Thing is my good friend Herb, they have never liked us. Have you ever heard some of the reasons Bin Laden is against America? THE CRUSADES! As many mistakes as GWB has made you damn sure can't put that one on him. We've never been buddies with these countries. We've had short term business deals but never friendships. They hated us before 1776. To believe that things will get worse/have gotten worse because of the last 5 years is ignoring years of evidence including high scale terrorist attacks. It's an often asked question of the right but one that is correct, What did we do to deserve the attacks of 9/11?
Of course the answer is very complicated because American policy has negatively affected the citizens of the Middle East. The point is that GWB has not done anything to make it worse. He's fucked up in many areas but our relationship with the middle east and other Arab nations isn't one of them. They've always hated us and always had people lined up to take part.
I think best case scenerio likely is similar to the state of the relationship for the last 30 years of my life. We can expect some terrorist attacks with a couple of them being here. We can expect at least 2 "short" wars with some entity of the Middle East and other Arab nations.
Here's a list of some of the major terrorist attacks during my lifetime.
1979 Nov. 4, Tehran, Iran: Iranian radical students seized the U.S. embassy, taking 66 hostages. 14 were later released. The remaining 52 were freed after 444 days on the day of President Reagan's inauguration. 1982–1991 Lebanon: Thirty US and other Western hostages kidnapped in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Some were killed, some died in captivity, and some were eventually released. Terry Anderson was held for 2,454 days. 1983 April 18, Beirut, Lebanon: U.S. embassy destroyed in suicide car-bomb attack; 63 dead, including 17 Americans. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Oct. 23, Beirut, Lebanon: Shiite suicide bombers exploded truck near U.S. military barracks at Beirut airport, killing 241 Marines. Minutes later a second bomb killed 58 French paratroopers in their barracks in West Beirut. Dec. 12, Kuwait City, Kuwait Shiite truck bombers attacked the U.S. embassy and other targets, killing 5 and injuring 80. 1984 Sept. 20, east Beirut, Lebanon: truck bomb exploded outside the U.S. embassy annex, killing 24, including 2 U.S. military. Dec. 3, Beirut, Lebanon: Kuwait Airways Flight 221, from Kuwait to Pakistan, hijacked and diverted to Tehran. 2 Americans killed. 1985 April 12, Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. soldiers, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82. June 14, Beirut, Lebanon: TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed. Oct. 7, Mediterranean Sea: gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya. Dec. 18, Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya. 1986 April 2, Athens, Greece:A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9. April 5, West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds. 1988 Dec. 21, Lockerbie, Scotland: N.Y.-bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families. 1993 Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected. 1995 April 19, Oklahoma City: car bomb exploded outside federal office building, collapsing wall and floors. 168 people were killed, including 19 children and 1 person who died in rescue effort. Over 220 buildings sustained damage. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols later convicted in the antigovernment plot to avenge the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Tex., exactly 2 years earlier. (See Miscellaneous Disasters.) Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen. 1996 June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001. 1998 Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. 4 men connected with al-Qaeda 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large. 2000 Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. 17 sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network. 2001 Sept. 11, New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.: hijackers crashed 2 commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; 2 more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,9921: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. (See September 11, 2001: Timeline of Terrorism.) 2002 June 14, Karachi, Pakistan: bomb exploded outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda. 2003 May 12, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: suicide bombers killed 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected. 2004 May 29–31, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one American. June 11–19, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2 other Americans and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks. Dec. 6, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: terrorists storm the U.S. consulate killing 5 consulate employees. 4 terrorists were killed by Saudi security. 2005 Nov. 9, Amman, Jordan: Suicide bombers hit 3 American hotels, Radisson, Grand Hyatt and Days Inn, in Amman Jordan, killing 57. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.
Now only one of those attacks was not related to Islamic terrorism. It's always been hot, hot, hot over there. They've never liked us. They never will. Is it getting interesting now with Hamas winning in Palestine? Absolutely. Iran? You bet. Anything new? Nope
I'll tell you this, Israel will not allow Hammas to rule their neighbors and they will not allow Iran to have Nukes. Those problems will be fixed one way or another.
