Finally, a black man voting for McCain

[grayston]

I'm having difficulty finding the exact words, but Obama said he would meet with Ahmedenijad without preconditions. That means while Iran is still threatening to blow up Israel and is sending guns and ammo to terrorists who kill women and children in Iraq, Obama would calmly sit down and talk him out of it.

To be honest, the original problem is that the U.S. has put itself in a bad position by being so close to Iran by virtue of the invasion of Iraq (which was, in hindsight, a very bad idea). This puts the U.S. in the bind of trying to defend territory without starting a war. The Iranians know this and that is why they are screwing with the U.S.

However, I do NOT believe the answer to to ask nicely for them to stop. I'm not sure what should be done but that is not it.

I see. So when you see a bully on the playground, you first want him to stop kicking the first-grader before you ask him to stop kicking the first-grader.

So, you can't tell him you want him to stop before he stops.

And you don't want anyone else to try to convince him to stop, before he stops.

Um...

You do not make sense, my friend.

 

[Amerikanse]

I see. So when you see a bully on the playground, you first want him to stop kicking the first-grader before you ask him to stop kicking the first-grader.

So, you can't tell him you want him to stop before he stops.

And you don't want anyone else to try to convince him to stop, before he stops.

Um...

You do not make sense, my friend.

If someone is threatening you or bullying you, you tell them to stop, with a gun pointed at their head. The U.S. has a gun pointed as Iran, but Iran knows the U.S. can't pull the trigger right now. However, I think it would display weakness for the U.S. to negotiate without preconditions. That's like saying "stop it" without a loaded gun in your hand. You can talk all you want, but the mugger isn't going to listen to you. And why should they?

 

[Kompete]

My sig line says it all. Basically I enjoy interacting with you people, even if we don't always see eye to eye. A lot of Americans have nothing but disdain for how foreigners see their country, but I think getting an outside perspective is refreshing and vital. A country with as much international presence as the U.S. cannot make the mistake of having a close-minded, stubborn approach to the world at large, When you do that...well, you wind up where the U.S. is now.

So you are an American. Emigrated there? From where?

The way in which you engage the topic, does not sound at all as if you are trying to get an outside perspective. Perhaps you are looking for affirmation of your beliefs outside of your country, since you are struggling to find that at home?

 

[Alan]

Who cares where he's from. He's entitled to post his opinions on any topic in this forum as long as he abides by the rules.

 

[Amerikanse]

So you are an American. Emigrated there? From where?

The way in which you engage the topic, does not sound at all as if you are trying to get an outside perspective. Perhaps you are looking for affirmation of your beliefs outside of your country, since you are struggling to find that at home?

Like I said, we don't always agree. Would you rather Americans engage in dialogue with the world, or do you want them to keep saying "screw you, shut up, and let us bomb who we want?" We may still bomb people, but let's not make it for lack of advice not to. Anti-foreigner sentiment as a matter of principle runs high in many places.

Listening to the viewpoint of a group of people with inherently different perspective is very enlightening. I remember thinking at the beginning of the war in Iraq--I was living in Cape Town at the time--that the rest of the world had it wrong and that the war was good, just and prudent. I'm glad to say my opinions have changed since then, in part because of some truth I have found on this board. No one can stay a neo-con--which I was--if he travels much on the internet.

Hope that helps.

 

[Claymore]

No, I don't think it's fair. You're talking to a man who would like to see income tax abolished entirely. But an acceptable step forward would be to even out the tax bracket for those making $40-$50k and up. As in, a flat percentage.

What sort of flat percentage do you think would work well for the top rate? And how are you going to explain to those making between probably $40K and $150K-$200K why their taxes have gone up so much?