americans - Page 9

LaBelleDameSansMerci · 02-03-2007, 01:15 AM

That tortilla article sounds ridiculous on the surface, but then one thinks of the wages of the people who are protesting...

Large American companies DO let third-world people starve so they can make a buck. They employ them at wages they can't live off of, because it's the only work people can get, so they exploit that fact.

Cpt Sternn, your arguments are poorly constructed. YOU are the one who steers the topic away. You seem to have dichotomous, radically changing opinions and an inability to recognize the context of what people are saying. You pick out a small thing and try to say that it was the entire point of their argument, or vastly twist what they said, to try to make you seem like the victim. You only look like a duffer.
Also, you are quite naive in thinking that the CDC is infallible, as you implied. If you also believe that statistics are facts and can't be disputed, you're quite naive about that, too. Statistics can be spun to say just about anything. A cold can take a full week and a half to go away if you leave it untreated, but only takes 7-10 days if you take [insert drug here].
I'm not disputing the credibility of your sources, only the validity of what you take from them. Go away, and learn to debate properly, then come back.

ArtificialOne · 02-03-2007, 03:51 PM

Everyone always preaches the evils of american companies. Having traveled to many other countries, US companies pay pretty well considering some local companies. I'll admit the wages are bad compared to US wages, but compared to local company wages they are usually far better. If these countries and or people want the pay to get better than they need to change their labor laws and improve their quality of living.

Once outside the us, weather a company or private citizen, you are subject to that countries rules and laws and not your home countries. If these countries are doing bad overseas then the countries they are doing business in are at fault.

It's hypocritical only to see one side of this article (ie. us companies bad). Regardless of country of origin business will take advantage of rules or lack of them. It's unfair just to look at one country. Lets not forget the multitudes of companies around the world that take advantage of the Kayman Islands and the bank crap that swiss went through the last several decades....

Better farming practies would have saved mexico this problem of a shortage of corn.

tekajo · 02-03-2007, 11:50 PM

Ah, i do miss the Binkie/Shtern Lieasco.

This caught my eye for some reason...

Quote:

I also agree that sending in a handful of troops to help pacify Iraq (which, if I remember correctly, is about as large as fucking Louisiana) will do nothing except result in a body count and a larger budget deficit.

...i never realised Louisiana was quite so large...well i'll be damned.

PinstripesAndPithHelmets · 02-04-2007, 02:33 PM

Well, even if Iraq is larger than Louisiana, that just serves to further illustrate my point. 22,500 troops aint gonna do shit.

CptSternn · 02-05-2007, 03:21 AM

Bink - need I even reply? You claim you are now refusing to post on topic and do not care enough about the other netzens here to even make a competence argument and merely spend your time mounting personal attacks on me. The last bastion of a losing argument, eh?

Pin - As I said before - bush is just trying to hang on instead of actually win. We wants to be out of the white house when the next person calls for a retreat so he can say it wasn't him who called for a retreat. At this point the bush admin doesn't care about body counts or costs - they are merely trying to save face and will do so at the expense of many lives and billions of tax payers monies with little regard for anything other than personal legacies'.

This is futhered by bushs own budget just released today that puts almost 200 billion this year and next year, then assumes by then the war(s) must be over as he has NOTHING alloted after that for Iraq or Afghanistan, and by his calculations the deficit will also be gone by 2012.

EE - also good to see you.

Binkie · 02-05-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CptSternn

You claim you are now refusing to post on topic

Oh, I'm sorry. What's the topic again? Ireland? Iraq? President Bush? Socialism? Please steer us back onto whatever you deem the topic of this thread. Just remember not to make it the one with your weakest arguement.

CptSternn · 02-07-2007, 02:07 AM

The topic is america, and as I stated in my last post, things are looking interesting now that the dems are taking over.

As I states previously, all those gripes I had in this very thread are now being investigated by congress. In fact, a dozen new articles today cover the gambit we see...

Democrats grill US point man in Iraq over missing billions

http://news.**********/s/afp/usiraqp...NDCMDk0Hus0NUE

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Alleging incompetence and cronyism, US House Democrats opened an investigation into billions of missing dollars meant for rebuilding Iraq under former Coalition Provisional Authority head Paul Bremer.

"There were extraordinary reports last fall that the CPA was filled with inexperienced and unqualified political cronies," House government reform committee head Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record) said.

"This hearing will give us a chance to probe these allegations and find out what role incompetence and political cronyism played in the debacle that Iraq has become," he said...

