My Conversation with an anti-American

[Jeanette X]

The screen name of the individual in question has been deleted to protect his identity.

asarelah: hello
(name deleted): hey
asarelah: how are you?
(name deleted): not bad
asarelah: I'm all right too.
(name deleted) : thats good
asarelah: I'm watching the Daily Show.
asarelah: I love it.
asarelah:
(name deleted) : good show
(name deleted): too liberal
(name deleted) : but still good
asarelah: What is your political stance?
(name deleted): right wing
(name deleted) : the age of democrats is over
asarelah: ah, I'm liberal, myself, and a fervent Bush hater.
(name deleted): why?
asarelah: Why am I a liberal, or why do I hate Bush?
(name deleted): why do you hate bush
(name deleted): im only asking because a lot of people hate bush because its like the thing to do
asarelah: Oh Lord, no. I genuinely hate him.
(name deleted) : but for what reasons
asarelah: I wonder where to begin...hmm...
(name deleted): the only things i disagree with him on are stem cell research gay marriage and abortion
(name deleted): but thats not near enough reason to dislike a president
asarelah: Well, we can start with the nonexistnet WMDs.
(name deleted) : nonexistent?
(name deleted) : sadam used them on his own people for 12 years
(name deleted): and theres video evidence everywhere to proove it
(name deleted) : if there arent any in iraq thats because they've all been used
asarelah: ...while Reagan and Bush sr. cuddled up to him. He had WMDs then.
asarelah: He used them up long ago, though.
asarelah: He wasn't making new ones.
(name deleted): cuddled up? did you miss the persian gulf war?
asarelah: Prior to the First Persian Gulf War, Saddam was an ally of Reagan. It was only when he invaded Kuwait during the Bush administration that he changed from friend to enemy.
(name deleted): and regan was an amazing president
(name deleted) : dude that is so not true its rediculous
asarelah: There is video of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam.
(name deleted) : of course there are
(name deleted): we made like 8 billion attempts to come to peaceful terms with him
asarelah: I'll be more than happy to show you proof that Saddam was allied with the United States during the Reagan administration and got nothing more than a finger wagging from the United States when he gassed the Kurds.
asarelah: Do you want to see it?
(name deleted): regan was president long before sadam started bombing his own people
asarelah: Of course. But Saddam did so when he was president, and the Reagan adminstration remained friendly with him.
(name deleted): i think you need to get your facts straight
asarelah: Like I said, I can show you ample proof of this, if you don't believe me.
asarelah: Care to see?
(name deleted): go for it
asarelah: One moment, let me find it.
asarelah: Heres a start, I'll find more shortly:
asarelah: http://www.sundayherald.com/42648
asarelah: http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Reagan_played_060904.htm
(name deleted): yeah ive already read all about that
(name deleted): all these articles stem from one new york times article
(name deleted): the new york times being the most liberal newspaper in print
(name deleted) : and at that time sadaam was fighting iran
(name deleted): which was a much bigger threat to the world
asarelah: It doesn't make turning a blind eye to gassing the Kurds any better.
(name deleted) : theres nothing we could ever do about that
(name deleted): thats such a minor incident compared to iraq and iran going to war with eachother
asarelah: Psst, here's documents for you if you don't trust the New York times: http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/#docs
(name deleted): if we did something about that then iran would have a better chance of taking over the entire middle east
(name deleted) : no i trust the new york times, im just saying that they were the first to report on it
(name deleted) : and besides theres no way you can just go into iraq and find weapons of mass destruction in 2 years
asarelah: Would having Saddam take over the Middle East have been any better?
(name deleted) : um, yes
(name deleted) : at that point in time it would have been much better
asarelah: But he gassed his own people and commited other atrocities.
(name deleted) : so has every dictator in the history of the world
asarelah: So you're saying that it was wise to support a dictator?
(name deleted) : and if the us didnt step in and do something, then it would be the same liberals who are telling us to get out of iraq that would be wining about the us being selfish
(name deleted) no thats not at all what im saying
