Maximus Zeebra

I never said Europeans arent ignorant and selfish as well

I want to move to Africa, breathe fresh air, **** dangerous women, carry a weapon to defend myself and move around in the nature.

Living in Europe and the US, one doesnt normally step more than 2000 steps a day, in the less than 60 minutes you are not sitting or sleeping. Me I am different.

EfriKa, here ei caum

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I am just waiting for some American to pick apart my 5000 word reasoning, by a slight spelling mistake in a sentence, to prove why I am wrong, and he is right.

American politics, knowledge acquired by the people.

GySgt

And this is the tragedy of it all. We can certainly see the European populations and decide whether or not they deserve their governments. Russians, absolutely deserve their government. They are perhaps the most dissapointing of all populations, because they were provided the perfect oppportunity to move on from their oppression after the Kremlin fell. But they soon surrendered their new freedoms and exchanged them for security. Today, we see a Russia pretending to power again and looking more like the Soviet Union every day. And the people did it. Nothing was siezed.

The French are a different story. They absolutely deserve a better government than what they have had. The French elite (intellectuals) have obsessed themselves with preserving the Europe of the 19th century (socially) and sought every opportunity to object to any American endeavor abroad unless it benefitted them. Despite the aid given to the French after WWII, America was subjected to De Gaul policies almost immediately and they still exist to this very day. Instead of acknowledging the fact that global power had exchanged to American hands and embraced that as kinship between democratic nations, they have always sought for ways to re-establish themselves to their former selves. What we have always gotten was a butting of heads in times of war, peace keeping missions, and diplomatic events. Always we are the object of scorn for being those "upstart" Americans and chastized for our arms deals to partners outside of white Europe, but France has historically been third on the list of suppliers to third world countries no matter their stand with American policies. While the French people mock us for our deals with Saddam Hussein and our eventual mission to take himn out, they dismiss the fact that their government was one of the nations that overwhelmingly topped us for weapons supplies to Saddam Hussein and their government didn't care to do anything about it when they had the chance.

I don't know what to think about the Belgians. Aside from internet chats with Bub, I haven't been in personal contact with any Belgians since Somalia and my last unit in Norfolk (NATO HQ). These soldiers do not reflect the elitist mood of their government. But I don't know much about the Belgian population and what their general mood is in accoredance to their government.

The Spanish seem to be caught between looking towards America for the future and being obedient to the EU. For some stupid reason (and I believe there are a few), despite the similarities between America and Europe, their seems to be line drawn that is pulling other countries towards it and away from the other. For America it appears to be a case by case situation where support is needed. For the EU, it is an ongoing mission pusposefully drawn out and persued no matter the situation. The Spanish government aren't alone here as an object. The Italians, long regarded as "those Europeans" by other Europeans in the north, are also stuck between this pull. As are every single former Soviet bloc country that is striving for American protection from their former masters in Russia and striving to find a seat at the EU for economic security. It has come down to a decision (more or less black and white) of pleasing America or pleasing the EU. And it has been the EU-or should we say "France"-that has been demanding this allegiance.

Of course, the British population are as confused about the future as Americans and is perhaps another reason we stand together through thick and thin no matter what. Americans and Brits alike have great difficulty deciding whether to move on from European international policy tradition or seek a better path. When in doubt, the past has always been the guide. Supporting tyrants against another tyrant, looking away from brutality and devistation as long as resources "flowed," encouraging freedom and democracy when conveniently easy but never when it might upset a powerful foe, deliberating publicly on a humanitarian crisis for image sake, but never really meaning to do anything od substance to help anybody, ...the list is well known by now. Welcome to the present day mess of planet Earth. It's riddled with intellectual habit afraid to persue an unfamiliar road that won't bring immediate gratification and economical return.

As for the Poles, there isn't really too many times in history when they didn't deserve their freedom seeking and fighting government. However, they have always deserved a better Europe to stand beside them.

