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[Loud Whispers]

As far as threats to American freedom in the Pacific, China doesn't even make the top 5. Austrailia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei all pose a more imminent danger.

u wot

They're a part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I didn't say they were a threat to the US, just that they were a threat to freedom in he US; just as every country in that agreement is a threat to the freedom of every other country in the agreement.

They're all junior partners compared to America, Malaysia, Brunei or New Zealand for example have zero capacity to exert will on America whilst China can. And China certainly is quite happy when governments take authoritarian measures, approving of the West's censorship, mass surveillance and of course demanding companies like google conform to their standards.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

As far as threats to American freedom in the Pacific, China doesn't even make the top 5. Austrailia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei all pose a more imminent danger.

u wot

Uhhhh... What? That doesn't make any sense, half of those are our allies and the other half are basically places disgruntled scientists go to experiment on cloning technology.

[BigD145]

As far as threats to American freedom in the Pacific, China doesn't even make the top 5. Austrailia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei all pose a more imminent danger.

u wot

Uhhhh... What? That doesn't make any sense, half of those are our allies and the other half are basically places disgruntled scientists go to experiment on cloning technology.

Point of order: Iraq never had anything to do with the hijackings. Of the 20 terrorists, 15 were from US ally Saudi Arabia, 2 from UAE, and one each from Egypt and Lebanon. The organization as a whole originated from throughout the region and was ultimately operated by a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family.

/thread

[3man75]

I was in college today and I saw we had a panel of 4 veterans talking about their experiences. One of them was a Army scout sniper who looked like he had PTSD, had trouble speaking, and acknowldeged that he did have it. Apparently he wants to coneitnue to live life as normal as possible because it would be a disgrace of the 35% of his old platoon that died in the fighitng. 3 others were present but I could kinda tell they had it much easier (possibly non-combat roles) and more relaxed.

What gets me is that..take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_l4Ab5FRwM

Now remember the Vietnam Veteran trope about how vets become homeless people with crazed mindsets. If you can't think of any watch that one Rambo movie where he returns to the U.S and fights cops before his old commanding officer calms him down (somewhat). His speech about how he went from handeling equipment worth billions of dollars but can't hold down a part time job.

We haven't advanced and it's very..shitty. Even Romens understood to take care of Veterans and even gave them free housing in some areas so they woudn't turn into that.

What also gets me is that I could have turned into that broken man (I'm sorry but he was. I don't know how he functions when he made faces that looked like he was getting hit) like he was. The man was a sergeant and only fought in Iraq so yeah that's why I said Iraq.

To put it worse and explain why I didn't like the other 3..I asked one question. "We have founght this war against the same enemies for years. I've looked at the news for years, more than 10 years already to be a bit more exact, an I have to know from your mouths. Have we won or lost? I can't tell if were winning or losing an the media can't decide either so I need to know from you all.". Now i wasn't expecting a rousing speech or secret intel but I was expecting something decent.

1. Army chick: "Well I can't say if we won or loss...but like we said before the watch man position now goes to the new generation. You are the future of america."
I thought to myself damn you know you lost a fight when you try to act like you don't know. Also fuck I have to deal with more of this shit in the future because you guys coudn't end it despite alot of money, troops, and allies being sent in? A bit deamening and of course I never stated this but come on I really..Idk. Anyways she dodged the question a bit.

2. Navy Chief: " -snip- We need to keep vigilant". It was literally like 2-3 sentences and very short. I'm not going to go any further here.

3. Ex-Air force: Talked about how his new job in corrections at high security prisons and how some prisoners had contact with some terroist who wanted to recruit them. I guess they think that Crips and Bloods are really good soldier materials. Something to look out for I guess.

4. Army sergeant basically told me directly "Yeah we kicked their butts. We went from getting shot at everyday to when the final year came we were never attacked not in the compound, roads, cities, nothing. Now when we left they came back in...yes they do hold Iraq now. An I don't know if we can take it back."

I liked the army sergeant's directness but I don't know how much of the "we kicked their butts" is really true. Then again I wasn't there so I should shut up their. I agree that we should try to forget and move on but I know that people like this army sergeant exist and need to be helped. I guess in a way sharing in the pain a bit is how I thought I could help but logically that's flawed.

