Maybe it's time for America(ns) to step back...

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Crap, the US operates under the guise you suggest but the rest of the world knows its economic and social control


Freedom for everyone, yeah right, that's naive

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
The question is, if our society represents and projects freedom, how do we do so?

And my answer is by having the best and successful example, which I argue we do not.

Yep, I agree, and in order to have the best example here at home, we need to quit focusing on everyone else for a change.

I tend to suffer from the same affliction of always wanting to be the good friend or the good neighbor, helping out whenever and wherever I can share my skills and time, but in being this way, I have a tendency to overlook things at home quite often, and I end up being like the graphic designer who doesn't even have their own logo or branding.

America is at that point right now, and we need to stop doing everything for everyone else (for many reasons) and start becoming introverts for a while. Lowering the national debt, putting our tax dollars toward our own citizens, fighting to correct civil-liberty injustices, protecting our own borders, etc., etc.

Once we fix ourselves and quit being the therapists who are avoiding our own baggage, then MAYBE we can redirect that focus outwards.

America needs an iron fist. Moreso in the shape of the shocker, you know 2 in the stink 1 in the pink cuz thats how we roll.

# all these other # countries.

It's time to civilize them.

The Merican Way.

Probably should just team up w Russia and China and do away with Europe.

We can call it NuEu.

There they will speak a hybrid Chi-Nadsat language. It'll be grand, no more 400 languages just 3 rolled into 1.

Probably have to rename some of your monuments, maybe put a few sickles and hammers to jazz it up, maybe Red Star pon the tower eiffel.



pull those panties out of your ass I can see them wadding furiously.


This is sarcasm but I know how you ninnies get on here.

The first sentence was enough to trash bin your OP.

Why I trash bin it deserves an explanation.

That sentence reflects the world PR campaign and nothing more. It is glib, inaccurate and causes even less respect for those of similar ilk, as yourself, from those of us within the U.S.. We are fully aware of the U.S.'s stupidities as well as it's inherent strengths.

What we will NOT do is 'hold wet finger to wind' and base our direction on current vogue, foreign, media shaped, 'popular' opinions.

So to quote the bible, " go forth and multiply". (The original F-bomb.)

originally posted by: Raggedyman
a reply to: CriticalStinker

Crap, the US operates under the guise you suggest but the rest of the world knows its economic and social control


Freedom for everyone, yeah right, that's naive

I was making it palatable. I know that's not what TPTB want. But that's what's sold to the citizens.

So I offered a gentle introspective question.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey


I tend to suffer from the same affliction of always wanting to be the good friend or the good neighbor, helping out whenever and wherever I can share my skills and time, but in being this way, I have a tendency to overlook things at home quite often, and I end up being like the graphic designer who doesn't even have their own logo or branding.



Aw, the old 'Thinking of the 'other You' prior to thinking of You...This is named "Empathy" not only is it physically/mentally draining, Your 'prize' You end up getting the short end of the stick, or the end w/sh!t on it, but don't fret, when You 'pass' You go to the 'front of the line' (Our prizes aren't for THIS world...)

Good on You.

Stay Hydrated...

P.S. I'll see You at 'the end' as We sail in the same boat.
P.S.S. I also gleamed the above info from an old Lady that just 'appeared' so it has to be 'TRUE'

originally posted by: MOMof3
a reply to: 123143

Why don't you come out and say it. Let's stop invading other nations. I would stand by your side in protest of that. Bring our troops home to protect our country, our seas, and start boot camp for gangs.

I've said it elsewhere in the forum many times.

originally posted by: JustAnotherTarget
a reply to: CriticalStinker

Chinese are the smartest bunch of them all

While Americans and Russians try to project power militarily

Chinese are making business deals EVERYWHERE

No guns

Money !!!!!

And with the way both China & Russia are hoarding gold maybe the big plan is to start trading in gold again , not a bullet fired and the war will be over .

Very Sun Tzu

a reply to: nwtrucker

The first sentence was enough to trash bin your OP.

Why I trash bin it deserves an explanation.

That's cute, it's still here.

So you're the closed minded type who only wants and echo chambers. Sorry my opinion differs from yours. That's what the country was built on, freedom of opinion.

While I disagree with yours, it's your right to have it.

Its just a shame your fine with wasted money and lives for the sake of manifest destiny which has been adopted by not the country, but it's corporations, at the expense of citizens taxes and blood.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: nwtrucker

The first sentence was enough to trash bin your OP.

