Why won't the US end issues and take some names.

[FriendlyFire]

The U.S. government is soft. They should have taken out Cliven Bundy and his hangers-on when they had the chance.

There not terrorist, they are true American patriots.
Real FREEDOM FIGHTERS fighting for FREEDOM !

Shooters identified in slaying of Metro Police officers

Hours after a man and woman killed two police officers at an east Las Vegas pizza restaurant and then gunned down another victim at a nearby Wal-Mart before killing themselves, a picture of the shooters began to emerge.

Residents at an apartment complex where it appeared the two lived together said they had a reputation for spouting racist, anti-government views, bragging about their gun collection and boasting that they’d spent time at Cliven Bundy’s ranch during a recent standoff there between armed militia members and federal government agents.

Residents who spoke about the Millers all mentioned the couple's relationship with Bundy.

Oak Tree resident Sue Hale said the two told her they were in Bunkerville during the standoff, which occurred in April after federal authorities began conducting a roundup of Bundy’s cattle. Bundy had defied the government by grazing the cattle on public land without a permit.

"Yap, yap, yap. They were always running their mouths," Hale said.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/jun/09/neighbors-couple-suspected-las-vegas-killing-spree/

 

[MilesGregarius]

Not much point in engaging with someone, such as the OP, too thick to be able to tell the difference between Afghanistan and the Taliban.

 

[Azale]

When did many right wingers transform into a bunch of troop hating hippies?

When the lamestream media told them to

 

[Rashiminos]

Known risks versus unknown risks.
That which can be anticipated versus that which cannot be.

 

[KMRblue1027]

The guys locked up in Gitmo are unlawful combatants not prisoners of war. At the end of the year major combat operations will be finished in Afghanistan as carried out by US forces but 10,000 some odd troops will still be based in country for the foreseeable future. There is no reason why the rest of Gitmo will be released at the end of the year or ever for that matter.

No. Only a small fraction of the men still remaining at Gitmo are classified as "unlawful combatants" (A bull term with no legal basis anyway) and they still will have to be released soonish anyway if they cannot be charged and tried (due process is still a thing). Whether the right wing accepts it or not the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not the same thing, one actually has legal status and we are occupying their territory, and any Talibani prisoners are POWs unless they have a direct link to an actual terrorist group.

 

[Borachio]

Not much point in engaging with someone, such as the OP, too thick to be able to tell the difference between Afghanistan and the Taliban.

Hey! Give the guy a break.

The OP isn't a bad effort, imo.

Spoiler :

I'm fourteen years old, 6' 2", 175 lbs

Though why 6'2", 175 lbs might be significant in this thread's context I wouldn't care to guess.

 

[Harv]

Hey! Give the guy a break.

Spoiler :

I had him at 15 to 17. I missed.

 

[Farm Boy]

Becasue that's not how the world works. America has alread 'taken names' during the 21st cetury, none of them flattering. You should focus on repairing your reputation instead of threatening genocide or you'll quickly become a third rate power as allies turn their back on you. America alone isn't nearly as strong as you think.

That's true. We look worse when the light shines mostly on us. And we should. Aint never been perfect. Never really been anything other than deeply self-absorbed as a general zeitgeist. But as more poles flicker on in the 21st, poles we have at least tried to help power in our own semi-competent way, I would bet that the lighting will be somewhat more complimentary.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

That depends how well Americans can handle the transition to a multipolar world. The OP obviously can't, but he's 14 so there's hope for him. At that age I fancied myself a communist revolutionary.

 

[Farm Boy]

Indeed. Bear in mind it also depends on how well Europe transitions to a multipolar world. It'll matter.

 

[Harv]

That depends how well Americans can handle the transition to a multipolar world. The OP obviously can't, but he's 14 so there's hope for him. At that age I fancied myself a communist revolutionary.

Multipolar? I am curious how you group the powers.

I always hated when people claimed this. I remember doing research and finding the contrary, the region called Afghanistan today has spent more time claimed by outside empires than it has been locally independent.

