Walsingham

Like Russia? Only at her best when fighting the invaders?

The idea that the US, or any country, should surrender any parts of it's sovereignty to an interantional body is preposterous. In doing so we would open ourselves to a littany of problems. Attempts are already being made to impose international taxes on the US tax payers to pay for the problems of the world. I think GD summed it up best by saying that we need to re-visit the Monroe Doctirne and concentrate on issues here. Because isolationism has always worked SO well in the past? By this token would you say the Nuremberg trials were preposterous?

Switzerland never gets invaded because it is the inverse of Poland. It is firmly in the Austro/French/Italian hegemony, and would be no fun whatsoever to invade. It would be a sergeants war, and who wants that? Cant is right tho. Switzerland's smug bleating about world affairs always strikes me as distinctly hollow.

that's the only politically correct thing to do, of course. taks But of course. Thank the Lord for the US of A. Uncle Sam is the only fellah I can abuse by race and nation without being thrown from the dinner party.

Look, put this another way. Would it be a good idea to join ALL nations into one? if not, then I suspect many of the same reasons would apply.

The same could be said of any synthetic garment. Why would you be wearing cold weather gear near radiant heat or fire anyway? Worse. Case. Scenerio. You never know what may happen in a combat situation. You mean like a guy eating his own head?

While I too find the concept laughable in general terms, the Hague is (so I understand) for crimes against humanity. The eradication of a 'race' or nation is surely a crime against all men. Gorgon is quite right when he says that the notion that one could officially subordinate a secret service to international law is patently insane. "I'm sorry, we cannot divulge the activity of agents TRICYCLE and GARBO because the Spanish are present and they are highly placed spies in Spain". Need I point out that not one thread has lambasted the Russians for assassinating in the most disgusting ways the personal political opponents of Vladimir Putin on foreign soil? Or do we only indulge in Yankee-bashing these days?

you're just trying to make it hard on the intellectually challenged, aren't you? imagine the problems in florida... (ba dump dump) taks It would be great. Anyone too dumb to use the phone, I don't wanna talk to!

I accept that is the norm in academic circles, but time after time, as seen in the congresional reviews of the above incidents, and certainly in the professional historical military reviews, you can see how intelligence is always skewed to reflect a specific line. This is a particular feature of the US system, but not unique to it. You can see it in British intel leading up to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. Personally I believe it reflects the natural tendency of any large bureaucracy. The people who rise to the top are those who sugar everything they pass upwards. A good introduction to an aspect of this - but by no means the whole story in my opinion - is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink But you should also look at the memoirs of Miles Copeland, former station chief of the CIA.

Beer foamy. Fire bad.

My god, of course! I'll have to tell my cousin the ballistics wounds expert. "Mate, you're look at it all wrong. This wasn't a fatal shooting it was succesful saving." Nurses, priests, therapists all these people are naturally associated with guns. Mother Theresa herself had a 155mm howitzer if I recall. I don't know why I didn't make the connection before. Get me the President!

the principle difficulty in invading switzerland would not be the airstrike and gin slings phase, but the maintenance of troops in a country that is almost all vertical, and supplied by winding torturous roads lined with immensely well built buildings. It would be like Monte Cassino.

Gorgon, you're more than welcome to think that a presidential report which excludes information expressed by some or even a majority of officials is a conspiracy. In fact it may even be described as such. However, it is entirely the norm. The Bay of Pigs, Granada, the attempted rescue of the US Embassy hostages under Carter. The President and the NSC always deal with partial reports. They're not an academic forum that gets to moot things round and around. They get told the Agency, or State Department, or Navy, or Army line and have to run with it. Not a straw poll. Nor is it misinterpretation of the facts. It is the layering of interpretation superceding that of individuals prejudged by appointment to have inferior views. If you have a better process in mind you coudl amke a fortune selling in in Washington as a consultant.

You are a ninja, and I claim my five pounds.

Thread reopened by request.

i don't even like the case anymore. the buttons on the side are in terrible locations. the phone is hard to hold, and it fits into your pocket funny. fortunately, i got it free after rebate. i may just suffer and buy a new one, something like my old samsung. oh, the "selling point" they gave me was "this phone has great reception." outright lie that was. much worse than my samsung. maybe they meant "this phone has great reception if you ignore every other phone on the market"? taks I just had a thought. Why not have a phone shaped like a pen? Purely for making calls on. You dial by turning the 'lid' like a safe lock.

*Walsingham peers at Wistrik like a caveman being shown how to field-strip an MP5*

Sir, if we you can patent a design for such a device, I'll sell it and make us millions.

Reading the other comments it occurred to me that a further refinement may be wise. Fantasy, being ungoverned by rules descends firmly upon the whim of the author. To give it form the author's preconscious desires/prejudices come through. Thus some fantasy reflects a world in which heroism and truth justice blah blah blah make you win. They give you miraculous strength or supernatural aid or what have you. Similarly, the supernatural races like Tolkein's dwarves and elves arrive in this way. The popularity of these races and these themes derive from a slightly childish desire to believe such things are real. I don't mean to be critical. I like the Gaunt's Ghosts novels becaus it is nice to journey to a universe in which war may be hell but occurs for good reasons. The desire some people have to believe there are wholly good artsy damned irritating creatures must come from a similar source. This is really what I mean. Fantasy is about indulgence without hinderance. In short Star Wars may be fantasy with lasers. But only if we concede fantasy is Mills and Boon with swords.

*Fails save*

Honestly, it's not as if I'm not going to get a SOCOM II if I could afford one. I just got the G22 right now because of the price. I apologise, good sir. I retract my needless slur on your character. It is not your fault you possess insufficient funds to rise above being a gentleman. The Geneva convetions btw only apply to co-signatories in armed conflict. Hence would be ludicrous to apply them to civilians or the police, unless the criminal was also a signatory.

*resists urge to lock topic on grounds of weak comedy*

My dad saves a can from something that went in with whatever he's cooking and pours the fat in that; lets it solidify and throws it in the waste bin. For a second there I thought you were going to finish with "...and that's your momma".

I can't afford a telescope. I shall have to use laudanum.

.22 equals gentlemanly pursuit in my book. Good on you.