29 replies to this topic 1 votes

[compl3x]

Brando212, on 22 February 2013 - 03:51, said:

ooh we send them food and supplies every now and then. I honestly wouldn't call that helping to fix things
if we were serious about helping countries like Africa we'd actually take the initiative and build up some towns with businesses to get them started on maintaining themselves instead of spending trillions on ourselves building new baseball fields and such that we don't really need

you get what I'm trying to say? I realize we provide aid but it really feels like we're just doing the least amount we have to in order not to get bashed for being selfish or whatever

The problem is that you would also need round-the-clock security because so many villages, towns and small businesses are attacked by militias and militants who steal everything of value and rape and kill members of the village.

Religious conflict is tearing the continent apart on a daily basis. It's not enough domestic religious nutcases are destroying any semblances of civilisation, but foreign religious powers are entering the continent and meddling in their affairs. Usually with catastrophic consequences.

The entire continent is a disaster area, and unless you had worldwide intervention, which would be accused of being imperialism, nothing there will ever change. If developed nations sent heaps of money, or none at all, it seems the outcome doesn't change.

[BlueScreenOfDeath]

Brando212, on 22 February 2013 - 03:51, said:

ooh we send them food and supplies every now and then. I honestly wouldn't call that helping to fix things
if we were serious about helping countries like Africa we'd actually take the initiative and build up some towns with businesses to get them started on maintaining themselves instead of spending trillions on ourselves building new baseball fields and such that we don't really need

Gee i'm pretty sure every european in this forum got on America's ass about this for attempting to do the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq... its commonly refered to as "nation building" ...no we give them aid money to use as they please - hence why its 'aid' - if they choose to spend it on AK-47s and other things besides food, and developement then that is their problem...and second of all what is wrong with taking the money we make for profit in this country and developing new things like museums, parks, stadiums...etc

Brando212, on 22 February 2013 - 03:51, said:

you get what I'm trying to say? I realize we provide aid but it really feels like we're just doing the least amount we have to in order not to get bashed for being selfish or whatever

Top 10 Countries recieving aid from the US

Tanzania ($531 million)
Ethiopia ($580 million)
Nigeria ($625 million)
Kenya ($625 million)
Jordan ($676 Million)
Egypt ($1.557 billion)
Iraq ($1.683 billion)
Pakistan ($2.102 billion)
Afghanistan ($2.327 billion)
Israel ($3.075 billion)

These are the top 10 that recieve the most aid the United States continues to pump around $50 billion in aid to other countries each year. I don't know about you but that 50 billion can be better spent here at home.. on schools and other things. So don't ever assume for a minute we don't give 'enough' because we far out pace the rest of the world in aid.

[+hedleigh]

Do I think the deserve a medal? No, not really.
Achievement unlocked maybe.
Sitting in a room playing what amounts to a war game is not my idea of what a soldier does. No emotional attachment to the seriousness of what they are doing.

Killing people from the other side of the planet is an abhorrent form of warfare IMO.

[seta-san]

Such a pathetic thread.

You can call this pathetic only after the U.K. stops knighting musician hacks like John Lenon and starts giving the honor back to the military.

[Dushmany]

Wait a sec, although I do symathise, isn't this the whole point of a drone? Send in a drone, effective killing machine, if destroyed, no allied life lost?
Now for the GTA reference, how many points did he score?

[compl3x]

seta-san, on 22 February 2013 - 07:32, said:

Such a pathetic thread.

You can call this pathetic only after the U.K. stops knighting musician hacks like John Lenon and starts giving the honor back to the military.

(ノ・∀・)ノ

[rfirth]

Order_66, on 22 February 2013 - 03:34, said:

I wouldn't like knowing that I sent a drone in that killed 100 people, helluva thing to live with.

No different from physically piloting the plane that kills 100 people. You still have to live with it either way.

hedleigh, on 22 February 2013 - 06:54, said:

Do I think the deserve a medal? No, not really.
Achievement unlocked maybe.
Sitting in a room playing what amounts to a war game is not my idea of what a soldier does. No emotional attachment to the seriousness of what they are doing.

You still have to live with the fact you took lives. I bet there is a huge emotional attachment, despite the fact that there is no physical danger to the operator.

[+hedleigh]

rfirth, on 22 February 2013 - 08:17, said:

No different from physically piloting the plane that kills 100 people. You still have to live with it either way.

You still have to live with the fact you took lives. I bet there is a huge emotional attachment, despite the fact that there is no physical danger to the operator.

So how would you describe the feeling if you had to line them up in your sights?
Not much room to move after calling the other one huge.

I just can't see how it would affect you as much when there is absolutely no danger to yourself.

[Neobond]

Edited the topic title, the previous was pure flame bait.

Also, it takes a lot of skill to fly a drone from a remote location I'd bet!

[Dushmany]

Neobond, on 22 February 2013 - 09:21, said:

Edited the topic title, the previous was pure flame bait.

Also, it takes a lot of skill to fly a drone from a remote location I'd bet!

Thank you
I was running out of pseudo witty things to post in order to try to keep the attention off the title

[FlintyV]

seta-san, on 22 February 2013 - 07:32, said:

Such a pathetic thread.

You can call this pathetic only after the U.K. stops knighting musician hacks like John Lenon and starts giving the honor back to the military.

Please, the amount of culture and by far one of the best musicians John Lennon. A huge amount of music can be traced back to the Beatles. ... The sheer ignorance of that statement is astounding.

John Lennon also returned his MBE in protest the America's war in Vietnam, amongst other things.

"I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts."

BlueScreenOfDeath, on 22 February 2013 - 04:22, said:

I don't know about you but that 50 billion can be better spent here at home.. on schools and other things. So don't ever assume for a minute we don't give 'enough' because we far out pace the rest of the world in aid.

In terms of GDP which is really a more important figure to the country who's giving the aid, the US is one of the lowest contributors. The UN recommends a target of 0.7 GDP for Foreign Aid and the US manages a paltry 0.19, falling far below other nations and the UN's target.

A lot of that Aid also doesn't just shoot of to a foreign country but is used to purchase stuff from the US. Goods and services that then go to the countries in need. So the fact you think they can choose what to spend the money on is completely wrong.

So while the US gives the most in actual dollar sums it's one of the lowest (ungenerous) in terms of actual contributors of % of GDP.



----

Can't say I agree with giving drone pilots a medal. I was under the belief that medals were given as a show of courage and bravery, doesn't seem to go along with a pilot remotely killing people from 1000+ miles away at a press of button.

[Tom]

The drones program should be stopped completely imo although stopping them from targetting people without a trial is more important.

[- Kaboose -]

anyone who flies an automated drone and kills innocent people, and then gets a medal like a military monkey is the biggest coward ever. Only Americans can think of something like this. Oh and Btw, not the whole of Africa is a :disaster area" as compl3x so ignorantly put it, ever heard of SOUTH AFRICA?! Wow, talk about stupidity on an elevated level.....

[Richteralan]

seta-san, on 22 February 2013 - 07:32, said:

Such a pathetic thread.

You can call this pathetic only after the U.K. stops knighting musician hacks like John Lenon and starts giving the honor back to the military.

Not sure if the military becomes a religion or what.

But the sheer stupidity, bigotry, and blind worship demonstrated in this post clearly says the military in the USA became a religion.
Anything that challenges the religion receives these kind of reply.

Welcome to the middle-ages, USA.

[Growled]

A shame and a disgrace.