Has the current presidential administration doomed our future?

[Q Classic]

Originally posted by Ned
Kid, I count debt as money.

I wish my student loan officers did that.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Q Cubed


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Except that excuse was irrational--borne of misunderstanding and exclusionary notions of what was considered "American".

No doubt. Even if the belief was wrong, it was still widely held and was the reason for the detention.

I also think they had prior examples of Japanese-Americans helping Japan in Hawaii just prior to Pearl Harbor.

[Ned]

Q, a dollar is an instrument of debt.

[Zkribbler]

But, the excuse given at the time was that even for American Japanese, the Emperor was a God and that their loyalty could not be assured if given a choice between America and their Emperor.

That does not explain why only Japanese-Americans on the mainland were interred while Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were untouched...including the Japanese spy whose house overlooked Pearl Harbor.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


No way Harding was worse. Just as corrupt, sure, but didn't do active harm to the Constitution and its citizenry.

Harding doomed Prohibition. Putting Harding in charge of the first Federal administration saddled with the responsibility of drying out the country was like putting a hundred dollar-a-day habit junkie in charge of the Bureau of Narcotics. He was a major lush and he very much neglected to set up the apparatus needed to enforce Prohibition. Of course, some here might feel that this was to his credit..........................

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove


Harding doomed Prohibition. Putting Harding in charge of the first Federal administration saddled with the responsibility of drying out the country was like putting a hundred dollar-a-day habit junkie in charge of the Bureau of Narcotics. He was a major lush and he very much neglected to set up the apparatus needed to enforce Prohibition. Of course, some here might feel that this was to his credit..........................

Harding didn't doom Prohibition; Prohibition was doomed, period. And, yes, if Harding hastened its demise (which seems unlikely, given that it lasted through the Coolidge and Hoover administrations), then that would be to his credit.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


That does not explain why only Japanese-Americans on the mainland were interred while Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were untouched...including the Japanese spy whose house overlooked Pearl Harbor.

Actually, I don't know the reason for this. But it does support the point of view that the incarceration was for a reason other than race.

[Q Classic]

Not necessarily. It could also support the point of view that the government had a racist rationale, but was too ****ing incompetent/lazy to carry it through. Shipping people from the islands to the mainland? Too much work/money/etc...

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Ned


By that I assume you agree that Bush lied.

Bush agressively spun. Bush (and others in his administration) made up his mind that he wanted to invade Iraq. THEN, he set about constructing a casus belli. Evidence that did not assist, or conflicted with, his plan to invade, was discarded or downplayed.

Is that "lying?" Technically, no. But it's still crap.

-Arrian

[Ned]

Arrian, no doubt that Bush was aggressive in promoting the Iraq war. It might have been better for him to appear to be reluctant to go to war. He should have acted like Clinton when he appeared to be reluctant to go to war against Serbia in the Bosnian conflict.

However, if you recall, Clinton did just the opposite in the case of Kosovo. He led the international community to war. He even ignored the United Nations and the U.S. Congress, something that Bush did not do in a case of Iraq.

[Arrian]

1) I didn't like the way Kosovo was handled. I was very much against bombing Serbia.

2) Clinton was reluctant to intervene at first, and only went once he was sure the rest of our allies were ready to follow. That's a key difference, from the standpoint of relations with our allies. It doesn't make the intervention any more or less "just" though.

3) Congress is a bunch of ****ing pussies.

-Arrian

[Ned]

Well maybe. I think Clinton got our "Allies" to back his action in Kosovo. Bush tried to do the same and actually thought he had France's support as they had voted for 1440. But something happened between that vote and the second vote to change France's mind.

(You have to remember, that the illustrious Chirac is probably the most corrupt European politician in history. He had his hands deep in Saddam's pockets.)

[Arrian]

I have no love for Chirac.

I cannot understand how Bush could've thought that the French were "with him" in an invasion. That's the sort of thing you work out behind closed doors in advance. A vote for a vaguely-worded UN resolution is not good enough.

-Arrian

[Ned]

All I know is that something changed. Powell was surprised and a bit miffed by France's change in attitude.

[Arrian]

Compare and contrast the run up to Gulf War I to Bush the Younger's invasion. The Elder knew what he was doing, and furthermore had a MUCH better casus belli. Furthermore, he knew the limits of the mandate for action he had from his coalition (thus he did stopped short of toppling Hussein).

-Arrian