(named deleted): but if 2 dictators are at war with eachother, you do what anyone would do in a war situation, pick the lesser of 2 evils
(name deleted) : democrats find anything they possibly can to criticize
(name deleted) : like healthcare
(name deleted) : how the hell are you gonna nationalize healthcare in a country with 250 million people
asarelah: I know little about the health care issue, but I'll explain further as to why I hate him...we got a bit sidetracked on the Iraq issue.
(name deleted): that means that when i go to the hospital with another kidney stone, im gonna have to wait 10 hours to get a bed while some crackhead who doesnt pay taxes gets seen by a doctor whos gonna get paid with my tax dollars
asarelah: What about Halliburton?
(name deleted) : the iraq issue shouldnt even be peoples cocern, theres no way the government is gonna let us civilians know whats actually going on over there, and like i said, if we took all the money we spent in iraq and put it towards educaton like a lot of democrats want us to do, then those same democrats would be criticizing the bush administration for being selfish
(name deleted) : halliburton doesnt exist anymore
(name deleted) : well it does but cheney is out
(name deleted) : who cares about halliburton
(name deleted) : every president has their own way of making money
(name deleted) : thats not the reason were in iraq
(name deleted): the bush administration no longer has anything to do with halliburton
asarelah: Yes it does, look here: http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7745573
(name deleted): all this talks about is the money that halliburton will make
(name deleted): that money doesnt go to the bush administration anymore
(name deleted) : and besides even if it did thats so insignificant
asarelah: No? You don't see any conflict of interest here?
(name deleted) : thats just an excuse to criticize us for going into any country
(name deleted) : i dont think youre reading this article correctly
(name deleted) : it says nothing about the bush administration being tied to halliburton in any way
(name deleted): theyre done
asarelah: Cheney also recieves compensation and deferred stock-options from Halliburton: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/26/politics/main575356.shtml
(name deleted) : of course he does!
(name deleted) : hes the former owner
(name deleted) : you cant use that to say theres a conflict of interest
(name deleted) : this is the vice president were talking about
(name deleted) : he has no say in anything
(name deleted) : bush hardly has a say in anything
(name deleted) : and he also had unanimous support from the democratic party to go into iraq in the first place
(name deleted) : including joe liberman
asarelah: Joe Lieberman is a Republican in Democrat's clothes. Joe "Marilyn Manson Is the Greatest Threat Children Face Today" Lieberman.
asarelah: Anyhoo.
(name deleted) : thats the view of almost every politician
(name deleted) : and what about the rest of the democrats
(name deleted) : they all voted to go into iraq
(name deleted) : now they sit and criticize
(name deleted) : sweet guys
asarelah: They were told that Iraq posed an imminent threat to us.
asarelah: Furthermore, why shouldn't they criticize? That's how positive change gets made.
(name deleted): what!?
(name deleted) : they criticize everything and never come up with a better solution
asarelah: That's a very broad generalization.
(name deleted) : how can you criticize privatizing social security
(name deleted) : youre giving people a chance to invest their own money
(name deleted) : and they dont even have to if they dont want to
(name deleted) : its just silly
(name deleted) : theyre bitching for the sajke of bitching
asarelah: Hey, pointing out and illustrationg a problem is the first step to solving it.
(name deleted) : but when there is no better solution, then dont criticize
(name deleted) : thats hypocritical
asarelah: The Democrats likely have proposed other solutions that haven't gotten much media.
(name deleted) : oh they get plenty of media
(name deleted) : the entire media is liberal
(name deleted) : how could you say that?
asarelah: Fox News is liberal?
(name deleted) : fox news is neutral
(name deleted) : theyre the only legitimate news station
asarelah: Bill O'reilly is liberal?
asarelah: Ann Coulter is liberal?
(name deleted) : bill o'reilly doesnt count
(name deleted) : hes an idiot
(name deleted) : youre talking about political analysts
asarelah: They get an awful lot of airtime.
(name deleted) : ebhcause they have their own shows
(name deleted) : its better than seeing tom brokaw blatantly lie about the bush administration
asarelah: I've never seen a liberal with his/her own show...one would think that in a liberal media, liberals would get their own shows.