Europeans pride themselves on the EU and it's mission to better the region, but how much betterment can really be involved in the hands of a French and the German government? Advancement isn't the mood. "Intellectual preservation" is.

Of course, Asia hasn't done a thing for us anywhere. Given the military situation in Japan, we couldn't realistically expect musch in this fashion in regards to support. But with all of the economic power that Japan has had, wouldn't they have been perfect diplomatic partners against our enemies? Instead we see a Japanese government that has become more than comfortable sitting on their island and watching humanitarian criminals from a distance as they shipped Hondas, Casios, Yahamas, etc to their destinations around the globe through sea zones we protected for them. I wouldn't say that the population is "selfish and self-centered," but they are very focused on their immediate surroundings and less concerned about anything going on anywhere else (unless North Korea drops some rockets in the Sea of Japan and then it's "do something America.") .

Frankly, I am losing my optimism towards Arabs in the Middle East. Iraq's current condition should offer great hope, given their attitudes to move on from the media's quest to paint their temporary civil disturabnce as a "grand civil war in the making," but in the end they are still subjected to their culture. This is a culture (from Cairo to Islamabad) that sheds no tears for the mass deaths inflicted upon Muslim by other Muslims, yet wail to the world when an Isreali rocket taps down on a suspected enemy and kills a civilan. Or screams at the prospect that American bombs found their mark upon enemy locations, yet dismiss the casual slaughterings of millions of dead non-Arab Muslims and Christians in Sudan at Muslim hands. We can't expect anything from the people under these governments. We may pretend that most hate their governments and their treatment upon their fellow Muslims, but the truth is that given the opportunity they would merely continue the traditions.

Persians absolutely do not deserve the Iranian government at all. They have proven to want something better and have merely fallen into their Majli's religiously inspired trap that saw Ahmenadejed to power. In all the world and besides the British, perhaps the most similar populations to Americans are the French and the Iranians. Maybe that's why we butt heads. It wasn't always thus though. In both environments (France and Iran) the populations are very much under the influence of the "intellectuals" who strive for old preservations.

Africans, perhaps hold the most potential of all the populations on earth. There is nothing any society on earth can do that will surprise us at this point other than Africans. Most of them do not deserve the governments they have and they are speaking out about that. I think we have been foolish to dismiss Africa all these years for favor of Arab allegiance and European "love affairs."

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GySgt
Semper Fidelis
USMC

WI Crippler

What about the Aussies?

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"What Jesus fails to appreciate is that it's the meek who are the problem."- Reg

GySgt

Well, I've seen enough and read enough of history to acknowledge the ingredients to long term security. The problem is that it is a double edge sword. Consider the options....

1) We isolate as we did before WWII and leave the world to the care of Europeans or who ever else - whether we speak of imperialsim, American type preservation missions, or tyrant lust for power. Eventually, we will be forced to deal with pirates in sea zones, tyrants who block shipments for his own reasons, World Wars that threaten to leave us by ourselves, etc. Our isolationalism won't be long before we are forced to awake from our slumber as Pearl Harbor awoke us then (while we minded our own business).

2) We continue the deals we have made that keep the world out of large wars and protect the free trade shipments that have progressed the world. We keep investing in the foriegn "stabilities" that have seen us to the moon and brought us so much technological advancement beyond our enemies (and would-be enemies). But, all of the pacts, agreements, diplomacies, and hand shakes that have seen tyrants thrive, oppressive governments outlive their expiration dates, and populations that suffer under UN red tape will most certainly be a side affect.

Certainly we can dabble in both options, but in the end, we are stuck in this screwed up world and destined to be unfairly criticized for everything we do and don't do by nations who benefit from us and do the bare minimum to earn it from us. This is my proof that we are better than them no matter our action or inaction. As much as we do, we only ever demand the bare minimum and sometimes we demand nothing at all. They in turn only offer the bare minimum and often nothing at all as they hold their hands out and criticize. A powerful nation like ours in the hands of our allies would see a Pacific terrorized, or a Europe burning, or an African country conducting genocide, or an Arab country oppressing its people. And did China and the Soviet Union prove otherwise?

