Contrary to TradeOff's belief, I do not believe I am the biggest threat to the Civilized World.....TradeOff's fantasy world? Perhaps.. But you know the biggest threat to the Civilized World is? Political Correctness....
All the blathering and pot-shotting back & forth. Ever considered why Democracy will fail in Iraq? For the same reason it is beginning to fail in America... Freedom = Personal Responsibility. You cannot have one without the other. Iraqi's have always had everything (as little as that has been for them is irrelevant) handed to them by the government (the govt's brutality also being irrelevant). Their homes, public services like power & water, food rationing, etc. Now here comes America to free them of the yoke of Saddam. No matter how well intended, the reality is that these people are beginning to realize that if they want to eat, be sheltered, and have possessions they must actually earn them. There is no sugar-daddy to give it to them for towing the line. This is hard to swallow. What are they going to do now? How does one feed his family? There aren't many GE plants around Baghdad or Basra. So as the mortifying reality hits the 'newly freed' men of the male-driven society, they are more and more inclined to support those who come in and promise to give back what they had before...even if it means another brutal regime like before. Hence, we have our beloved fallujah. Remember, that brutal regime before was after all the Sugar Daddy at the same time. Unless the men of Iraq embrace the responsibility of freedom rather than fear it or shirk from it, there will be no such thing as freedom or democracy. Period. No matter how much we pound them or hug them. It won't matter how much of which. Now, in a shameful parallel, think about what has happened to America as we have gradually and steadily given more and more responsibility to the federal government to cure our ills. Is there anything that does not have a federal program in place to hand out one thing or another? It is a simple equation. Americans have wanted less personal responsibility and deferred to the federal government to take care of it. It's easier that way, right? It's lazy. No country on the face of this planet has more freedom than America. That's why we have an immigration problem and China or the Ukraine does not. So why do we keep trading it away? Answer that and you will be a new member of the SoothSayer Club and acquire the wisdom to accurately predict the future of Iraq.
"Fantasy world"? Hm... then how can you be so sure that PC is the biggest threat and not ET message board cyberstalking?
Right on the money. All these jackass spoiled Westerners in general (and usually Americans in particular) have no idea what they have. They just site around and use their freedom of speech and privileged lives to bitch and whine, even though they get to live lives and have a freedom that the vast majority of people in the world would do anything to have. It is unfortunate that after many generations who sacrificed and appreciated what they had, it was probably inevitable that we would reach some generations who, as a whole, have no idea what they have. Some people don't appreciate what they have till they lose it!
I have a really angry deliquent goldfish that no one thought to include in the pole? Is he so frightening that even a mention of his existance is too much?? By the way, American Foriegn Policy must be an oxymoron for a country with a passport rate of only 5 % of the population. (A passport is something you have to have when you visit another country) Still, better that than prenteding you are still a world power when your countries leadership does exactly what it's told with it's forign policy by.....................the US. God help us too then. Lets keep our sence of humour girls
What does passport rate have to do with a gov't having a foreign policy? You are calling foreign policy and a lack of tourism an oxymoron?