America Thinks it so big and bad

[Keiyoushi_Takun]

IN a sense, I guess it is...but...

Let's put it this way. If the earth were a high school, America is on of those preppy disliked snobs. Brittain is one of them also.

Always picking on the little countries. Recently, America has tried to get some popularity points by 'helping' out other countries. My @$$.

Nah, that's just me. I was born in America. Not to say that I enjoy knowing that. I wish I was born in Japan or something...

I'm asian by the way. About half. Anywhere but here ya'll.

furthermore, I'm in Republican Territory <crouches and shivers>....

But, you gotta live where ya live.

Who else feels like America is a prep?

[Machismo111]

I don't think America is as much of a preppy kid as a spoiled bully =). Combined with scrooge, of course. Everyone talks about how much money we give to foreign aid. Guess what, it totals to one tenth of one percent. That's .oo1% of the annual budget. While how much goes to military? More than the next 10 countries combined? Something like 47% of the budget? People insist that we need that, I think they're dumb. Bush is dumb, in my humble opinion for just about everything hes done. Breaking weapons treaties to test out his 'star wars' bs that didnt work the first time and just wasted billions of dollars the second.

I think two ways however. I think Americas not really doing that bad of a job, and we're definately not evil. We're not trying to conquer the world, just trying to make money and get everyone else to think like us. From a narrow minded point of view it makes sense. Secondly I think America is led by a bunch of money hungry power grubbing self interested people and shouldnt try to hold itself over the entire world as it does. I don't think the leadership necessarily respects the general consensus of the american public, so you definately shouldnt blame america as a whole. This is all opinion, of course =) and I still like living in america a lot.

[emitbrownne]

This thread provides explicit proof why more than a fair few members on this forum believe the flames section should be closed.

Peurile....

[xvikingx]

This section was so quiet for a while. I am with Emit; no more flames section. Talk about kendo (or whatever you practice) and keep your stupid ass politics to yourself!

[D'Artagnan]

"...Brittain is one of them also."

Why is this post on the KENDO world forum? i do think that it is rather irrellivent don't you chaps? i don't know, you young scallywags trying to cause a falling out. oh fiddlesticks i've dropped my pipe into my cup of earl grey, bother.

but then what do i know i am just a preppy snob from Britain (which only has the one 'T' by the way)

jolly hockeysticks, an' all that

A

[Machismo111]

The other message board I visit has something alike this, called the 'verbal warfare' section. I think this has nothing to do with Kendo, of course, but neiter should the general chat section. They are unrelated to Kendo and thus are in a different subsection of the site. I believe sections like this exist to allow people to vent their frustrations and state points of view that they might otherwise be forced not to discuss at the risk of someone taking offense. I enjoy heated arguments myself. If they truly upset you, ignore them or reply =). Besides, theres no arguing politics or religion, it's all opinion, so everyone's gonna be right, wrong, smart and dumb in this thread =P. Hehe, that doesn't sound like fun? ^_^. I am sorry if I offended anyone though, that was definately not my intent .

[nox]

Everyone talks about how much money we give to foreign aid. Guess what, it totals to one tenth of one percent. That's .oo1% of the annual budget. While how much goes to military? More than the next 10 countries combined? Something like 47% of the budget?

actually, this is a pretty big misconception
the US (ignoring the relatively unusual circumstances of the war on iraq and such) actually spends very little of its GDP on its military
actually less then 10%, prolly closer to the 5% range

your're assuming that the US budget and GDP is similar to other countries in the world
this isn't to sound cocky but it isn't
the US by far has the largest GDP in the world, more then double the no.2 nation in GDP, Japan
CA alone has the 5th (sometimes 6th, tends to flunctuate a bit, its right in there) largest GDP in the world

while the US does spend more in its military and military R&D then the next 6-7 highest spending countries combined. It does it with a VERY small portion of its GDP (even in comparison to other western countries) pretty much because its GDP is THAT MUCH BIGGER.

