So if all the liberals make more money then how are the republicans the big bad corporations that rig elections and want to steal from the poor (republicans) and give to the rich (liberals). yeah. most Liberal dogma doesn't make much sense when you get past the political speeches and emotion.

America is a melting pot. America is full of people from all around the world with different cultures and different ideologies so when you stereotype America you are actually stereotyping your own people. cheers.

#getrekt

The Republicans get their money from big oil and the rich, which is why they don't recognize global warming and they support tax cuts for the rich (like themselves and their donors).

I believe there is to much hate in this thread. Don't hate guys. Unplug your headphone, turn your volume to maximum and let all people in your neighborhod hear. I have a message for all of you in the following video that will make you cry and stick you all together:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1wLtAXDgqg

O! say can you see
by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed
at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen
through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host
in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze,
o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows,
half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam
of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected
now shines in the stream:
’Tis the star-spangled banner,
O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave.

And where is that band
who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war
and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country,
should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out
their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save
the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight,
or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner
in triumph doth wave,
O’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave.


O! thus be it ever,
when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home
and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace,
may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made
and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must,
when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto:
„In God is our trust;“
And the star-spangled banner
in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave

Those that are at the top always get the hate? So ISIL are at the top?? #YoureDerangedM8

No one said you have to be at the top to receive hate. The point is that the one at the top is guaranteed to get it.

I merged income-per-head maps, though it's not perfect to represent since it's not distorting the map to have equal population density everywhere. Also, it's not perfect on my part, especially on Alaska and Hawaii, but I didn't want to spend more than a couple minutes. It's worth noting that since 1880, New York county (1/5 of the whole borough) has more population than the current populations of North Dakota and Wyoming combined. You get the point.

http://imgur.com/M7qZQL9

(Light/Dark colours: Poor/rich)
(Hot/Cold colours: Rightists/Leftists)

Here is a cartogram with equalised population density.


If someone can find American standard testing map by county to merge as well, that'd be great.

Edited 9/18/2015 03:08:56

Hardly. Al Qaeda was a decedent of the Mujaheddin from Afghanistan, you know, the guys were funded against the Soviets back when. So in truth, very far from war.

Name the "oh so" evil things the U.S. did PRIOR to 9/11?

Kuwait was in defense of Kuwait.

Again, Atom Bombs were called for.

Japanese in "Concentration Camps" was a precaution and yes it was wrong, but they were not gassed or mass murdered.

Vietnam/Korea was in defense of a Capitalistic Government and in the Cold War between the US and USSR.

Don't say jack shit about the "Native Americans" because many a genocide/war has occurred between two groups over land.

So what evil and bad things did the U.S. deserve for 9/11? The loss of millions of dollars in damage and 3,000 lives? Not to mention the unnecessary tighten of security in EVERY. FUCKING. PLACE.

The US destroying several republics during the Banana Wars, it's occupation of the Philipines after the Spanish-American war (the Filipinos fought for their independence prior to the US invasion), unethical medical experiments on its own people and soldiers, the supporting of multiple drug running dictatorships in Latin America, I will say fucking jack shit about the Native Americans, the Americans invaded, subjugated and lied to the Natives over about a century. And who was actually defending their lands against murderous invaders? The US also fueled the Iran-Iraq war, that killed hundreds of thousands, then betrayed Iraq.

actually they betrayed Iran in the short term. But most of the things you have listed were also done by spain and other countries.

Spain occupied the Philipines and treated the natives worse than the Americans. You talk about a century of american genocide but your gloss over the centuries of Spanish and Mexican genocide of the native americans.

This is also supported by the fact that native Americans were genocided before the American revolution and therefore, England also genocided native Americans.

What about the Slavic invasions of Europe that massacred the european population, stole their land, stole/raped their women, and sold their captives into slavery? What about the Mongols invasions of Asia and Europe? The Mongols killed thousands if not millions of non combatant men, women, and children and left little but desolation in their wake. What about the Opium wars, Boxor Rebellion, and other conflicts fought by european powers so they could take advantage of China? What about the Catholic and Orthodox Crusades that killed many muslims and christians alike for no purpose what so ever? What about the Turkish killing of millions of Armenians in the first great genocide of the 20th century?

I could go on forever about all the bs that other countries (mainly european) have done to the world that makes americans little "manifest destiny" look like a pretty picture. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

If I have to sit and watch some dumbass act as if a nations actions are justified if anyone ever did something worse I'm going to decapitate some asshole. And if I talk about one thing I don't have to fucking talk about every fucking thing in existence. And you seem to think that I never criticize other nations, which is obviously false.

I don't always agree with Smedley Butler but I have to give him credit here, he is consistent. If you pay attention to his posts he rips apart just about every major government under the sun at one point or another.

But nations are not people. It is hard to control a government and convince it has done evil actions.

It could be better if it did not assume country interests and let them to be managed at a lower level. While simply managing and make sure everythng works well.

Who is best suited to decide national interests ? How the national interests work ?

Edited 9/18/2015 03:30:03

Kuwait was in defense of Kuwait.

Time for some graphs.

Where was the defence of Ethiopia? And the UN just watched and marginally helped some territorial disputes after the war ended. A far bloodier war and longlasting war.

