Well, hell, everybody disagrees with my political views, why should Dopers be an exception?
Not sure, exactly, what you interpreted as political there and frankly, I’m not exactly in a caring and empathic mood today (I’m sure ya’ll have noticed)
Just for the record - I don’t bear the population of any country any ill-will. I just can’t figure out why people feel compelled to shoot and kill other people. But then, I’m an American who has lived in cities with a multitude of ethnic and national types. Can’t say we all love each other, but we somehow manage to co-exist without massacring each other, either. Like mama always said, you don’t have to like the nieghbors, you’re just not allowed to kill them.
I have my pissy moments (obviously), but despite colorful fantasies of mayhem I’d much rather walk away from trouble than actually enter into a fray. On the other hand, if you back me into a corner and hurt me expect massive retaliation and violence.
Near as I can see the biggest fucking crime we committed against the oil sheiks was paying money for their goods rather than marching in, taking over their countries, and stealing the oil. No one forced them to buy our shit - either our cars, our guns, or our culture. Don’t expect thanks, even. But somehow this commerce justifies an attack on the US and the killing of thousands of people in the pea-brains of the fanatics. Hell, the Pentagon IS a legitimate military target, but knocking down skyscrapers and then dancing in the streets is just totally uncool in my book. If you disagree with that, well, fine - like mama says, I don’t have to like the neighbors, I’m just not allowed to kill them.
I don’t want war - hell no! - I’d rather the economy turn from bust into boom and peace break out uncontrollably world-wide. But I don’t see that happening.
And what about Bali? What the FUCK did that country ever do to deserve having a few bombs go up, scattering burning bodyparts to the four winds, horribly injuring people, and totally ruining their tourist based economy at least in the short term? WHAT? What did these people do to deserve that? They’re not a world power, they have no influence on the world stage, they control nothing beyond their island, and most of their economy is (apparently) devoted to showing people a good time as tourists. That’s just fucking sick, OK?
The Middle East has been generating wars for the last ten thousand years. It doesn’t seem to matter WHO is in charge there, or what their supposed religion is. If they can’t join civilization and learn to behave themselves quarantine the bastards until they exterminate each other or learn to behave.
And if you don’t like what I said about Europe - well, yeah, I understand that the inhabitants of our respective continents don’t have anything personally against each other, but there is a certain element that comes across as believing they are too good to dirty their hands with weapons, but it’s OK for the Americans to do the fighting because “everyone knows” that we’re just a bunch of in-bred slack-jawed gun-crazy violent yokels anyway. Once again, European powers are seeking to hire mercenaries to fight their wars, and who better than that pissant upstart former British Colony with delusions of being its own country?
Oh, wait - it was mentioned I left out the French. Well, here it comes. When I was 17 I spent some time in France, among which was a bit of time in a French high school. There we were in “World History” class covering the “American Secession Crisis” That’s what the teacher called it. I’m thinking American Session Crisis? WHAT Crisis? Then it hit me - she was talking about the Civil War. My polite inquiries as to the difference in terminology was met with a derisive snot and a condescending comment that it wasn’t a real war and should not be referred to as such.
WHAT THE FUCK? Battles raging for days, thousands of dead in engagements, devasted countryside, the invention of metal battle ships, submarines, the machine gun, land mines, trench warfare, and concentration camps doesn’t count as a fucking war? More Americans died in that fucking “crisis” than in all the other wars we’ve fought combined. thank you very much. It is STILL having reprecussions more than a century and a half later (The recent resignation from party leadership of ex Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott stems from comments in reference to the “Dixiecrat” presidential run of 1948, which party and its platform was a direct outgrowth of the immeidate post-Civil War era with it’s institution of an American form of apartheid). **It was a fucking war you ignorant Gallic bitch! Which is just sooooo like the Old World - THEIR pain is so much more valid and important than the blood of colonials. THEY have wars. WE have a “crisis”. Honey, a “crisis” is when the Jack Daniels runs out at a redneck party.
Folks don’t like the United States as the world’s superpower? Guess what - we’re not thrilled with it, either. It’s a fucking thankless state of being, everybody hates you, and if you DID leave them alone they’d be back banging on your door demanding you get involved again. We could go back to the British Empire and the other European Empires, which frankly invaded other coutnries and enslaved the populations to work for the greater glory of the white man. Was that better?
The United States spent most of its history as a third world back water laughed at by the great powers of Europe - except when Great Britain got pissy that one time and invaded our capital and burned down the Presidential residence (afterwards repaited white to hide the scorch marks, hence White House). FUCK them. Europe had its chance to rule the world and no one (outside of Europe) seemed fucking impressed.
Now, folks are quivering in their boots that war must be avoided at all costs. Folks, we tried that back in the 1930’s. We still had a war and something like 50 million people dead once you get done toting up the soldiers, bombed out cities, epidemics, camps, forced migrations, and other horrors.
I see an ecoonomy like the shit of the 1930’s, 3 years of drought on the Great Plains cooking up another Dust Bowl, and the rumblings of power-mad non-elected “leaders” world-wide. Including the dumbshit sitting in the Oval Office, who was NOT elected but decreed the president. Don’t particularly care for the thought MY country is one of the agressors this time. Meanwhile, folks are sheepishly handing over their civil rights in the name of “security”, completely forgetting the immortal words Those who would trade liberty for security deserve neither.
Meanwhile, insane people are running around blowing themselves and any bystanders they can involve to unholy hell. I just don’t get it - do these folks think they get Extra Special Satan Points for thinking up new and ingenius ways of killing people? Maybe they only have to have small pineapples shoved their ass in hell?
Well, hell, ya’ll probably don’t agree with any of THAT, either. Maybe I should return to domestic ranting.
