This is the scary stuff right here
08-20-2007, 10:24 PM
#7
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Russia training with China............China converting to a capitalist economy and driving up fuel prices...........Russia starting fly overs and ICBM activities................US engaged in an insurgency in the Middle East with fundamentalists....................can you say perfect storm?
08-20-2007, 10:49 PM
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Russia training with China............China converting to a capitalist economy and driving up fuel prices...........Russia starting fly overs and ICBM activities................US engaged in an insurgency in the Middle East with fundamentalists....................can you say perfect storm?
08-21-2007, 02:26 AM
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Short of a half a billion soldiers showing up to the west coast I'm not really concerned. One of the problems is that Russia can help close the gaps that the Chinese military has with logistics and reverse engineering. Russia was always good a playing that game with us ans vice versa. Space program, military gadgetry, etc. Chinese always dropped the ball because they always ****ed-up the formula or just didn’t have the technologies at their dispossal to stack against us. And as for what helladumb mentioned, spies in our system have to be a threat as well for the same reasons.
Last edited by Salty; 08-21-2007 at 02:29 AM.
08-21-2007, 09:19 AM
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You guys sound like Russia is supposd to be best pals with us, and civil at best, unfriendly at worst with China, and China is supposed to be happy with its two biggest economic rivals/trade partners/strategic opponents shutting them out of the game? It makes much more sense to for China and Russia to be friendly than to be aggressors to each other. Neither one of them is going aorund pissing off the rest of the world and it removes the only serious military threat on each of their borders.
08-21-2007, 09:57 AM
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You have a correct observation that if things went totally Murphy on us we'd have a hell of a problem.... but I don't think reality will fall too close to the extreme ideal world situation, or the worst case where WWIII is us vs. Earth.
08-21-2007, 10:55 AM
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Honestly, I don't see the big issue. There's this insecurity/complex Americans have when other powerful nations don't fall into lockstep with our policies or wants. We're pretty whiny about other countries not wanting to please us. I don't see this as some sort of threat to our security, our way of life, or even our quality of life.
You have a correct observation that if things went totally Murphy on us we'd have a hell of a problem.... but I don't think reality will fall too close to the extreme ideal world situation, or the worst case where WWIII is us vs. Earth.
You have a correct observation that if things went totally Murphy on us we'd have a hell of a problem.... but I don't think reality will fall too close to the extreme ideal world situation, or the worst case where WWIII is us vs. Earth.
My issue is the start of a second Cold War and watching the government waste billions of dollars in defense that will inevitably deprieve it's citizens of services. With reference to defense America has always been a "better safe than sorry" advocate. We waste trillions of dollars on defense programs that a decade later, have gone no-where. This may sound ironic coming from someone in the military but I'd rather see that money go to citizens in need. Ben Franklin put it best........"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
08-21-2007, 12:04 PM
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I think you're right, the media and the majority of uninformed Americans have a habit of blowing things like this out of proportion. With that said however it is not necessarily war that I fear. Short of General Patton, Americans (the Allies in general) saw the Russians as a means to an end during WWII. Practically from the time we cut up Berlin though, animosity started to grow. China and Russia aren't considered "threats" now because they're both somewhat developing nations. Both just went through huge transitions and are still in the process of establishing a stable economy. History has shown though that once a government has decided on an economy, defense is there next immediate issue.
My issue is the start of a second Cold War and watching the government waste billions of dollars in defense that will inevitably deprieve it's citizens of services. With reference to defense America has always been a "better safe than sorry" advocate. We waste trillions of dollars on defense programs that a decade later, have gone no-where. This may sound ironic coming from someone in the military but I'd rather see that money go to citizens in need. Ben Franklin put it best........"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
My issue is the start of a second Cold War and watching the government waste billions of dollars in defense that will inevitably deprieve it's citizens of services. With reference to defense America has always been a "better safe than sorry" advocate. We waste trillions of dollars on defense programs that a decade later, have gone no-where. This may sound ironic coming from someone in the military but I'd rather see that money go to citizens in need. Ben Franklin put it best........"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. "
Benji would be unhappy with our current administrative policies, but I digress. You have a good point about the economic effects of paranoia-driven defense spending. I think future iterations of our government may learn a little fromt he past though. Frankly, I think nuclear deterrence is enough to keep China and Russia and us as good neighbors.
08-21-2007, 12:09 PM
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Don't get me started on how I think we should be running the military or I just may go on for hours. If I hit the lottery today I'd call up Lewis Black and ask him to be my vice and I'd run for President, no joke. And if I'm ever not sure how to address anything, I'll post an inquiry on i-club of course.
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