice, then let them do so. It will need to be done at gunpoint. If they are successful the perpetrators can have the same trial as Saddam and get the same justice at the end of a rope. The only thing is, if a country wants to bring them to justice they need to go in and get them. When the US had had enough of Noriega's drug smuggling we did not humbly ask the UN to go down there and talk to him, or arrest and try him. Reagan sent in the Marines and overthrew his government and hauled him back in chains to stand trial.

Internation law. I laugh everytime I hear that. Just what exactly is that? And who the heck enforces it? There is NO law higher in ANY nation than the law of that sovreign nation. I bitterly opposed the Hauge and I'm glad the US did not join or recognize that absurdity. The UN may serve some international purpose (I can't imagine what it would be other than to make it's administrators filthy rich through rampant corruption), but the have NO authority to compel any one to do anything.

No way to really know just how good Maelstrom was until we see how it fits into the context of the whole season. But RJM has to be careful here. He can really screw up the show going from this point. let's hope he does not.

To get us back On Topic here. As I pointed out, the EU is largely an economic institution. There are no barriers to free trade in North America so no need for such an economic alliance. Because of NAFTA the tariffs btween Canada, Mexico and the US are nearly nonexistant. The next step would be a common currency but I really do not see it happening. I keep telling you guys this, but North America it NOT Europe. I think everyone forgets there are more differences than similarities. In Europe, the national govenments excercise more regulatory control over business than even Canada does. Much, much more than the US does. Europe as a whole turned away from laissez-faire capitalism long ago. In the US and Mexico, and even Canada to a lesser extent it is still embraced. Once a system like that is set into motion, it takes a radical (meaning economy destroying) event or many long years of slow process to change it. Europe needed it. North America does not.

Samm and Eddo, here is an example of what I meant about condescension and baiting. And yes mkreku, guns are inanimate objects and are not dangerous. People are dangerous. No gun ever killed anyone while it was sitting in a case in the closet. More people die from car accidents per year that from firearms. But a car never killed anyone. It is ALWAYS the mistake of a human in the drivers seat. No car ever killed anyone sitting in a driveway.

He thought I was attacking him, but I replied and assured him I was not. Thats just how I am I guess. He also wanted to point out that his post would have made more sense if taken in context with the first one that Fionavar pruned. And thats fine too.

They have so far. This goes back to my argument against gun control. If you are will armed and everyone knows it, nobody will mess with you!

I believe that is the answer. Also, when I first tried it I had an ATI video card and was having a lot of trouble with it. I remember reading that there was problem with the ATI driver that cause res and FR issues in open GL games. Don't remember exactly because I upgraded to an NVIDIA shortly after.

Didn't hear about that one but if they did it was foolish. But it would be equally foolish to expect them to conform to a political ideal they do not believe in. Europe is not and will never be culturally, politically, religiously or ethnically homogeneous. The worst wars fought on that continent were started by an attempt to make it so. If the EU is to survive then social politics like that MUST stop at the borders of each member nation and each must understand that the other members might be different culturally and politically.

Probably not. Someone told me once, if you put a Sunni and a Shia in a room together and told each the other was the last of his kind in the world they would fight to the death. Personally, I think 9-11 shows the wisdom of the Monroe/Roosevelt Doctrine. I would rather see the US concern itself ONLY with the Western Hemisphere. If it were up to me I would immediately close all bases east of Puerto Rico and west of Guam, redeploy those units within that zone and IMMEDIATELY terminate all foreign aid to any country not in North or South America. MFN trade status for China would be revoked and granted to someone close to home. As for the rest of world, they can get by on their own. Wars, tsunamis, whatever, they hate us, they have never helped us, why should our money help them. As for Europe, I doubt they need or want our help these days.

Yeah, but they are talking about USING them. Edit: Forget that last comment, it was hypothetical and pointless.

