Post what you are thinking at this very moment

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Us being at war makes a certain few very rich, so they have no desire to end it

I don't buy that...sure, there are people/companies that profit on war, but I find it extremely cynical to think that the United States is sending men and women to die so only a select few make money off the whole deal. To me the problem is 'image' and being bound by political correctness. We worry too much about what the rest of the world thinks and we worry too much about 'angering' moderate Muslims (for example). If you get right down to it, if the military is completely allowed to go in and fight the war militarily, removing PC and image out of the equation, you can count on one hand the number of countries that would be able to go toe-to-toe with us militarily. We could lay waste to the entire Middle East if we wanted to, and that's without using nuclear weapons. Like Col. Peters said, we're too worried about collateral damage to do that though and as long as the US military is fighting with one hand behind their back, everything will keep going like it is until something REALLY bad happens.

[Hal-9000]

I don't buy that...sure, there are people/companies that profit on war, but I find it extremely cynical to think that the United States is sending men and women to die so only a select few make money off the whole deal. To me the problem is 'image' and being bound by political correctness. We worry too much about what the rest of the world thinks and we worry too much about 'angering' moderate Muslims (for example). If you get right down to it, if the military is completely allowed to go in and fight the war militarily, removing PC and image out of the equation, you can count on one hand the number of countries that would be able to go toe-to-toe with us militarily. We could lay waste to the entire Middle East if we wanted to, and that's without using nuclear weapons. Like Col. Peters said, we're too worried about collateral damage to do that though and as long as the US military is fighting with one hand behind their back, everything will keep going like it is until something REALLY bad happens.

Yes but what about events like after 9/11 and the decision to go into Iraq? They claimed Saddam this and WMD that, but I believe it's been proven that oil and resource rights were at the forefront and that companies like Haliburton had ties/were affiliated with the US government and stood to make billions from the 'war'?

When those sort of dollars are at stake I don't think it's cynical to think that high level government worry about public perception when our military folk die. Going back to the late 70's, the gov has been involved in conflicts that serve their bottom line, moreso than the 'threat' against democracy.

Don't get me wrong...this pacifist supports the military, just not the government decisions behind the actions. You don't have to be a conspiracy nut to understand the war machine is not always what it appears to be on the surface. Soldiers from various conflicts have stated that the reasons behind their presence in far off lands, were quite different from what they were initially told. And to me, if the guys on the ground who lived and fought there are disenchanted with their own government, that makes a compelling argument.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yes but what about events like after 9/11 and the decision to go into Iraq? They claimed Saddam this and WMD that, but I believe it's been proven that oil and resource rights were at the forefront and that companies like Haliburton had ties/were affiliated with the US government and stood to make billions from the 'war'?

When those sort of dollars are at stake I don't think it's cynical to think that high level government worry about public perception when our military folk die. Going back to the late 70's, the gov has been involved in conflicts that serve their bottom line, moreso than the 'threat' against democracy.

Don't get me wrong...this pacifist supports the military, just not the government decisions behind the actions. You don't have to be a conspiracy nut to understand the war machine is not always what it appears to be on the surface. Soldiers from various conflicts have stated that the reasons behind their presence in far off lands, were quite different from what they were initially told. And to me, if the guys on the ground who lived and fought there are disenchanted with their own government, that makes a compelling argument.

Because we weren't in Iraq to fight a war, we were also nation building. Again, we were all worried about collateral damage and our image. If we were there simply to fight a war to take out Saddam, it would have been over in a couple of weeks.

[Goofy]

you can count on one hand the number of countries that would be able to go toe-to-toe with us militarily.

[Hal-9000]

[Goofy]

Throw snowballs at them?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

[Hal-9000]

Throw snowballs at them?

No we take UK immigrants and launch them from catapults...the inflight screaming really unnerves the enemy

[Teh One Who Knocks]

No we take UK immigrants and launch them from catapults...the inflight screaming really unnerves the enemy

[Goofy]

No we take UK immigrants and launch them from catapults...the inflight screaming really unnerves the enemy

Must be English, Scots don't scream

[Hal-9000]

Must be English, Scots don't scream

I know how to make a Scot scream

 

[Goofy]

[Teh One Who Knocks]

We get an e-mail from my soon to be step-kid's teacher looking for candid photos taken at school events for the yearbook (and don't even get me started on an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL having a yearbook, but I digress). He describes what he needs and then at the bottom he says "we need photos taken with digital cameras, the yearbook software won't work with photos taken with phones and iPads"



This guy is a teacher?

Yet he seems to think for some reason that photos taken on mobile devices are in some strange file format that can't be converted to something that the software can use. Even worse, he thinks that a photo taken on an Android phone isn't the same as one taken with a digital camera?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

#CommonCore

[Hal-9000]

Maybe he was thinking of Iphones and Pads and thinks it's all on a Mac interface?

and

We had a progressive elementary school...new principal was a gymnastic coach and brought in all sorts of equipment...parallel bars...

He also had a yearbook and yours truly did all of the art for the various sections and headings

It taught us a lot as we got to take pictures, select and edit pages...along with strong teacher intervention