(name deleted) : then have to go back and appologize
asarelah: What did he say?
asarelah: Oh, you mean Dan Rather.
(name deleted) : im sorry
(name deleted) : dan rather
asarelah: At least he apologized.
asarelah: Anyhoo, what about the Patriot Act?
(name deleted) : of course he did, he didnt want to lose his jobn
(name deleted) : what about it
asarelah: He was retireing in three months. He didn't have to apologize for anything.
asarelah: What about the Patriot Acts infringements on civil liberties?
(name deleted): those civil liberties were set forth in the constitution YEEEEAAARS ago before we even had terrorists
(name deleted) : times have changed
(name deleted) : search me, i dont give a shit
asarelah: And creating a piece of legislation in which they are effectively repaled makes it okay?
(name deleted) : yes!
(name deleted) : do you think our forefathers had any idea that a nuclear bomb would be invented
(name deleted) : or that people would be bringing guns on airplanes
asarelah: "Those who would sacrafice freedom for a little saftey deserve neither freedom nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin.
(name deleted) : they didnt even have airplanes
asarelah: We must give up our freedom in order to protect it?
(name deleted) : oh come on
(name deleted) : either give up a little bit of your freedom, or more people are gonna get killed
(name deleted) : hmm now theres a tough one
(name deleted) : its ok that the twin towers fell, thats no reason to search people thoroughly before they get on airplanes
(name deleted) : nah not at all
asarelah: More people died in car accidents in 2001 than who died on 9/11, it hardly means that we could take away cars.
(name deleted) : its ok if it happens again
asarelah: Searching people before they get on airplaces is not an infringement on civil liberties.
(name deleted) : that is the dumbest thing i have ever heard
(name deleted) : no but strip searching is
asarelah: I'm talking about tapping personal records without probable cause or a warrant.
(name deleted) : and grabing womens parts is
asarelah: Searching someones house without a warrent, and not even telling them that you did.
(name deleted) : if theres you have nothing to hide then theres nothing to worry about
asarelah: That is frightening. It reminds me of the novel 1984.
(name deleted) : wow, youre rediculous
asarelah: Just because the government has these powers does not mean that they will use them fairly.
(name deleted) : im not even going to dignify this conversation with any further responses
(name deleted) : peace
asarelah: What? I was being perfectly civil to you!
(name deleted) : but youre an idiot
asarelah: You are anti-American.
(name deleted) : what!!?!?!?!?!
(name deleted) : youre the one talking all this shit about our government and giving me all this skewed info!
asarelah: Because you would eager destroy the principles this country was founded upon in a misguided attempt to protect it.
(name deleted) : misguided!!!
(name deleted) : hahahahahahahaha
(name deleted) : thats insanity
(name deleted) : those principles were set forth over 100 years ago
asarelah: Even if I am misguided, I am least not trying to repeal the constitution.
(name deleted) : fuck the constitution!
(name deleted) : times have changed
(name deleted) : and you need to adapt to those changes
asarelah: "Fuck the Constitution"? Can it get more anti-American than that?
(name deleted) : if the consitution has to be changed in order to adapt to a country which is NOTHING like it was when the constitution was written than so be it
(name deleted) : the constitution is an excuse to leave liberal laws in existance
asarelah: The terrorists want us to give up our liberties out of fear.
asarelah: You are playing right into their hands, don't you see that?
(name deleted) : no thats bullshit
(name deleted) : when theres an attack on our country then things have to change
(name deleted) : you cant just leave things the way they are
(name deleted) : and figure oh well if theres another attack then so be it, AT LEAST WE WERENT SCARED!!!!
asarelah: I lament the loss of civil discourse in this country. We were having a good debate, and you up and call me an idiot just because I disagree.
(name deleted): thats so ignorant
asarelah: You can change things and make us safer without destroying the consitutition.
(name deleted) : no, im afraid you cant
(name deleted) : and if you have any suggestions then write a letter to the bush administration because im sure theyd love to hear it
asarelah: Oh believe me, I have.
(name deleted) : because no other democrats have come up with any bright ideas
(name deleted) : and i emphasise the word bright

