The answer to both of your questions is so simple, I'm wondering why you can't grasp this for yourselves. Just because governements change, the land still belongs to the mutinationals. They corrupt the governements that are willing, and overthrough the others. You both need to read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman". Why can't you understand that poverty leads to violence and wars ?

I'm seeing a rather frightening right wing bias here...bordering on overt racism...

Thankfully the majority of Americans realised the err of their ways and , although it took 2 terms, it has changed for the better.

It now has a President who has realised the States was being taken down the wrong path by the RepubliKans, and he has charted a new course...humanity being the centrepiece...good luck to him i say...a wolf in sheeps clothing??Maybe..making all the right noises??Absolutely..

The colonisation of Africa and the oppressive management of its peoples may well have given dooper and co the illusion that all was good(and "peaceful and prosperous"...but only for the small minority,of which i was a part, the vast majority suffered in hell...)but,i assure you, with first hand experience, it was not..

Doopers indirect support for Apartheid in SA speaks volumes for his position in this regard...
Whilst the rest of the world imposed sanctions, such was SA's unacceptable behaviour, dooper points out incorrectly that the country was peaceful and prosperous....both of which are a lie.

I suggest Dooper sticks to what he knows...Africa NOT being one of them...

I agree with this assessment of the on-the-scene facts hampering the Commanders from making bold decisions.

We, America, are now attempting to proscute a war run by attorneys! Every combat decision must be reviewd by political analysts before action can take place. Ridiculeous!!!

We are doomed to failure. We are now the victims of our "cowardly" analysts who are very afraid of harming anything in war!
Civilians, posing as terrorists, pirates, plunderers, religious proscuters of jhiad, are simply COMBATANTS. Shoot to kill, take no prisoners, and if any survive, treat with extreme prejudice and irritation!

Let's keep the enemy understanding one simple fact: Death and Destruction of their homes, persona, family, infrstructure will result in a violent combat exchange. We Win they lose!!!!

It worked well in World War II.

LOL. Small majority? You mean like the one that elected Bush?
the only gnashing I see is the Republican party that is imploding with all the subtlety of a black hole.

sorry..double accidental post!!
2nd

[edit on 24-4-2009 by benoni]

dooper..
OK, its official...you are indeed a comedian!!

Heres why, just from your last post.....

1."It is true that a small majority decided to punish the Republicans for their spending habits"....
No...the only age group that mccain won was in the 65+ , the rest he lost to...and to believe "aspending habits"were to blame...well, were do you live??Spending I'm afraid didnt even feature...lets just say a cockeyed moral compass played a part and we'll leave it there...

2."Oh! We've changed direction alright! Straight down! And we haven't hit bottom yet! Far from it. "
Wrong again. The morass you find yourself in now began under dubya....a bankrupt economy, 2 needless wars etc...do you really believe it began last November??!!

3."Hey, to the casual observer, it would appear that the Rhodesia and South Africa of 1975, was far more prosperous, with better health and safety, generated much greater business, accumulated much greater wealth, and maintained a high degree of financial stability. "
My personal fave....1975?? 1975?? Was this a typo??HAHA...you go back to 1975 to "rest your case"??

America was quite happy frollicking and covorting with Saddam in 1975....great pals infact...
...but as we all know a lot of water can pass under the old bridge in 35(35 !!) years...so yeah, thanks for the giggle, case closed, you win etc etc....

So your a casual observer when called out, and an expert all the other times....

For a casual observer(as you refer to yourself..) you sure do make a lot of very opinionated noise

As for your final "whats changed" Q.....
Well.........in 35 years....quite a lot.

Incidentally,I noticed the poster above this also thinks your funny!!

[edit on 24-4-2009 by benoni]

Originally posted by Ismail

Just because governements change, the land still belongs to the mutinationals. They corrupt the governements that are willing, and overthrough the others. You both need to read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman".

Your reliance on Perkins' "Confessions" is completely misplaced and inapt.
The piracy issue has nothing to do with globalization and infrastructure development contracts.

"Multinationals" are the solution to all problems according to many in the BHO administration, the EU, UK and even "third world" countries.

Instead of baseless statements, point to facts as proof of 'ownership.' There are none.

Deny ignorance.

jw

a 35 year old benchmark is a strange choice, which hardly strengthens your case, which believe me, needs strengthening!!

