I do think America’s aid to Israel needs to be dialed back, as does our aid to everyone. But it’s not because I want Israel to collapse, it’s because I think it would force Israel to become economically independent and I believe that would be a good thing for the world because Israel produces a lot of startup companies and innovative technology, and forcing them to do their own thing instead of taking money from America would stimulate positive developments.
I mentioned Saudi Arabia. You come back with “Isreal.” It’s insane to draw an equivalency between the two. One is a gigantic oil-rich nation with shitloads of territory and a great deal of economic clout, and also influence over its Arab neighbors, and ties to international terrorism. The other is a country the size of New Jersey with a few million Jews who really just want to be left the hell alone and, contrary to what people think, do not want to control the rest of the world.
The Jews don’t want to cut the tip of your son’s penis off. The Jews DO NOT FORCE THEIR FUCKING BELIEFS ON OTHER PEOPLE, unlike almost every other religion on the planet. When are people ever going to understand this? Jews do not try to make non-Jews follow their rules. The Jews do not try to convert other people to Judaism. They do not “want” anyone other than their own people to be circumcised. The whole point of circumcision, Biblically, is to set the Jews apart from the people of other religions.
I will say it again: JEWS DO NOT TRY TO PUSH THEIR BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ON OTHER PEOPLE. That is not what the religion is about.
It would certainly stimulate the Israeli defence industry - already the 4th largest in the world - which is why America doesn’t want to stop sending Israel free weapons. If we started making them ourselves, we’d be an even bigger competitor.
Yeah. Then why did you post what you did about teh jooz wanting your son’s foreskin? Did you really think that joke would play well with your audience? You’ve been here since 2004. You should know better than to say something like that.
I have made this exact argument (IRL) many times. It needs to be a priority and the president needs to aggressively lead the charge and make this a mandate.
Wow, I thought I’d never have to point this out to a member of the military, but: Boo Hoo, you pays your nickel, and you takes your chances. No, I don’t need to know the way to the nearest recruiter, they advertise. Not only that, I scored a perfect on the ASVAB, and they wouldn’t leave me alone for years. So, I know how to get in touch with them.
You want to know why I didn’t sign up? Because I have a problem with someone telling me that I have to go somewhere to fight and possibly die for reasons that even they themselves don’t really control. I knew that was part of being in the military when I was a teenager. The best lot you can hope for while being in the military is that you send other people off to fight and die. Even that’s a tough row to hoe. Knowing this, I stayed the hell out of the organization.
I am genuinely sorry that you had to serve in that shithole of a war in Iraq. I was vocally against it before we went in. It was a waste of people, time and money no matter how you measure it. However the government at the time had decided they wanted to go in before 9/11, and that event gave them the excuse they wanted. As far as Afghanistan goes, we had a genuine reason to go in, and we appear to be withdrawing in as orderly a manner as can be expected. You’re a bit late in being all butthurt about it.
To be fair, among the reasons for sending troops to the Middle East, human rights is sometimes near the top. It does seem a bit insincere since we don’t invade countries who don’t have oil over human rights concerns.
I don’t actually see any credible evidence of the ‘considerable’ effort.
Where do you think the Taliban went when they were chased out of Afghanistan?
Pakistan is just as bad as Afghanistan, and worse because they have nukes. And it was the money they got from the US that they used to get those nukes.
Somehow the US always seems to support those who later come back to bite them. First it was the Taliban in Afghanistan, and now it will be Pakistan. Just wait…
I served in Iraq. I continue the fight today. Does that mean I get to trump anything askeptic says?
Yes, obviously Afghanistan was important. Would I sacrifice my life for it? No. But I’d sacrifice some Afghanis for it. Since the war started, we’ve completely dismantled al Qaeda. We’re killing leaders left and right today. They’re so powerless, it’s laughable. It was worth it.
First of all, I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but there’s no /u/ in al Qaeda. Second of all, we’re not feeding al Qaeda’s recruitment process. We’re defeating them handily. There are less and less al Qaeda members every day because we’re so efficient at killing them.
You know what would feed their process? Leaving in defeat.
If you have to be in the military before you can argue in favor of military action, it seems only fair that to argue against military action, you must never have been in the military.
How did you wind up fighting in the Middle East, askeptic?
Oh, yeah…you ENLISTED, didn’t you?
Well, you know what happens when people enlist in the military? If war breaks out, some of them have to go fight in it. The military doesn’t exist just so you can have a cushy job, good benefits and paid education. It exists to protect U.S. interests and our allies, and to fight battles when our civilian leadership deems it necessary. Nothing unfair is going on here. We have a volunteer military. YOU VOLUNTEERED to become part of it! And when you did, you also volunteered to take orders from people you might not like and to fight wars you may not agree with.
Tough shit. Them’s the breaks. In every conflict, there are people in military service who don’t think it’s right. If you didn’t want to entrust other people’s judgement as to when you should fight and die, then you shouldn’t have enlisted. Period. No great injustice is being done because the government doesn’t inscript every citizen anytime military action of some sort is called for. Instead, it relies upon people who’ve already said they’d be willing to fight if ordered to do so, and who have taken pay and received education and benefits in return for having done so.
You want to get on your high horse and protest that the wars we’re involved in are unjust? Then knock yourself out. That is your privilege. But don’t try to convince everyone that the U.S. is somehow being unfair to you or anyone else because it sends you to fight and not everyone else. YOU signed up for it!
Nope, but GWB would and did: The re-elected President and oil man who served in the skies about Texas during Vietnam, the re-elected Presidet with a Vice President “who had better things to do” during the same conflict.
The man whose election and re-elction was largely funded by corporations that benefitted from his subsequent policies.
Do you really think those people ever gave a fuck?