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USA as an Empire

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iamnotaparakeet
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29 Aug 2010, 4:34 am

Wait, according to this thread by an anti-American hate monger, America already is an Empire! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt136337.html

Let's conquer the rest of the world now. :twisted:



Sand
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29 Aug 2010, 4:45 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Wait, according to this thread by an anti-American hate monger, America already is an Empire! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt136337.html

Let's conquer the rest of the world now. :twisted:


Well, we might as well start with Afghanistan since we're already there. Maybe in another 50 years.



iamnotaparakeet
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29 Aug 2010, 4:54 am

Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Wait, according to this thread by an anti-American hate monger, America already is an Empire! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt136337.html

Let's conquer the rest of the world now. :twisted:


Well, we might as well start with Afghanistan since we're already there. Maybe in another 50 years.


Nah, since I'm just another "effing ignorant Yank", why not go with a modified redneck version: bombard uninhabited parts of their land from orbit with artificial meteorites until they stop killing each other for converting away from Islam and also stop producing insane anti-imperialists. American Empire, woot yeah!



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29 Aug 2010, 5:06 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Nah, since I'm just another "effing ignorant Yank", why not go with a modified redneck version: bombard uninhabited parts of their land from orbit with artificial meteorites until they stop killing each other for converting away from Islam and also stop producing insane anti-imperialists. American Empire, woot yeah!


I still say we farm that sort of work out to the Chinese, they show a real talent at that sort of thing. Maybe we can help them spin it to the UN, division of labor and all. :wink:


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iamnotaparakeet
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29 Aug 2010, 5:10 am

Dox47 wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Nah, since I'm just another "effing ignorant Yank", why not go with a modified redneck version: bombard uninhabited parts of their land from orbit with artificial meteorites until they stop killing each other for converting away from Islam and also stop producing insane anti-imperialists. American Empire, woot yeah!


I still say we farm that sort of work out to the Chinese, they show a real talent at that sort of thing. Maybe we can help them spin it to the UN, division of labor and all. :wink:


Perhaps the region could benefit from being under communism. The Chinese seem to know what they are doing fairly well, but they need more tanks!



Sand
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29 Aug 2010, 5:24 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Wait, according to this thread by an anti-American hate monger, America already is an Empire! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt136337.html

Let's conquer the rest of the world now. :twisted:


Well, we might as well start with Afghanistan since we're already there. Maybe in another 50 years.


Nah, since I'm just another "effing ignorant Yank", why not go with a modified redneck version: bombard uninhabited parts of their land from orbit with artificial meteorites until they stop killing each other for converting away from Islam and also stop producing insane anti-imperialists. American Empire, woot yeah!


It seems you and ruveyn have it all solved. Just like Ozymandias.



iamnotaparakeet
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29 Aug 2010, 5:30 am

Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Wait, according to this thread by an anti-American hate monger, America already is an Empire! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt136337.html

Let's conquer the rest of the world now. :twisted:


Well, we might as well start with Afghanistan since we're already there. Maybe in another 50 years.


Nah, since I'm just another "effing ignorant Yank", why not go with a modified redneck version: bombard uninhabited parts of their land from orbit with artificial meteorites until they stop killing each other for converting away from Islam and also stop producing insane anti-imperialists. American Empire, woot yeah!


It seems you and ruveyn have it all solved. Just like Ozymandias.


I think ruveyn can actually think, which is more than I can say for people who are too worried about offending others to think (hence I'm not referring to you as you don't have that worry either).



Sand
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29 Aug 2010, 6:31 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Wait, according to this thread by an anti-American hate monger, America already is an Empire! http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt136337.html

Let's conquer the rest of the world now. :twisted:


Well, we might as well start with Afghanistan since we're already there. Maybe in another 50 years.


Nah, since I'm just another "effing ignorant Yank", why not go with a modified redneck version: bombard uninhabited parts of their land from orbit with artificial meteorites until they stop killing each other for converting away from Islam and also stop producing insane anti-imperialists. American Empire, woot yeah!


It seems you and ruveyn have it all solved. Just like Ozymandias.


I think ruveyn can actually think, which is more than I can say for people who are too worried about offending others to think (hence I'm not referring to you as you don't have that worry either).