Why I trash bin it deserves an explanation.

That's cute, it's still here.

So you're the closed minded type who only wants and echo chambers. Sorry my opinion differs from yours. That's what the country was built on, freedom of opinion.

While I disagree with yours, it's your right to have it.

Its just a shame your fine with wasted money and lives for the sake of manifest destiny which has been adopted by not the country, but it's corporations, at the expense of citizens taxes and blood.

Lot's of that, I agree.

The echo chamber, based on my hearing is coming from outside the U.S. and being bought into by the not-quite-so bright within.

Your manifest destiny comment shows your true intent and what your views of what the U.S. should be. IF you knew a little about the period, 'manifest destiny' by the U.S. was an impossibility. The was no standing national army in the colonies. The only professional soldiers were north of the colonies....Brits. Those are the true believers of manifest destiny, at the time. That the militia that represented the colonies in the 1812 war had no military experience whatsoever.

As those outside the U.S. have little to no understanding of the 'idea' of the U.S. and what was intended, your input has little to no value other than perhaps an easy source of outside negativity.

If and when you can come up with a better concept than the Founding Fathers ideas, articulate them.

Until such a time your archaic 'manifest destiny' meme disqualifies you, IMO.

a reply to: 123143

I said it years ago. Now granted, my views have changed a great deal, specifically the reasons why I feel isolationism is the answer, but I still feel it is, albeit for different reasons than I posted in this thread from ten years ago. Isolationism the answer

a reply to: nwtrucker

The echo chamber, based on my hearing is coming from outside the U.S. and being bought into by the not-quite-so bright within.

Eh, plenty of the members who agreed are in the US.

You're entitled to your opinion but many of us would rather see that military money go to education and infrastructure.

We're not even in the top 25 percentile of the world in education, if we are you would see jobs come back, incarceration decline, Medicare decline, and health improve.

When has another country attacked us? So why the need for such projection? And before you say the haven't attacked us because we have the size of the military we do, why haven't other countries with small militaries been attacked?

Its not my articulation of my ideas that bother you, you just don't like them IMO.

a reply to: nwtrucker

Also, you never answered the key questions of the OP.

What countries have benefited from our projection post WWII, and how have our citizens?

So it seems you have an articulation problem if we're trying to stay on track. Though I know it bores a lot of people to be introspective from time to time.

a reply to: CriticalStinker


Actually our education was FAR higher when we were spending over 10% of our GDP on the military. Our infrastructure was in good condition.

Your correlation of the two lack fact.

Having said that, I would leave the ME now and fully. Of course, no action by the U.S. and we'd be seeing a completely different set of troubles. Saddam, unchecked, takes Saudi Arabia. ME oil is controlled by Saddam. The dominos fall in an entirely different direction. None particularly good, either.

Trump stated quite clearly to fifty Muslim nation leaders that the U.S. would no longer deal with regime change or nation building. I believe him.

The previous administration had a huge spending for 'infrastructure'. The money went to their pet infrastructure...the Unions. Squat to where it was supposed to go. As far as education goes, the U.S. already spends more than any nation on earth for education. It's what they're being taught and NOT being taught is the problem. Not MORE money.

So far, all I see is the same left rhetoric that hasn't changed for decades with zero improvements in any of the areas you cite.

You should have asked for 'change' for the last eight years or more. You are going to get change. Deal with it.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: nwtrucker

Also, you never answered the key questions of the OP.

What countries have benefited from our projection post WWII, and how have our citizens?

So it seems you have an articulation problem if we're trying to stay on track. Though I know it bores a lot of people to be introspective from time to time.

I never read your OP after the first sentence. I'm not into primary level education on ATS. The fact you even ask the question shows a level of ignorance or deliberate agenda that is laughable.

Clearly, you are an enemy of the United States. Fine by me. Enemies are inevitable. Within and without. Have a nice life.

originally posted by: nwtrucker

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: nwtrucker

Also, you never answered the key questions of the OP.

What countries have benefited from our projection post WWII, and how have our citizens?

So it seems you have an articulation problem if we're trying to stay on track. Though I know it bores a lot of people to be introspective from time to time.

I never read your OP after the first sentence. I'm not into primary level education on ATS. The fact you even ask the question shows a level of ignorance or deliberate agenda that is laughable.