the largest chunk of the federal budget goes mostly to various government subsidies (agriculture, health care, etc etc etc)

this isn't to support or defend bush, but your claim that the US spends absurd amounts of its budget and GDP on its military aren't correct

[Machismo111]

I apologize, I must have been misinformed. I find that one can find several different sources citing very different numbers, and I dont pay much attention to the news =). The US budget for foreign aid, however should be correct or somewhat close to. That sort of a ratio (5-10% -> .1%) is rediculous. I suppose the would could constrew americas low foreign aid spending as greed. <shrug> I personally dont think we need to spend as much on military, but of course Im not in power nor do I have a full understanding on how america is run, so Im likely wrong. Still my opinion though =).

[doubissu]

This section was so quiet for a while. I am with Emit; no more flames section. Talk about kendo (or whatever you practice) and keep your stupid ass politics to yourself!

May I respectfully disagree; this certainly struck my nerve. Kendo is about life. Kendo is about sharing with others. It's about "To contribute to the development of culture. And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples" (AJKF). How can you not have a political opinion and share it with your lads ??? After a tough Kendo practice, why wouldn't you spill your guts about the state of the world over a glass of bud, Guinness, Maredsous or Maudite ?? Is Kendo all you have to offer ? Isn't Kendo about making you a "complete" human being ?

Whether or not his numbers are correct, I agree with Machismo111. "Spoiled bully ... trying to make money and get everyone else to think like us." No doubt here. Ask the rest of the world... (the part that's not connected to the web).

Eddy

[xvikingx]

May I respectfully disagree; this certainly struck my nerve. Kendo is about life. Kendo is about sharing with others. It's about "To contribute to the development of culture. And to promote peace and prosperity among all peoples" (AJKF). How can you not have a political opinion and share it with your lads ??? After a tough Kendo practice, why wouldn't you spill your guts about the state of the world over a glass of bud, Guinness, Maredsous or Maudite ?? Is Kendo all you have to offer ? Isn't Kendo about making you a "complete" human being ?

Whether or not his numbers are correct, I agree with Machismo111. "Spoiled bully ... trying to make money and get everyone else to think like us." No doubt here. Ask the rest of the world... (the part that's not connected to the web).

Eddy

YAWN...

[Blue_Dragon]

I may be a new comer to Kendo but I do know alot about history and the 7 stages of man.. History repeats its self my friends.

MY country America was founded by people who where brave, god fearing, and believed that freedom was worth fighting for. The decloration of independance is proof of that as well as the constitution. These values have been lost over the years. Political correctness and extreme tollerance have ruined this country. People now have no since of values or standards..... They get there opinions from the news and let the public schools raise there children. Most people want the goverment to do all thinking for them. Give me Solcial security give me welfare and healcare and medicare. Free school lunch and midnight basketball, comunity policing, there is not a single aspect of an american's life that the government is not involved in. Now some countries might be used to this but america wasnt always like this. Americans werent always so lazy or apithitic.
In 1941 dec 7 pearl harbor was bombed it was the worst attack on america since its conception. There where no antiwar protestors then. And do you know why? I tell ya ....because people knew that evil and evil men exsisted. They where military forces that wanted to destroy our way of life and take away our freedoms. So we faught.....and won the war.
Now we have had an attack worse then what we faced in 1941. And we call bush a gang leader and a bully? We dropped a nuke on heroshima......Wich im not saying was the best choise to end the war however it worked. Right now there is a growing group of people who believe that there god is telling them to kill americans and jews. And if they do 72 virgins are waiting for them in heaven. But people argue that the terrorists are just misunderstood and we dont understand there culture... or worst yet that we brought the attack upon our selfs. And there might be some truth in that.....we have showed such weakness perhaps that the enemy couldnt help but attack us because they thought there would be no recorse?
still others think that we should involve the UN and not go in with both guns blazing like a texas cowboy........why? other countries didnt get attacked we did . The UN couldnt run a daycare let alone a battlefield. Any way I guess the point im trying to get across is that America is finally doing something right again. If your unkle died in 9-11 like mine did you might have a different perspective on things.

