They Think It Can't Happen Here Again!!!! - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Homerun04 · 07-09-2005, 01:02 PM

Yes, Spence, I agree. There are many things our country should have been addressing all these years. Trust me, I am no great cheerleader of any country that is as wealthy as our's but still wont address hunger, healtcare, poverty, global warming, etc. right here in our own country. I'd be interested in your list of domestic issues that

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kill far more Americans every year than terrorisim ever will.

But given our limited resources don't you think that our first priority should be staying alive another day so that we can eventually address all our domestic issues someday? Doesn't our survival come first?

I guess what it comes down to is that some people in this thread actually do believe the US is at war right now, while some others don't believe we are in a war. My feeling is those who do not think we are in a war right now are playing into the hands of the terrorirsits. I believe that the radicals in the Middle East PURPOSEFULLY did not use a country to attack the USA but rather used a group of non-nationals (i.e. read terrorists) to attack us. They know that when in a "traditional" war when one country fights another country - no one will ever beat the USA. So they changed the rules on us. And I do beleive the terrorists are government sponsored. These people may be evil, but they are not dumb.

But make no mistake about it -- we ARE in a war right now. And yes, we can argue all day along about where our resources should go in order to make for a better and safer USA. All of them need to be addressed. Just in what order?

Homerun04 · 07-09-2005, 01:04 PM

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If that's the case Mike (and I tend to agree) then why have we don't little to nothing to secure our borders, ports and old Soviet nukes since 9/11?

That is EXACTLY my point Spence. We in the USA need to CHANGE our vision of what the USA is all about UNTIL we end the terrorism threat.

Once that is accomplished, then we can go back to the "open society" vision we have for the USA.

When you have a perfectly good barrel of apples, and then you let a few bad apples in to the barrel, you stop letting any more apples into the barrel until the bad apples have been expelled or eliminated -- or else eventually the whole barrel spoils.

spence · 07-09-2005, 01:10 PM

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Originally Posted by Homerun04

That is EXACTLY my point Spence. We in the USA need to CHANGE our vision of what the USA is all about UNTIL we end the terrorism threat.

Exactly the wrong thing to do.

There's no reason why we can't deal with terrorisim without changing what makes America the best country in the world. The challenge is in putting aside partisan BS and electoral paranoia and working toward pragmatic and mindful solutions.

-spence

Homerun04 · 07-09-2005, 01:18 PM

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Exactly the wrong thing to do.

Well then I'll remember your feelings on this the next time terrorist kill over 4,000 people in the US. As for me, I never want to look any mother in the eye AGAIN who's child has died here in the US due to a terrorist attack - and have to tell her that I think the terrorists have just as much right to be here in the USA as does anyone else -- because that is the kind of country we WANT to be.

Theory and practicality are often at odds with one another.

beachwalker · 07-09-2005, 01:30 PM

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Originally Posted by spence

Exactly the wrong thing to do.

There's no reason why we can't deal with terrorisim without changing what makes America the best country in the world. The challenge is in putting aside partisan BS and electoral paranoia and working toward pragmatic and mindful solutions.

-spence

no offense spence (not directed "at" you) but IMO opinion America has to STOP bragging that they are the "GREATEST" or "BEST" country in the world. That is a big reason why a lot of other countries dislike us. We are to cockey. A lot of other countries don't suck either....

spence · 07-11-2005, 08:28 AM

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Originally Posted by beachwalker

no offense spence (not directed "at" you) but IMO opinion America has to STOP bragging that they are the "GREATEST" or "BEST" country in the world. That is a big reason why a lot of other countries dislike us. We are to cockey. A lot of other countries don't suck either....

Nothing wrong with feeling you're the best, the US is pretty unique in the World community.

The problem is a lack of humility, overt entitlement and the obvious arrogance.

-spence

Homerun04 · 07-11-2005, 08:38 AM

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On average 43,000 people die in car accidents each year.

Okay, explain to me what else the government can do to prevent drunk driving...?? Or to prevent less car accidents..??

likwid · 07-11-2005, 08:41 AM

Make penalties 100x more brutal.

Take away licenses permanently.
Put people in jail for long periods of time for drunk driving.

beachwalker · 07-11-2005, 09:14 AM

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Originally Posted by spence

Nothing wrong with feeling you're the best, the US is pretty unique in the World community.

The problem is a lack of humility, overt entitlement and the obvious arrogance.

-spence

true spence, we are but "obvious arrogance" hit's the nail right on the head

likwid · 07-11-2005, 09:16 AM

And this would be a good poll:

Is it bad foreign policy or "blind hate"?
I'll take the former thanks.

Mike P · 07-09-2005, 01:21 PM

Long ago, someone wrote that if a nuclear bomb ever hit NYC, it wouldn't arrive on the nose of a Soviet ICBM but in the hull of a freighter. This was before dozens of large container ships arrived in Port Newark and Port Elizabeth every day of the year. Each carrying over 100 individual truck containers. Impossible to check every one before they enter the port area. Even with triple or quadruple the resources we have employed at the moment---and yes, it's a paltry and pathetic effort at present. Even screening them before they left the unloading area wouldn't be much of a deterrent. You don't have to wait for a semi to hook up to it and drive it into lower Manhattan--you set a timer to detonate it at the dock. You kill everyone in a 2 mile radius and with the right wind, you blanket Manhattan with radiation.

Same thing with other ports, like Baltimore, that have large scale containerized freight operations. How many thousands of individual containers get off loaded every day at the various ports?

Like I said---I'm not smart enough to figure it out. Hopefully, intelligence assets can sniff out such a plan, but they still only need to get lucky once.