Hay Ryan thats a pretty large asomtion of the english. We dont all drink tea.

im sorry skunk if i offended u but i was joking. i myself love to drink tea in the afternoons.

and how did this turn from a discussion of why france is considered weak to how awesome america is

Because American's like to shout about their (assumed?) glory.

AMERIC!!!!!

*AMERICA!!!!!!!

like that?

The real reason is that people are sheep and won't actually take the time to research anything themselves but instead merely repeat that which they read or hear as fact.

well most of the stuff i hear in AP US History is fact so is it ok if i repeat that?
and how else do you research if u dont read about it or watch videos on it

The read/hear comment was in relation to unsourced information such as that you would see on facebook or similar pointless sites.

ok
that makes sense

Lol @ Ryan you remind me of the secret diary of Adrian Mole. I know it's true because I learned it at school . . .

Warning: rant

Gnullbegg wrote:

Well of course France only supported the US in their war to weaken Britain's position, and not at all out of some noble democratic sentiment (as was itself still suffering from the rule of an absolute monarch by that time)...

That's pretty hypocrite; when was the last time the US fought a war out of "some noble democratic sentiment"? You pulled a "wir haben es nicht gewuscht" during the Balkan Wars, twiddling your thumbs when you could've made a difference. The official justification was (literally!) America not wanting to be world police..., but as soon as a drop of oil is involved (Liberation of Kuwait, Invasion (near-annexation?) of Iraq) you suddenly do get involved.
Not to mention to War on Drugs which messes up pretty much all of Central and South America because you can't fix your drug problems at home and prefer letting other countries pay the price. Yes, I'm putting the blame for all the victims of drug cartel wars squarely on the USA; without (such a lucrative) market to sell their wares, there'd be no cartel wars.

---

Regarding that whole bit of the USA having the biggest army in the world...? Yeah cute, but it also just so happens to be (by far) the most expensive army in the world. You do of course realise that you didn't win the Cold War; the Soviet Union merely lost it..., when they couldn't afford "fighting" it any more.
Now look at the current US economy; are you sure it wouldn't tremendously benefit from cutting offence (or "defence", per official nomenclature) spending by 90% and using that money in a more productive way? Like it or not, even the US can't keep this up forever.
Don't forget, Europe / the Western World will only stay obedient so long; sooner or later our politicians are going to figure out there's no incentive to roll over every time the USA wants us to -- the current incentive is economical gain; if your economy collapses (even further...) that simply won't apply any more.

so if i am playing you in a game of warlight and i am beating you, you just decided to leave because your bonus is not big enough to fight mine so you get booted. does this mean that i did not win and you just lost?

RvW... you are aware that hundreds of thousands of jobs are made by that 'unproductive' spending, right? And that GPS, the internet and countless other technologies are offshoots of that 'unproductive' spending.

I'm glad you think those jobs and technologies are so trivial but I am sure the people who occupy those jobs or rely on that technology would seriously disagree with you.

well said richard

Ah yes the military-industrial complex - the very thing one of your greatest generals pointed out the dangers of you now trumpet:

"This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."

Do you recognise the quote?

Not a bit.

But after reading it I don't see how it is contrary to what I stated above. It is concerned with the possibilities of influence peddling, something which most certainly does occur. However, the simple fact that it occurs does not tarnish my point that that military industrial complex is an incredibly important aspect of the country's (and the world's) economy and technology.

Not a bit ... how typical.

I apologize for not having memorized every quote from every historical figure in the history of my country and the world. How foolish of me. I was busy filling my mind with more practical aspects like how to do my job and live my life.