Who do you think is the greatest threat to world peace?

Hard to vote for a single candidate in that lot (and it'd probably help if Israel and Al Qaeda were spelt proper)... with Armadinejad at the helm, Iran has to top that list as things stand; however, with Bush (and his cronies) running things, the USA is a very, very close second.  Both are likely to change soon, however.

ISTM that having Al Q in there is a bit of a distraction: they're the only one in there that *wants* to be a threat to world peace, but they're not able to unless we, the general Western public, let them.

   None of the above...

  Faith based beliefs and organized religion...

My leftie friends would say USA.  Right now conservatives would say Iran.  I'm hesitant to point the finger at any one actor because there are so many cause-and-effect relationships involved. 

Certainly sovereign states such as the USA, Iran, China, and Israel have more capacity to threaten international peace than do paramilitary or terrorist groups. 

It's definitely not France, though Sarkozy probably gets a big woody fantasizing about it when he goes in for the evening to build his model jet fighters!
:D

My leftie friends would say USA.  Right now conservatives would say Iran.  I'm hesitant to point the finger at any one actor because there are so many cause-and-effect relationships involved. 

Certainly sovereign states such as the USA, Iran, China, and Israel have more capacity to threaten international peace than do paramilitary or terrorist groups. 

It's definitely not France, though Sarkozy probably gets a big woody fantasizing about it when he goes in for the evening to build his model jet fighters!
:D


  Good morning, sir.  You're up early...

  Somehow I overlooked France on the poll...

  I'm sorry, but we only serve freedom fries, here...

That all depends on who you're talking to.  Most people world wide thinks it's the US.

   Good morning, sir.  You're up early...

   Somehow I overlooked France on the poll...

   I'm sorry, but we only serve freedom fries, here...

If I am truly free, I am free to call them French fries, am I not?

Of the list, I'd say Al Quida.

If I could've voted "Other", I would've chosen the military industrial complex.

Of the list, I'd say Al Quida.

If I could've voted "Other", I would've chosen the military industrial complex.

Thing is, Al Qaeda are already trying as hard as they can to threaten world peace - their problem is that (pretty much by definition) anybody willing to be duped into thinking that their aims are religious rather than political and fanatical enough to die for that is lacking not just the "common sense" gene, but also humanity, rationality and basic intelligence.  To get people like this to do anything complex (like flying a plane into a building, for example) is not easy - the combination of malevolence and cupidity is pretty rare.  The shame is that there are still a few stupid enough to answer the call.

The military-industrial complex... funny, just writing that makes me think of Rayt Marius (who, if you believe your Saint books, would have started WWII ten years earlier so that he could make money on the back of arms sales to both sides)... yes, I think that in many ways putting profit over human life possibly is one of the most destabilizing forces around at the moment.

Thing is, Al Qaeda are already trying as hard as they can to threaten world peace - their problem is that (pretty much by definition) anybody willing to be duped into thinking that their aims are religious rather than political and fanatical enough to die for that is lacking not just the "common sense" gene, but also humanity, rationality and basic intelligence.  To get people like this to do anything complex (like flying a plane into a building, for example) is not easy - the combination of malevolence and cupidity is pretty rare.  The shame is that there are still a few stupid enough to answer the call.

The military-industrial complex... funny, just writing that makes me think of Rayt Marius (who, if you believe your Saint books, would have started WWII ten years earlier so that he could make money on the back of arms sales to both sides)... yes, I think that in many ways putting profit over human life possibly is one of the most destabilizing forces around at the moment.


Agreed...  Prescott Bush certainly understood that principle very well.

I'm still reminded of the line from "Lord of War."

"You know who's going to inherit the Earth? Arms dealers. Because everyone else is too busy killing each other. That's the secret to survival. Never go to war. Especially with yourself."

I say Iran because they are making deals with Russia and China. I can't believe Russia wasn't on there! They still have that Soviet attitude after all these years. Putin is very cold compared to Bush. Bush is a dumbass yes, and I hope there's someone who will forgive me for voting him twice. But I read something in Rolling Stone Magazine and it was an article about Bill Clinton. Clinton is very passive about the Bush administration and It's too soon to claim that he's the worst President ever. James Madison had worse, Britain was at war with us and France didn't want to deal with us since Napoleon was under rule. And 1816 was the year without a Summer so many crops were destroyed at that time. Then between Jackson and Lincoln was the worst line of Presidents, so bad that they were forgotten. None of them had a blueprint for the Southern States, they were basically Northern Bigwigs. Harrison, Tyler, and Taylor were all Virginians and Polk was from North Carolina-all these states were Slave States. But they had no idea how to unite those Confederate States with the Union States. Grant, to me was the worst president with two-terms because of the Whiskey Ring Scandal. Every person in Grant's Cabinet was in a scandal of some sort. America recovered in the late 1890's with William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt became President. Warren Harding, to me, is the second-worst president ever because of the Teapot Dome Scandal and having his cronies in the White House called the Ohio Gang. Hoover wasn't good either, that was when they started the approval rating. And if the approval rating was there when Hoover was the President, it would be lower that Bush's, Nixon's, or Truman's ever would. And the Defecit was way lower then when he came to power. It wasn't until FDR took power and Truman did okay, but if he didn't fire MacArthur he would be ranked by FDR. And if Kucinich had his way by impeaching Dick Cheney, Cheney would resign his post and Pelosi would be Vice-President. And if Kucinich went further with impeaching Bush, Bush may just resign as well and we'd have our first woman President. But I think Pelosi dosen't know what she's doing.

terrorism sucks!

http://www.michaelvox.com/uploaded_images/children5-734929.jpg

it can make you spill your drink. >:(

That is one staggeringly good picture: do you think the photographer knew what was going to happen?

