Who is the biggest threat to the USA?

[JSE]

Russia, N. Korea, China, Indonesia, Iran, Syria, Suadi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Lybia, Jamaica?

I guess in terms of terrorism, I think Syria would be at the top of my list. It seems they have until just recently been pretty open about their support of terrorist and it appears they are a safe haven for many.

In more universal terms, I really think China may become one of our biggest threats in the future. The other countries we can deal with. Even N. Korea. China could be a big problem in terms of military might and sheer numbers. I hope the day never comes when we are forced into a standoff with China. They are truly the only country I fear.

JSE

[bturk667]

Russia, N. Korea, China, Indonesia, Iran, Syria, Suadi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Lybia, Jamaica?

I guess in terms of terrorism, I think Syria would be at the top of my list. It seems they have until just recently been pretty open about their support of terrorist and it appears they are a safe haven for many.

In more universal terms, I really think China may become one of our biggest threats in the future. The other countries we can deal with. Even N. Korea. China could be a big problem in terms of military might and sheer numbers. I hope the day never comes when we are forced into a standoff with China. They are truly the only country I fear.

JSE Biggest threat,Liars!!!

after him, I would have to say both China and North Korea. Oh, here is a fact for you; technically, we are still at war with North Korea!

[woodman]

IMO, it's not WHO ... it's WHAT. That "what" is our political system, and how it's been manipulated and controverted into something that's far from what our founding fathers envisioned. Today, instead of having a government - Of the people - By the people - and For the people, we have a government and a society that is Of, By, and For ... Big Business! We need to take our government back before it's too late. We need to put partisan politics aside, rise up as one and scream at the top of our lungs, and make our top priority a campaign to radically alter our political process. What it will take is publically-funded elections, with absolutely NO contributions from any source whatsoever allowed. This will take "special interest" money OUT of politics, and level the playing field so that we can elect people to public office based strictly on their qualifications and merits. Then they'll be able to do what's in the best interests of ALL of the citizens, rather than pass legislation and enact policies that benefit Big Business to the detriment of the citizens.

We must do this and do it soon - or this beloved nation of ours will surely go right down the ol' drain.

[dennis]

Woodman.....you got it right on.......the SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY IS THE BIGGEST THREAT WE FACE AS A NATION ! The laws and rules have all been twisted starting way back in the Reagan years and it's gotton progressively worse as time went on . BUSH is the KING when it comes to this "schtick"............Kerry's not much farther behind in this matter ...but his total of special interest money over his entire time as senator doesn't even equal Bushs' total last year alone........you puppets out there want to take back your country....VOTE BUSH OUT.......and then you're headed in the right direction!!!

[JSE]

I think everyone can agree special interest are a problem reagardless of who is in office but I was speaking of outside the US. Maybe I was not clear on that. I am simply interested in what country/countries people think is/are our biggest threat. NOT which candidate. I did not mean for this to be a Bush bashing thread. Although I know you libs can't see or understand anything other than BUSH IS EVIL! Maybe that's a problem. Some people can's see past internal issues. That's all fine and they are important but there is a big world out there.

So what do you guys think?


JSE

[woodman]

Woodman.....you got it right on.......the SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY IS THE BIGGEST THREAT WE FACE AS A NATION ! The laws and rules have all been twisted starting way back in the Reagan years and it's gotton progressively worse as time went on . BUSH is the KING when it comes to this "schtick"............Kerry's not much farther behind in this matter ...but his total of special interest money over his entire time as senator doesn't even equal Bushs' total last year alone........you puppets out there want to take back your country....VOTE BUSH OUT.......and then you're headed in the right direction!!!

I appreciate the fact that you jumped in here and agreed with me on this ... BUT

... merely voting Bush out of the White House and Kerry in does virtually nothing to solve our problem. We need to get MONEY completely out of politics! So long as political contributions are allowed, we'll have the exact same problem - no matter which political party they might belong to ... Republican, Democrat, Peace&Freedom, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, it makes no difference whatsoever. When an individual has to "sell" his very soul and integrity to some big corporate interest - because of how much it costs to get elected to public office, he's not gonna cast his vote on any issue in OUR best interest ... it's as simple as that! Getting rid of Dubya will help some ... but only a little. We need to go much further than that if we're ever gonna take back our country.

