Iraqis Progress in Conditions for Troop Withdrawal, Official Says

[MSgt]

99 percent? That's an arbitrary percentage. I bet it's more like 98 or 97......If only one country somewhere teaches patriotism to their children in school, they are doing one thing better than us.

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

99 percent? That's an arbitrary percentage. I bet it's more like 98 or 97......If only one country somewhere teaches patriotism to their children in school, they are doing one thing better than us.

My point is that you don't have to rattle off articles of the constitution everyday like a drone to be a patriot or to teach patriotism. I've visited schools in almost every nation of Europe and I never once saw or heard anyone reciting articles of their constitution, singing their national anthem, or having their country's flag hanging in every room. I even asked them about it and was told that it simply was something they don't do in their country. I even have a german exchange student who noticed that we do declare our patriotism everyday and she was suprised asked me why. That doesn't mean they aren't patriotic. It simply displays the fact that they know that you don't have to break out the trumpets and declare that you are a patriot to be a patriot.

 

[GarzaUK]

99 percent? That's an arbitrary percentage. I bet it's more like 98 or 97......If only one country somewhere teaches patriotism to their children in school, they are doing one thing better than us.

The only countries that make children recite a pledge of allegiance in school are countries under dictatorship and America.

And Nightingale is right about Europeans, how many wars have we fought over the centuries killing each other. England and France fought a war for 100 years! Europe has had more than its fair share of war, uncomprehendable to the American nation.

During WW2 how much damage did the US have? Pearl Harbour? In Europe bombs rained on our homes (no precision bombing in those days). In WW1 hundreds of thousands of British and French soldiers died in a SINGLE day in the battle of the Somme. And yet we're cowards?
I never heard of America launching a pre-emptive strike on Hitler.

 

[akyron]

Your ignorance in history never ceases to amaze me. Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo because his generals weren't following his orders. The cavalry charged when Napoleon told him to wait, his reinforcements never showed up, etc etc.

And he made a grave error in attacking Russia (1811) just before winter.

He lost half his army in Russia just from cold and starvation.

Like you he reacted emotionally. He was upset the Russians were successfully trading with Britain.

All this while the Spanish were beating him down in Spain after he successfully invaded, kicked out the king, and took control of guess what?..Yes the Church.
Once again religious fanatics using guerrilla tactics put immense pressure on a vastly superior foe. Sound familiar?

In any case Napoleon was utterly defeated and was exiled to St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic where he lived out his days, fat and powerless, until 1821.

C'est la vie

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

And he made a grave error in attacking Russia (1811) just before winter.

He lost half his army in Russia just from cold and starvation.

Like you he reacted emotionally. He was upset the Russians were successfully trading with Britain.

All this while the Spanish were beating him down in Spain after he successfully invaded, kicked out the king, and took control of guess what?..Yes the Church.
Once again religious fanatics using guerrilla tactics put immense pressure on a vastly superior foe. Sound familiar?

In any case Napoleon was utterly defeated and was exiled to St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic where he lived out his days, fat and powerless, until 1821.

C'est la vie

It wasn't that Russia was trading with Britain. It was the fact that the Russian Czar was blatantly ignoring a treaty he had signed stating that he must keep the english, austrians, and prussians, in their kennels. It wasn't only the winter that destroyed the army but also the fact that Moscow was rigged to blow sky high once Napoleon got there. The Czar never faced Napoleon directly because he knew that Napoleon would grind both him and his army into a pate.
All of that is irrelevent to the battle of Waterloo. Napoleon was exiled to Elba shortly after his attack on the Russians failed. After he returned from Elba he restored the glory of the Grande Armie and added to it's numbers. The battle of Waterloo was lost simply because his generals wouldn't obey their orders and because his reinforcements never arrived.
As for St. Helena. Napoleon was eventually forced to "live out his days" in a small house without being able to go outside because the man assigned to guard him got some bizzare rush from making fun of Napoleon on a daily basis and slowly whittiling away at his priveleges for no apparent reason. You left out the bit about the ENGLISH doctor poisoning him which resulted in his death. I HIGHLY DOUBT that doctor thought 600mg of mercury would do anything but kill Napoleon.

 

[MSgt]

"During WW2 how much damage did the US have? Pearl Harbour? In Europe bombs rained on our homes (no precision bombing in those days). In WW1 hundreds of thousands of British and French soldiers died in a SINGLE day in the battle of the Somme. And yet we're cowards? I never heard of America launching a pre-emptive strike on Hitler."

Why would we? This was Europe's problem that their constant appeasing and anti-semetism encouraged. If they chose to do the right thing as Hitler was murdering Jews and mobilizing into Poland, then there would be a lot more civilians and military personnel saved in the end. Beside's that, we ALL should have learned from history. WWI, WWII, the Cold War, and 9/11 has taught us that ignoring a growing menace, will only result in more deaths later. We have ignored the growing fundamental Islamic movement for decades. At least now there is one less Middle Eastern dictator to worry about and one less country to worry about. Of course, should the Iraqi fail themselves and sink back into what the rest of the Middle East is, then so be it. We, along with our truest allies, gave it a shot, when no one else would and when everyone else only wanted to continue to appease for their false sense of peace. The EU is doing that right now with Iran. Let's see how long they will appease before America acts, because Iran is America's problem.

It has nothing to do with cowardice. It has everything to do with recognizing a growing menace and the lack of conviction to stand up to it before it rolls into your borders. Reacting to war is not bravery. It is survival.

 

[SKILMATIC]

Beside's that, we ALL should have learned from history. WWI, WWII, the Cold War, and 9/11 has taught us that ignoring a growing menace, will only result in more deaths later.

Can I get a Amen???!!! :applaud

This is basically what it all comes down to. Its about learning from the past and history repeats itself.

 

[AlbqOwl]

Amen. I have to say it twice because the board won't accept a single Amen. :smile:

 

[SKILMATIC]

Amen. I have to say it twice because the board won't accept a single Amen.

And I have got to say a halleluja to that.

 

[akyron]

" It has everything to do with recognizing a growing menace and the lack of conviction to stand up to it before it rolls into your borders. Reacting to war is not bravery. It is survival.

Well said.

:bravo: