Hello America
oh yes, the guardians of truth, justice and Democracy (unless you elect an organisation you don't like, see Palestine) coming down like a million tonnes of bricks on any state that might fancy a nuclear weapon (apart from Israel, Pakistan and India mind) and protecting the world against terrorism (armed to the teeth by your own good selves 20 years ago to fight those goddamn pinko commies) and rogue states with big mean leaders you don't like (see terrorism) unless they have nothing of interest whatsoever in the natural resources front (see Zimbabwe)

So lets see, ethnic cleansing the natives of your country? check

The ONLY fucking country that has ever used an atomic bomb in an open conflict? check

Liberal use of chemical weaponry against those slanty eyed commie gooks? check

merrily carpet bombing anything that looks like a fucking slanty eyed commie gook? check

oh i'll sneak in detention camps that use illegal torture methods as well, just for the hell of it

fuckers.
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:23, 22 replies)

yes i know
us glorious brits were guilty of all kinds of atrocities during our reign as the worlds major superpower, but at least we have the good grace to look remotely embarrassed about it nowadays, just think what the USA will be like when they end up like us, just another faded old ex-player, stumbling along hanging on to the coattails of a bigger more powerful state like a speccy twat sucking up to the school bully.

lalalalalala
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:27, closed)

Well this should keep you entertained for a bit
www.britishreparations.org/

Yes, these people are actually serious.
(donkeysoup Was last seen on, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:30, closed)

lets be honest here
The Americans have a massive penis envy when it comes to war.

Us europeans have been kicking the living shit ouf of each other for thousands of years, fuckit, throughout history we have probably been at war with France longer than the United States has existed, and there they sit with trillions of dollars of materiél just itching to justify the costs.
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:42, closed)

These people are actually serious?
The United Kingdom should 'compensate for all the damage they've done'?
I suppose the governemnt could easily get the money to do so by forcing the people of Denmark to pay reparations to us for all the Viking raids our ancestors had to suffer.

And while we're at it we can put pressure on Mexico to take responsibility for all those people the Aztecs killed.

Or alternatively, people could accept that the often regretable events of the past are long gone and move on.
(Uncle Comrade, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 16:22, closed)

Serious and Stupid
The holes in their arguments are a mile wide, but they can't or won't see them.

Maybe Britain should commit one more atrocity. Systematically culling these idiots and raising the average IQ of the world by a fair few points.
(Kliper Filllets Getting noticed by twats on the internet since, Tue 24 Feb 2009, 14:09, closed)

...
Apparently you haven't ever spoken to an American over the age of 40 regarding Vietnam, or talked to one regarding the Native Americans. Or, for that matter, about how the typical citizen feels about the Iraq war.

I'll say this gently: you're seeing things through a distorted lens.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:40, closed)

well reading the definition of ethnic cleansing here
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing

Its common enough, and virtually everyone, yourselves and ourselves include crop up on the list of crimes, but when your government states waving the moral outrage stick at other nations a little bit of 'yeah well, don't mention the injuns lalalala' doesn't really help does it?

ps, yes i am just fucking with you to get a rise, but the whole "axis of evil" bullshit while blithely ignoring your own glorious history of qonquest and subjecation annoys me.

im also sure that Enzmye will destroy me piecemeal as my argument is flimsier than a fart in a hurricane

im also accutely ware my spelling ad grammar sucks, im on a lunch break and cannot be arsed.
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:53, closed)

The Native American conflicts
were long ago. We're no longer defending our actions, and have made apologies for them, at least. Ditto on the Jim Crow laws and other things that were done that we're not proud of now.

The thing to remember is, our current notions of equality and such are fairly recent inventions. We're trying to take a new moral high ground in the face of tens of thousands of years of violence and repression of lesser groups. We're trying to stop the ugliness that has plagued humanity throughout history. (By "we" I'm referring to Western civilization, not just the US.) We've done these things in the past, it's true- but we've stopped, and are trying to get the rest of the world to stop as well. Sadly, it's a bit quixotic- civilization is a very thin veneer over vast ugliness.

But at least we're trying, ya know?

As for the Axis of Evil shit- when it was first uttered I shuddered. Same with the "with us or against us" and the "dead or alive" rhetoric- that might work well in Marvel comics, but I live in the real world.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Fri 20 Feb 2009, 14:09, closed)

"We're trying to stop the ugliness that has plagued humanity throughout history"




While maknig as much money as possible

Suppose in that respect I'm a hypocrite too! Bah!
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 14:46, closed)

"You don't know, man
You weren't there"
( idonthaveafunnynickname Drink-Aware? Sure. I'm aware I want another drink., Fri 20 Feb 2009, 18:13, closed)

But I have spoken to many who were.
Some managed to come out of it relatively sane. Others are very disturbed individuals to this day.