[woodman]

I think everyone can agree special interest are a problem reagardless of who is in office but I was speaking of outside the US. Maybe I was not clear on that. I am simply interested in what country/countries people think is/are our biggest threat. NOT which candidate. I did not mean for this to be a Bush bashing thread. Although I know you libs can't see or understand anything other than BUSH IS EVIL! Maybe that's a problem. Some people can's see past internal issues. That's all fine and they are important but there is a big world out there.

So what do you guys think?


JSE

Boy, you just don't get it JSE. You, along with Ronnie Raygun and George Dubya want the American public to focus on the Axis of Evil and all of the evil-doers out there so that you can consume all of us in FEAR - thereby making it a good idea to spend literally TRILLIONS of dollars on the military, when our greatest problem is not "out there" but internally in our own country! That's precisely why I posted what I did rather than "play along" with your question about which country poses the biggest threat to our safety?

Unless and until we can successfully deal with the problem as I outlined it, we're not ever going to be very "safe" from all of the evil-doers out there. We have a very severe problem in this country of ours ... the fact that those we elect to serve in our government and represent us are not looking out for us and what's in our best interests at all. They're malking decisions based upon what's best for the big corporations that put up the money to get them elected to office in the first place! Why do you suppose that instead of bringing ALL of our resources to bear in an all-out "war" against OsamaBinLaden and his Al-Quaeda network who were the ones that actually atacked us on 9/11 - a "war" that the entire world would have supported us in, we instead invaded Iraq ... a country that posed NO threat to our national safety at all? An enterprise that was "sold" to the American public as a war against terrorism. It's my contention that Dubya knew better - Dick Cheney knew it - Colin Powell knew it - Condoleeza Rice knew it - Donald Rumsfeld knew it - but we did it anyway! Now we're embroiled in one helluva mess - not too very different from VietNam - a mess that we're gonna have great difficulty extricating ourselves from IMO. Meanwhile, in spite of what some would like to believe, we're no safer from terrorism than we were before ... probably in even greater danger IMO, and in the opinion of many "experts" as well. So, the bottom-line question would be - "why did we do this?" It's very doubtful that we'll ever know the truth about it, but I'd bet one of my testicles that it had to do with some issues other than what we were told!

This is intolerable IMO. We need to make some drastic changes, and getting rid of our present administration is only a token step toward that goal. We need to change the way we elect our government before we let our beloved nation go morally and ethically bankrupt right before our very eyes!

[zapr]

........After they got rid of Kennedy...........That's when things changed for the worst. If anyone tries to fix things they will get rid of him too........Zapr.

[zapr]

......Woodman hit the nail on the head. War is big bussiness. There is huge money to be made on war. IMO there will always be war because of it. It's not Bush's fault either. He has to answer to the chiefs of staff, other people you will never hear of in and out of politics. He has to follow the rules of engagment, he has to answer to people of big bussiness and power. All Bush is, is a spokes person for these people. It's always been this way and it always will be. All he tells the people is what he's told to and nothing more. It does'nt matter who is president. Remember the Cuban missile crisis? Kennedy had to fight all these people to stop them from blowing up the world. He had to fight people with in his own government. Then Vietnam. Where is Kennedy now. No government will ever look out for it's people. They just do enough to make people think they are. All that matters is power and the almighty $. The plus side is that the United States keeps the world at bay. Without the good old USA, what then?............Zapr

[trollgirl]

...just a brief opinion: IMO, the greatest threat to the United States of America is...the legislative democracy of Washington, D.C.

Laz

[markw]

... is to classify fast food restaurants as manufacturing facilities. Now, along with the low pay they pay the employees, they will probably get tax breaks as well.

No, this is NOT from "The Onion". I wish it was. I heard it on the news tonite.