Clearly, you are an enemy of the United States. Fine by me. Enemies are inevitable. Within and without. Have a nice life.

While most people would be offended, I feal sorry for you.

I can listen and hear opposing views without being triggered.

Sorry you aren't comfortable with your ideology.

a reply to: stonerwilliam
Hi friend, just as an FYI. The Chinese, Russians, and Saudis already do their trade between each other in gold and yuan (Chinese bank notes) . I just got my first piece of Chinese gold last week. That is about 20% of the Earth's population under three countries alone that have de-dollarized, and the list is growing every year.

Basically it is already happening, and most of your friends and family are completely ignorant of what this will mean for American purchasing power over the next decade. Cheers, dozens of economists, hedge funds, academics and Central Banks as well as private banks are warning about a very nasty market correction, and the BIS already initiated the authorization for the next horrible market crash.

The September/October surprise is going to be very unpleasant. Please update your financial portfolio accordingly. Those who will listen to the signs stand to gain. The majority who just keep dreaming everything will be fine will, as usual and typical just act surprised as if nobody warned them their pensions, 401k's, 529's, IRA's etc.. etc.. will hiccup gains into the negative territory.

Anyways, while everyone else will be pointing fingers and demanding answers, I will be in the small pool of people who will likely gain overall. So will a handful of others on this board.

We can nag about the realities and complexities of our world and whether or not it is fair all our lives. But those who recognize patterns, heed warnings, and take action will gain no matter what the situation is.

a reply to: Aphorism

If America leaves the world stage the world is lost

It may surprise you, but the world was around long long before 1776.

And at no time did it get " Lost "

America justs needs to learn when it should or should not get involved.

America has only gotten involved for a good reason on 3 occasions.

WW1: not exactly a good cause as the war was BS but it was a good reason as US shipping was being sunk and Germany was trying to stir # up with Mexico.

WW2: USA was attacked. Japan and Germany both declared war on USA...

Korea: USA, UK and France where still trying to pick up the pieces from Japan after WW2 and North korea decided to be dicks.


None of the above involved preemptive aggresion or moral questionable grounds. All had a clear purpose and reason.

a reply to: JinMI

Maybe... Maybe the system ISN'T broken. Think about this for a minute. What you just said.

The politicians ARE an accurate representation of the citizenry. Look around you and see, what values are being extolled by the Average American. Remember, we are an odd bunch here, we deeper thinkers are the outcast, the weirdo, the guy at work who talks about wierd stuff, etc...


Maybe it happened in the 2nd half of the 19th century, with the rise of the robber barons, railroad barons, Tammany Hall Style Political Machines, and then, into the first quarter of the 20th century we saw impossible fortunes made overnight with the giant industrial monopolists and the combined might of their trusts, like Rockefeller, Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt...

A seed was planted. "THIS" thing, is now in the realm of the possible. We saw it happen, to j.p. Morgan, Bill Gates, JayZ... Huge wealth with very little to no backbreaking work, blood, sweat and tears...

The values of hardworking American's was still alive and well on through ww2. By the era of 1965, cracks began to show...yes im purposely passing over the plight of the black man and the civil rights era, this is just about rich and poor, greedy and generous, hardworking and lazy, virtuous and immoral. Besides, it's a topic near and dear to my heart, I'll spend too much time with if I tried to include it...

Now today, the opportunities for quick and easy wealth have indeed grown and spread... Especially because it is quite easy to control someone with "dollar signs in their eyes". You know they will do whatever it takes to become filthy rich. The honest hardworking folks are the minority.

This attitude, naturally, has extended out to our representatives.

I was brainwashed for a while, too. Now I know that a life worth living has nothing to do with a bank account. Strangely, when I stopped obsessing about it, things in my life began to fall into place. Budget and finances is still an important part of life, but it's not the focus, by any means. It's just something you do responsibly, like eating a healthyish diet, or brushing your teeth, or making sure you get enough sleep.

Anyway, maybe the system is working perfectly. Greedy sob population, greedy sob representative... They are representing us PERFECTLY. We are the ones who have to (keep) chang(ing)e. A knight in shining wont show up. He's out there. For sure. And he's disgusted by what he sees. We don't deserve him. We would lynch his sorry butt and have his ass in a sling within less than a day.

When we are All knights in shining armor, our representative will reflect that.