McCain: such a great choice for the US of A!

[Liverslapper]

no one can stop America, we have starbucks & google.

 

[derek]

I disagree, as you may expect.

I don't expect the end result to be a crippled and backward country, but rather the years of exceptional power are over - the U.S will assume a role as an affluent Western nation, comparable in wealth and power to most large European states and a few South American and Asian ones.

Perhaps only an American would take that as an insult.

Gotta be first, gotta be most...

 

[WhiteBeastofWotan]

I disagree, as you may expect.

I don't expect the end result to be a crippled and backward country, but rather the years of exceptional power are over - the U.S will assume a role as an affluent Western nation, comparable in wealth and power to most large European states and a few South American and Asian ones.

Perhaps only an American would take that as an insult.

Gotta be first, gotta be most...

I agree. I'm fine with living in just another well-off developed country. No more City on a Hill, world police bullshit.

 

[Liverslapper]

I disagree, as you may expect.

I don't expect the end result to be a crippled and backward country, but rather the years of exceptional power are over - the U.S will assume a role as an affluent Western nation, comparable in wealth and power to most large European states and a few South American and Asian ones.

Perhaps only an American would take that as an insult.

Gotta be first, gotta be most...

yeah but, we have SUPER walmarts so....that means we will rule the world...for eternity with EVERYDAY LOW PRICES GARANTEED.

 

[El Stormo]

I don't know how many times you've posted that for me before...you'd think I would've learned by now. Nah.

I made that one just now, especially for you. But I'll use it for other people too. Dead_Lioness is also good at quadruple-posting.

 

[Anvil]

Those videos remind me of the videos they had of Bush when he was running in 04, and all his contradictions.

 

[Dead Winter]

I disagree, as you may expect.

I don't expect the end result to be a crippled and backward country, but rather the years of exceptional power are over - the U.S will assume a role as an affluent Western nation, comparable in wealth and power to most large European states and a few South American and Asian ones.

Perhaps only an American would take that as an insult.

Gotta be first, gotta be most...

I don't take it as an insult, I take it as oversimplified and pessimistic wishful thinking.

The American power will never be diminished; that being said, what is the power we're talking about? Military and economic might. What's happening is a degrade in influence and popularity on the world stage, and why? Because of the actions by the US through the years towards western nations, they are able to become a world power themselves. The US has just spread the wealth, that's all.

Everyone despises Americans on the world stage, this is true...even the allies. What you're seeing is America losing popularity, not weakening.

C'mon, Derek, you're not responding to Jim Bob from Arkansas here. I'm as objective as you.

 

[derek]

He's another one who's sharper than he pretends. Cynical bastard.

 

[Dead Winter]

Welp, idiots aren't billionaires. Even if they inherited the money, they must have some sort of brain in order to keep it.

I think he's a cultural moron, but I wouldn't say he's intelligent...instead, I'd call him shrewd.

 

[derek]

I don't take it as an insult, I take it as oversimplified and pessimistic wishful thinking.

The American power will never be diminished; that being said, what is the power we're talking about? Military and economic might. What's happening is a degrade in influence and popularity on the world stage, and why? Because of the actions by the US through the years towards western nations, they are able to become a world power themselves. The US has just spread the wealth, that's all.

Everyone despises Americans on the world stage, this is true...even the allies. What you're seeing is America losing popularity, not weakening.

C'mon, Derek, you're not responding to Jim Bob from Arkansas here. I'm as objective as you.

The country is economically and militarily stretched after almost 40 years of attempting to rule the roost. The money is imaginary and the ability of the military to to do anything other than blow shit up has been similarly ineffective for just as long.

American power will never diminish - are you kidding? Some 4000 years of recorded history indicates that power never stays static.

Also, the bully only stays in power so long once enough people want rid.

 

[derek]

I should add the caveat, that I'm in one hell of a good mood, so probably won't continue to debate with you.

 

[Liverslapper]

sodomy

 

[Swabs]

Is there such a thing as a socialist U.S. politican?

Nah, just ignorant Americans consider any politician who says "Hey... national welfare and a health care system could be a good idea" to be a "GODDAMN COMMIE"

 

[Dead Winter]

Of course the American power isn't infinite, I'm not speaking in absolutes. I'm talking about our lifetime.

It's absolutely laughable that the sheer size of the US, with technology, military, and economic power, that you would even mention in the same sentence something resembling it being on par with a western European country. Speaking from a purely economic and military standpoint, that is.

And the military isn't stretched as thin as you'd like to believe. It's not happy times right now, but it's not that bad. The wars suck but it's not like the entire military is about to collapse...it's the strongest it's ever been, technologically-speaking and with the employment of power.

Here's the line in the sand, Derek. You dislike the US because you simply dislike Americans and the American way of life; combine that with being a learned individual, and you have a recipe for cynicism and condescension. You, like most of your countrymen, find all Americans naive, uneducated, and below you. I, on the other hand, have specific beefs with the US, which I'm sure everyone already knows. I mainly have problems with the quality of life in the US these days, but I harbor no ill will towards Americans and I'm not some flag-waving idiot, either.

You make no attempt at distinguishing yourself from the rest of the world, throwing rocks at the chained dog from behind the fence. You merely do it in a more polite manner. However, the end result is the same: America is a farce in the world, a bully, and never does anything good to help anyone and is constantly exploiting everyone for self-righteous self interests. I'm disappointed in your argument because I thought you wouldn't stoop to the level of Ahmadinejad, but you have. You've lived in the US for one single year, never worked with the American government or its armed forces, yet you've got the plan all figured out about how the military is crumbling from two relatively small wars/conflicts and how it is somehow "ineffective" by "blowing shit up". News flash: war is about blowing shit up and killing lots of people. I know that's not what it's about over here, as it's more about blue helmets and 6 month vacations into Bosnia to fuck Slavic whores.

I hope in the next decade the US will retreat into a sort of hibernation and leave everyone alone, I'm with you on that. But you act like the US has done more harm in the world than good. If you honestly believe that, then even your mere opinion is moot. I honestly believe that the US should become once again isolationist and should allow the world to fend for itself. The eastern hemisphere has always needed a scapegoat for all of their problems, and the US is the biggest target. With the US out of the way, they'll have no one to blame for their problems and maybe will realize that the US paying the majority of the UN's budget really wasn't such a bad idea after all.

It still baffles me that with the overt aggression by Russia in the past two months, that people here aren't even the least bit worried. Yet, they're still railing on the US for everything under the sun, when the US is an open and helpful ally. The US needs to change its foreign policy, this is true, but not just for your sake, for our sake as well. It's time for Europe to stop being a spoiled baby and wipe its own ass.

Stop pointing fingers.

 

[Swabs]

Will you ever learn?

 

[derek]

You're wrong.

 

[Dead Winter]

You're wrong.

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[derek]

 

[Dead Winter]

Will you ever learn?

I already have. Most don't have the capacity to talk at length about important issues here, except for Derek. I do it because I feel maybe I can get a point of view I never had before, as I think he's quite the intellectual.

His last few posts have made me sad, however. He seems to have jumped on the anti-American bandwagon without any real reason, other than he's Scottish and he doesn't like living in the US. I'm sure he'll appreciate me not calling him on some things anymore. I've nothing more to learn from this man, other than how to be smug and condescending.

Sometimes I can do that well enough on my own.

 

[Swabs]

There's a time when a "bandwagon" becomes so big, that you should start to think "hmm, maybe the people on that wagon have a point?".