I really do wonder who is on whose side anymore. Between backing "outsourcing" REAL manufacturing jobs to other countries that pay their workers a fraction of our minimum wage and allowing "illegals" in the country to work at wages we cannot affors to work for, I really, really am wondering...

Oh, in answer to the original question? I think we're imploding internally. The rich get richer, the middle class is disappearing at a fantastic rate, and the poor are getting poorer with less chance than ever of getting out of that situation, what with rapidly disappearing jobs that pay a living wage. They may create more jobs, but you'll need to work three of 'em to live.

[mtrycraft]

It has started, a race to the bottom.
No middle class, only the wealthy and the nots.
How can the country stand a debt of over $7 trillion and climbing? Trade deficits of 1/2 trillion almost year in and year out, for how long before the system collapses? And not a word more than a sound byte here and there.
That will be the end.

[jack70]

Biggest threat is Islamic fundamentalist zealots (Islamic Nazis). What's difficult is that they exist in small pockets all over the world, and thrive because the countries they tend to live in have little real education... the young are brainwashed into anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, anti-American, anti-freedom HATE... and little else. Those country's governments also tend to give them free reign, as they are generally totalitarian states with little civil authority. It's one of the strategy's of our government (after 9-11), to push these countries towards controlling these internal threats better. How successful that strategy is in the long run... who knows? I DO know it's the "long run" we're looking at.


What it will take is publicly-funded elections, with absolutely NO contributions from any source whatsoever allowed. This will take "special interest" money OUT of politics
You can't be serious! You want THE GOVERNMENT (the weasels already in control) to control ALL the election money too? You want the FOXES in charge of the hen-house? Gimme a break.

Hey, I agree with your view that our system & politicians have corrupting influences, even to a troubling degree. But I disagree with your solution. Watch out what you wish for... you may get it. Unintended consequences are usually nastier than the original problems they were designed to get rid of.

There's a basic tenant of our constitution that you tend to lose sight of. It's called freedom of speech. The founders put it right up front in their list of basic rights for a good reason... it's paramount to liberty. "Freedom of speech" today, tends to mean the right to do or say anything one wants, wherever you want to say it, whatever the consequences... but thats NOT what the 1'st Amendment is really talking about. They were talking about POLITICAL speech... the right to be heard without negative consequence so that the people can stay informed when they vote. Your view that THE GOVERNMENT should now control certain aspects of this free speech is the slippery slope towards totalitarianism. You rail at our leaders (idiots) in Congress, then want to give them even more power. You scare the he_l out of me.

China-
Certain economic aspects of China concern me. They offer us a HUGE market for us. But they have one of the most corrupt ways of "absorbing" western capitalist economic rules. They steal and pirate technological and corporate secrets, and artistic product (music, movies, software) etc. They manipulate the financial currency markets to their unfair advantage (cheat), and are VERY tough to deal with. At the same time, they offer a huge market for us in the future. They could very well cause us great damage in the short term (economically) if we aren't very careful.

I'm less concerned with their rise as a military power, because without the foundation of liberty (lacking in their governmental model), they don't offer other countries freedoms that are attractive enough to imitate. They are also too big (population) to have the clout to do what many westerners fear, at least for the near future.

Kennedy-
You other people who speak of Kennedy as a saint are CLUELESS about history. The guy was a hawk. It's only dumb luck there wasn't a nuclear exchange during the Cuban missle crisis... because Kennedy's actions made the Russian leaders give their field commanders the OK to use the nukes that day. It's just dumb serendipity it didn't happen, not some great action by Kennedy (who I like). And if it did happen (nuclear exchange), Kennedy would have gotten much of the blame for that. Same revisionist history about Kennedy and the Vietnam war. There's no evidence he would have gotten out. In fact, he got us in deeper. You all have blinders on to the truth.

[Mash]

Funny how things never change (much).

Gotta focus, people.

Corporations don't do anything. Corporate Leaders who control those corporations do things.

"Special Interests" is a great term to use for political demagoguery, but otherwise it is too vague a concept to be useful.

