mmmm, struggle for the holy cities and therefor power in the middle east?, Bin Laden had not only difference of opinion with the USA but really wanted to expose the Saoudi Princes as collaborators of the infidels/cristians/jews etc?
No, not holy cities. US troops garrisoned deep in the deserts was the trigger. Overthrow of Saudi regime is the goal.
With the garrisoned troops out of the way, the time would be ripe for uprise of his sunni tribemembers... I do not symphatize with bin laden at all, but I think that with the installment of this uglie bananarepublic regime, ground was given for movements like al-quaida to develope.
The mere fact that there were American soldiers on sacred Arabian lands was enough to piss off Bin Laden. Bin Laden has no love for the royal family but I think he would much rather prefer to have them in power then another occupation. The US cannot invade Saudi it is simply too complex, and it is a powder keg waiting for the spark.
To Al-Qaeda, Saudi monarchy is the essence of American Occupation. Iraq was the spark, 1000 fuses are lit, and the Bush cabinet is going "(gulp)" Because they are very afraid, and will continue taking unecessary risks in panic. Watch and see.
If you are referring to the Saud family as the "uglie bananarepublic regime", I have a question: Who installed this regime? posted by Hype: What do you mean by that Hype. That could be construed in several different ways. On a tangent, Hype, tell me again which branch of the service you were in, and what you did. TIA.
The Saudi monarchy is perceived as a typical American-sponsored tin-pot puppet monarchy because it is. The only friends the Saudi family has are the ones they have bought. Nobody is really afraid of them in Washington or Riyadh. Because this is becoming common knowledge, something very momentous is about to happen in Arabia. I served proudly in the US Navy. I was a submariner and a translator. I was properly debriefed.
I always hate threadjacks, and this isn't meant to be one, but I have a question Hype about your sub service. I was watching a show on NYT/DISC about North Korea the other day, and during the course of an interview with an analyst about NK he made the comment that NK has the world's largest Sub fleet. This was surprising to me. Do you know anything about their Sub fleet? What are the numbers, who made the subs, etc. TIA.
Not a clue, not my area. Lots of old diesel or turbo-electric attack boats are for sale, though- not just Russian but NATO and even yellow ones to all live in.
Weird. I would have thought a former Submariner would have a little inside knowledge on the boats. I wonder which NATO nations would be willing to sell U-Boats to North Korea? So which boat were you on? Was it an Ohio class boomer, a Dallas class attack boat? Where were you based?
Draft = Slavery I don't know if our government will ever reinstate the draft, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it happened. Americans are already being prepared for this "patriotic" form of slavery by the growing practice of "mandatory volunteerism" required by many public and private schools. Slavery for the benefit of the community is one step away from slavery for the benefit of the nation. I think there are plenty of people out there who would be very happy to commandeer a few years of a high school graduate's life to fulfill some bullshit political agenda, and I have heard (though not done research to confirm) that national service is the policy of at least a few European countries. "Live free or die!" - New Hampshire state motto EDIT: Yay me, I did some quick research. Here is a list of nations who apparently use conscription (slavery): Conscription - Wikipedia Words of wisdom from the great one: "Conscription is slavery, and I don't think that any people or nation has a right to save itself at the price of slavery for anyone, no matter what name it is called. If a country can't save itself through the volunteer service of its own free people, then I say: Let the damned thing go down the drain!" - Robert A. Heinlein
In defense of hypewaders, being a Navy veteran doesn't mean you will have current inside information on the state of other nations' navies.
I only sailed the Med and black sea, and never saw any Yellow Submarines. Never saw anything, come to think of it.
What is a "Yellow Submarine" (besides a shitty movie)? Is that naval slang for something or does it refer to a submarine that is literally yellow?
I'm just being stupid Yellow:Korean Sub:Blind, I know less about a submarine than a subway, although I've been a passenger on both, and have even had a submarine in a subway, come to think of it. Anyway, the conversation doesn't get deeper over here at my end of the pool, Gene.
Well a draft seem inevetable.. However, the probability of this happening depends in how many seats can the Dem's regain in both houses, thus if we have a Pres. Rep-idiot, it makes easy for him to do anything a clean bill if most Rep's win both houses again. However if we have a split with the idiot on top, but a majority in both houses Dem's the idiot won't be able to do much. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Lets not forget that tiny detail, when the pundit claimed the Patriot Act would end in 2005, the whole public of reps applauded, showing a hint of dissesnt angainst these Patriotic Acts, thus the retard, threatens once again the we are not out of danger and that we will be always in danger. Fear, bring them on, keep the gullible thinking we have enemies within. Hell it had worked for other tirants and it is apparently working here. Godless.
I occasionally hear Americans talk of "peace through superior firepower." But that's not peace; that's a stand-off. Israel has machine gun toting Jews on nearly every other street corner of their country, and still their buses and resturants are exploding. If you give people reasons to hate you then you'll never be safe, whether you've turned your home into an armed camp or not. The Cheny/Bush doctrine is to say "Fuck You" to the world and then quickly circle the wagons. For them it's all about Orange Alerts and finger printing; it's all about intimidation. If another terrorist attack comes, then Bush can tell us that it reinforces the need to stay his course. If another attack does not come, then Bush can use this as proof of how he's protecting us. Fear is an incredibly powerful weapon, and Bush currently has the American people pissing themselves out of fear. Did we allow Bush to invade Iraq after a careful and calm deliberation? It was exactly the opposite. Bush beat the wardrums, louder and louder for weeks on end. Still shaken and confused over 9/11, we allowed ourselves to be bullied into submission. People strike-out against their neighbor because they're angry or afraid. Sometimes this anger and fear is warrented; at other times it's merely an expression of our weakness. I've not seen America in such a weakened and confused state since the Vietnam war. We Americans are sailing on a ship commanded by a vicious punk; a punk that commands out of fear and intimidation. The problem for the world is that he isn't at the helm of a hospital boat or a cruise ship; instead, it's the most formidable warship that the world has ever known. Bush was given the helm by a court decision. He lost the popular vote, which, in a democracy is no small trifle. Most political observers thought that a president who has come to power by such a tenuous thread would steer a course of moderation. But 9/11 gave him the power that democracy denied him. I don't need to recount what's happened since then, but I worry far more what he would do if the American people actually voted him into power. If they give him a landslide victory along with both the House and the Senate there's gonna be a bad moon on the rise. Michael