ALSO...

Water deal illuminates secret contracts

http://news.**********/s/ap/cia_corr...1oGtlp6.Gs0NUE

WASHINGTON -
CIA officers operating in northern
Iraq bought drinking water from a bottling plant there for years prior to the 2003 invasion that ousted
Saddam Hussein.

That changed soon afterward. A CIA officer handling logistics for the Middle East and other regions recommended that an American company provide water and other supplies, according to former government officials.

The U.S. contractor that benefited from the multimillion-dollar deal wasn't just anyone. The company had personal ties to the officer, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who would soon leave his logistics post in Frankfurt, Germany, and move to Washington to become the CIA's third-ranking official.

In at least one written communication, a Baghdad CIA officer complained about the no-bid contract. According to one official, the officer believed the deal was simply unnecessary because safe water was available commercially, but he was ignored.

The water contract, while small on the scale of the billions that flowed into Iraq, raises questions about why U.S. taxpayer dollars went to well-connected businessmen rather than Iraqis who could have benefited from a share of postwar reconstruction business. And the case provides a window into the murky world of covert government business arrangements.

Foggo retired from the CIA last year. He is now at the center of a federal investigation, nearing completion, into whether he improperly steered contracts to companies controlled by his best friend, San Diego defense contractor Brent Wilkes.

Federal prosecutors in San Diego are preparing to seek indictments against Foggo and Wilkes on charges of honest services fraud and conspiracy, two government officials familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press last week...

The whole bush administration fleecing the american people by using no-bid contracts in Iraq and only using bush friends and buisiness partners has been something I posted about many times in a few threads here. Now there are multiple investigations AND a congressional committee looking into it. It will be interesting to see what comes of these.

Lets also not forget...

Democrats rip EPA chief over reforms

http://news.**********/s/ap/congress...6muVZBlCCs0NUE

WASHINGTON - The head of the
Environmental Protection Agency faced down hostile critics Tuesday in his first committee appearance before the Democratic-led Congress, denying accusations that agency decisions last year rolled back environmental safeguards.

"These decisions and actions all accelerate the pace of environmental protection. They all deliver environmental results," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

"Nobody's fooled by this," responded the new committee chair, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer (news, bio, voting record) of California.

"EPA has gone too long without meaningful oversight," she said, contending the changes "benefit polluters' bottom line and they hurt our communities."

At issue were a number of changes EPA made last year, including a new policy that reduces the role of scientists in setting air pollution standards; a move to raise the threshold for reporting releases of toxic chemicals; and the shuttering of five agency libraries where the public could look at scientific and health documents...

I also had a big post on this. Once again, new committee looking into it.

http://news.**********/s/ap/20070207...M4nhxH79us0NUE

And finally, bush intentionally leaving out children's health coverage in leui of more guns for the army in Iraq. Thats right, bush is more worried about sending more guns in to Iraq than he is the health of children in america. That pretty much sums up my argument on bush. I mean, if you didn't already know that the school system, public works, and other systems in america have been classed as second best in comparison to the Iraq war, well here is some solid evidence that the repubs and bush admin care nothing for the average joe and are happy to send billions to start war instead of help sick children at home.

Binkie · 02-07-2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CptSternn

The topic is america, and as I stated in my last post, things are looking interesting now that the dems are taking over.

Actually it's about Americans. You know - private citizens? And it was only created as a pathetic attempt to back up one of your random and unfounded attacks on some other member three years ago that broke out into an indiscriminate tirade on your behalf. All this other crap needs to go into your 10+ other Iraq threads.

What ever happened with Nukusaa? Did you send him the info? I hope you're not trying to sweep all of that under the rug... not after you told another member, who is a real US serviceman, you hoped he died in Iraq soon - then go on here claiming you were in his same position and you should be respected for it.

raggedyanne · 02-07-2007, 12:00 PM

dude, democrats are the sane ones. Fuck Bush. End of story.

ArtificialOne · 02-07-2007, 01:19 PM

Sorry raggedy, that’s a very childish outlook on things.

I'm so tired of "hate bush" speak. Every pres has been bashed now and then. I just wish that these people that hate bush so much would also look at all the other politicians and see the same hypocrisy. We need more oversite on both sides. Things often happen when you are looking in other directions.

As far as dems go, I just wish they wouldn't manufacture candidates based on polls. And have some people step up with some real ideas and plans, not a smile and good stuff to say at the tv....