Any way if you disagree let me know I always like to hear different opinions. Feel free to E-mail me to

[aru-ma]

My problem with the US gov. is mainly that it tells other countries what to do, I'm not saying the Us is evil but just becasue the way the governmemntal system works in one country does'nt mean it works in another, it somehow ignores the cultural value of each country (eg. Iraq). Also the US gov. and some of the people thinks that they have the right to defame other countries but not the other way around.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the great American value does not work with everybody. America is lucky as a country to have found its idenity, other countries like Indonesia haven't.

[Nishi]

There is an oppurtunity here to increase your understanding of kendo using this forum...however there is no oppurtunity to change the future of the international powers through these forums....so give it up!

[Blue_Dragon]

You might have a point about the US mabey getting involved in other countries a little to much. But Iraq is not a good example of that. Yes we should respect other cultures and mabey we americans dont take that under consideration as much as we should. But when you have a dictator that lets his sons rape and kill who ever they want and the country is funding and hiding terrorist groups, culteral regard goes right out the window. When terror and force is used to control people and you say its that country's cultural right? People who live in those places dont have a choise. They have to live under fearful conditions with no hope of leaving because they dont have the means. When you say that our form of goverment will not work in every country your probably right..However if your saying that people in these different countries cant have freedom because of thier culture, then human life has gotten really cheap.

sorry about the spelling errors spell check has spoiled me.

As always feel free to e-mail me if you want to curse me out in private



Its only a flesh wound!

[Fantasia]

My problem with the US gov. is mainly that it tells other countries what to do, I'm not saying the Us is evil but just becasue the way the governmemntal system works in one country does'nt mean it works in another, it somehow ignores the cultural value of each country (eg. Iraq). Also the US gov. and some of the people thinks that they have the right to defame other countries but not the other way around.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the great American value does not work with everybody. America is lucky as a country to have found its idenity, other countries like Indonesia haven't.

No. We give other countries money, and say that if you don't do the things in a way we approve of (almost always talking about how you run your government) we will stop giving you money.

Do I need to remind anybody here of the Marshall Plan? Or that we took two defeated ENEMIES after world war II and turned them into some of the world's largest and strongest economies? We treat our enemies better than our supposed "allies" in the UN and NATO treat us. And now we are pouring massive amounts of money into Iraq trying to build the worlds FIRST DEMOCRATIC Arab state.

That's right. There are 17 Arabic states in the world right now (I think, I might be off by one or two) Guess how many of them are run by freely elected government? ZERO. This is the only part of the world still wallowing in the dark ages of nepotism and theocracy.

American money, American ideas, and American blood built a vast majority of where the world is today. I DON'T think it's unreasonable that we exert our influence in continuing to shape the world. Do you think the scores of countries where our troops are stationed want them out? Bull crap. They'd raise holy heck if we pulled our troops out of their countries. But they turn their backs on us when push comes to shove simply because they think they can become important by balking us.

DO you know why France and many other countries REALLY didn't want to oust Saddam? Follow the paper trail. These countries all have major export and import contracts (some going against UN sanctions) with Saddam's regime, and they know that they wouldn't be valid in a new Iraq.

I couldn't give a damn about whether or not Saddam had a bio/chemical weapons program. He didn't follow the rules of his CEASEFIRE in 1991. This isn't a new war, it's simply the enemy not abiding by his truce terms.

Liberals in America decried the war as a bid for "oil" by GWB. But then they ask the government to "do something" about other parts of the world where human rights atrocities are committed on a large scale. And what do we find in Iraq? Torture. Legalized rape. Chemical weapons used on thousands of his own people.

I love George Bush because he doesn't CARE what the rest of the world supposedly thinks. Being popular has absolutely nothing to do with being right.