(name deleted) has signed out. (2/25/05 7:48 PM)

:(

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Oh, they're the anti-American! I get it now!

[davinxtk]

What the fuck?


Particular what the fuck points:

(name deleted) : the age of democrats is over
(uh, yeah, right. tell that to the electorate, buddy.)

(name deleted): im only asking because a lot of people hate bush because its like the thing to do
(er, not so much. people seem to support bush for no reason, everyone i've met who hates him has a pretty damn good reason)

(name deleted): the only things i disagree with him on are stem cell research gay marriage and abortion
(oh, so you disagree with him on the issues that he was voted into office for. i get it.)

(name deleted): but thats not near enough reason to dislike a president
(i promise i won't mention bill clinton.)

(name deleted): the new york times being the most liberal newspaper in print
...
(name deleted) : no i trust the new york times, im just saying that they were the first to report on it
(so by 'liberal' you mean 'accurate and up to date'. i get it.)

(name deleted) : and if the us didnt step in and do something, then it would be the same liberals who are telling us to get out of iraq that would be wining about the us being selfish
(someone please remind me the last time a president was criticized for NOT going to war)

(name deleted) : how the hell are you gonna nationalize healthcare in a country with 250 million people
(the word's socialize, not nationalize, and we could start by not having pointless, unjust and ludicrously expensive wars)

(name deleted): that means that when i go to the hospital with another kidney stone, im gonna have to wait 10 hours to get a bed while some crackhead who doesnt pay taxes gets seen by a doctor whos gonna get paid with my tax dollars
(dot dot dot question mark)

(name deleted) : the iraq issue shouldnt even be peoples cocern, theres no way the government is gonna let us civilians know whats actually going on over there, and like i said, if we took all the money we spent in iraq and put it towards educaton like a lot of democrats want us to do, then those same democrats would be criticizing the bush administration for being selfish
(no no no we shouldn't be concerned about the war we're engaged in that's killing americans and iraqis and creating a spirit of anti-american hatred around the world. and jesus christ those selfish bastard schools asking for educational funding. i'm so glad that bush & co were selfless enough to invade a sovereign nation and give all their buddies contracts to rebuild the place. how incredibly noble and self-sacrificing of them.)

(name deleted) : <anything about haliburton>
(you're stupid.)

(name deleted) : of course he does!
(name deleted) : hes the former owner
(name deleted) : you cant use that to say theres a conflict of interest
(uhm. isn't that the DEFINITION of conflict of interest?)

(name deleted) : they all voted to go into iraq
(based on lies.)

(name deleted) : they criticize everything and never come up with a better solution
(right. never EVER. not ONCE.)

(name deleted) : how can you criticize privatizing social security
(name deleted) : youre giving people a chance to invest their own money
(name deleted) : and they dont even have to if they dont want to
(successfully privatized social security literally depends on the backbone of our economy, which is less than trustworthy. that's how you can criticize it.)

(name deleted) : the entire media is liberal
(you clearly don't know what "liberal media" means, do you?)

(name deleted) : fox news is neutral
(name deleted) : theyre the only legitimate news station
(someone please give this fucker a lobotomy before he votes.)

(name deleted) : <patriot act>
(screw the lobotomy. remove this fucking moron from the gene pool.)



HOW DO RETARDS LIKE THIS SURVIVE IN THE WORLD?

Jeanette, I have to compliment you for sticking it out with this fucking moron and not blatantly insulting his intelligence. This guy's a fucking moron and really deserved a whole lot worse than what you gave him.

He seems to epitomize what he initially criticized. He embodies one-sided political views, partisan ignorance and the kind of horse-blinders "LALALALALA I'M NOT LISTENING YOU'RE A SILLY LIBERAL" attitude that this administration is rapidly becoming infamous for.

I only pray that you're not actually friends with him.

[Jeanette X]

Jeanette, I have to compliment you for sticking it out with this fucking moron and not blatantly insulting his intelligence. This guy's a fucking moron and really deserved a whole lot worse than what you gave him.

Thanks. I was hoping he was just ignorant as opposed to stupid, but sadly, he's dumb as a sack of shit.


I only pray that you're not actually friends with him.

No, just aquaintences who met on Yahoo. I removed him from my buddy list after this conversation. If he bothers me again, I'll be sure to post whatever amusing banter results. :/

[The Damp Moose]

asarelah: I lament the loss of civil discourse in this country. We were having a good debate, and you up and call me an idiot just because I disagree.
(name deleted): thats so ignorant


Good God that is funny.


