It is comments like these that make Americans so disdained in certain quarters. Such arrogance reflects very badly on your reputation.
This is more recycled sentiment from the pacifists in the Cold War, but I won't argue that image and perception aren't a two edged sword. They are powerful allies, and powerful gaping wounds. If you think Pres Bush is sharpening the wrong edge of the sword, I'd tend to agree with you.
Bluffing with the lives of billions of people may seem OK to you. It isn't for those of us who would be obliterated by such insane politics.
Whether it is OK to me or not is irrelevant, Claus. I too grew up in a world where any day, the nukes might go up, and due to where I lived, on or near military bases, and near my Nations' Capital, and in Germany, I stood to be blown into atoms. On any given day.
I learned how to stop worrying, but I never learned how to love the bomb.
There were nuclear tipped missiles on Russian subs that shadowed the battlegroups that I was assigned to. Being in their area of effect was going to roast me on the high seas as well. I spent some years chasing and keeping track of Russian subs loaded with ICBM's, with MIRV's, whose purpose was to melt my nation's cities into irradiated slag. It isn't only about you, and your little but lovely country, Claus.
Unless, yes. Having the lives of billions hinge on the sanity of these very few people is not a comforting thought.
It hasn't been a comforting thought since at least the Cuban Missile Crisis, and since I did exercises in weapons classes as a midshipmen that plotted out how many people in San Francisco would die based on the arrival of X missiles, at various ground zeroes in the SF Bay area. Chilling homework, that was.
They are under the obligation to obey the orders of their commanding officers. You don't need a nut to press the button, all you need is a nut who gives the order.
I guess you are unaware of how soldiers actually behave, rather than how the two dimensional pictures are painted. I am fully aware. Yes, that order could be given, and it can be either obeyed, there go the missiles, welcome nuclear winter. Or countermanded. Or, disobeyed. The order can also be deliberately disobeyed, or gummed up. A general or other uniformed member can risk the punishment. That too has happened in other circumstances.
Your "sense" is not reassuring.
Nor to me, as my confidence level is not in the higher ends of the 90th percentiles. But I am betting the over that I am right. There is no certainty in life, Claus, you know that of course. LIfe has a quantum quality, doesn't it?
I got two words for you: General Ripper.
A fictional character, a caricature, a cartoon depiction, of a general in a dark comedy film by Peter Sellers. A satire. I have a phrase for you: the revolt of the admirals. And two more words for you:
Ehren Watada.
Two more words: Michael New
Two more words: Erik Shinseki
The US military are not automatons, but part of the professional ethic is to keep dissent "inside" due to the primacy of civilian leadership by our laws. I pay close attention to reading excerpts of General Abizaid's press releases. I look carefully for what is said, and more importantly, what isn't said.
While I am still puzzled at times by VP Cheney's various utterances, my read on Sec Def Rumsfeld is that he is a practical man, and has as a driving motive the maintenance of his power base, politically, and his various missions. As a practical matter, the use of nukes (beyond his bunker buster madness that is still getting flak in Congress, and not attracting funding) would throw far too many variables into his calculations and strategy.
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Lunatics are everywhere. They become a problem when they have guns readily available.
Oh, indeed, and nukes. Kim Jong Il comes to mind.
3 out of 4 murders are committed by firearms, and you tell me guns aren't the problem?
Irresponsible use of guns is
a problem.
You cannot compare cars to guns. Please get this through your head.
Indeed, cars are more dangerous, but for a different reason.
In which case, there is something about Americans that make them go bonkers and kill.
And Scotsmen, and Canadians, per a couple of the other cases presented in the thread.
Not guns? What, then? What is it about Americans that make them so bloodthirsty?
I think it's something in the water, like Flouride. It disturbs our purity of essence, which in turn incites abnormal behavior.
Perhaps you cited General Ripper in the wrong part of your response.
Me, I drink grain alcohol and pure rain water . . . oh, wait, I don't either, so maybe I'm nuts for another reason, or from too much flouridated water.
Got good teeth, though, see?
Don't come crying to me about the President you elected.
If an American Democrat who voted for Kerry is upset with Pres Bush, how is his complaint "coming and crying to you?"
DR
That might work - if the show airs just before the funerals start. Otherwise, they'll be there - and I wouldn't trust them not to go to the funerals anyway - they are old, flophouse toilet slime - little, if anything, is beneath them.
