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Post by Triyun on Nov 17, 2004 16:35:27 GMT -5
Softpower, is the ability to get countries to do what you want without the use of military force. The United States has not been nearly as good as the previous global powers at this.
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Corey
Gamma
~Pink Nazi Pirate Ninja~
Posts: 362
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Post by Corey on Nov 17, 2004 17:34:38 GMT -5
Bleh.
In my mind, this is the real downfall of humanity and society. People like us. But it's human nature to bicker and crap. So it's inevitable, I guess.
Ignorance is bliss.
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Post by DarkAries on Nov 17, 2004 19:33:44 GMT -5
But it's human nature to bicker and crap. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding!! *Field goal is good!!*
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Post by Ai on Nov 17, 2004 19:33:47 GMT -5
Softpower, is the ability to get countries to do what you want without the use of military force. The United States has not been nearly as good as the previous global powers at this. What I meant was, how was Rome or Britian any better? I mean, if you mean these past years (Or the latter years of Rome in it's case), I can see that, but in their prime, they were as blood thirsty and vicious as anything.
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Post by Triyun on Nov 17, 2004 20:52:08 GMT -5
No I'm not saying they didn't spill blood, they were brutal like every other Empire at the time. But up between the Carthaginians and the Goths Rome was able to get any other country to do its bidding.
How the British and Romans did this was by dividing enemies and never letting them stand united against them. The US has in effect done the exact opposite especially under Bush. Nixon to his credit however, did manage to do this with China and the Soviets. But Rice isn't a Kissinger unfortunately.
Iran and Iraq were big enemies, Bush in his 2002 state of the union address brought them closer together. Baathists and Islamists in general were enemies, Bush got them to cooperate to kill us. Rome and Britain always made sure to be firm but not piss off everyone else, to get your friends antagonistic, and your enemies united.
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Post by Meyo-san on Nov 18, 2004 13:39:56 GMT -5
You never fail to elevate yourself above the ignorant, Mav. 1. Canada's Universal Health Care is a joke, the government does not give the hospitals enough money to get the supplies needed. In fact, the last time I was in Canada, it was all over the news about how hospitals were reusing needles, and syringes that they threw out. How would you like to have a used needle that may not have been cleaned well? 2. Canada's government isn't exactly the best government around, I mean, look at the higher taxes, but yet, what do they do with the money? Obviously it doesn't go to the hospitals (see above), their military? Doubt it, seeing how they're a neutral country, they'd only have a force that could only defend themselves. 3. Also they have been known to be doing some equally stupid stuff www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/11/18/submarine_glitch041118.htmlI also found this to be very funny archives.cbc.ca/400d.asp?id=1-69-599-3226&wm6=1As bad as the US can get, not even in the past has the US jailed someone for what they are, not even the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s were blacks jailed because they were black.
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Post by Triyun on Nov 18, 2004 17:33:30 GMT -5
Homosexuality not being illegal anymore is not thanks to the Republicans I can tell you that much. I mean my states very own hypocritical bigot senator Rick Santorum compared the repealling of a anti-sodomy law to legalizing incest and beastiality.
Canada spends a lot of it on social programs, there are other ways to spend money than to destroy life Mav.
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Post by Juan on Nov 18, 2004 18:06:38 GMT -5
than to destroy life Mav. "It is missing the point to think that the martial art is solely in cutting a man down; it is in killing evil. It is in the strategem of killing the evil of one man and giving life to ten thousand" -Yagyu Munenori
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Post by Ai on Nov 18, 2004 20:23:46 GMT -5
"It is missing the point to think that the martial art is solely in cutting a man down; it is in killing evil. It is in the strategem of killing the evil of one man and giving life to ten thousand" -Yagyu Munenori Guys, guys, I know you all love to quote the japs, you're all obsessed with 'em and shit, btu seriously. the way wars and fights are fought today are so different, you can hardly compare them at all. Besides, dropping bombs isn't a fucking ART. I mean no offense to you, Zorak, but saying that dropping bombs, or shooting a gun is an art reaaaallly pisses me off. I pride myself in the martial arts I study.
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Post by Juan on Nov 18, 2004 20:35:54 GMT -5
Its a figure of speech when I quote it, Ai. Its saying that War is neccesary at times.
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Post by Ai on Nov 18, 2004 20:55:02 GMT -5
I know what you mean, but it's a really unfair comparison.
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Post by NeoEllis on Nov 18, 2004 20:59:23 GMT -5
As well as an unrealistic comparison. Any fool can use the object of evil to justify any cause. If you honestly believe that war is a means to an end of evil, then you have truly slipped into the deepest depths of dogma.
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Post by Meyo-san on Nov 19, 2004 12:10:35 GMT -5
Guys, guys, I know you all love to quote the japs, you're all obsessed with 'em and shit, btu seriously. the way wars and fights are fought today are so different, you can hardly compare them at all. Besides, dropping bombs isn't a fucking ART. I mean no offense to you, Zorak, but saying that dropping bombs, or shooting a gun is an art reaaaallly pisses me off. I pride myself in the martial arts I study. I believe that Sun Tzu named his book on military strategy as the "Art of War", but that yet still applies as it is considered to be an essential guide to it. War is war, no matter how it is fought, and there are people who say that fighting (ie street fighting, and stuff) can never be considered arts as well. War, and Martial Arts are the same because of the fact that the Martial Arts began for close combat. Also, the Art of War means the strategy, and you do the same thing for martial arts, don't you? Analyze your opponent's abilities, come up with effective offense, and counters. That is war as well, bombs and guns are only tools in it. Oh, and Triyun, what Zorak meant by the statement was that spending to destroy life, can also be used to save life.
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Post by Infested Manae on Nov 19, 2004 14:50:32 GMT -5
... That clearly stated the known problems couldn't have been caused by the known problems. Why even bring that up? They could repair the problems they knew about when they got it back in their own ports; there wouldn't be much problem going across the atlantic with what they knew about. And second, that other article was from nearly forty years ago. And said quite clearly the laws had been changed. It was a damned 'loophole' of sorts that landed them in jail. But no, blacks weren't jailed during the civil rights movement... they were lynched. Killed. Literally slaughtered like animals. Worse than animals. And state governments turned a blind eye. Oh yeah, it was good to be black in the 60's!
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Post by Triyun on Nov 19, 2004 15:03:28 GMT -5
We treated gays like crap in the 60s also, its just we never had the moral outrage other countries have had, due to a national homophobia.
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