Your country was once seen as a Beacon of all things considered good....no more.

Now,speaking on behalf of the majority of the world, this is no longer the case...what with its failures across many spheres and theatres of war...not to mention its abuses....

Trust me....over the period of 35 years lots has changed on the Dark Continent, both positive and negative...

I could argue the USA has gone massively backwards...

does that mean its people are backwards too, using your analogy....or does that only apply to "others"\blacks??

I work on the SEAL base "little Creek" in Virginia Beach, VA and I can tell you from first hand knowledge that the SEAL's never, never, "Kiss and Tell!!"

ROE pains....

It's one thing to consider the political fallout of one's actions. It's another to try and put the battlefield on hold while you take a vote.

As for these events - people must realize the the MSM is about the only outlet we get. What they bother to report is all we can really know. Some smaller sources will dig in a little deeper and give you a bulleted breakdown of the full reports (where available) - but many don't go that far. The full reports are often available to the public (write a request to have a copy delivered - make those secretaries worth their tax dollars) - but few people care to request/read them.

This explains many of the 'gaps' people find so suspect around here. Details the MSM didn't bother covering, and people expecting the 20-second news report to cover everything there is to know.

It's Obama's character to distance himself from something touchy like a rescue operation then allow the idea to prevail that he had something to do with its success. It's the story of the man's life. He doesn't directly steal credit... he just places himself in a position so that blame falls away from him, and credit falls to him.

The problem is that it's a very passive stance in a position that requires action and decision. You need someone willing to drive their point home.

Even now - his administration operates the same way. Congress and the Democratic party are responsible for most of the changes being brought about - Obama is just along for the ride. However, he acts as the figurehead. When things go wrong - investigations will turn up the fingerprints of Congress and appointed positions. If things go well - no one cares to look further than the smiling face.

That aside - the problem with piracy in Africa is a product of their culture and economy. You can either struggle to survive - or become an armed escort for the ships in the region (it's sort of a "let us protect you.... or who knows what these trigger-happy teens will use these deck-guns for" sort of setup - and of course, the different warlords compete for 'customers' and territory)... it's a no-brainer.

That said - our attempts at social aid have been pathetic, at best. Rather than working to establish a functional economy - the aid programs have, by enlarge, only served to tighten the grip of warlords in the area.

A complete suspension and revision of the aid programs is recommended - but the ignorant liberals who think it's doing some good will throw a fit and a half about it.

If anything - the aid programs need to be restructured to resemble our actions in Germany, Japan, and Korea following World War II. We should take an advisory standpoint and employ them to build their own infrastructure and economy. Obviously - military involvement will likely be necessary to keep warlords from throwing too many monkey wrenches into the works. However - the focus needs to be on developing a companion economy as opposed to building houses and schools. Help them develop a means of economic support and independence - and homes, schools, and industry will soon follow.

As it stands now - our aid programs are nothing but dumping money into an economic singularity.

And as for the liberals versus conservatives..... we both have our places - the problem is we won't shut up and take our places. We're more concerned with pointing fingers at each other than we are with accomplishing goals.

There is still plenty of racism - not in the form of "you're black, go away" - but in the form of social identities. Blacks still identify themselves as black - which is a rather obvious fact - but many have yet to identify themselves - really - as Americans. Similarly - a number of Americans fail to identify themselves as American. They may get up and sing the song "proud to be an American" - or they may say "I'm an American" - but this does not make it so. It doesn't mean they really behave as part of the team - it doesn't mean they are on board.

Similarly, too many people identify themselves as conservative or liberal before identifying themselves as Americans. Its all well and good to identify yourself - but you have to keep your identities in perspective......

Is it better to be a liberal/conservative.... or an American? Is it better to be black/white/hispanic/hispanic .... or an American?

We don't have to be communists or socialists to put our heads and hands together to make things happen. In fact - it doesn't matter what we are... capitalists, communists, fascists, etc ... if we're not in it together... then nothing is going to happen.

We need to stop thinking idealistically and start thinking functionally. What works - and what doesn't. What are we willing to work with/for... and what aren't we....

Ideals can govern our personal actions and decisions. Functionality should govern our collective actions and decisions (legislation).

There - my response to what I've seen in this thread, in a nutshell.