h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm off too.

ES - this is mainly a result of you. If you want a thread where everyone panders to your ignorant stereotyped misinformed viewpoint, then that's what you are going to get...

Let's hope it doesn't echo too much.

Personally, I don't trust some of the people in the Bush administration when it comes to gathering and interpreting intelligence. Colin Powell, for example, is a "team player" not a truth seeker:

"As an Army officer, Powell's superiors considered him a consummate "team player." They could count on Powell to haul their water despite any contradictory feelings he may have had. Powell's blind loyalty was demonstrated during a second tour in Vietnam (1968- 1969), where as deputy assistant chief of staff for operations G-3 at Americal Division headquarters in Chu Lai, he was asked to handle a potentially embarrassing letter a young soldier had written to Gen. Creighton Abrams, commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam.

The soldier had written about rumors of a massacre that Americal Division soldiers had committed in the hamlet of My Lai 4 in South Vietnam. Although he did not mention My Lai in the letter, the soldier complained that Americal soldiers were indiscriminately killing Vietnamese civilians. Such acts, the young soldier warned, "are carried on at entire unit levels and thereby acquire the aspect of sanctioned policy."

Several days after he received a copy of the letter, Powell sent a memo to his superior, the adjutant general, making the outrageous claim that the young soldier had not given enough specifics upon which to base an inquiry. The purposely blind Powell said the soldier's charges were false except for "isolated instances." He wrote that "relations between American soldiers and the Vietnamese are excellent." Powell's damage control efforts soon proved fruitless and the My Lai massacre burst onto the world stage like an atomic explosion, severely damaging the U.S. war effort in Vietnam. On the orders of Lt. William Calley, soldiers from the U.S. Army Americal Division had indeed indiscriminantly gunned down an entire village of men, women and children.

Although Powell's attempt to cover up the massacre was unsuccessful, he had at least proven his willingness to do what was necessary to please his bosses. For his two tours of duty in Vietnam, Powell, who was never exposed to serious combat, was awarded the Purple Heart for a minor foot wound he received after stepping on a "punji stick." He was later awarded a Bronze Star for heroism and the Soldiers Medal for pulling two men free from a non-combat related helicopter crash."

http://www.usvetdsp.com/story13.htm

I'm debating on leaving. I've noticed that every time there's a thread like this, someone has to keep pontificating, at the expense of everyone else.

Too bad, because there's been some interesting things said, and it would be nice to keep it going.

Lots of oil and control of Iran's enemy (8 words)

I'd say A + B, or A,B and E..

<>
Absotively, trunt!

<< there are those who are quite confident to indiscrimately attack me but not confident enough to provide an intelligent answer to the points I've made.>>
I , know the feeling!

Montana, what you say worries me, as I feel the wrong person is being blamed here. All the people who have 'unsubscribed', are of a particular point of view, yet the most difficult and troublesome people remain! (I don't mean ES, obviously.)
But Dave the Oblivious has altered ES' postings to make them mean the opposite of what ES said - why does no one else things that's just plain wrong?
As for Loopyboopy, well, need I say more?

<< no one else things that's just plain wrong?>>
*Thinks*, that word is *thinks*, drat it!

"ES - this is mainly a result of you. If you want a thread where everyone panders to your ignorant stereotyped misinformed viewpoint, then that's what you are going to get..."

Would somebody like to tell me what I've said that ignorant and srereotyped? The only examples of ignorance I can find here are the following;

We've had Dave Capt Obvious who thought it might be clever to go back over some of my previous postings and quote them, except he added his own words and changed the order of mine so they said the opposite of what I originally said. He thought that was clever, but it was simply infantile.

Then we had Sargent flipper, who on post 4219 called me a "sad pathetic New Zelander who wants to blame the US on their lack of being able to find a girlfriend". Can you imagine the reaction if I was to attribute anyone's attitude to their lack of a girlfriend? There'd be outrage. But there's only ever been praise for Flipper.

Then we have fettettbadger who asked me a couple of questions then cast aspertions on my character when I didn't answer them fast enough for him (despite knowing that I live on the opposite side of the world – different time zone.) Then when I did answer his questions he had no adequate response to what I said. So his response was to unsubscribe and imply that it was because of my attitude.

