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Oil money from the US is a negligible source of terrorist support. A large role for that oil money is just a myth. It is also a myth that the ME has been embroiled in holy war for centuries. There have been conflicts to be sure, but there have been longer periods of calm. A strong US presence actually gives regimes there the confidence to not act with hair-trigger responses.
This is the movie speech:
It's not dishonorable if it's true. The question isn't which country makes the best washing machines or sitcoms. It is whether the U.S. is the greatest country, and, while opinions may vary, on some of the most important measures of a country's "greatness" I don't think the U.S. has any peer. If not for the U.S. all of those French chefs would be cooking Apfelstrudel while pomp and ceremony in Britain would revolve around the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers goose stepping and perfecting their "Sieg Heils."
without french support the USA might still be a set of British colonies.
History, it's a dish served best complete.
The fact that anyone in 2015 can argue that his country is objectively the best in the world is risible beyond belief. I just hope that this is a mental affliction that not too many Americans suffer from.It's not dishonorable if it's true. The question isn't which country makes the best washing machines or sitcoms. It is whether the U.S. is the greatest country, and, while opinions may vary, on some of the most important measures of a country's "greatness" I don't think the U.S. has any peer. If not for the U.S. all of those French chefs would be cooking Apfelstrudel while pomp and ceremony in Britain would revolve around the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers goose stepping and perfecting their "Sieg Heils."
This is the movie speech:
Well, y'all are certainly world champs at one thing; I don't think anyone measures a dick quite as enthusiastically as you guys. :lol:
Well one thing's for sure: USA > UK
:mrgreen:
You don't seriously want me to measure that little chipolata, do you?
I see we are maintaining a truly intellectual level of discourse.
Almost none of the first world's transportation fuel money goes to terrorists. And no, the US presence has in fact been a source of stability in the ME. The Shah would have come to power with or without us, and led a relatively progressive regime for 25 years. The Muj whom we backed against the Soviets were not/are not just the Taliban. ISIS is a creation of our premature departure from Iraq, and our failure to act in timely fashion (early 2012) in Syria.
Agreed with the exception of your claim that almost none of the first world's transportation fuel money goes to terrorists. Perhaps the following will help:
Fueling Terror
Agreed with the exception of your claim that almost none of the first world's transportation fuel money goes to terrorists. Perhaps the following will help:
Fueling Terror
The fact that anyone in 2015 can argue that his country is objectively the best in the world is risible beyond belief. I just hope that this is a mental affliction that not too many Americans suffer from.
We can talk about the relative contributions of different countries to the outcome of WW2 in more detail if you like. Have a read of this in the meantime Battle of Stalingrad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The fact that anyone in 2015 can argue that his country is objectively the best in the world is risible beyond belief. I just hope that this is a mental affliction that not too many Americans suffer from.
We can talk about the relative contributions of different countries to the outcome of WW2 in more detail if you like. Have a read of this in the meantime Battle of Stalingrad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The same goes for all 3rd-1st world migration.
Is America the greatest Country anymore? Or do you agree with Will?
I agree with him, but we are still the greatest because we have the ability to mend and flourish given our intended structure.
Years after his return, Shambrey told his son Tim about how he and other soldiers traveled to segregated Alabama to pick up their discharge papers.
Stepping off the train with a handful of his friends, Shambrey saw a hospitality station where women in nursing uniforms welcomed returning soldiers home with a handshake and a free cup of coffee.
The women did not greet the black soldiers, who had to pay a nickel for their coffee, Tim Shambrey said.
"Being who they were, they didn't cause any mess or trouble," he said. "They paid and went and got the discharge papers."
In death, two Tuskegee Airmen, lifelong friends, share final journey - LA Times
On the first point, describing your country as the "best" in the world is good for a laugh but to do it seriously is evidence of huge vanity. Like I said, colonial Britain did this sort of thing in the past so I know the mindset. But it's a mindset worth shaking off if you want to cultivate good relations with other countries.Well, if "his country" is Equatorial Guinea I can see your point. On the other hand, if it's the USA you have to count me among the afflicted.
I might call the Soviet Union a "great contributor" if it hadn't helped start WWII by signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Germany. I mean, if you start a fire and then sacrifice yourself to help put it out does that make you the greatest fireman?
Well, if "his country" is Equatorial Guinea I can see your point. On the other hand, if it's the USA you have to count me among the afflicted.
I might call the Soviet Union a "great contributor" if it hadn't helped start WWII by signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Germany. I mean, if you start a fire and then sacrifice yourself to help put it out does that make you the greatest fireman?
On the Soviet Union, they lost as many men every day in the Battle of Stalingrad as the USA lost in Pearl Harbour. The USA was extremely reluctant to enter WW2 (understandably) and even losing a ship in an Arctic convoy was not enough for it to get involved. It was only when Germany declared war on the USA that they got involved. So there are some "what ifs" affecting contributions to the war on all sides. There's no denying that America's contribution to WW2 was massive and began at a critical time, and we should be forever grateful to you, but to make a point about one country or another making the greatest contribution to it is always going to be very subjective, unhelpful and just annoying.
See my previous reply to Ahlevah on this point. Your perspective is US-centric, but with 70 years of hindsight, perhaps we can all more easily move to a place where we look at the standpoints of different countries.We did save you during both world wars and, while we may puff our chests out annoyingly and we might overstate our relative contribution to the European front (similarly, many Europeans completely forget that WW2 had a pacific theatre in which the USA fought almost exclusively in addition to our assistance in Europe)....one cannot escape the fact that the United States did ride in on its white steed to your rescue....and keep in mind we were not directly attacked like the Russians were, we just showed up in the nick of time with the sole purpose of rescuing your ass. Had we not done so, the Germans would likely have succeeded in pressing west toward Britain.
Now, the U.S. Has been compensated for this, as this was the rise of America as a global superpower, replacing Great Britain. However, history is what it is.
See my previous reply to Ahlevah on this point. Your perspective is US-centric, but with 70 years of hindsight, perhaps we can all more easily move to a place where we look at the standpoints of different countries.
The British perspective has been that, in Western Europe, we stood alone against Germany after the rest of Europe had fallen (or remained neutral) between 1941 and 1943. We could say that we were alone while the USA was trying its best to find reasons to stay out of the war, given the very strong German ethnic influence in the USA. The British were also in the Far East in WW2 though admittedly in much smaller numbers than the US and with little success. We also often forget the Eastern Front and Russia's massive contribution. But like I said to Ahlevah, the US's contribution to the defence of Britain and liberation of Europe was massive and we should be forever grateful for it.
Are we still on about "who is the greatest country"? If this keeps up, then you'll be hearing from me with some examples of how the US is very much not the greatest country. Could be an interesting project.Well, no, that's not really true. Some countries welcome so-called "Third World" legal immigrants. Canada and Britain come to my mind. But no country on the planet welcomes more of them than the U.S. We admit approximately 1 million legal immigrants each year, most of them from developing countries like the Philippines and Mexico. Meanwhile, citizens of that great country, China, can't seem to get enough U.S. real estate (Chinese Buyers Can't Get Enough of U.S. Real Estate Assets) and green cards (Immigrants to U.S. From China Top Those From Mexico - WSJ).
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