Al Quaeda threat diminished - or not?

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Can you really blame it? When the entire world continually dumps all over you, you tend to not want to engage with it any more.

Well i guess it depends on how you see this 'who dumps on who'

But even then ..
https://www.google.com/search?q=US+b...w=1402&bih=816

Isolation, looks different ..


Regarding terrorists they were and will always be a threat. The question is if all the world's good citizens have to live in fear, all of the time.
And if i look at 'Gladio' or the spanish subway bombing, the agents provocateurs of all those secret services the world over trying to justify their existence by blaming their actions on 'terrorists, i sometimes ask myself who the real terrorists are.

[MH]

The presence in europe is striking.
Relics of the time when europeans did all the whining and americans all the spending.

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by MH

The presence in europe is striking.
Relics of the time when europeans did all the whining and americans all the spending.

So would you say that things have changed ?

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Skybird

The question is how it will end: simply sinking in, and disappearing, or unleashing a huge war in a desperate effort to find relief from the financial strangling by debts.

That, mein freund, is the $14 trillion question, and I don't think there's anyone on this Earth who can tell you the answer.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Oberon

That, mein freund, is the $14 trillion question, and I don't think there's anyone on this Earth who can tell you the answer.

But I can guarantee you one thing: the debts in existence today will never be payed back in compliance with the currently formulated rules. No politicians seriously intends to seriously try to pay back these stellar ammounts of debts. Not in America. Not in Europe. Not in Japan or elsewhere.

The 20th century has seen over half a hundred hyperinflations, with the German one after WWI being the most famous. And all major powers in Europe in the past 500 years have defaulted not just once, but several times. The record I think is held by Philipp IV. of Spain in the 17th century, who managed to go bankrupt FOUR times during his four decades-reign.

The vast majority of these crisis were caused by costs of wars, resulted in wars or were tried to get rid of by wars.

what it comes down to, is this: states act as if the words "debtor" and "credit" have no meaning for them at all and the moral obligation to pay back what you have lend is a demand not valid for states. States instead try to prevent banks and markets to react to the increased risks such an uncredible credfitor means: by raising the interest rates. If you commit a crime and police investigators are on your track, dismantle the police and delete according laws - it pays off to be a legislation and taxation monopolist. Problem solved.

And that will lead to nothing good, and will go on at the cost of the young people (with the not so young doing their share to maintain these circumstances, agreed - I see no innocent victims in the West's drama anymore except little children. We all are accomplices in crime).

But we can resist to play by these rules for selfish reasons, within the limits of our personal little life's meaning. That way, maybe, we become a little bit less guilty. But friends we make that way - not. More likely that we will be attacked for daring to dirty the nest with our rejection to solidarize ourselves with the immoral acting of the mobs and leaders.

[Platapus]

For the US MIC to continue to grow, there always has to be an "enemy". You should have seen the sweating and scrambling after the Wall and the Soviets went down. Two words struck terror in the military-- Peace Dividend.

We are actually quite lucky as currently we have the best of several environments.

1. We have the "threat" from China to justify the big expensive offensive projects
2. We have the "threat" from Iran to justify the smaller defensive and intelligence projects.
3. We have the "threat" from terrorists to justify the expansion of the MIC into the domestic civilian world. Talk about business development!

All of these "force" the US into more MIC spending.. .uh.. I mean borrowing.

Honestly, if you were planning it, I don't think you could come up with a more advantageous environment for the MIC than what we have now.

Not that I am complaining. It is the ravenous maw of the MIC that keeps food on my table.

[Wolferz]

"Is looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, then applying all the wrong remedies." ~Groucho Marx

[Skybird]

The art of politics is to see people living their lives door to door and mindign their private businesses, then messing their lives up and ruining what they achieved, and finally telling them: "if you vote for me, I will solve your worries!"

[MH]

Originally Posted by Skybird

The art of politics is to see people living their lives door to door and mindign their private businesses, then messing their lives up and ruining what they achieved, and finally telling them: "if you vote for me, I will solve your worries!"

Interesting that you define this in such a way.
With politicians people usually see what they want to see.