give me a proj puleeze!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nigel Goodwin]

If he were indeed to so concerned about terrorist activities that he was willing to take his armed forces into an entire country and bring down a regime, then what about all the other places in the world with similar problems?

And do they invade themselves?, the USA has long supported and trained terrorists, Bin Laden being one of their most famous recent examples!.

Not to mention the USA support for the IRA terrorists!, even down to collection boxes in US bars and sending weapons - the money and weapons collected went to blow up women and children in British streets!.

As terrible as 911 was, and the large office building a few years before (sorry I forget where now, was it Kansas City?) - somehow it only seems 'fair' that such acts should occur on USA soil after their years of sponsoring terrorism round the globe!.

 

[AllVol]

The office building spoken of was the Muir Federal building in Oklahoma City, and that was not a terrorist activity in the correct sense of the word. That action was, in retaliation for the incident earlier in Waco, a companion demonstration against the government of the US. Thankfully, the action served not to enflame our citizenry, but to call pressure on the so-called "patriots" behind the attack and drive them underground.

For their part, however, those who killed men, women and children in Oklahoma City did have a grievance. At the time, our system of checks and balances was considerably off-kilter as a result of a left-leaning Supreme Court, an ineffectual Executive, and a politically divided Legislative Branch. Thankfully, the pendelum has begun its inexorable swing back.

While I'm at it, let me express thanks to our allies who continue to stand with us in our search for right. And please do not judge us by our news media.

AllVol

 

[BeeBop]

I guess I can put away my guilt for thread-jacking!

HiTech,
To be sure:

My sig can be applied to a good number of nations on this earth if you stop to think about it. Britain and Russia for example, has kicked ass and saved others in the past.

I don't disagree with this, nor do I wish to downplay the good deeds done by your country. What does give me pause, though, it the arrogant way you brag about it.

According to that sig, there are only two other kinds of countries: those who you have helped, and those who you have 'kicked in the ass.' There are, as some others pointed out, many which don't fit into your little condescending categories.

I have many American friends, who have been quite hurt (justifiably so) by their reception in other parts of the globe. My - very tongue in cheek - remark, was suggesting that a large part of the reason for so many people hating your country, is this arrogance, which is

perpetrated by a rotten few that tend to tarnish what good the nation is trying to accomplish.

I don't think that by making a statement such as this, in big blue text, you are doing your country or its people, any favor.

But, keep talking, you are showing what you are made of. You were critical, perhaps in a tongue in cheek way, of JimB, who, by my reading of this thread, uses the English language so much better than you do. I won't list all your linguistic short-comings, but there are many!

What really disturbs me, is your cowboy attitude:

And if one of his floundering missles were to make it through someday, most assuredly N.K. would become a totally different looking piece of real estate with a natural glow to it. Prolly wouldn't hurt to start constructing a radiation monitor in your spare time

Do you really think that countries like China would just sit on the sidelines? Do you really think that the rest of the people on the planet would not have complaints about the pollution and global damage which would result? Thankfully, your administration has more ability to exercise reason over passion than you do.

Also, blaming the current situation on past administrations is not a solution either. All people make mistakes and misjudgments, which lead to difficult situations. Blaming what is now, on the past never resolves it; this is the trap that alcoholics, angry people, and drug addicts get into, and can't get out of. These types of people also think in only black and white, while the world around is actually complex, and there are a multiplicity of viewpoints.

Now, that said, I am in a country where, to my chagrin, many people refuse to acknowledge the tremendous help the US has given them, again, and again. What I am suggesting is that flaunting an attitude like yours - that of superiority - is what is generating the mistrust and animosity toward your fellow country men, which most of them do not deserve.

