Do Americans Think...

Middle Eastern oil would flow into global markets regardless of who controlled it. The only question that remains is who, specifically, will get to profit from that oil. The local people who live on the land where the oil is located? Or the international corporate bloodsuckers who control the world's most powerful governments?

 

But the rest of it hinges on that clause. There are many nations wholly unwilling to live and let live. In Washington's time when we were six months away from everyone that might pose a threat we could build a large efficient navy and dare them to try to come and get us. That it is no longer the case.

 

It was the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan during the cold war that caused the emergence of Al Qaeda in the first place.

And 9/11 happened due to government corruption and incompetency, not a lack of involvement overseas.

The US "national security" state, for which Americans pay trillions of dollars to maintain, had all the information and capabilities needed to prevent the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They simply failed due to their own incompetence. Invading other countries doesn't make the US government more competent. It just wastes tons of resources on needless killing and destruction.

 

No, it hasn't. Not any more than any other region of the world.

 

You're just being pedantic in an attempt to justify the death of innocents. It's sick.

 

That clause is qualified by other clauses within the statement. You're just cherry-picking and ignoring the larger context because you can't argue against Washington's actual position. Like a genuine progressive, you rely on sophistry to attack the wisdom of genuine conservatism.

 

Wrong. You apparently do not remember the oil embargo following the Yom Kippur War.

 

I do remember it. Saudi Arabia was partly responsible for that embargo. Tell me... who helped put the House of Saud into power and keep them there? Oh right... that would be the UK and the USA. In other words, that embargo is just another example of how western imperialism comes back to bite us in the ass.

 

Sorry not justifying anything just explaining to you that there are no innocents. That fact does not justify killing anyone. I am not required to believe that some one is innocent in order to believe it is wrong to kill them out of hand. It's really pathetic if that's the only justification you have for not killing them.

 

Like it or not, in Saudi Arabia the House of Saud is largely the lesser of many evils.

 

The HOuse of Saud has been running SAudi for as long as we've been a country. If by helped the sorry bastards stay in power by paying them good money for their effing oil you might have a point. But given that oil helped to defeat Hitler, sorry but life is often a choice between lousy choices.

 

George Washington's warnings against "entangling alliances" must be seen in the context of the times. Washington was the father of a nation of 4 million people on a thin strip of Atlantic coastline. Not the continent sized nation of a third of a BILLION people we have today.

Further, Washington was deeply concerned about the United States becoming a battleground for European powers as had occurred during the Seven Years (French/Indian) War.

 

I don't think we do, nor have we really had a large amount of ground troops.
We've typically used locals and UN troops.

 

Most all from Saudi Arabia. Where we are now going to put more troops in to support their oil fields.
Have you forgotten where those attackers came from? It seems our gov't has.

 

The deep horse crap of self justification of policy that was outdated by at least 1919 and certainly by 1945.

 

The actual physical origins of the 9-11 terrorists matters little. Quit thinking so provincially.

 

Where they grew up is what instilled their mindset. So, it matters a lot.
And if we let Russia have it's way with Afghanistan and not meddle, we would not have led to the rise of Al Qaeda. And turned our allies into our enemies.

Its that starting your neighbors house on fire and then putting it out before it burns yours.
Be careful in what you do. Be careful who you choose as allies.

Like we are doing in Syria now. We ally with kurds. After they serve their useful purpose, we let another ally go in to slaughter them.

That does not go well when we need the support of others in future.

 

I remember the oil shortages in the 70s. History proves you're wrong.

Analysts have stated that one missile from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz that hits a tanker, would force crude prices up to $200 a barrel overnight. This results from the insurance costs.

Note: Not only will alternative fuels made from algae provide a carbon-neutral, perpetual supply of fuel, it will eliminate petroleum as a definitive geopolitical metric. Conversion to algae fuels is the single most important thing we can do. It is a silver bullet for a dozen catastrophic problems. For starters, it solves energy and food shortage problems.

 

No Rod, you are using ad hominium instead of accountable reason.

It is likely I can get you to do that again with one simple question you will evade, as before, if I remember correctly.

Q- Is the ultimate biological natural law PURPOSE of free speech to assure information vital to survival is shared and understood?

 

But the FBI after the Church Committee couldn't share info with the FBI and vice versa. And let's not forget that one of the problems with having seventeen different intelligence agencies is that they all trade in information and information is power and sharing with others reduces you power. This sort of bickering over Intelligence is what Department of Homeland security was created to solve. I don't think it has yet fully stopped this interdepartmental warfare,

 

You said you hit the nail on the head. I said it sounded more like you hit your thumb. How is that an ad hominem?

No, that is not the purpose. But it is an orthogonal question because free speech is not a natural biological law.

 

You seriously think the Russians were going to stop with Afghanistan? I thought this irrational faith in Russia died when everyone decided they supported Donald Trump?

 

So what if they did or didn't?
How was the USA affected? What makes us think we need to be the worlds police?

Isn't that what tRUMP and supporters are complaining about?
Which way do you guys want it?


Why did you ignore the part of my post that says the grew up in SA and that is what laid the foundation of their thinking?

 

Your last sentence was utterly irrelevant. And if the U.S. doesn't provide a measure of order around the world then who will? Chaos benefits no one. Especially the United States.

 

America had some catching up to do with England, France, Spain, Germany and Japan.

Colonies in 1914
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_colonialism