need4speed

The US get most of it's oil from Canada, Mexico, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. The US only gets oil from 3 countries in the middle east. They are Iraq (5%), Kuwait (2%) and Saudi Arabia (12%). So it's is safe to say that the US doesn't really depend on the Middle East for oil.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/p...nt/import.html

Speaker_Box22

I don't completely agree with you on this point. Even though it's a good point I just don't agree totally. I think that there's little to do with oil in Iraq. There is some but it's not very much. The way it seems to be going is as if the U.S. military is never going to pull out of Iraq. Looking at history such as Korea, Germany, Japan, etc. we (the U.S.) have been there to fight and rebuild those countries but even now, we've never pulled out. We're still there feeding their economy with soldiers money. The U.S. goes there and builds on their economies. Us being in those countries is all about revenue. My whole point comes down to this. If you've ever been in any hostile country in the world after it's been invaded by the U.S. then you know it's built up just like the states. If you've been to Korea, you've been to McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart and even Outback Steak House!!! I mean come on, don't you guys see, it's not about the oil. It's about us having a presence there and putting our stores in other countries just to make money. Anything to help the share holders.

scionofPCFL

If you think Israel is going overboard on this, consider this:
Switch places with them. Imagine California, Arizon, New Mexico, and Texas as being Israel. Imagine Mexico being home to a terrorists organization that runs the country. How do you think we would react if for the past 15 years, once a week, on average, a Mexican suicide bomber walked onto a crowded bus, into a packed club, or a busy cafe and blew the place up? What do you think would be the reaction of the average US citizen? Our government? How long would we have let it go on before we'd have start lobbing cruise missles at Mexico?

farberio

So your saying that the US goes to war just to open up a couple of restaurants...
Im not so sure about that. I could see us staying there and rebuilding having that as I side effect but I don't see that as the number one reason. You also have to consider how there are alot of people in other countries that try to emulate or are infatuated with our culture. Much the same way Japanese Animation is huge in the US now.

I also agree with you scionofPCL, Isreal is in a jam because diplomatic solution fail everytime. Its not so much the other countries but the extremests that don't care about diplomacy and that the neighboring countries are willing to house them. The sad part is when Isreal attacks the people start supporting the extremests instead of blaming them.

If you want to end the killing we need a great wall of Isreal that lets no-one in period end of story. (I.E. no mail unless searched, no people from lebanon, jordan, so on so forth) And a good missle defense system lined on the outside to prevent missle attacks. Anyone that approaches the wall should just get shot.

scionofPCFL

Not because of a "couple of restaraunts", but because of American intere$t$. Not just restaraunts, but everything. Go go gadget US Suburbia in otherwords.

Let's see, the government is essentially handing over 10's of billions every week (or is it daily? damn so hard to keep track now) to Halliburton. The vice president is the former CEO of Halliburton. Uhm, hello??? Is anyone else noticing something ary here? That's our money!!!! The government is just shifting funds to his puppet masters!! And they are doing it in BROAD DAY LIGHT!!!! Where is the outrage in the media? Answer: Supressed! If they are so bold now, and if there are no sever penelities later, does it mean all is lost with the true American way? It would seem on the surface that the government and it's check valve, the media, have been taken over. It would appear that we are now in a mock democracy run by a conglomeration of Corporations.

farberio

I thought the American way was Democracy and Capitolism? For better or for worse that means big corporations.

scionofPCFL

I guess my major problem is the lack of outrage at how crooked this adminstration has been. It's like, "support the president, we're at war!" Great, does that mean we are supposed to sit by with our thumbs up are bums while gigantic government contract after gigantic govnernment contract is doled out to this adminstrations buddy's, at the expense of our security? Latest reports from the CIA show that the 300+ Billion spent on the war in Iraq has actually made us MORE vulnerable to a terrorist attack! It's appalling, and the worst part is the lack of being able to do anything about it.

I can't wait till this Novemeber's elections. Lieberman looks gone (thank God!), and I'm betting dollars to dougnuts that only about 1/4 Republican incumbents will retain their seats.

farberio

Understandable, but I think every administration has problems. Douglas Adams says it best, why let someone who wants to be president be president? It just means that they will do what they can to get it. If that means crooked deals to gain support.

On the other side Clinton lied to Americas face and most people still love him to death.

scionofPCFL

Yeah, he lied about sex with an intern....big woop. Bush lied to get us into an unwinnable war that has arguably made us more vulnerable to attack. Oh, and people could afford homes when Clinton was in power.

uberscionofglendale

there was this great simpsons episode, where kang and kodo (aliens) kidnapped bill clinton and bob dole....they then impersonated them, and ran for office. when homer pulled they're masks off, and showed the world who they really were....they started laughing, "what are you gonna do? it's a 2 party system! hahahaha." i thought that was funny...yet true and sad.

farberio

I dunno, Clinton never responded to terrorists attacking and killing Americans. Bush did. Don't get me wrong, I am surely not a pro bush guy. Im just saying that Clinton let terrorists walk all over us and Bush stood up to it.

