Saddam openly supported terrorist orgs aligned against Israel...verbally...as well as financially...and the US declaration of war on terrorism...included terrorists orgs globally and those countries that support them.


1. The American government supported Saddam when he was gassing his own people.

2. Saddam was a U.S ally when he was at his worst in the 1980s.

3. The US trained and created Osama Bin Laden.

3. The US is training Latin American TERRORIST RIGHT NOW in Georgia!

And who supports terrorism?


Now, these are ALL facts we fail to accept.

The USA will go after whatever org or country...based upon many factors...that it deems to be viable...and will do so on its own time table. The reasons for taking Iraq are multiple...not the least of which (in my opinion) is strategic positioning...if we manage to stabalize Iraq (debatable) we are in a strategic position (in more than one way) to deal with the rest of the entire mideast...if need be...and I think it is probable that the need will arise.

The point is the word terrorist has very little real meaning. It has emotional and propaganda value, that is all. As far as much of the world is concerned, it is the USA that are the real terrorists.

Post your ages.......where you from......what is your primary source of information.......have ever been outside your own country......have you ever served in the military.......ever been in government.......or are you just talking out your ass about stuff you heard on the BBC!

I read a lot of these threads wondering why nobody ever qualifies themselves before the project a strong opinion, so please lemme know. Are you a well traveled 30 to 40 y/o who looks at issues from both sides of the fence or are you some 20 y/o sitting behind a computer all day that "actually thinks" they know all of what is going on in the world!

no offense, just curious

Saddam was never a U.S. ally. If every thing that all of the haters and bashers said were the factual truth...it is immaterial...as the US will continue to do...what it has always done...and that is...it will do what it percieves to be in its best interest...and if it makes mistakes (which I beleive that it has made mistakes)...so be it...and if there are unforseen...and/or unfornunate consequences...so be it. That is the way that it is and that is the way that it will be for the forseeable future...and the world will be forced to live with it. The US does not wear and has never worn a white hat...it is a gray hat at best.

Why don't you start?

The US has military bases in Saudi Arabia, and props up a regime with a very poor human rights record..

Israel another support state has an equally bad human rights record, and clearly has WMDs. Russia and China could probably come up with a reasonable enough argument to pre-emptively attack.

Sure I will start, although I have given no opinion at all.

39, retired military helo pilot, been to many third world countries. And I vote for isolationism here in the us

who needs the shit going on "over there"

And I suck at making money in the adult business :Graucho

then argue geo-strategic issues. not liberation, not anti terrorism.
For the record I believe it is for geo-strategic/economic reasons.

It is historical fact that the powerful...make the rules...and are free to define the terminology. If Germany had won the war it would have been American leaders/Generals tried for war crimes instead of German leaders/Generals. The United States is the most powerful country on the earth...and will remain so in the forseeable future...and the resentment is to be expected.

Use the search feature of the board...all of the info you want is there. I for one get tired of repeating the same info...to everyone that wanders onto the board.

Anti terrorism is a part of the equation...and for the record your belief is my belief and if you recall I stated that prior to the invasion. There is not...nor was there ever...a single reason or two or three reasons...but instead multiple reasons...for the invasion of Iraq...and the reasons do not bear equal importance.

I am satisfied that Russia...China and several other countries...could...but none of them are into committing suicide at this point.

I am not digging on anybody that is posting, the world is full of opinions and the "profile" states what you want it to state. If you want to argue points then you should be at least willing to qualify yourself. I for one get pissed when I see the hate USA post and am fairly conservative by nature although I voted for Al Gore for president, not because I thought he would be a good president but only becuase the writing was on the wall for at least 12 months prior that the economy was going to go to shit and I didn't want a republican to be blamed for our "over indulgence" of the '90s and I honestly didn't think Bush was that bright which may or may not be true.

Also, the countries may not like us, but they damn sure need us. Talking about the trade agreements, every country out there wants their ships pointed toward the US with their products on board. That my friends is a fact!!!

And you want your ships, filled with your goods, pointed at other countries. That my friend is also a fact. Without the rest of the world your economy is nothing.

OK.

I am 45...12 years with the 82nd Airborne...my career was ended in the 1st Gulf War...and I was medically discharged in '92...E-7...and I have been to a dozen...or more...countries.

:thumbsup

The King......I am on your side.......chill

Maybe you saw the GFY icon before I deleted it. I meant to put the :thumbsup for your service.

No probelmo........last at the 3rd ID, was there when they were the 24th ID as well.....love the 82nd

29 from new zealand.. travelled throughout asia/europe.. spent 12 hours in the US once :-)..
will finish med school in 4 weeks.

When you finish Med School you should then come to the US and make bank......I am flying EMS right now and one of our pilots is married to a Doc......they are bringing down close to a million a year!!!

make more in this biz than i could ever hope to make as a Doc in NZ (unless I spent another 6 years specialising) :)

I am still working on the "making money in this biz" part, Love it though.......

yeah business is much more fun and creative than i ever imagined before i got into it..

Gotta specialize in the US as well. I believe emergancy room trauma takes a 4 year residency while general practice only takes a year or so, brain surgery takes 475 years from what I can tell....they are all so damn old :Graucho

One of my sister's ex University roomies (they are still friends) is serving a five year residency and I believe she will be a neuro surgeon. She did some modeling when she was in University and had a few bit parts on TV shows from time to time. A good looking "blond" neuro surgeon????

That would be a definate "keeper" and five years sounds about right, tough program though!!! Sorry to hear about your injuries, must suck bad......I know when I got out I was lost for damn near a year before I got my shit back together......so much changed while I was in, and there was no such thing as privacy like I had remembered

It's tough to get onto a lot of the training schemes for specialties, places are so limited (you don't wanna train too many competitors :)).. The selections are also very political, personality based etc. What puts me off the most is just how you have to dedicate the extra 6 years of training to your work at the expense of nearly everything else. It's not a sacrifice I'm prepared to make at the moment.

I know at University of Cincinnati they paid the residents 42,000 a year:( But they had to be some of the sharpest doctors I have veer had the pleasure of working with. They actually had to fly on the helicopter for the last 2 years. And they knew how to party as well :)

There is a little more about my sister's friend. When she got out of Univeristy she could not get into med school in the states (I am not clear on the reasons why). Her mother or father was a Polish citizen and she got into a med school in Poland and trained...I think...for a year. She was then accepted into med school in the states...but I think her year of training in Poland did not count.

Throwing it back on topic a bit.....

Your damn skippy we do, but it is now and always has been a lopsided deal for the US. We have now and for at least the last 30 years have had a huge trade deficit......just another fact for you.....

Yeah...I was pretty lost too. I bummed around University for a few years...before I really got over being a "civilian". I still miss military life.

Man I got out and blew 40k travelling around the States, dumbest thing I ever did and I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world!!!! I was going to let my hair grow out and have a good time the rest of my life! :)

Then the 40K ran out

I got out in '97 with 16 years active and finished up in the reserves, I am happy.....just got my 20 year letter enough retirement points to retire this year. Took the Bum deal though, the 18 year retirement plan. Not too much but I get it now :)

Well...I didn't let my hair grow to long...but I did start supporting a mustache and goatee for awhile...but I am back to hi and tights now and no facial hair.

I thought all you 82nd guys had a goatee.....or was that the 101st :)

naw that is the Cav guys :)