None of them have anything good to say about it.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Fri 20 Feb 2009, 21:35, closed)

I take issue with the atomic bomb.
In a nutshell, it HAD to be used.

The Japanese were not going to surrender easily, and the US was losing a lot of people with every attack. In all forecasts, the death toll on both sides would have been far, far higher if the bomb hadn't been used to force a surrender. Plus they took care of the victims pretty well. Nuclear bombs are just a bit more powerful than normal. It was the right thing to do at the time.

I'm not American, either.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:42, closed)

bah
they just lack the balls for a good bloodbath.

I agree that the end may have justified the means, but to get arsey with North Korea for wanting a bomb and maybe using it, when they are the only nation TO have used one (again, admittedly a far less powerful version of) I think qualifies for this Qotw
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:46, closed)

Hmm
It is definalty acase of the pot calling the kettle black to prevent other nations from going nuclear when they have them themselves. We're just as bad at this though.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 13:52, closed)

North Korea?
Are you kidding me? Seriously? Kim Jong Il? That guy is an ABSOLUTE nutter! So, yeah, I would be elated if he had a nuke. Seoul would be wiped off the map just because he felt like it.

That crazy bastard shouldn't even be allowed to have small arms.

Sorry. Your arguments are 'interesting' but frankly, the use of the nukes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a necessity. When a society believes death for their Emperor is glorious and defeat or surrender is the single greatest destruction of honor, you have to do what you have to do.

And, having worn the uniform, ANY loss is better than my having to write that letter to some American boys Mom. Sorry. Call me what You will, but I'd much rather see American or British lives saved at the loss of others.

Go ahead: let the flaming begin.

Cheers,

Sean/Citadel
( Citadel Because the world needs less morons, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 16:07, closed)

I agree
At the end of the day the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs were a tactical decision that ended the war a lot quicker and easier then would otherwise have been the case.

The fact that the American governemnt has not only never launched any further nuclear attacks on anyone,* but has also been at the forefront of nuclear disarmament treaties, more than makes up for it, in my opinion.

*to the best of my knowledge, if someone comes back with 'Actually, they bombed the living shite out of Somewhereistan in the 80's' I will gladly concede the point.
(Uncle Comrade, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 16:29, closed)

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki nukes.
Without them, I wouldn't be here today.

My late father was a member of "V" force in Burma for quite a while. As he spoke Japanese he was seconded to the units carrying out the small island (ones which were populated by the Japanese) clearups. He wrote to his mother describing the resistance he came up against. Men, women and children fighting with nothing more than farm implements. One community he went into had all comitted suicide, but there were bamboo spears piled up at every house with small ones for the children to use.
When the invasion of Japan was planned he was sure he'd be in the invasion force. He didn't expect to survive.
We spoke once about what might have happened.
"Son", he said "Theyd've ALL been on the beach, the only way we could have won was to kill them all. Every single one".
(Captain Placid 24/7 ball gags, brownie mix and clown porn, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 17:31, closed)

re: NK
"That crazy bastard shouldn't even be allowed to have small arms"

All countries have the right to have weapons. Mentalities like this are the reason everyone hates the USA.
(Mr.Dog was in love again on, Fri 20 Feb 2009, 19:06, closed)

No flaming from me.
You've done what few others on this site have done- actually been in uniform. I for one won't argue with you about this- your info is probably better than mine. Besides, what I've read backs your statements.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Fri 20 Feb 2009, 21:41, closed)

"it" rather than "they"
After the first the likelihood of a Japanese surrender was vastly higher
(teebie jeebie, Mon 23 Feb 2009, 16:12, closed)

I'm with you for the most part, but...
Reverse the order of the list - what is going on now is (horrendous and) vastly more relevant than what the ancestors of a country have done long before anyone alive was born.

Banging on about the latter just extends conflict far beyond its useful lifetime and is kinda racist.

Also I think you, like me, may be from the country that invented concentration camps (boer war? [citation needed], but I'm not googling for concentration camp info), so maybe it's best to let things from the deep past go.
(teebie jeebie, Mon 23 Feb 2009, 16:20, closed)

Spaniards in Cuba came up with it first.
Then we picked up on the idea in the Boer War.

But it took the Germans to perfect it.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Tue 24 Feb 2009, 0:12, closed)