 

[HiTech]

BeeBop,
Perhaps we should have stayed home during the Korean Conflict and let things take its course. You'd be living a totally different kind of life today... prolly not even allowed to contribute to this forum, let alone have access to the internet. Your last comments are on the verge of a personal attack towards me and you seem hell bent to voice your disdain and frustrations over my signature as well as my "linguistic shortcomings" (of which seem nothing more than you grabbing at straws to boost your complaints). Complain to the moderators then and they can decide if my sig line is inappropriate and needs edited. You are entitled to your opinion, and I'll respect that even though I disagree with some of it. Topics such as this can quickly escalate into a heated argument and that's not what we want in a forum where we are primarily here to assist and share electronics technology. By some views, we may have kicked others in their ass, but without knowing the real details surrounding the issues, it may appear that way falsely. US foreign aid to other nations is massive and dwarfs what many other nations offer. In return, our gov. requests something from those nations be it business trade, land for a military base, etc. Deals are cut through diplomacy and often we citizens never learn of the buried details.... but that's how it works.... right or wrong. And the bottom line is we have kicked ass plenty, when necessary. The US is the world's only superpower. How long that can last has yet to be determined. But, no other nation on this planet has risen to such status and influenced the world in such a short amount of time - no nation. Perhaps that's where the bragging rights stem from. What is perceived as American pride by some of us is perceived as boisterous arrogance or bullying by others globally and that's a whole new topic for discussion and debate. As for the "cowboy" attitude you mention, it merely suggests that if NK was to launch a nuke missle at the US, I'm sure our response wouldn't be to anchor a fleet of navy ships to form a blockade around NK. Of course myself and our gov. officials are fully aware of the ramifications of using nuclear weaponry and how it ultimately affects the globe. But then if you hit me with a big club, I'm supposed to come back at you with a pencil? NOT!

Brian,
As for the US being saviors of the world, partly true but also a tarnished image when some rogue soldiers venture beyond protocol and rape or kill innocent citizens as what recently happened in Iraq. They are being investigated, and will be punished by life imprisonment if convicted as promised by top gov. officials. Even corrupt officials can tarnish what good this nation is trying to do throughout the world.... that's why it's called politics!! We citizens are empowered to vote officials into positions that we trust them to admirably perform their duties within. When they screw up or intentionally become corrupt, it affects other nations, and it's we, Joe Citizen who also get labeled negatively as well. Other nations often view the entire basket of apples as being bad, not just one apple here and there. Personally, I have always respected Britian for being an ally as well as Australia. Exchanging some jeers between Brits and Americans on some of our little and insignificant cultural differences is one thing, but I avoid flaming wars against a people who have exchanged and assisted the US right along. As much as Blair is unliked in your country, Bush receives the same lack of fanfare, but I still respect them both for stepping up to do the job where others didn't, and admire their steadfastness. It's easy for millions of us armchair generals to sit on the sidelines and negatively comment or criticize the performance of a leader whether they are a CEO, town mayor or a President/ Prime Minister.

Finally, AllVoll said it best that we shouldn't be so quickly judged by our media. It's well known in this country that a vast majority of American media outlets are liberal biased. Too often we are hearing accounts directly from soldiers mouths of how the media is slanting the news. I look forward to the day when there is a revolution in this country to hold accountable and constrain zealous reporters and their superiors.

 

[BeeBop]

Hi Tech,
There have been many times when I have felt we should have all stayed home during the Korean war. (I'm a Canadian, living here.) One of my relatives died here then, fighting for a freedom which the Koreans don't all seem to acknowledge.
Like I clearly pointed out - I don't have doubts about the US contribution to the wonders of the world, and the ways in which they have helped others. I just do not think your sig is appropriate for an electronics board. Perhaps I should have just asked you in a nice way to change it. Really, what does it have to do with electronics?

As for the language issues, those are right on topic for this thread, and they still stand. You pointed out someone else's mistakes, surely you can take someone pointing out yours.

I am not going to answer or talk about any of the other things, as I have promised Jay, the board owner, I will not engage in politics here. I suggest we leave it at that. I have no hard feelings toward you, I hope you harbor none either.

Regards,
Robert

 

[HiTech]

Thinking back on it all, I never viewed a sig line as needing to be appropriate to the board/forum that one is participating in... however I can see it making some sense and perhaps that would be a suggestion for Jay to consider making a sticky of. But, it still won't curb chatter about politics and other controversial topics in a general chat thread. There's always someone, somewhere, that will get their undies in a wad over something that triggers them. It's human nature and a result of us all being individuals, not robots off of an assembly line.

As for my command of English and grammar, I have always believed that unless I'm not willing to receive in return, some of what I dish out, then I shouldn't be casting stones either. So, yes I do expose myself as a potential target if criticizing another. For the good of the order, I too agree in leaving it at that as well. Using bandwidth to exchange endless tit-for-tat is unproductive and immature.