Haven't seen that episode...but it is sad and true. However in a multi-party system like England you have new partys all the time that are still short term and can't get stuff done. And its possible to have the country turn a 360 in one election based on the party elected. Everthing has ups and downs.

farberio

As for some reading material check out Americas Secret War, by George Friedman. I have not had a chance to read it but my dad has and its certainly on my list of things to read.

http://www.americassecretwar.com/index.html\

scionofPCFL

Uhm, so exactly what terrorists did Clinton let walk all over us? I'm confused about that one. In fact, it was a realatively quiet (most likely out of random chance) during Clinton's terms. Hell, even Israel and Hamas were getting along nicely (once again, relatively speaking).

farberio

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
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.

Speaker_Box22

[quote="farberio
So your saying that the US goes to war just to open up a couple of restaurants...
Im not so sure about that. I could see us staying there and rebuilding having that as I side effect but I don't see that as the number one reason. You also have to consider how there are alot of people in other countries that try to emulate or are infatuated with our culture. Much the same way Japanese Animation is huge in the US now.[/quote]


It's not all about "restaurants". It's about the U.S. leaving a mark for another culture to pick up on our ways of life. If we make them feel more like Americans then they'll spend they're money on American products to be like us. Hence, more money spent at McDonalds & Wal-Mart, more revenue for us. America wants their hand in everything and they'll stop at nothing to make it happen, even going to war and using the lives of other Americans. Just take a look at everything that's in foreign countries that America owns. Trust me, when I was in Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, and Germany, there was always a McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Subway, or Pizza Hut right around every corner. If you're ever in any of these countries, check it out, the food isn't that bad! In Korea you can even get kimchi with your burger!

farberio

It seems to me your saying that we starts wars to spread America and thats it?
As far as foreign countries that america owns...what? We don't 'own' any other country other wise we would be an Empire.

You have to realize that in todays world we have global businesess, like...Mcdonalds, Toyota, Honda, GM, Microsoft...so on and so forth. ANY good business has a plan to grow into new markets and in todays world we live in a global economy. As america was the only superpower after the Soviet Union fell we just so happened to get most of the large businesses.

Mcdonalds was started in 1940, the Korean War ended in 1953. You are proposing to me that Mcdonalds expanded into rebuilding Korea 13 years after they started? Its known that the firt Mcdonalds outside the US was in 1967. That was in Canada and Puerto Rico. That means they expanded into Korea WITH NO WAR! This is what global corporations do.

SylentAngel

i see it like this. whatever bush does...i want to go in the complete opposite direction and run as far away as possible.

need4speed

Oh by the way, the liberal media has a history of lying.

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/200...ilking-it.html

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4vPAkc5CLgc

Milking dead children? These animals are getting what they deserve.

farberio

Pfft...just the liberal media?
Im not so sure any media period gives you the 'full' story. It's one reason I read online newspapers from around the world. Gives you at least more then one side of the story.

Speaker_Box22

My biggest thing is that we try and change every country that we enter into a democracy. Countries that have been dictatorships or anything other than democratic since the beginning of time are now under the influence of America. We may not "own" persay the countries that we occupy but there is a degree of power that we hold over that country. Without us South Korea may decide to attack North Korea which wouldn't be smart at all, Iraq would be in divided into 3 seperate sections, Japan would still be trying to retalliate for the a-bombs, Germany would still be a serious threat with a huge Army. What's the purpose of us being in these countries? To collect our bit of reveue is my best guess. We allow the local civilians to work on the military posts just to keep them in our good graces so that we can make them feel like they owe us something. We have them work at our Popeyes, McDonalds, Burger King, PX's, and our Shopettes. It's all about us being able to place something there on post and off post. As long as we are there, we'll have plenty of things that will bring a little part of America to those countries. If you've been there then you've seen the influence that America has on the people in those countries. German women LOVE black men. Korean women LOVE white men. Same with Japanese women. Have you ever seen a "thugged out" Korean? Doesn't speak any English but has his pants down to his knees and bounces like he has an ACL tear. I mean come on, who brought that style to other countries? We did. You should take a trip there and see for yourself how much of America you see in these countries. We might be there for other reasons but all the evidence I've seen from being there shows that we have other intentions. Oh, yeah there was no war in Korea when McDonalds moved in because we had already kicked butt and layed down the foundation. Keep in mind also that McDonalds wasn't always a global cooperation. It was an American corp. first!