I like how he calls Fox News neutral, too.

[Marine]

ya don´

[Zhukov]

You should have asked him who the dictator of Iran was, and how he came to be.

[VinceZeb]

I love the logic that just because something bad happens due to American's involvement it automatically means we can't dislike/discredit/do anything about it. The real world is all about taking sides and defeating threats. Sometimes you have to team with evil to fight and defeat a greater evil. I'm suprised you don't bring up that we fought with the Communists in WWII.

[Helm]

The real world is all about taking sides and defeating threats.

Do you honestly believe that? I mean, I really can't wrap my head around anyone saying this and meaning it. I am not trying to insult you, I just... this is a very simple worldview, that does not allow for the infinitesimal shades of meaning and purpose, that define any kind of interactive relationship. The correlations that in fact, paint the relative picture of micropolitics, geopolitical balance of power, even down to the relationship you and your dad, say, have. When your dad asks something from you that you're not prepared to do, do you go "DAD. YOU'RE EITHER ON MY SIDE, OR YOU'RE A THREAT AND I HAVE TO DEFEAT YOU. WITH THIS PITCHFORK." ? Does coming to terms with people fit in in your "real world" ? Civil discussion over a dispute, where not everybody cares about hammering his point in, but about reaching a mediative solution that will serve all parties, somewhat?


Sometimes you have to team with evil to fight and defeat a greater evil.

DOCTOR DOOM APPROVES!

or something, I mean, you make me sad enough to not really stand behind my jokes.

[mburbank]

I love the logic that once a month or so you can afford computer time at an internet cafe to drop a gob of Vinth thpit on the boards while never describing your horrible fall from grace.

What happened to the Vinth I knew, The submarine commanin', chem bio unitin' feintin' out from a disease which he can;t remeber the name of blood an guts Vinth who once told us everything he knew about the real world, all the way from defending himself with weapons secretly one time to how he'd be right there on the front lines killin' and maimin' if only the army woulda taken him? Where's the underwater hand job action, where are the hot li'l latino chicks, where are the THPETHIFICS?!

What HAPPENED to you Vinth? Fess up. Something bad went down that took the wind out of your sails and got you off the computer. My guess if you don't have one of your own right now, or can't afford cable. You're out of a job and you don't want to admit the Bush economy finally caught up with you. You got fat again, didn't you? Or maybe they won't let you on the internet during your all day outpatient treatments.

Come on, Vinth. Don't be such a lilly livered PUTHY. Tell us what happened after you chickened out of meeting up with Sspad and went into E-hiding.

[VinceZeb]

Max, your obession with me is pitiful. Before you waste anymore bandwith trying to insult or get a rise out of me, go buy a mirror. Stare into it. Then work on getting rid of that pork-fat stomach, those saggy bitch tits, that receding hair line. Get over the fact that I work with the future and you show off the past. Learn to make friends that don't consist of other social outcats and losers that hang out on a second rate message board for a second rate humor site.

I feel absolute and utter pity for you. I just pray that you don't do yourself in Hunter S. Thompson style.

[Jeanette X]

Before you waste anymore bandwith trying to insult or get a rise out of me, go buy a mirror. Stare into it. Then work on getting rid of that pork-fat stomach, those saggy bitch tits, that receding hair line.

This from the fellow who won't post his own picture...:lol2

[mburbank]

I'm SO pleased I got a rise out of you. I must have caught you while you were still at the internet cafe. And it was a Three-fer! One thing though, what's the difference between 'absolute' and 'utter' in the context of your pity for me. 'Cause I know a word smith of your potency wasn't just being redundant for the sake of sounding all flowery and girlish.

Also, my hair is as thick, manageable and lustrous now as it has ever been, thank you very much. How is your pants size, chubby?

[ziggytrix]

The real world is all about taking sides and defeating threats.

Do you honestly believe that? I mean, I really can't wrap my head around anyone saying this and meaning it.

Really? It's a driving force behind the human psyche. That EXTREMELY common mentality is what has allowed almost every leader ever to have their power. It's sad, but it's part of being human.

There have been a few great teachers who have said we should think and behave otherwise. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Jesus are all good examples but not one of those three died of natural causes, so what does that tell you about the human reaction to peacemakers?