Sorry If I annoyed anyone that wasn't my intention nor was it to be "MURICA!".

[Frumple]

Also fuck I have to deal with more of this shit in the future because you guys coudn't end it despite alot of money, troops, and allies being sent in? A bit deamening and of course I never stated this but come on I really..Idk. Anyways she dodged the question a bit.

Hahaha, yeah, welcome to our generation(s) mate. The ones before fucked a lot of things up and now we get to deal with it :V

Bonus points is the ones that complain we're degenerates for getting stuffed with their screwups. It's good stuff!

Also yeah, there's not really a "something decent" in the last decade and change of buggerup. About the only rousing speeches to be had are bald-faced lies. Most everything honest is either ambiguous as the blazes or "Welp. We screwed up. Y'all are just a leeeeetle buggered. Good luck!"

[3man75]

A large sigh indeed.

[Akura]

Wot's this? 9/11?

Oh! I remember, the US fleet defeated the British fleet on Lake Champlain on this day back during the War of 1812.
Note: this event happened in 1814.

[Aedel]

9/11 where I am is also known as Canada day, where instead of hanging over the attack itself, we remember and thank Canada for taking in all those inbound planes and taking care of the passengers.

Love you Canada.

[Flying Dice]

The U.S. is like a person from a super-rich isolated high-class family with a secret abuse fetish: they basically never get hit, so on the rare occasion when they do they overreact massively and then spend the next thirty years secretly masturbating to the memory of it.

[Antioch]

Well it is QUITE a historical date after all. There probably wasn't a more powerful symbol for the division of Eastern and Western Europe than the Berlin wall. It is one of the key events that ultimately led to disintegration of one of the 2 superpowers that dominated world policy since the Second World War. The 9th of November 1989 will be a date that will never be forgotten. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjNz1lvXgzU

And thus concludes this post about the importance of global date formats.

[Loud Whispers]

I liked the army sergeant's directness but I don't know how much of the "we kicked their butts" is really true. Then again I wasn't there so I should shut up their. I agree that we should try to forget and move on but I know that people like this army sergeant exist and need to be helped. I guess in a way sharing in the pain a bit is how I thought I could help but logically that's flawed.
Sorry If I annoyed anyone that wasn't my intention nor was it to be "MURICA!".

There is quite a popular theory that if the Coalition had not dissolved and removed anyone who had been a part of the Ba'ath Party then Iraq would have been a success, not a failure. By forcing everyone who was a member of the Ba'ath Party out of any government positions, the Coalition removed lots of skilled people and people who had no choice but to be a member of the party. Moreover in the same way that say, all soldiers in the People's Liberation Army must be a member of the Chinese Communist Party, all soldiers had to be a member of the Ba'ath Party. Essentially reducing Iraq's military to nothingness, and leaving a massive void to be filled by foreign-sponsored militias and 500,000 unemployed veterans. The moment the Coalition pulled out of Iraq; there was a massive power void ready to be filled by lots of veterans and eventually - extremism.

The U.S. is like a person from a super-rich isolated high-class family with a secret abuse fetish: they basically never get hit, so on the rare occasion when they do they overreact massively and then spend the next thirty years secretly masturbating to the memory of it.

I take it you don't like remembrance

[WealthyRadish]

And thus concludes this post about the importance of global date formats.

Every year when Hate Week comes around, my first thought is always of the stupid American system of dating the month and day being the perfect icing on the cake for the rest of the world observing.

[Bauglir]

the only sensible date format is year-month-day, with leeway permitted for year-month-day-hour-minute-second and further degrees of resolution if necessary

2001-09-11 was a bad day for many people, i think we can all agree

[PTTG??]

Everybody arguing about the date format should probably take a look at today's XKCD.

[Playergamer]

Why? Why do we need to talk about politics, why do we need to tell people to get over it, God damnit, why?

Why can't this just be a memorial?

Three thousand people were killed fourteen years ago, in the worst terrorist attack on American soil. Almost ten thousand were injured. More then a thousand first responders have WTC-related cancer.

Three thousand people were torn away from their families by the actions of a few terrorists. If you think there isn't a huge difference between dying and being killed, you're wrong. This is a time to remember those who were taken from us, their families, and the brave men and women who saved lives that September.

Not fucking politics.

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