Considering your proposals I am not terribly impressed with your ideas. But then, what the hell. Your firm belief that the universe is 6000 years old strikes me as sharply idiotic also. If you find that offensive it merely means you misunderstand my well considered analysis.



adifferentname
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29 Aug 2010, 6:48 am

The idea has merits, but make sure you don't upset the Irish. Last thing you need is all the American Irish protesting the invasion or destruction of their motherland; they tend to prefer car-bombs over placards and catchy chants.



Janissy
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29 Aug 2010, 11:06 am

pandabear wrote:
[
By the way, I thought that Pakistan was our ally, against India. What happened there?


Pakistan is our (if you are an American) ally against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This doesn't sem to be working out to well because they seem to be "against" it only on paper. We are allies with India which is fine with me. As an American, I feel like we have more in common with India than with Pakistan.



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29 Aug 2010, 5:24 pm

Janissy wrote:
pandabear wrote:
[
By the way, I thought that Pakistan was our ally, against India. What happened there?


Pakistan is our (if you are an American) ally against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This doesn't sem to be working out to well because they seem to be "against" it only on paper. We are allies with India which is fine with me. As an American, I feel like we have more in common with India than with Pakistan.


Pakistan was and still is for the most part an ally of the Taliban. They're a faithful to the same brand of Islam. The only 3 countries to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan were UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan who are all supposedly American allies.



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29 Aug 2010, 9:42 pm

adifferentname wrote:
The idea has merits, but make sure you don't upset the Irish. Last thing you need is all the American Irish protesting the invasion or destruction of their motherland; they tend to prefer car-bombs over placards and catchy chants.


I am half Irish.



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29 Aug 2010, 11:21 pm

adifferentname wrote:
The idea has merits, but make sure you don't upset the Irish. Last thing you need is all the American Irish protesting the invasion or destruction of their motherland; they tend to prefer car-bombs over placards and catchy chants.

Wonderful to see that racism against the Irish is still alive and strong in America. :roll:

Seriously, we aren't all drunks and terrorists. Almost the only Irish terrorism occurred in Northern Ireland under particularly severe English oppression. Overall, the Irish have been rather less violent than you would expect, given the abuses suffered under English rule.


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adifferentname
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29 Aug 2010, 11:57 pm

Orwell wrote:
Wonderful to see that racism against the Irish is still alive and strong in America. :roll:


Actually I'm from County Down.



ruveyn
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06 Sep 2010, 8:27 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Lets say America decided to be an actual Empire. How much of the world could be overrun by the USA? Mass producing ABLs to keep the skies free of enemy nuclear devices, and mass producing all other military hardware, drafting all of the unemployed to serve in some military capacity depending on physical ability, hiring mercenaries to occupy conquered lands. How far do you think the USA could go as being an actual Empire versus just being an "economic empire"?


The strongest empires are build with "soft" power. It is much more efficient to co-opt than to conquer. If one can buy cooperation at a lower cost than forcing at gun point then it might be a reasonable purchase. Also a kind of hegemony that helps the underling as much as the master promote long term co-operation and loyalty.

All that being said, it is clear that the people who govern the U.S. are and have been second rate imperialists. The Romans were the best imperialists in the West with England running a close second. When the Brits finally let go of India, India had a robust transportation and industrial infra-structure. Where the U.S. has occupied and interfered as soon as we leave it falls to wreck and ruin. Keep an eye on Iraq and watch it happen. We also did it in Afghanistan too. When the U.S. withdrew after the Soviet attempt at domination collapsed, Afghanistan when to hell in a hurry. We blew an opportunity to be viewed as an honest broker in a Muslim land. Now we are paying a price for it.

ruveyn



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06 Sep 2010, 9:28 pm

The point of an empire is not to enslave and dominate a country but to infiltrate it's economy and culture and add it to the wealth of the conquering country so that both the conquerors and the conquered gain by the process. The USA, like other incompetent conquerors such as Russia and Nazi Germany have destroyed much of the potential of the dominated countries and thereby made the process a losing game. All humans have potentials, both good and bad and when the creative and productive qualities are developed, everybody gains.