Weapons of Mass Destruction

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

---

@ VINCE RUSSO ..... amen to that !!

By the way , Uncle Sam need not to use WMD to bitch slap countries .

[cerebus]

then try to consider Israel, Col. Vismanos once said that Israel has a WMD that if triggered, earth can be turned into dust in an hour.

and who's col. vismanos? i think what 'he' said is hearsay or an urban myth. israel never admit nor deny having nuke.

[cerebus]

@vince russo: and what's your stand on wmd?

[Spec-V]

@ vince russo - futhermore...The U.S. is also the Biggest & the Largest contributor to the U.N. & that comes from the "Tax-Payers" money. That is why mo-saka dyud ang akong kilay kung mag yaw-yaw og mag reklamo kining uban nga european nations! Namely the "French"; gamay ra ba dyud ni sila ug conrtibution!

[Vince Russo]

My response to Cerebus: Not sure if you're asking how I feel about WMD in general, or more specifically whether or not they exist(ed) in Iraq. In general, they are scary but necessary to maintain a "balance" of ideologies in the current world climate. The Superpower countries have them and they hopefully stand as a deterent to their enemies. Their mere existence provides stability. A better world without them? Sure. But it's a matter of "are you gonna believe that your enemy REALLY got rid of EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE of their WMD stockpile?" That's a risk that I personally ain't willing to take (I'm an American, currently living here). I sleep better knowing that the RP can turn to the US for assistance in an emergency. It's a friendship tested and proven during combat (WW2). Our two countries are ALLIES, and that is no secret to those who would do you harm. It seems (as I mentioned before) that there is some real anti-US sentiment here. That worries me, and I have a feeling that it is mainly among the 18-25 age group (more specifically, students). I left TONS of Filipino friends in the US when I moved here 3 years ago. They are by far as supportive of the USA as any American born there. Readers of this thread should be asking them how THEY feel about the role of the USA in the current world order..."World Domination"? They will laugh heartily at you if you mention that phrase in the same sentence as America. They know that if asked, America will provide assistance to JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE in the world if a crisis arises. Will North Korea be so friendly?

Enuff said on that point: Cerebus, this is not directed at you personally, but to those who chose to cavalerely criticize the US in earlier postings to this thread. As to the existence of WMD in Iraq. Yeah, I believe that they were there but moved/hidden during the stonewalling of the "Inspectors" that tried for years to gain the access to facilities that they were suppossed to inspect (by Saddam). Maybe some of you aren't convinced of Saddam's intentions to use those chemical agents on anyone (other than thousands of his own people). Maybe some you think that the Big, Bad USA just arbitrarily chose to invade this nice man and his associates of terror. The discovery of those mass gravesites, full of the bodies of innocent Iraqis didn't upset you? It was pure Capitalism at the heart of this invasion, right? A weapon of mass destruction can appear in many forms...they don't have to look like the bombs that drop out of airplanes (or missles fired from launchers). They can be a truck full of high-explosives that can be driven into a crowd of school children, or an airplane directed into a building full of innocent people (I'm not blaming THAT one on Iraq, so settle down) or just about ANYTHING. SO...how long would it take YOU to find such a weapon in such a hostile environment?? Do you guys really think that the US the bad guy? Seeking World Domination one country at a time (in the Middle East)? If you do, that's your right as an individual. You're a free person and you can think and say whatever you want. But remember how many Americans died on the batlefield fighting alongside their Filipino brothers. That has to count for something regarding the US and your perception of why the US goes to war. Was the US fighting for "World Domination' then?

And to "Springfield": I think that you missed my point. My comment suggesting "protesting" about receiving aid from the US was written tongue-in-cheek..It was supposed to be insulting, not a rally cry.

[SPRINGFIELD_XD_40]

VINCE ..... are you sure you are quoting me right on the issue of " PROTESTING " and RECEIVING AID from the US ? I just dont get it for I personally gave AID just to anywhere Uncle Sam wanted to for the last 8 years .

[antoy hilom]

Â* All these anti-U.S. rhetoric have some valid arguments.Â* But hey man, despite what we home sapiens have accomplished and outliving the dinosaurs of pre-history, we're still basically animals - better technological animals.Â* I used to mouth the same anti-U.S. slogans in my youth.Â* It's not that I've outgrown my idealism, just grown wiser and pragmatic I think.Â* IMHO, the U.S. is no different than the Alpha hound in a wolf pack.Â* You may hurl whatever vindictive you may like at them - Yankee imperialists, decadent, permissive...but hey guys, give credit to the late president Reagan's "peace through superior firepower" policy - that scared the shit out of Gorbachev prompting his 380 degree turn around with liberal policies - glasnost & perestroika, .Â* The rest is history of course....with images of Lenin's statue crumbling down Moscow in 1979 and the end of Communist rule still fresh in our memories.Â* Otherwise, we'd all be wearing pajamas right now like our commie comrades of the former U.S.S.R.

And if the U.S. would suddenly declare to open it's borders to all immigrants, I bet my smooth butt,Â* the world will tilt out of it's axis, with all of us scampering to get there - including many of us here!

[Vince Russo]

I offer my apology to you Springfield. I misunderstood your reply.

Antoy, you make some excellent points about how one's perceptions change with age and experience. I know that my outlook on my life, the world and my role in it has certainly shifted over the years... Along with the excellent music of the late 60s and early 70s, I also miss my youthful idealism...

[cerebus]

the necessity of wmd as a 'balance' of ideology is so 'cold war'. as a deterrent, well, it did not 'deter' the terrorist: al-qaida, ira, palestenians, chechens, from hitting us, uk, israel and russia. wmd is not effective weapon. the world is different now. the 'enemies' are not countries. you cannot use them on the terrorist.

say russia eliminate its wmd stockpile, what now? is it now vulnerable from external attack? by whom? china? israel? france? how about if china eliminates its own stockpile. will taiwan attack them now?

@ vince: by the way, we are not talking about iraq or the us intervention there. not in other threads either. home-made circus is much better.

the only superpower in the planet is the us. no one else.

[Vince Russo]

Cerebus: The AUTHOR of this thread OPENED with the statement, "US is the strongest country in the world because they have all the stuffs (sic). They invaded Iraq because they ASSUMED that they have weapons of mass destruction..."Â*

As for the notion of "balance", I agree that we are living in post-cold war times. In the 50's it was out of fear of the communist threat that the USÂ* stockpile of nuclear weapons grew and our war technology advanced (as did the Russians'). But it's the little guys who are seeking nukes now. A nuke can turn a small country (or a relatively small group of fanatics) into a formidable threat to the world regardless of the size of their wealth or numbers.Â* The largest countries in the world no longer fear a first strike from one another. We don't even HEAR the superpower countries discussing the possibility of war with eachother. The North Koreans are puffing out their chests in defiance to the US that will continue developing nuclear weapon technology regardless of what anyone says. Whould South Korea or Japan feel uncomfortable with a nuclear-equipped North Korea? Would there be an "out of balance" situation should that occur?

I agree with you that nuclear weapons are not effective in most situations, but I again must say that I do not believe that there is a safe method forÂ* the elimination of WMD stockpiles globally. There just isn't a practical way to accomplish complete elimination. How would we REALLY know that EVERYONE complied fully with the "agreement" (I'm speaking hypothetically here)?? In a kingdom of blind men, the man with one eye is King...

Cerebus, you make some excellent points in your posts. I am not in disagreement with you. My opinions are based upon my life experiences growing up and living in the US. I know that my views are biased by my life experiences as a US citizen.Â*