Will the United States go to war again...

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Fine, they're scumbags, as if that was even in question. Is that what you want me to say?

 

I don't think that allows us to say "HAHAHAHA YOU GUYS ARE DYING, BUT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SAY THANKS LAST TIME, WE'RE GONNA SIT UP HERE DRINKING OUR BACARDI AND LAUGH AT YOUR PATHETIC, SMOLDERING CORPSES AND COLLAPSED HOUSES!!!"

 

We're still morally obligated to help them. Perhaps some day they'll appreciate it.

[Guest Anglesault]

I don't think that allows us to say "HAHAHAHA YOU GUYS ARE DYING, BUT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SAY THANKS LAST TIME, WE'RE GONNA SIT UP HERE DRINKING OUR BACARDI AND LAUGH AT YOUR PATHETIC, SMOLDERING CORPSES AND COLLAPSED HOUSES!!!"

If they're that thickheaded and stubborn that they can't do on little thing (And it's not even something they have to go out of their way to do) in exchange for us saving their lives, then yeah, they can fucking starve. At that point it's not us withholding food from them, they're keeping it away from themselves. They would be wilingly keeping food away from themselves because they are asshole ingrate pieces of shit. No skin off my back.

[Guest Midnight Express83]

Are you saying the people or the goverment. Because those are two different beast. The PEOPLE of ANY nation will love help and aid. The GOVEREMENT might be other wise, we need to help the PEOPLE of the world. That is what Tyler is trying to say. There are Bad GOVERMENTS out there, not all in Third World Countries. Some Third World Countries had natural disasters happen and they can't help it and need aid. That is what Tyler is talking about. Not helping the North Koreans while their leader is trying to blow up the world.

[Guest Anglesault]

Yes, don't mind me. I had just see the clips of some Iraqi people taking the food while bad mouthing America at the same time and it took me out of my happy place.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Don't mind me, I thought compassion was what America is about.

[Guest Vyce]

Don't mind me, I thought compassion was what America is about.

IDEALLY, maybe.

[Guest Anglesault]

Don't mind me, I thought compassion was what America is about.

 

What the hell gave you that idea?

 

I'm for helping people. I'm not for helping ingrates.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

And perhaps if less people had your selfish ideas, more people would be grateful.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

I don't see why a war with N. Korea would be so tough. James Bond was only in there like 5 minutes and he killed half their army. Now they can't use their hovercrafts! And they don't have that satellite weapon anymore! They're at their weakest now; I say strike.

[Guest Anglesault]

WHAT? What in all fuck is selfish about not wanting to get spit in the face when helping someone?

 

We don't HAVE to help. We choose to. Too many people forget that when they are cursing out America.

[Guest Anglesault]

I don't see why a war with N. Korea would be so tough. James Bond was only in there like 5 minutes and he killed half their army. Now they can't use their hovercrafts! And they don't have that satellite weapon anymore! They're at their weakest now; I say strike.

You know, with the Iraqis watching American war movies, I'm half convinced they were expecting the great American attack to be Tom Hanks, John Wayne and Rambo.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Motherfuck.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

How the hell did I TRIPLE post?

 

See the third one for the real post.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

We're not going out there for thanks, we're going out there to save lives.

 

That's like saying a novelist writes to get good reviews.

[Guest Powerplay]

We're not going out there for thanks, we're going out there to save lives.

 

That's like saying a novelist writes to get good reviews.

But just about every novelist writes to make a profit. How 'bout condemning them for trying to receive gain for giving people literature to enjoy?

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was condemning the United States for feeling good about themselves when they helped the people of the world.

[Guest Powerplay]

We do help people out. But is it in any way wrong to ask for some sort of payback? I mean, a trade deal in any sense for a small country with the U.S. would be great for them. Why shouldn't we favor the ones who want to trade over those who don't? And you have to realize we can't help them ALL. Not even we have the funds for that...

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

No, but if we have the means to do so, we damned well should.

[Guest Powerplay]

Well, I find it pointless to argue something that's obviously impossible. We can't save everyone: We don't have those funds now and we probably never will. So we have to help out the people who need it and will help or just appreciate us at least before we get to the ungrateful people who need our help but hate us. I think that's what Anglesault and SG were saying.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Well, when there's a natural disaster in a country that "doesn't appreciate us", we should still feel obligated to help them RIGHT AWAY, and not after half their people starve.

[Guest Powerplay]

Well, when there's a natural disaster in a country that "doesn't appreciate us", we should still feel obligated to help them RIGHT AWAY, and not after half their people starve.

Have we ever? I remember the argument being aid outside disasters.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

The argument was aid when it isn't appreciated, not aid outside disasters.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

I find it a bit funny that almost every time there's a famine, flood, fires, natural disaster etc. the US sends the most aid, the most quickly and no one ever says how great we are. We already do this kind of thing without recognition, maybe the same goverments that criticized us for our policies in Iraq should take a look at which country is working for a better world, and which are working for themselves.

[Guest Powerplay]

I find it a bit funny that almost every time there's a famine, flood, fires, natural disaster etc. the US sends the most aid, the most quickly and no one ever says how great we are. We already do this kind of thing without recognition, maybe the same goverments that criticized us for our policies in Iraq should take a look at which country is working for a better world, and which are working for themselves.

Holy Shit, I totally agree with you.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

On Iran:

 

I don't think we should go to war with the Iranians. Ideally, I'd like to rebuild the bridge with Iran by re-establishing diplomatic relations and help them get on track.

[Guest DrTom]

I don't think that we are under any obligation to provide anything to another country for free. The fact that we do is admirable, but really doesn't get us anythign in return. Most 3rd world countries are ingrates. They take and take and have a sense of entitlement to our money. And they have no gratitude for it. They don't even say thank you. 

The thing is, a lot of our aid goes out in the form of loans with very reasonable interest rates. We're not just giving money away all over the place, at least, not at first. Often, we forgive a lot of the debts because the debtor nations can't pay us back. I don't really agree with this, since how can you expect a country to grow if it can't meet it commitments?

 

And on the whole aid argument in general, I have to agree with Tyler: we should do it because it's the right thing to do. We're the only superpower in the world, and we have to act like it. I don't really enjoy seeing America play Globocop, but there's really no one else out there who can. With great power comes great responsibility, and all that.

[Guest ISportsFan]

Personally, I have no problem helping those nations that don't appreciate us. If they want to spit in our face, that's fine. If they want to hate us even with the help we're giving them, that's fine.

 

What isn't fine is when they start killing or hurting (in ANY way physically) those people that go over and start to give them aid or us as a nation. If they so much as scratch anyone that's there giving them aid, then they don't deserve that aid. If they plot or plan or execute attacks on people over giving aid, or try to attack our soldiers that might go over to their nation (for any reason), or try to attack our nation at home (if some people in that nation have the resources to do so), then they don't deserve that aid.

 

The easiest way to ensure that nations that receive aid don't hurt our people or servicemen/women is, if there is an opressive regime in place, to eliminate that regime. Sure, we can't just go and kill every facist or communist (or any other kind of) dictator we please, but we should not aid those countries that WILL take our aid (and we should know this from the CIA, etc.) and abuse it for the dictator's personal gain.

 

Stopping aid because they look at us funny is bad. But continuing aid when they're dragging our soldiers' dead bodies through the streets or having evil dictators plotting our destruction or injuring U.S. aid givers is also unacceptable.

 

Jason