That is one staggeringly good picture: do you think the photographer knew what was going to happen?


Um...  It's from Children of Men.  That's a really good movie, by the way.  You should check it out.

  None of the above...

  Faith based beliefs and organized religion...


Obligatory motivational poster:

Picture:  WTC1 and WTC2 as they appeared in pre-9/11 America.
Caption: "Imagine No Religion - John Lennon"

Um...  It's from Children of Men.  That's a really good movie, by the way.  You should check it out.

D'Oh!  Will keep an eye out for it.

he was mixing himself up a nice irish coffee, too, and they made him spill it. wankers. ::) no cause is worth that.

Obligatory motivational poster:

Picture:  WTC1 and WTC2 as they appeared in pre-9/11 America.
Caption: "Imagine No Religion - John Lennon"


  Toosh...

 

 

i'm the only one who voted for france, evidently.

Anyone else think that Pakistan ought to be added to that list?

Shouldn't we achieve "world peace" before we start proclaiming threats against it?
::)

Shouldn't we achieve "world peace" before we start proclaiming threats against it?
::)


  Heh, yeah, that's right...

  Or what's preventing world peace..?

   Heh, yeah, that's right...

   Or what's preventing world peace..?

I would have said "Greatest threat to achieving world peace. 

If you ask the other beasts, birds, and fish, they'll tell you to go look in the mirror.
:P

I would have said "Greatest threat to achieving world peace. 

If you ask the other beasts, birds, and fish, they'll tell you to go look in the mirror.
:P


  Once a man stood before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world...

  "Dear God," he cried out, "Look at all the suffering, distress and anguish in your world.  Why don't you send help..?"

  God said, "I did send help.  I sent you..."

   Once a man stood before God, his heart breaking from the pain and injustice in the world...

   "Dear God," he cried out, "Look at all the suffering, distress and anguish in your world.  Why don't you send help..?"

   God said, "I did send help.  I sent you..."

Karma +1
That's absolutely right on. 
But it's not a question of CAN the human race fix its own problems, but whether it will. 
Our epoch too will pass.

Karma +1
That's absolutely right on. 
But it's not a question of CAN the human race fix its own problems, but whether it will. 
Our epoch too will passt.


  I like your "pointing scissors" better...

  I just nod and say, "Uh, huh..."

Anyone else think that Pakistan ought to be added to that list?


Good point.  Pakistan really is the most unstable of the world's largest countries, and while we make a big deal out of Iran, Pakistan already has nukes.

The good news is...  America is helping the Pakistani government maintain their nukes.  If their government collapses, we'll probably just get rid of what they have or whisk their nukes away to our own stockpile, or give them to an ally like South Korea.

   I like your "pointing scissors" better...

   I just nod and say, "Uh, huh..."

Pointing scissors?

Pointing scissors?


  To whom the scissors point.  They point at you..!

  I'm practicing standing in the mirror and b*tching about the state of affairs in this country...

    ;)

   To whom the scissors point.  They point at you..!

   I'm practicing standing in the mirror and b*tching about the state of affairs in this country...

    ;)


You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the f**k do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? OK.
;)

You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the f**k do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? OK.
;)


   Nice.  Exactly...

   It's a widely held belief that an individual's sense of responsibility (i.e. the ability to action if someone is hurt) decreases in a group environment.  This has been shown time and time again, as groups may stand and watch while people are injured, hurt, right in front of their eyes...

   I think it's called the bystander effect...

   Like Robert DeNiro in Taxi driver - one person at a time...

  Not Al P...

   

   Nice.  Exactly...

   It's a widely held belief that an individual's sense of responsibility (i.e. the ability to action if someone is hurt) decreases in a group environment.  This has been shown time and time again, as groups may stand and watch while people are injured, hurt, right in front of their eyes...

   I think it's called the bystander effect...

You're in a bustling plaza.  An old man collapses, looks like a heart attack, you're not sure.  You learned CPR 20 years ago, but you've never applied it. You might be able to save the old man's life; then again, you might kill him.  You wait for 911 like everybody else.  Same thing happens in a deserted park, you're more likely to try your rusty CPR skills when you don't even know what's happening to the man.  He might live, he might die, but nobody's going to see you fail if he does.  It's not that you don't want to take personal responsibility in the crowd, but you must weigh the consequences if your efforts fail.  There have been cases (I can't find one to cite right now) in which one person has made valiant efforts to save another's life at the scene of a car crash or a CVA only to have the decedent's family sue his butt off. 


I will not extrapolate this to economic policies for then it becomes another Ayn Rand talking point.

   Like Robert DeNiro in Taxi driver - one person at a time...

   Not Al P...

   

What about Al Pacino?

The Taxi Driver is one of my favorite movies because, like most TD fans, I get a vicarious charge from watching Travis Bickle choose good over evil.  Life has kicked Travis in the ass too many times and it's run him crazy.  I can dig it.  Sometimes when the adrenaline and testosterone get pumping, I want to take matters into my own hands; I want to arm myself to the teeth and go wipe out those scumbags.

But it's a fantasy. Nothing more.  The scumbags really are out there and the law can't get them or won't get them.  Unfortunately, vigilante justice and extralegal maneuvers in real life don't achieve the success rate of a Travis Bickle or a Dirty Harry on the silver screen.  We sure wish it could work that way though, and that's why we guys--especially guys--love those movies so much!
::)