Entangling foriegn alliances is dangerous. We should all know this now. But maybe the fact that we had to embark across the ocean for a World War that attacked us first and dealt in death in a manner the world had never seen is evidence that a nation like ours cannot isolate. Maybe our absence fed the beast. As much as our involvement feeds the hatreds of our enemies and the jealousy that stands beside (behind) us only because of what we can porovide them.

A diverse population that proves that mass expulsion, mass genocide, purity in race and creed and religion is not the answer. A powerful nation that proves that one can influence the world without force, brutality, and oppression. An economic power house that proves that real power is built on capitalism and personal liberty rather than socialism, communism, and fascism. We are just not destined to be loved by anyone in the end.

Such is this world, its traditions, its preservations, its intellectuals, and its monsters.

GySgt

Check out the situation sometime. Check out the Gulf War. Check out Somalia. Check out Afghanistan. Check out Iraq. Check it all. Europeans are always relegated to the safer zones because they simply cannot fight in the manner of a 21st century military.

As far as Helmand, this zone is largely of British fighters with American air support and American ground troops as special forces. Once again we see the anglo-english speaking nations in the thick of it. The "NATO" action in Helmand is like the grand "coalition" into Saddam's Iraq. (insert rolly eyes?)

GySgt

I'm talking about the big stuff. The substance. Europe's commercial space missions is about Europe. It's not about everybody. This is what I meant when I wrote about how American thought seems to be about man kind while Europe's is usually about the village in Europe. Everyone's putting up satellites and selling space on it. But who is building a space station to go beyond the moon? It's largely an American and Russian gig. If we needed a clear cut example or evidence of how Europe's self centered behaviors have been over the decades, its in the space program. Though the world saw an American flag, the statement was "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Not American kind. A Frenchman would not have been so courteous to all.

All this time, America and the Soviet Union had been standing off pumping its chests and racing each other on every level. In the mean time, America was providing support (military and economic) to every free nation while they sat and reaped the benefit and sought selfish focus. In the end, our allies boast about their medical programs, economy improvements, fast trains, and cheap cars as they ridicule us for not having it made as we once did (Perhaps our mission to preserve the world's exponentially growing prosperity wasn't in our best interests). Our only real space program collaberations come from the Russians, who ironically have been one of the world's biggest threats to freedom. Inventions that have come from our space program are seen in every day life in every culture. Even the latest attempt to ensure security from nuclear attack involved a shield that came from NASA inventions and technology that was offerred to Europe! Whether or not it was going to work isn't the point. Such a thing would not have been offerred to America from Europe.

GySgt

Oh man. The Aussies. They are the most laid back people on planet earth. As is their government. Never causing waves. Always quick to stand beside us. Always quick to support. Quick to draw a line and stand in front of it. This is a very smart government. They know the hand that feeds them and have no wish to pretend that they are a major influence in the world by criticizing us or by expecting us to ask for permission before we act. They are quite aware that we are not malicious and they let everyone know. Unlike our European allies who seek a celebration as they look for any opportunity to chastize us publicly.

Of course, Australia is a part of that "Anglo-English" speaking alliance that sticks together isn't it? Continental Europeans are always squabbling over lost power and influence while pretending they still have it. Their demands that we go through them for everything is their way of holding on to their glorious past. The sad thing is that all they have to do is be true allies and they would have it. We have never denied them their voice nor have we treated them like screw ups, despite their history proving otherwise. They, however, have never given us this same respect.

partier9

Exept after WW1 and WW2, but the french are the worst. Stuck up snobs

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If I had a billion dollars?

Maximus Zeebra

Maybe they have something to be snobby and stuck up over; ever thought about that? Maybe they just actually are best..

Bodhisattva

Everybody is... LOL!

Africa! Aaahhhh! Watch out for the crocs and the snakes...

I run and run...but I am a runner and biker and hiker and such...

Guns...nope. I prefer breaking peoples and animals limbs with my hands...

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