I did not get around to replying to this. "Graveyard of Empires" is a book title and a phrase I hear a lot. Maybe the phrase is not to be taken literally, but I do not see an endgame. I actually thought the Osama bin Laden killing was a deal between Pakistan and the USA, where Pakistan hands over Osama, and the USA leaves Afganistan. However, the USA has been in Afganistan for 13 years and counting and I think they will continue to be there until they decide to leave, be it this year, next year, 50 years, or 100 years.

 

[cramstpuee757]

Fire cannot fight fire.

 

[Farm Boy]

Actually, fire can fight fire. Controlled burns are highly effective.

 

[Azale]

That depends how well Americans can handle the transition to a multipolar world. The OP obviously can't, but he's 14 so there's hope for him. At that age I fancied myself a communist revolutionary.

I think a lot of people assume this is a thing that is happening without ever really stating why.

This is still America's world for the foreseeable future imo, at least as much as it ever has been.

 

[BenitoChavez]

I'm not so sure. The last 15 years haven't been so great for America. Given the current political/economic climate I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Azale]

I'm not so sure. The last 15 years haven't been so great for America. Given the current political/economic climate I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Neither were the 70s, but it ended up ok.

No one comes close to approaching American military dominance. I am probably safe in assuming no one even matches the fear the Soviets could put into Pentagon planners. There are users who could articulate it better than me, but whoever is formulating geopolitical strategy for the PRC should be removed.

In addition, China, despite being the only country close economically, has a litany of structural issues to worry about & exists mostly as a "head servant" to an America-centered world economy.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

This is still America's world for the foreseeable future imo, at least as much as it ever has been.

Not really. American power is mostly military power. The European Union is the largest economy and market in the world and can exert significant influence through market access and foreign aid. You can say the EU is not really a country, but in the economic sphere that's a meaningless distinction since the market is unified. There's no unified European military, so you could say the EU has carrots and no stick, but if the carrot is large enough you can use it to beat people into submission. You could argue that Crimea shows the limits of such an approach and I would partially agree, but we could do real damage to Russia without firing a shot if Germany had a government that was less deferential to industry interests.
China is still far behind in all respects, but it's slowly catching up, and how long will the USA be able to pay for such a large and advanced military ? Would another large scale military "intervention" be affordable ? Is the threat of an invasion of Iran credible ? My prediction is that within the next decade China will be at least strong enough to keep other major powers out of their sphere of interest and America simply won't have the resources to remain the superpower.

 

[Phrossack]

Not really. American power is mostly military power. The European Union is the largest economy and market in the world and can exert significant influence through market access and foreign aid. You can say the EU is not really a country, but in the economic sphere that's a meaningless distinction since the market is unified. There's no unified European military, so you could say the EU has carrots and no stick, but if the carrot is large enough you can use it to beat people into submission. You could argue that Crimea shows the limits of such an approach and I would partially agree, but we could do real damage to Russia without firing a shot if Germany had a government that was less deferential to industry interests.
China is still far behind in all respects, but it's slowly catching up, and how long will the USA be able to pay for such a large and advanced military ? Would another large scale military "intervention" be affordable ? Is the threat of an invasion of Iran credible ? My prediction is that within the next decade China will be at least strong enough to keep other major powers out of their sphere of interest and America simply won't have the resources to remain the superpower.

I'm not certain about the EU's future, given the amount of skepticism towards it as of late and the rise of nationalist, far-right, and outright Nazist parties in various member countries.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

That's mostly due to low turnout and the fact that people who are really worked up about sovereignty voted in larger numbers than people who are mostly indifferent. Hopefully this will be a wakeup call for future elections.
It's not like American democracy is in good shape with one of the two dominant parties going off the deep end and still getting votes due to gerrymandering and other dirty tricks. We have a couple of neonazis in the EU parliament, but we don't have representatives from major parties holding credit ratings hostage or musing about violent revolutions. I don't think the EU is any more likely to dissolve than the USA. Even if it does, EFTA will probably remain and if you want to do business in/with a European country you'll still have to deal with a trade bloc that's far too large to ignore.

 

[GamezRule]

Actually the status of largest market in the world goes to NAFTA. USA #1.