[mburbank]

It sounds to me as if you are saying Jesus was a pussy. Now if there were someone out there who was sincerely religous, say a catholic, but with a warrior code of honor, say like a samurai, and the cognative spark of a gerbil with head trauma, say a fella who didn't realize that pairing those two things is the sort of oxymoronic imbecillity that brought us the Spanish Inquisition...

Well, calling the Jeeze Meister a pussy might make him so mad he'd ... go on an eating binge and get too big for his submarine suit or something.

[Immortal Goat]

Not to mention it would upset his delicate appendix again.

[kellychaos]

Just what was the United States' relationship and/or stance toward the U.S.S.R. prior to WWII? I mean, I know that there were some communist organizations making in-roads with american trade labor unions but it doesn't sound anywhere near the post-WWII era paranoia. Were they considered a threat to us? I'm a little vague on this part of history.

[davinxtk]

Damnit, Kelly, I had chosen to totally ignore that little blurb of Vinthian wisdom, but now I really feel the need to pay him a tiny rant.


Let's deconstruct the entire post while we're at it, because whenever I wake up and find myself in a school (which is happening more frequently) I think I should be doing a little critical thinking.
I love the logic that just because something bad happens due to American's involvement it automatically means we can't dislike/discredit/do anything about it.
Alright, to begin with, that's not what anybody said. Wait, strike that. That's 100% exactly what we said, but you're too confused to have noticed. Let me explain: Often times when something bad happens due to America's involvement in the politics of other countries, it is fed to the masses that the opposing country simply "hates America" and that we need to "do something about it." What we don't do often enough is take a look at ourselves, try and find concrete motivation behind another's actions, and fix the problem with diplomacy. The problem we're seeing, Vince, is that anyone who dislikes what America has done, discredits the people who are engaging in it, and tries to do anything about it (see, I used your words, this should be really easy for you to understand) they are called unpatriotic, or sympathizers, or anti-American. Does this make sense? And don't get defensive with me, because it won't help. Take a critical look at this country and try and say that we've always done right; that the only answer to these problems has to be that other countries "hate America" because we have "freedom." And think about how fucking absurd those statements are.


The real world is all about taking sides and defeating threats. Sometimes you have to team with evil to fight and defeat a greater evil. I'm suprised you don't bring up that we fought with the Communists in WWII.
Now, I have to thank you for handing me another juicy subject, and a clearly defined example to use in conversation.
The idea that the real world is all about taking sides and defeating threats is, as ziggy said, the mentality that has brought power to world leaders throughout human history. The difference we need to see now, however, is that with a world small enough to be devastated by only a handful of our most powerful weapons, we need to work together. The mentality of "us vs. them" needs to be worked out of global politics. I'm going to let that simmer while we talk about the red scare for a minute.
In WWII, without going into the various political and economical reasons it took us so long to get involved, we faught a common enemy with the USSR. Almost immediately afterwards, however, our governing and economic constructs became terribly afraid of what communism might mean, and did their best to villify the followers of Marx. Instead of focusing on the oppressive regimes that did exist in the post-WWII Sovet Union, we turned it again into an ideological war. We (and in fact much of the rest of the world) stopped trading with them entirely. As a result, their economy collapsed from the inside out over the course of a few decades.
Now, that "us vs. them" thing should be ready for our recipe.
If we hadn't brought the "us vs. them" mentality into our relations with the USSR, do you think it would have collapsed as quickly as it did? Or even at all?
If we had, instead of engaging in the cold war, engaged in peaceful supply and labor trades, in humanitarian efforts abroad instead of espionage, do you think we'd be dealing with the children of the cold war today?