Fortune Magazine has referred to USA Corporate Leaders as "Corporate Gentry". Look at the house Bill Scrushy has. [And his company is in trouble.] Go ahead, surf to pictures of Scrushy's house. We'll wait.

The more money you can make, the more money you want to make. Greed is Human Nature when that greed can be indulged. But if a person has no opportunity to indulge greed, then they will neither demonstrate nor feel greed.

The Corporate Gentry see themselves as "Different" from those of you who are NOT Corporate Gentry. How many millions total compensation does the Chairman/CEO of GM make? And GM is just holding onto 1/2 the market share GM had 20 years ago. So GM is doing what- outsourcing to Mexico so that the GM cars can be built for less $, which will lead to even MORE $ for the Chairman/CEO of GM........ Of course, $60,000,000 would hire a lot of additional talented engineers and designers to develop better GM products, and that money could also pay for product material upgrades. Then you also have to add in the near-Corporate Gentry who directly report to the Chairman/CEO of GM....... Another $60,000,000 ? Remember that any Corporation's Compensation Comitee is always peopled by, and controlled by, ......Corporate Gentry from other companies!

What does the Chairman/CEO of Toyota make? $320,000 a year? And Toyota products are being improved at a notably greater pace than GM vehicles are being improved, while Toyota engineers and designers are paid very well. I have a 1991 Toyota Camry with 280,000 miles on it and so far I have only had to replace the alternator. It still has its original shocks and original (stainless steel) exhaust system, etc.

Likewise, the Chairman/CEO of Honda makes about $320,000 a year?

Both Toyota and Honda prefer to, and can afford to, build their autos in the USA, not Mexico. Think about this.

Then think about the Senators and Congressmen who are well pampered with self-authorized lavish benefits. Is it any wonder they want to keep their positions, and will befriend anyone who will further that goal?

External threats like Bin Laden can cause damage to the USA, but not, by any stretch, fatal damage. I believe Pogo had the correct assessment.

[bturk667]

Oh. but you and other Conservetives can see past internal issues.
Ask Bill Clinton about that! He is still getting blamed for things to this day!

Here is a question for you: Why should any country or group, for that matter, be a treat to us? Might it have to do with the way WE operate with only our own intrest in mind? As if what is good for us is good for the rest of the world. Also, that things that are bad for us are bad for the rest of the world. As you say, "There is a big world out there." Maybe we should just woory about ourselves for a while.

[zapr]

Biggest threat is Islamic fundamentalist zealots (Islamic Nazis). What's difficult is that they exist in small pockets all over the world, and thrive because the countries they tend to live in have little real education... the young are brainwashed into anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, anti-American, anti-freedom HATE... and little else. Those country's governments also tend to give them free reign, as they are generally totalitarian states with little civil authority. It's one of the strategy's of our government (after 9-11), to push these countries towards controlling these internal threats better. How successful that strategy is in the long run... who knows? I DO know it's the "long run" we're looking at.


You can't be serious! You want THE GOVERNMENT (the weasels already in control) to control ALL the election money too? You want the FOXES in charge of the hen-house? Gimme a break.

Hey, I agree with your view that our system & politicians have corrupting influences, even to a troubling degree. But I disagree with your solution. Watch out what you wish for... you may get it. Unintended consequences are usually nastier than the original problems they were designed to get rid of.

There's a basic tenant of our constitution that you tend to lose sight of. It's called freedom of speech. The founders put it right up front in their list of basic rights for a good reason... it's paramount to liberty. "Freedom of speech" today, tends to mean the right to do or say anything one wants, wherever you want to say it, whatever the consequences... but thats NOT what the 1'st Amendment is really talking about. They were talking about POLITICAL speech... the right to be heard without negative consequence so that the people can stay informed when they vote. Your view that THE GOVERNMENT should now control certain aspects of this free speech is the slippery slope towards totalitarianism. You rail at our leaders (idiots) in Congress, then want to give them even more power. You scare the he_l out of me.