This thread is better off without people like that.

Meanwhile I have said nothing that is not the truth.

Gee, Empty Sky, poor misunderstood you.
I guess when you called Flipper an ignorant homicidal puppet and continually referred to his 286 million or so fellow citizens as fat,stupid and lazy that wasn't insulting stereotyping. I agree that Dave is a troll, but so what? You were the one dumb enough to take the bait and respond to his childishness again and again and again. As far as your insistence everything you say is true; guess what? Everyone thinks that what they have said is true as well. Your inability to logically formulate or respond to any arguement or see things in any shades save black and white (a problem you share with the occupant of the White House) along with your continual use of personal attacks is what is driving people from this thread.

While I agree with you Paperboy, my hope (foolishly held) is that most people are leaving this thread out of sheer boredom. Very little new is offered.

But those things ^are* true, Rev.

Anyone who joins the US military cannot be anything other than an ignorant puppet. If they were capable of intelligent, independant thought they'd realise what a dreadful mistake they're making with their lives.

Many of the things sargentFlipper has said indicate that he relishes killing people from a safe distance.

Americans are fat. That's a demonstrable, statistical fact.

Americans are stupid. The fact that they allow their current, unelected administration to continue proves that.

I've never said americans are lazy. But the term apathetic is appropriate, for the reasons above.

Thanks, ES. You're certainly trying, aren't you? Calling me fat...well, yes. By certain standards, I AM fat. Oh, well.

Calling me stupid, on the other hand, is just rude. I'll admit that I'm no good when it comes to electrical wiring, but I'm far from stupid, as are most of the people I know.

"but I'm far from stupid,"

I only have your word for that, Montana.



No, seriously I don't think you're stupid at all. Obviously, as I've made clear here many times, I meant the majority. There are always exceptions and you are far from typical of your countrymen.

For some reason I'm feeling the urge to say "So?"

So, Americans are fat, stupid, lazy, apathetic and the ignorant ones join the army and are puppets. So? What's your point? If your point is that Americans are fat, stupid, lazy, etc., then the point has been made approximately 48,000 times on this thread already. But where does that leave any of us? Assuming that everyone here says, "yeah, you're right" I'm still going to say, "so?" Is this really what we come to talk about when we see "It's Saddam; it's Bush."? Personally, I came thinking it might be interesting to put the various flaws of the two leaders (and those close to them) and their methods into a metaphoric balance and try to come to some sort of judgement of their individual merits and the merits of their various actions. If we're going to say Americans are fat, stupid, etc. and leave it at that, can't we also say that Iraqis are ? If we can do that, so? It's pointless and it has come from both sides over the course of this thread.

You're absolutely right, Trunt.

You ususlly are.

ES
This thread has been in the doldrums before. They are just carping because they like to carp. Ignore them.

I was getting a bit worried about NZ, ES. Just realized your country of origin.

Glad to see your from there. Always had a high regard for your people and country.

I learned today that you lost souls in the Viet-nam conflict of 60s and 70s. I was amazed that Aus and NZ had allied with the US.

I've read wraith wittering on about something in the past, and that must have been his thought, 'Nam...I thought he meant Korea early 50s.

Way too much backlog

I got an email this morning with
"what do we have to do to stop "1984" ?" in the subject line from a friend in hong kong.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1121981,00.html

Here's part

"Although Reuters has not commented publicly, it is understood that the journalists were "brutalised and intimidated" by US soldiers, who put bags over their heads, told them they would be sent to Guantanamo Bay, and whispered: "Let's have sex."

At one point during the interrogation, according to the family of one of the staff members, a US soldier shoved a shoe into the mouth one of the Iraqis.

The US troops, from the 82nd Airborne Division, based in Falluja, also made the blindfolded journalists stand for hours with their arms raised and their palms pressed against the cell wall.

"They were brutalised, terrified and humiliated for three days," one source said. "It was pretty grim stuff. There was mental and physical abuse."

He added: "It makes you wonder what happens to ordinary Iraqis.""