This was not about "defence of Kuwait", this was about disabling all nonallied OPEC.

http://imgur.com/YzINCHV

http://imgur.com/vA27dQa

I'm sure the rest can inform you where you're a: assuming that your claim is true without counterargument and b: how those other actions are standard evil country deeds.

But nations are not people. It is hard to control a government and convince it has done evil actions.

It could be better if it did not assume country interests and let them to be managed at a lower level. While simply managing and make sure everythng works well.

Who is best suited to decide national interests ? How the national interests work ?

Nation has a strange connotation.

A large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory.

Many folk just wrongly assume that nation means country. But I think you mean country here. In my opinion, a great confederation should be made across the world.

Edited 9/18/2015 04:31:52

Where was the defence of Ethiopia? And the UN just watched and marginally helped some territorial disputes after the war ended. A far bloodier war and longlasting war.

This was not about "defence of Kuwait", this was about disabling all nonallied OPEC.

The main objective of the Gulf War was the liberation of Kuwait. That's why the war ended not long after Kuwait was free. President Bush (Senior) could of stayed and tried to finish off Saddam Hussein's regime, but he didn't because the job was done. You could argue the U.S had it's own reasons for wanting to protect Kuwait (Oil) but the bottom line is that the defense of Kuwait was indeed the main reason, selfish motives or no.

Also, your mention of Ethiopia seems rather irrelevant to the topic. Intervening to protect/liberate one country does not obligate you to interfere in every single other war. Should something have been done about it? Maybe, but it would just add to the list of things people never stop beating the U.S over the head with. Also, the United States is not the U.N, nor does it have total control of it.

The U.N has never been very effective and that's simply the nature of the beast.

The corporations are not the problem. The problem is that the corporations are indicative of the rest of society.

I think America could have been an amazing place today had it kept the core ideals it was founded on. What I see now is a country heading slowly deeper into the territory of a police state, and don't forget the creepy way they make their kids pledge their allegiance daily - even when they're too young to understand all the words.
They have been told they have a lot of freedom, and that people from other countries are so very jealous - and some really seem to believe it (as evidenced earlier in this thread). Well obviously compared to some places they do but compared to the vast majority of the western world they seem under-the-thumb in a more meaningful way. What other western country forces people to fight, kill and die for it under threat of arrest in this day and age? (If there is one let me know :) )
I know a lot of governments do a lot of messed up stuff so I don't really include that in my opinion too much on what I see America as being. It just seems so wrong to me that a major part of their society argues for their insane defence budget to, if anything, rise - and yet argue so fervently against any social programs designed to help people. Have they really been pumped with that much fear or are they just so stupid as to argue against their own interests in favour of their establishments'? Well, stupid people exist in every developed country fairly equally I guess.
I think it's a real shame too - it was so promising and yet strayed so far. It can't even be called a democracy anymore. As has been said before, it's an oligarchy. And they're just not as nice. Most Americans I've actually met have been fine though, not really much difference except a cool/terrible accent depending on the state.

Edited 9/18/2015 05:29:30

The main objective of the Gulf War was the liberation of Kuwait. That's why the war ended not long after Kuwait was free. President Bush (Senior) could of stayed and tried to finish off Saddam Hussein's regime, but he didn't because the job was done. You could argue the U.S had it's own reasons for wanting to protect Kuwait (Oil) but the bottom line is that the defense of Kuwait was indeed the main reason, selfish motives or no.

"liberation" and "freeing" are pretty loaded wars, don't use them. What we say the Attacking of Kuwait, many Arabs are guilty of calling it "Kuwait's Liberation". Yes, Kuwait was an American ally and a good stronghold against Iraq, but I think oil has quite a bit to do with it. Take a look.



All the blue countries (OPEC) are either allied to America (Ecuador, Arabia, Kuwait), in massive turmoil (Iraq; Libya; Nigeria) or declared foes to world peace by America (Iran, Venezuela). Other countries with quite a bit of oil: Canada (ally), Russia (foe).

Also, your mention of Ethiopia seems rather irrelevant to the topic. Intervening to protect/liberate one country does not obligate you to interfere in every single other war. Should something have been done about it? Maybe, but it would just add to the list of things people never stop beating the U.S over the head with. Also, the United States is not the U.N, nor does it have total control of it.

Well, I wasn't really trying to saying that. There's a whole bunch more where that came from. I'm saying that when Iraq invaded Kuwait (2-4 August 1990), ~500 Kuwaiti and Iraqi soldiers were killed, but the war would be over; Iraq and Kuwait would have no more oil disputes and share their wealth across the countries. Instead, NATO kills 24,000 more Iraqis, keeps warring it economically until 2003, when they war Iraq literally again.

Anyhow, my point is, the Gulf War could have been done with 1000 deaths. In the Eritrean-Ethiopian War, there were far more deaths in two already poorly developed countries (Ethiopia and Eritrea today rank 173 and 182, respectively, on UN HDI list). As you can imagine, the war was good to neither of them. West Double Standards, this is said.

The U.N has never been very effective and that's simply the nature of the beast.

Too true, mate.

Well obviously compared to some places they do but compared to the vast majority of the western world they seem under-the-thumb in a more meaningful way. What other western country forces people to fight, kill and die for it under threat of arrest in this day and age? (If there is one let me know :) )

Ah cheers, more than I thought, though I'm not surprised by most of that map!