China-
Certain economic aspects of China concern me. They offer us a HUGE market for us. But they have one of the most corrupt ways of "absorbing" western capitalist economic rules. They steal and pirate technological and corporate secrets, and artistic product (music, movies, software) etc. They manipulate the financial currency markets to their unfair advantage (cheat), and are VERY tough to deal with. At the same time, they offer a huge market for us in the future. They could very well cause us great damage in the short term (economically) if we aren't very careful.

I'm less concerned with their rise as a military power, because without the foundation of liberty (lacking in their governmental model), they don't offer other countries freedoms that are attractive enough to imitate. They are also too big (population) to have the clout to do what many westerners fear, at least for the near future.

Kennedy-
You other people who speak of Kennedy as a saint are CLUELESS about history. The guy was a hawk. It's only dumb luck there wasn't a nuclear exchange during the Cuban missle crisis... because Kennedy's actions made the Russian leaders give their field commanders the OK to use the nukes that day. It's just dumb serendipity it didn't happen, not some great action by Kennedy (who I like). And if it did happen (nuclear exchange), Kennedy would have gotten much of the blame for that. Same revisionist history about Kennedy and the Vietnam war. There's no evidence he would have gotten out. In fact, he got us in deeper. You all have blinders on to the truth.
.......There is evidence the pull out of Vietnam was in the works. You just are not allowed to see it until 2029. Nobody said he was a saint and I don't believe in that kind of luck and who put the missiles there in the first place. History? All you have to do is study it..........Zapr

[JSE]

Ask a simple question and............................................... ..... :(

JSE

[piece-it pete]

Russia, N. Korea, China, Indonesia, Iran, Syria, Suadi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Lybia, Jamaica?

I guess in terms of terrorism, I think Syria would be at the top of my list. It seems they have until just recently been pretty open about their support of terrorist and it appears they are a safe haven for many.

In more universal terms, I really think China may become one of our biggest threats in the future. The other countries we can deal with. Even N. Korea. China could be a big problem in terms of military might and sheer numbers. I hope the day never comes when we are forced into a standoff with China. They are truly the only country I fear.

JSE

Boy, JSE, I'd have to say.....

Jamaica lol! That reggae is going to run the world:)! Or perhaps they'll smoke us out??

No seriously, although I understand what others are saying about internal threats (I believe we'll be "beaten" internally though sloth [see court system]), to say external threats are meaningless, or worse yet somehow our fault is absurd.

Since the beginning of time there are always those who seek to basicly steal the wealth/power of others. This game is deadly serious! And will ALWAYS exist.

JSE, I somewhat agree with your assesment. Osama yo' Mama is a problem, but more like a bug than a bear - it can draw some blood & irritate the heck out of you but does not have the power to kill you ("you" being the US).

China is a potential threat, though at this point more economicly than militarily. That can change in a hurry.

Some interesting "bad" stats: They are graduating many more engineers than us. They have so much manpower available that EVERY SINGLE factory worker now employed could walk off the job & they'd not only be able to replace them, they'd still have a surplus! Over 50% of available production is owned by the military (now there's a sobering thought).

And they love making us look bad on the diplomatic scene. They have a rep. of being very skilled negotiators.

Some interesting "good" stats: It will still take them some time to catch up technology-wise, if ever. They like the money they make off of their newly-acquired spot in the free market. The mountains of new graduates generally like the US & free trade, and see us as a model. Also, if they do not free up their form of gov't their economic boom will go bust, as the free flow of capital is the basis for long-term economic growth (see USSR, Japan, etc), and this is darn near impossible without a truly free society (and difficult even then! How are we going to handle the free flow of mfg. jobs? Tariffs & barriers will only hurt everybody down the road). The current dictatorship running China appears to have no inclination to give up power - peacefully.

So, worst-case scenario: Another student protest, with the large number of adults since Tienamen (sp?) joining in. The Chinese gov't puts it down violently (10s' of thousands dead, maybe many more). Their economy goes down the dumpster (their forcasts are already startlingly overoptimistic), so the gov't blames something else (another countries' economic policies?) and brings things to the brink of war - then war (and at this point there'd be some idiot who would say it's us!).