If you want a foreign relations danger that has been mishandled look to North Korea.
I feel your frustration.
halfbreed420
Quote: from neobud on 3:28 pm on Jan. 28, 2006 Hey Dawg. Did you know that one large bomb placed in the volcano on Canary Island would destroy the whole eastern sea board all the way to the OTHER SIDE of New York?
Yes with all of this Bird Flu and shit man it is getting rough. Mother nature is about to douche and when she does the slime is gonna fly my friend! IT AINT gonna be pretty or smell good.
Please don't give Mr. Qaeda any ideas. You'll feel guilty when CNN announces that a Volcano exploded and we are all going to die.
Dan. You have me rolling.
neobud
This is a well known fact man. It has been for years. Besides it is nota question of IF the volcano errupts it is a question of WHEN. They think within the next 20 years.
neobud
Is it getting interesting now with Hamas winning in Palestine? Absolutely. Iran? You bet. Anything new? Nope
Well some things are different. N Korea will back Iran and so will China. I think Iran strikes in Britain first to bring the US into it.
I see it like this. Iran will side with Iraq when that is public then Pakistan will join them bringing Syria and Jordan into the fray. India will be forced into it by China and Korea who will allign themselves with the middle east. SO the US will have Iran, Iraq, India ( Who has nukes) Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, China and N Korea possibly Japan as well. The world is smeeling blood in the water right now and they know that the US is stretched thin both monetarily and militarily. They know if they unite afainst us there is a good chance we fall. The US simply could not win a war on 3 different continents with 4 major fronts.
I hope like hell it does not happen, on the same coin other side I can see how easily it can.
starfleetcommand
We can win it,Well win may not be the correct word, we may destroy the planet in the process, but yes we could fend them off.
CanadianDAN
Im telling you
Take :
1. Us 2. Canada 3. Russia 4. China 5. Iran 6. Pakistan 7. India 8. North Korea 9. Germany 10.France 11. and other important countries....
We'll take all these leaders. Sit em all down, grab some INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN KILLERS and roll a huge fucking blunt, or as China calls it a "brunt".
This would relieve all stress, for the time being in order to talk on a free and neutral level.
FUCK ALL THESE RULES. I SAY WE TRY IT. WHO KNOWS ONCE WE ALL SEE HOW IT WIL FIX TENSIONS WE CAN LEGALIZE IT ALL OVER THE GLOBE. ONE HAPPY RACE. THE HUMAN RACE.
Sounds good huh..? (tear falling)
Lol
(Edited by CanadianDAN at 1:35 am on Jan. 29, 2006)
HazeNHydro420
Maybe Bush could bring some powder and we'll sprinkel it over the blunt.
Imagine the kinda shit the prez could get!! Straight from the columbian dealers hand himself. Hoping back into Air Force 1 and tweaking all the way home.
I wouldn't mind being around for something like that. Fuck passing the blunt to Iraq and their allied bitches tho. I wouldn't drink outta the same damn water fountain much less put my lips on the same blunt. We'll maybe I wouldn't be the best candidate for a "peaceful" discussion such as that.
I wonder how much ol' Bush gets a 8ball for?
MCL PeAcE
ThaiBubble
I have one thing to say. No matter how exhausted our economy is and how stretched out our military is, the world depends on us. We are the back bone of the global economy, if we go down, evreyone goes down...
green goblin
backbone of the global economy...
i thinkif we enter another major war on this planet, nothing will be the same.
no matter if we win or loose chaos will reign.
glad to be in the great state of ak...plenty of places to go and say fuck you to the world
neobud
Quote: from green goblin on 12:16 am on Feb. 2, 2006 backbone of the global economy...
i thinkif we enter another major war on this planet, nothing will be the same.
no matter if we win or loose chaos will reign.
glad to be in the great state of ak...plenty of places to go and say fuck you to the world
True, I lived in Fairbanks for 2 years when I was in the Army. If you don't want to be found, you won't. I could go there and live for the rest of my life and no one would ever find me. The far west side of Canada is the same way. It is a beautiful place that is for sure.