Tha Duckman · 02-07-2007, 01:36 PM

I'm afraid of Americans.

Godslayer Jillian · 02-07-2007, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raggedyanne

dude, democrats are the sane ones.

Sane ones? Democrats are either very smart (the top 5%) or simply idiotic. Every fool that can vote and doesn't want to sound old or close-minded becomes a Democrat.
How are Democrats the sane ones? Both parties use the money from the retirement fund. By the time my generation has 40 years old, there will be no retirement fund. But guess what? The Republicans are least are supposed to invest that money. The Democrats simply take it.
But that's a small thing.
How about a bigger one?
The welfare system.
The welfare system is nothing but a low blow from the democrats to get lazy people's votes.
The consequence?
Taxpayers' money is wasted on people that would rather have one more kid than go to work; on people that have become too lazy to work for their most basic needs; on people that believe money from the government is a right, not a privilege.

Quote:

Fuck Bush.

Very mature.

Quote:

End of story.

Very arbitrary.

PinstripesAndPithHelmets · 02-07-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArtificialOne

As far as dems go, I just wish they wouldn't manufacture candidates based on polls. And have some people step up with some real ideas and plans, not a smile and good stuff to say at the tv....

Yeah, real ideas and plans. Republicans have those. Like invading Iraq! And then disbanding the Iraqi military, which had previously been slated to take over security duties in the post-Saddam world. That plan worked GREAT! It's turning out so WELL for everyone! And by everyone, I mean shareholders in Halliburton. Yeee haw!

Tha Duckman · 02-07-2007, 07:19 PM

You know what I like? Waffles. Waffles are great.

PinstripesAndPithHelmets · 02-07-2007, 07:26 PM

Waffles. I concede the point to you on that score.

Tha Duckman · 02-07-2007, 07:46 PM

Yeah, I fuckin' rule...

raggedyanne · 02-07-2007, 08:24 PM

fine, I'm childlish, but I'm 14, I'm allowed to be childish. I still don't apreciate his politics.

Tha Duckman · 02-07-2007, 08:25 PM

Watch what you about Senetor Waffle. He has ears every where...

raggedyanne · 02-07-2007, 08:30 PM

Yes,respect the all powerfull Senetor Waffle and his secret syrup-men

Tha Duckman · 02-07-2007, 08:40 PM

They're watching us even now...

Dodododododododo

^That's meant to be the twilight zone theme tune, but it doesn't work so well on the web.

raggedyanne · 02-07-2007, 09:05 PM

Y'know; they have reruns of twilight zone on scifi. Really funny.

What can we do to make the evil Senator Waffle stop watching us? Walk around naked? Steal the secret syrup recipie?

Tha Duckman · 02-07-2007, 09:30 PM

Neither. He would just masterbate furiously at the sight of us naked, and this is how he makes his syrup. What we gotta do is kill as many puppies as you can, and white your butts on fluffy white rabbits.

CptSternn · 02-08-2007, 01:43 AM

...In a follow up to the previously posted article -

http://news.**********/s/usnews/cong...ENc1lNaw6s0NUE

Congress Probes Departures of U.S. Attorneys

The departure of nearly a dozen U.S. attorneys--including some overseeing high-profile politically charged criminal investigations--has sparked congressional inquiries as to whether the Justice Department is politicizing the hiring and firing of federal prosecutors. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty was in the hot seat today answering just that very question before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

IF you read the full article there you will see the federal prosecuting attorney who has so far broguth charges against multiple cia agents and which the previous article spoke of was 'dismissed' (ie. fired) by the bush administration. Turns out, thats not the first. There are a few federal prosecutors who have recently been sacked by the bush admin for investigating money laundering in Iraq.

Even with bush firing the attorney that built this case, it still made page 1 today...

http://news.**********/s/ap/20070208...UVAC36db.s0NUE

..except now a new federal prosecutor has been assigned - one hand picked by the bush administration to lead the trial.

Drake Dun · 02-08-2007, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tha Duckman

I'm afraid of Americans.

How dare you! You are a terrorist! A... hmm. I know, a FEAR-terrorist! That's like a cyber-terrorist, except, uh, with fear. Start listening for jet engines, pal. Our bombers are on their way.

Drake

nuksaa · 02-08-2007, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binkie

What ever happened with Nukusaa? Did you send him the info?

Nothing sent that I am aware. Granted I have been busy recently and haven't had the time to access the PC recently.