And a war between China & any other 1st world country - probably us - would be a disaster. Even "just" an economic one. The resulting probable depression in world markets would guarentee 100s' of thousands dead, due to the virtual halting of food shipments to the 3rd world poor.

Just another rosy forcast, brought to you by our sponsors: History & our present long-term stability (a historical abberation).

I hope China works things out internally. They have a looooong history of violent revolutions, which may or may not spill over onto the world scene (probably may).

One good thing: Americans have over-worried about China since the revolution. Maybe we're seeing the same thing!

Pete

[Woochifer]

Russia, N. Korea, China, Indonesia, Iran, Syria, Suadi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Lybia, Jamaica?

I guess in terms of terrorism, I think Syria would be at the top of my list. It seems they have until just recently been pretty open about their support of terrorist and it appears they are a safe haven for many.

In more universal terms, I really think China may become one of our biggest threats in the future. The other countries we can deal with. Even N. Korea. China could be a big problem in terms of military might and sheer numbers. I hope the day never comes when we are forced into a standoff with China. They are truly the only country I fear.

JSE

I'm not sure if sovereign nations pose the biggest threat to the U.S. anymore. As others have rightfully pointed out, our external enemies are much more amorphous now (i.e. the more virulently anti-western forms of Islam); and in that respect it's far more difficult to contain because you can take a head of state out, but how do you extinguish an idea, a belief, fanatical devotion, extreme self-righteousness? If anything, the way we went about invading Iraq just confirms a lot of what our enemies say about us, and sways more minds towards their perspective.

We also need to look inward and see whether the greatest threats lie internally. Our response to external threats have begun to erode the very institutions that make us who we are. If we completely give into the military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about, then we have already destroyed the very republic that all of our actions were purported to protect.

You're right to fear China, but I suspect for the wrong reasons. I doubt that China will constitute a true military threat, because they have way too much to lose in a direct military engagement with the U.S. But, in the future the main threat that they represent will be more economic and political than anything. Once they assert their economic might and evolve into the dominant force in Asia (and they are well on their way to establishing that), then they will compete with U.S. interests for influence and political power. Any type of military threat that they comprise will likely be more indirect than anything, as they export weapons and technology in exchange for access to natural resources and regional influence. Any wars that erupt as a result will be the same kinds of proxy battles that the American and Soviets used to engage in during the Cold War.

[JSE]

Thanks Whooch and Pete. I think your both right in that China will probably become more of a economic threat than a military.

As Pete kindof hinted at, I think the people of China look to the US as a role model in terms of econmic issues, civil rights, government, etc. They need change from within in order to make it work in the long run. If the people of China were to ever rise up and make big changes, I don't think they would be the possible threat they are today. Believe it or not, I think the people of China actually like the US. The Gov't, that's another story.

One thing is for sure. We cannot stick our head in the ground and ignore the rest of the world. Yes, we have problems here in the US but that does not mean we can ignore the rest of the world.

Why is it so hard for some people to answer this question? You know, I think my next post will be "Why do you love our country". I think some of us lose sight of that sometimes and get bogged down on the negatives.

JSE

[Widowmaker]

The French.

[bturk667]

The French.12345

[dennis]

The French.
Widowmaker........that's a joke ...right ? If you're serious you're an IDIOT

[Widowmaker]

Widowmaker........that's a joke ...right ? If you're serious you're an IDIOT

No, I wasn't serious and even if I wasn't, I'd still be an IDIOT.

[dennis]

No, I wasn't serious and even if I wasn't, I'd still be an IDIOT.
All we're missing is the "drum roll"

[Widowmaker]

All we're missing is the "drum roll"

I think the correct term is "rim shot" ;\

[dennis]

I think the correct term is "rim shot" ;\
A "rimshot " is only a one time downward movement that strikes the rim and the skin at the same time........what I'm talking about is the drummers' motions after a joke or a non-joke gone bad.........It's a papapapapapapapapapapap tsch !!! the tsch is when he strikes the cymbal and then quickly grabs the cymbal with the other hand to mute it...chachacha!