Yeah, there's no doubt that the Washington stats were skewed. I'm wondering if someone picked up on an exceptionally bad month and went to town...

No sir! It has always been bad. I worked one block outside of Washington (Oxon Hill)...it was just bad no matter what time of day. To be honest Jim, the with exception of The Mall(Capitol Hill) and a few afluent spots...the city is a disgrace. You know, when you have a mayor caught on tape with a crack pipe and a whore....there has got to be trouble. Google Marion Barry....

Yep, same thing here in Holland when 1 guy bites the bullet. Big national drama. What the h**l did they expect?! A frickin picknick?!

Though it has to be said that IMHO the army itself is to blaim in this; they promote themselves as a great opportunity to start a career and get an education. Kids around here (I don't call 'm kids because of their age) don't join out of patriotism or because they want to fight for something good, it's because they see a career opportunity. The fact that you get sent on mission out of country is cleverly left out of the promotional material...

"You want to work on apache's, or even fly them? Want to ride in a tank? Want exictement and an education? Join the army!"

I call those guys kids because they actually fall for the propaganda without realizing they could die while in service. :nope:

I thought the war ended a few years ago. It actually is a rate for occupying/peacekeeping, isn't it?:06:

LOL

(you joke, yes?)

Umm, what exactly do you consider a war?

As far as I know there has been no declared end to the Iraq war.

Technically, there wasn't a declared beginning to the Iraq War. In any case, it can hardly be called a "war" during the last few years.

Maybe my memory doesn't serve right here, but didn't G.W. Bush declare the operation accomplished on that carrier a few years ago? I thought that was the official end of the "war".http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/s...onfus/c010.gif

It was Mission Accomplished and there are usually multiple missions that need to be accomplished before a war is over.

Quite a colourful character by all accounts :DL

http://www.nndb.com/people/892/000023823/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ndal/barry.htm

The world would not be as interesting of a place without Marion "The B*tch Set Me Up" Barry.

To be fair, the DC has been cleaned up a lot since the 70's and 80's. Barry didn't have much to do with that, although his successor Anthony Williams deserves some credit.

Like any other town there are spots that are just awful. Basically I scoot down PA Ave right to the mall area for the museums. Adams Morgan was a nice spot as well as Georgetown. DC just might get statehood.

Military missions doesn't equal war.

I got really pissed when Barry closed down the 14th Street "attractions". That was some interesting place to hang out. Like a mini Las Vegas but instead of gambling there was porn, hookers, clip joints, and sex shops. Quite the tourist attraction. :yeah:

All gone now. :wah:

Berry's pledge was to get cocaine off the streets....one gram at a time. :nope:

Yes but wars have military missions. :D

Now why would POTUS fly to a carrier just to announce that a mission was successful while the war is still raging on??? To me it looked more like he announced victory...:hmmm:

I don't think anyone doubts that this was nothing more than a political stunt. A little premature, but still a stunt.

It is what politicians do. :know:

Lets get this straight once and for all. It wasn't a stunt, at least not one having anything to do with Bush or the end of the war.

The carrier Bush gave the speech on had just completed a 6 month tour of duty in the gulf and was on it's way home. That mission accomplished sign was put up by the ships command for the crews benefit and was in reference to the ships successful deployment, much like how submariners will tie a broomstick to their periscope to signify a successful cruise, NOT the end of a war that was still very much being actively fought.

Now, were Bushes PR people wrong for letting him be photographed with that sign in the background? The "hindsight is 20-20" answer is yes, given the incorrect assumptions our foreign friends have had over this for over half a decade now.

But one also has to question how much of these incorrect assumptions are related to their deep seated anti-Bush prejudices? After all I've never heard people so predisposed to hating a man as Euros are about our former president.

Not just Euros. You should talk to my roommate. Anything bad anybody says about anything current, "Well, it can't be as bad as the last eight years!"