 

[HiTech]

And one thing which does bother me about this whole war against terror crusade that Bush is embarking on, is that it doesn't seem to be completely truthful. If he were indeed so concerned about terrorist activities that he was willing to take his armed forces into an entire country and bring down a regime, then what about all the other places in the world with similar problems? Where do you stop? Do you wage war against all countries with corrupt regimes? If you apply the logic that Bush so far has, then yes you do. But we hear nothing of his intensions to sort any other problems out.

So personally, I think there was more to him going into Iraq than meets the eye. But as you say, History will tell.

Brian

Yes, this whole Iraq issue has me wondering at times, yet I try to remain supportive of my government. Hussein was supposed to be a threat to US security, according to the initial intelligence provided to Bush and his cabinet. However flawed it ended up as, is moot now since we are well underway into a mission there. I agree that we can't just march into every country that poses a hint of a threat to some aspect of national security. I'd rather see our efforts bolster security and trust within our own shores, making this nation far less penetrable from the outside, rather than invade and overtake elsewhere. But I'm not in the director's chair calling the shots. Hopefully we don't go marching into Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc. Taking the fight onto foreign soil is one thing, but we had better have all of our ducks in proper order first!! I've always believed that if we spent less money on foreign aid, less involvement in foreign affairs, and concentrated our abitions and money on domestic issues, we'd be that much better off, with less crime, well nourished people, and a likely higher level of personal satisfaction and quality of life for all citizens.

 

[BeeBop]

You know if you used text of that size and color (O.K., colour for some) to say something about our awesome pursuit, electronics, even if it were prideful - you do have a lot to be proud of - and even smug, it really would be great. You did choose a well scaled font for the avatar you are using.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Thinking back on it all, I never viewed a sig line as needing to be appropriate to the board/forum that one is participating in...

Better sig now, it's probaly not offence to some like it was - however, feel free to reach through and try and slap me any time you like!

 

[HiTech]

Give me a few days to stretch my arms in a torture rack. It's a long reach across the big pond!

 

[BeeBop]

WOW! HiTech!
I Love it!
Don't hit me!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Give me a few days to stretch my arms in a torture rack. It's a long reach across the big pond!

Be thin and weak by the time it gets here!

BTW, I take no responsibility for breaking your arm when it gets here!.

 

[HiTech]

Ok then I'm kicking you under the desk instead!

 

[BeeBop]

Be thin and weak by the time it gets here!

So would it take a pressure of a few milli-ounces to break, or would that be micro-ounces?

 

[HiTech]

I believe it would start out on my end in foot/pounds and end up at Nigel's monitor as inch/pounds!

 

[ThermalRunaway]

BTW, I take no responsibility for breaking your arm when it gets here!.

Nigel, now that is a very silly comment to make isn't it. He's an American, you can't break his arm!!! American's kick ass don't they

Brian

 

[HiTech]

Some of us kiss ass too!

But not this chap!

One thing I'd like to point out is how unique and admirable it is that both Britain and the US are allies despite the war between the two for America's independence so long ago. Brits enjoy our televisions shows and we enjoy their comedy shows and musical entertainers that influenced the progression of rock 'n roll.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Nigel, now that is a very silly comment to make isn't it. He's an American, you can't break his arm!!! American's kick ass don't they

One's never kicked mine!

And I'm highly trained to break arms! (or legs, but arms are generally the limbs most convenient for breaking).

Thinking on I've never trained with an American?, I have trained with Israeli's though, now they WERE scary!, particularly the chief instructor Oran.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

Some of us kiss ass too!

But not this chap!

One thing I'd like to point out is how unique and admirable it is that both Britain and the US are allies despite the war between the two for America's independence so long ago. Brits enjoy our televisions shows and we enjoy their comedy shows and musical entertainers that influenced the progression of rock 'n roll.

Well, it is inevitable that a country as big as America would eventually want it's independance from a country as small as the UK isn't it

I think that Britain and America have for a long time shared moral values which tie them as allies for the forseeable future.

Brian

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Well, it is inevitable that a country as big as America would eventually want it's independance from a country as small as the UK isn't it

Don't they still owe us a ship load of tea?.