You don't even have to respond to any of this, I just want you to think about it. If you want to reply, reply in a respectful manner. I'm not trying to start your umpteenth flame war, as amused as I am by Max; what I am trying to do is break down the "us vs. them" mentality in my own mind, and talk to you not as a political opponent but as a human being.
Because that's what we all need to see the world as. A collection of humans. People aren't their ideologies, they're not simply friends or enemies. They have goals, and the more we all work together the better the world is going to be.





someone call me a hippy or a fag or both really quick just to get it over with

[kellychaos]

When I was a soldier in Pusan, South Korea, my friends and I met some Russian sailors who shared their vodka under the table in a brothel bar. Only a couple of the officers spoke English and, even then, very brokenly. Technically, we shouldn't have spoken to them at all especially in the comprimised state of drunkeness. It was all pretty harmless as we stayed well clear of any military talk. They asked us a lot of questions about rock bands and such. They were very nice and asked us to buy blue jeans for them on post and wanted to know if we would tape some "american-style" rock and roll. We were going to scam them as their was no way they could come on post and plus they probably had to leave in a couple of days anyway. We did not ... partly because we wanted to go to the same bar the next day and partly because they were genuinely nice guys who didn't seem like "the enemy" As I was not too much of a world traveler, this acquaintence brought out an epiphany in me ... sort of a "they could just as easily be me" kind of thing ... Hell, I even taped the rock music for them.

[thebiggameover]

\
someone call me a hippy or a fag or both really quick just to get it over with

fag hippy....
:/

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Just what was the United States' relationship and/or stance toward the U.S.S.R. prior to WWII? I mean, I know that there were some communist organizations making in-roads with american trade labor unions but it doesn't sound anywhere near the post-WWII era paranoia. Were they considered a threat to us? I'm a little vague on this part of history.

Well, we did send troops in an attempt to reverse the results of the Bolshevik revolution, so how do you think the relationship was?

To my recollection, and I may certainly be off, average American sentiment towards the Russians wasn't great. I recall FDR reverting to a p.r. propaganda campaign leading up to the war, presenting them as our buddies in the East, fighting Fascism and the good fight, etc.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Get over the fact that I work with the future and you show off the past.

:lol

Vince works with these cRaZy new turing machine devices I've been hearing about! :lol

IN THE YEAR 2000! IN THE YEAR 2000!

[mburbank]

I WORK WITH THE FUTURE, HU-MAN!! I'm going to assume that means he's in some sort of technology related field. Or maybe he's working in, like, timetravel or something. I'm going to guess he means my Museum work when he says I "Show off the past".

Hey! Vinth! I work at a SCIENCE Museum. Some of our exhibits are about the past. Like... say... the Dinosaur area. But a good deal of our exhibit space and more than half of our programming is about where science is now and where it's going next. I'm working on a project right now about using nanotechnology to harness the electricity generated by photosynthesis. TOP THE FUTUREOCITY OF THAT, FUTURE BOY!

Vinth, when the weekend roles around again and you're allowed to log on to a computer, I'm dying to know just how you are working 'with the future'. maybe it's the future of words, because as they stand now, you can't work with the future. But if your too cowardly to give us any details, or if your appendixth thtarth acting up, I'll understand.

[kellychaos]

Oops! :/

[kellychaos]

Vinth
http://bullwinkle.toonzone.net/title-peabody.gif

Well, we did send troops in an attempt to reverse the results of the Bolshevik revolution, so how do you think the relationship was?

Well, since we were largely isolationist prior to WWI, how did they so quickly become a threat in our eyes and through who's influence? That's kind of why I threw in the connections to some labor unions. Were they considered a threat to corporate America? They, corporate Americans, do pull some military strings.

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Well, since we were largely isolationist prior to WWI, how did they so quickly become a threat in our eyes and through who's influence? That's kind of why I threw in the connections to some labor unions. Were they considered a threat to corporate America? They, corporate Americans, do pull some military strings.

The Republican Party viewed the New Deal-era version of organized labor as an increasingly subversive one, and as early as FDR/Dewey in '44, there were at least whispers of Communism, liberalism, and labor working together to "subvert" the contitution. Most on the Right thought he was far too soft on Communism. By '48, strikes were rampant, and I think labor took on a pretty bad image.

Um, I forgot why we we're talking about Communism.....

[davinxtk]

Vince said something about us working with the evil communists in WWII.



Go fucking figure?

[Zhukov]

OMG I want to talk to vince about communism. That's pretty much my life goal, now.

[davinxtk]

I'll sell tickets.

[Zhukov]

Hell, I even taped the rock music for them.

That's a real tear jerker. :/

Kelly, what years where you in Korea?