Pakistani flood victims' anger at US

So your country harbors terrorist hostile to the U.S. in the mountains near Afghanistan (it's a tribal thing) but yet the U.S. is supposed to hand over a blank check? Tell you what, you just point out where Bin Laden is and we'll cut you a check for $25 million.

Or you could reach out to all your relatives that left Pakistan to find a better life in the west and see if they can send some greenbacks your way.

I'm all for helping those in need, that's one thing makes America a great country. But it seems we never do enough or we do too much, then we become the Great Satan.

I'm so fed up with the attitude that comes out of this region.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Yossarian,

I'm down on foreign aid in general these days - didn't we just pledge $7.5 billion to Pakistan over the next five years?

Yet, there was a big to do over whether to continue extended unemployment benefits and I think I just read that California state workers are going to have to take unpaid Fridays again. That $7.5 billion seems like it could be put to better use in our own house.

Lets just bomb them some more. First time we violated our foreign policy and bombed a country for harboring a terrorist (we think). What's to stop us now?
Bomb away. Who cares about the innocent.
Geez.

Huh?

Let's see did I mention bombing? Nope.

Did Mamattorney? Don't see it there.

Ted-Did you delete a post?

Bio-What's with the bombing stuff? What did Pakistan ever do to you?

Here you go Bio, be the better person, send your $100 donation today.

Pakistan Flood Relief

Well my friend is there right now volunteering with Engineers Without Borders. And once again I'm appalled by our attitudes in the US and how we just slurp up that spoon fed pap from our politicians and media.

Yeah- Pakistan BAD.

Bombing? You're not aware of it? Even that has trickled into out almost consciousness in the last few years.

Actually, the US is Providing Aid....

quote:

You're not aware of it?

I don't recall saying I wasn't aware of the bombings. I assume you mean the bombings in the mountains where we believe the Taliban and their pal Bin Laden are seeking sanctuary?

Say, speaking of the Taliban and Osama, how much are they contributing to the Pakistani relief?

And kudo's to your friend for helping, I hope he remains safe.

I think Bio's point is that it's not the individual citizens of Pakistan who're harboring Bin Laden and the Taliban....it's the "government". The people are the ones suffering the most from this.

That being said, because of our previous actions we are now expected to contribute and help all of these other countries. Why? Because we stuck our noses into other countries' business and decided to try to tell them how their countries should work so many other times previously. With each action comes a responsibility. If the foresight wasn't there before to see the impending responsibility, too bad. It's that whole "you made your bed, now lie in it" thing. Kinda like when kids have babies and then later complain that they "can't" or don't want to take care of them. We need to be responsible for our actions.

quote:

We need to be responsible for our actions.

Sorry, I don't feel the least bit responsible for the disasters that befall Pakistan. Sympathy, yes. But my sympathy wanes when my country is the number one contributer to relief and that still not good enough. Why aren't these folks casting stones at the Saudi's?

The Pakistan government could free up some money from their nuclear program or quit fighting with India over Kashmir.

Yes they could. And they probably should. BUT, by previously establishing ourselves as the "go to" country in times of need, we have a responsiblity to uphold that self-labeled title.

When did the U.S. label itself the "go to" country? Kind of like GE being the "City Of Volunteers".

How about we take care of our own people, that is our first responsibilty.


We are a country of finite resources, we need to accept that and live within our means.

We never have, why would we start now?? And we labeled ourselves that when we first began trying to dictate how things "should" work to every other country in distress.

It is becoming rather tiresome being the hated country who the world turns to when there is a problem.

Swell bunch of guys those Taliban...

Pakistani Taliban hint at attacks on aid workers

Does the Taliban actually "hint", or does it just do?

I was under the impression that the group acts without warning....am I incorrect?

And what if this person who spoke to the AP from an "undisclosed location" wasn't actually who he said he was??

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
It is becoming rather tiresome being the hated country who the world turns to when there is a problem.

I couldn't agree with you more, Clam.

Over the past several years, it became obvious that we didn't want to capture Bin Laden, but rather just contain him. If we had captured him, we couldn't use him to our advantage, which was to finally put the west in the middle east. We all knew someday we would be dragged into that region in a violent manner, but we just didn't have a strong enough reason that would provoke an entire country to do it...until 9/11. After 9/11, we had two choices to make. We either get Bin Laden right away, kill everything that supported him in the region, and then pull the military back and start the diplomatic talks..a military "mission". Or, we screw the talks (which we had been doing for decades prior), use Bin Laden as the foundation to do exactly what he didn't want to happen (declare war), use him as the reason why, discredit him to his people for the amount of suffering they were going to go through by our military, pick a target to invade and use as an (in your face) example of the western's way of life, hope they come to embrace it (Iraq), which they have, and then let freedom begin to grow. Once freedom has established a strong enough foothold to withstand and defend against the resistance of the region (Iran), then go take the cap off of Bin Laden and snatch his wimpy little butt up and bring him to Cuba. Then we declare "Mission Accomplished).

If you ask me, and this is just my own personal opinion (rant if you will). I think we've done this right. I think the only way to stop the middle east from hijacking planes over the long term, is to force the western culture on the region in a manner that will allow the public to see it's true characteristics, and come to endorse it. Once they endorse it, they will fight to protect it. Once they have to fight to protect it, the history books will show who made the initial sacrifice to get the ball rolling. And now, when that fight comes, all they're going to have to do to be reminded who is on their side, is look up in the sky and see the American fighter planes screaming across the sky, beating the living out of their enemy. I think, thanks to Bin Laden, this country is in a MUCH stronger position today than we have ever been since the end of WWII. 9/10/01, we couldn't respond to a military threat in the middle east beyond a few F15's in Turkey. Now, the real enemy (Iran) is looking at the wrong end of the world's guns on every single one of their boarders. Two enemies, now contained, Iran and Bin Laden. Let Iran rattle their swords all day long. If push came to shove, they can't get a rocket beyond their borders without a battery of missle defenses going after it. We've got US military hardware to their left "Iraq", to their right "Afghanistan", to their north "Turkey", and to their south "Naval Fleet". We've also got Pakistan on the payroll as well.

But if we really wanted to hurt Iran (and Russia for their assistance), we don't need the military at all. We need an SEC with the proper size of ghanas to investigate the commodities market on Wall Street, specifically the oil traders. No reason for oil to be this expensive (never was a reason other than pure speculation). You cut the price of oil, you've cut the cashflow to Iran, period. After a while, the leaders of Iran have a problem on their hands. Do they feed their public to maintain the peace, or do you starve the public and spend the money on military hardware. Iran gets the bomb, they'll have a better shot of hijacking the market.

Pakistan people do not hate us. My friend volunteered there with Engineers Without Borders. He was appalled by what he saw. Humans in dire need and yes- uneducated. When they see the US media they yell out profanities about the US to be televised as of course the media runs over to film them to keep up the lie that has become our reason to send troops and money there for certain peoples profit. Sure there are the extremists as there are in the US but they do not represent the people of Pakistan or Afghanistan. I hoped Obama would get us out but obviously our military industrial complex says otherwise. Don't believe the media lies-at this point we're not doing much better than the old USSR as far as keeping us informed about the world.

Pakistan is a failed state. It's government is unable or unwilling to do the most basic things. Like educate it's children or respond to a disaster, or secure its borders.

In that kind of environment extremists will always find people willing to follow them.

Sounds like the Bush administration