Taks is right about that. Plus very little of Iran's terrain can be reached with power lines. One reactor could probably run the entire country's existing infrastructure. They are enriching far too much material (based on the number of facilities they have) for it to be anything other than weapons. Personally, I would have handled US foreign policy very differently since 9-11 had I been in the White House and the Iraq war to date has been an utter abortion. That said, were are in it and cannot back out without creating more and far worse problems down the road. When we were packing up to leave in '91 everyone was saying we would have to come back because the job was not finished. That turned out to be true. I don't want to see US Troops fighting there again ten years from now. So as wrong headed as it has been done, better to finish it now.

Heh, technically a right or left winger comes from what side of the assembly chamber you sit on. Since I could not seem to win an election, I couldn't be either!

Remember the chess analogy I gave you Sand? Sometimes you need to take a square not because you need it now but because you will need it later? The war in Iraq is just a part of the war on terror. If Iraq and Afghanistan were both stable with a strong US presence, and Pakistan and Uzbekistan are allies with the US, Iran is totally surrounded and is less likely to launch one of those nuclear weapons they are building. BTW, are you ready to change your name to Snow yet? Looks like you are getting enough.

Hey Wals, I take it back. Maybe there WILL be another European war. You guys just seem to have it in for each other. I just have a problem with their backwards views on homosexuality and abortions. IMO it doesn't belong in EU, not that the US is backwards, but lets face it you do have a very right wing Christian movement. Jeez Lucius. I was just making a joke here. And, last time I checked, wasn't the EU an economic alliance? You live in Denmark right? What the heck do you care about the political climate or opinions about abortions and homosexuality in another country? The opinions of the average Pole on a purely social issue have no bearing on trade, military cooperation, or other aspects of the EU. Also, I would point out that being of a particular faith or political persuasion does not require to conform to any perceived stereotype. I am a Christian and I could not care less about who is or is not homosexual, and can see no reason they should not be allowed to do what they please so long as it does not affect me. I think most "right-wing" Americans would agree with me. Hmmmm.... I get the strangest feeling I've said these things to you before.....

the .22 is a fine round for target practice but that the heck will you be hunting with it???? Beetles? Hamsters? I've got a story about a relative of mine who shot a black bear with a .22. It's a short story.

Hey Wals, I take it back. Maybe there WILL be another European war. You guys just seem to have it in for each other.

That statement is a steaming pile of BS. A weapon is an inanimate object, incapable of aggression. If putting a weapon in a persons hand makes them aggressive then that is a character deficency in that individual and has nothing to do with the weapon. By using your logic I might claim that beer has given me a beer gut. But the truth is, that beer would have sat right there on the shelf if I did not buy it. And nothing would have happened if I did not drink it. The fault is not with the beer it's with me. If someone abuses a weapon it is not the fault of the weapon, the people who made it, or other uninvolved people who own a weapon. It is the fault of the indvidual only. We had a gun control thread already. A lot of acrimony, argument, link posting, baiting and it all boiled down to Europeans having a different opinion than North Americans on the subject. And not a little condecension over the cultural differences on both sides.

This reminds me of the story of the dyslexic agnostic the night he got insomnia. He sat up all night wondering if there was a dog.

Sure! We could take use US cost of living, working for Mexican wages, paying Canadian taxes. Good thing the health care would be free cause who the heck could afford it?

We tried that once... It really did not go over well. But seriously, I doubt, EU or no, we will not see another global conflict on the scale of WWII. All economies are so interdependent who could afford it? As for breaking up the US, I doubt that will ever happen but you are correct about it being unwieldy to govern. The Founders recognized that and that is the reason for the (oft-ignored) 10th Amendment in the constitution. FDR shot that to pieces.

Eddo, you have WAY too much disposable income. Those pieces are not cheap. And everyone else, cut the man some slack here. He can buy any kind of legal firearm he wants for any reason or no reason. It's in the Constitution. Remember? We discussed all that just a little while ago?

Wow. Thats ufcked up.

Another Darwin moment.