slapping down zarf so hard he is consumed by a plasma arc a split-second before actual impact > letting it alone

Congrats Dimpel!

It's not as if there's any physical barrier compelling America's decline.  As with Britain and probably Rome and the Mongols, if you looked at them, Americans have independently and socially have decided we're not going to cooperate on a level necessary to sustain the same sort of force projection we had in 1945.  We're just not going to put 50% of the US economy and 3% of our population into a world war, ever.  Won't happen again.  No matter what.  So the geopolitical systems like the UN and all the rest of it based on such a potential force are built on sand.

>>The toppling of Saddam Hussein failed to trigger any domino effect in the Middle East Mr Rumsfeld was sent a careful, conscientious 900-page report by the state department containing detailed plans for the post-invasion period. He reportedly dumped it, unopened, straight into his waste-paper basket.<<

Good for him.  Our State Dept is the most inept civil service since the Tsarist Army gave up.  How many of your civil servants spy for Cuba for 30 years? 
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5546CA20090605

America is no longer a superpower.  I would say it is no longer a world power, though it may totter on for another decade or two.  There is still the strong chance that when World War III explodes it will blow up in Central Asia and the USA will not be immediately involved.

The Pax Americana rested on 5 pillars: our population, our technological advantange, our industrial production, our military, and our alliances with all industrialized democracies.  We have thrown away all 5.

Our population is off limits.  We won't even take all volunteers.  The death of 4500 in Iraq has "crippled us". The very notion of a draft, under any circumstances, is  a prelude to civil war. 

We have no technological advantage.  We won't impose one on our kids, who need to grow to screw each other and play handegg and play tambourine. Math is harrrruuddd.

Our industrial production has been sacrificied to globalism.  I understood the benefit of the WTO was that we could scrap the laborious uncertain process of diplomatic resolution of trade disputes for a fair broker.  Now that we won at the WTO, we get to laboriously negotiate a settlement of our judgments...meanwhile the industries that broke the Axis have moved to our "strategic partners", where they will do us no good at all when we have to fight them.

Our regular military was understood to be there, to hold the line, while we activated the reserves, and the recruits would win the war.  Our reserves are now entirely noncombatants and there won't be any wave of recruits.  What we have out there now, is IT.  And we're gonna cut that too.  We proudly will not send too many troops to Afghanistan lest we "swamp" it with our "footprint".  We send fewer troops than the Taliban, we lose more faster, and we won't take territory with firepower.  This will make us beloved and good vibes will sweep the hills free of rocket launchers.  Or something.

As for our alliances...of what value is that, beyond parking lots and docks and airfields?  I'm sure the few who are sent do their best, but any government that sought fuller mobilization in honor of NATO obligations would fall overnight.  The entire NATO contingent in Afghanistan, from a continental alliance of about 400 million people, is less than one division.  And that's straining you.  When it comes to the thought of fighting Russia, you're paralyzed with angst.  You can't even get to China, so forget it.

Under Bush people liked to say America wasn't liked.

I think we are going to see that America won't be tolerated.

nope

nemeara

x(

Who summons me from my slumber???

skyro!

no!

penguin?

made this speech before he got booted out of Ethnic Studies 101

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV3u9Tt9Oe8

> Little Paul wrote:

> "Republicans passed the 14th amendment so that black slaves could become citizens. A Republican issued the Emancipation Declaration. Democrats created, and only Democrats were allowed to join the KKK. Seems kind of obvious who the racists are."

That is a simplification.  The democratic party at the time can't be compared with the party now. Both parties have their own racists.<<

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/12/tombstone-of-republic.html

Quenya and Sindarin are english

Klingon and naavi are american

that cheese reek is the worst