Anyone else extremely concerned about our relationship w/ other countries?

[PigBenis]

At the U.N. General Assembly President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela bad mouthed President Bush on a public stage like I've never seen before. If you missed it here's a transcript of what he said: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092000893.html The scariest part about the whole thing is the crowd of other country delegates applauded, a lot. They clearly agreed with what was being said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke as well. Here's his transcript: http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/li...920-irna02.htm This is a man who has said stuff like, "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism." He has also called for Israel to be "wiped out from the map."

How the hell have things gotten this bad? 2 apparent mad men are able to basically talk about our destruction while other countries applaud them, at the UN even! Is this ALL George Bush's doing? I don't know about you guys, but this really scares the hell out of me.

[GrobbeeTrull]

This is what is known as Free-Speach.

Of course people who disagree with US policy are going to speak out on it. Hell, I am practically in line with what Chavez says. Bush is leading the American people down a path no one wants to go.

Originally Posted by President Chavez

The president of the United States, yesterday, said to us, right here, in this room, and I'm quoting, "Anywhere you look, you hear extremists telling you can escape from poverty and recover your dignity through violence, terror and martyrdom."

Wherever he looks, he sees extremists. And you, my brother -- he looks at your color, and he says, oh, there's an extremist. Evo Morales, the worthy president of Bolivia, looks like an extremist to him.

The imperialists see extremists everywhere. It's not that we are extremists. It's that the world is waking up. It's waking up all over. And people are standing up.

Pretty much sums up the situation.

[PigBenis]

Yes, free-speech is a great thing. We are very fortunate to have that right.

I hate President Bush's politics as much as the next guy. I think he's a mad man on a power trip. The fact is though countries like Venezuela and Iran have hated us forever, even before President Bush. They will probably still hate us after Bush. It's just f'ed up because now everyone is jumping on the band wagon.

We have Muslim extremists that hate us, and countries that we've treated like shit for years hating us coming together. It's really a bad scene.

[Lucane Darkseraphim]

Chavez wants to demonize the local superpower like his buddy Fidel did in order to stay in power for as long as possible.

Ahmadinejad is like 5'4'' and stuck in the mindset of an angsty teenager; he now is in a position of power and is stroking his dick off to it.

I'm partly being facetious but not entirely. They're both are playing politics just like every world leader does, except I am fairly certain that Ahmadinejad is suffering from emoteen syndrome.

[Eomer]

Ahmadaiefadsflkjaefin is pretty much a mirror image of George Bush, I can't really see why people seem so offended with what he says from time to time. He spouts rhetoric to pander to his base, no different than Bush.

I hate President Bush's politics as much as the next guy. I think he's a mad man on a power trip. The fact is though countries like Venezuela and Iran have hated us forever, even before President Bush. They will probably still hate us after Bush. It's just f'ed up because now everyone is jumping on the band wagon.

Have you ever looked into why these countries "hated you forever?" Have you really? Countries don't just naturally hate each other for no good reason. And no, not even out of jealousy over wealth. The US's history in the Middle East and South America, along with Southeast Asia, is absolutely fucking abominable. These countries hate the US for a reason.

In Iran, it's because the US overthrew a democratically elected government in the 50's because it wanted to nationalize the oil industry there and kick out the foreign companies that were bleeding the country dry. So the US overthrows the new government, installs the Shah as leader of the country (or rather, brutal dictator), and proceeds to milk Iran dry for 20+ years until the Islamic Revolution boots the Shah and the US out of Iran. So then the US cozies up to Iraq/Saddam, helps them get chemical weapons, encourages him to attack Iran, and happily supplies him with satellite imagery or at least intelligence so that he can more effectively gas Iranian troops.

But obviously the Iranians just hate the US cause they're crazy Muslims, right?

Venezuela's history I'm not nearly as familiar with. I'd say though that there isn't a hatred of the US amongst the population itself, it's more that Chavez himself likes to stir the pot because it makes him be seen as standing up to the evil rich imperialists, and his base has always been amongst the poor.

Not to mention the US has not so discreetly been throwing money and support to any group in Venezuela that opposes Chavez, and that it probably had it's hands in the several attempted coups and general strikes that have attempted to remove him from power.

[Usha Starchild]

I travel frequently all over the world and everyone loves to talk polotics with the foreigners (its annoying). Anyways, where ever you go from Japan, China, Europe, people bad mouth the bush adminstration.

The USA is lucky its in the financial position it is right now, or else the world would treat the US a lot differently.

Imagine USA was 4th or 5th on the GDP charts, the world would have blacklisted them for the things that bush has been doing.

I just cant belive bush was votd back in last election.

[dak]

The fact is though countries like Venezuela and Iran have hated us forever

Iran and the US loved each other up until the last ~40 years.

Our highest ranking members of government use to go over there to ski and bask in their beautiful landscape.





It's not a desert like most people think, Iran is a fucking paradise.

[Faltigoth]

If the USA was 4th or 5th on the GDP charts, Bush would not have been able to do the things he is doing because our military wouldn't be able to handle it and the point would be moot.

Keep an eye out for this Alliance of Non-aligned Nations or whatever the hell it is with Venezuela, Iran, Cuba - nothing good for the world is going to come out of that.

If world opinion of the US is that low, I say the US should just stop every penny of international aid that gets sent out of here and use it to fix our internal problems, while watching a world devoid of US aid money melt.

That would be sort of humorous.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by PigBenis

At the U.N. General Assembly President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela bad mouthed President Bush on a public stage like I've never seen before. If you missed it here's a transcript of what he said: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092000893.html The scariest part about the whole thing is the crowd of other country delegates applauded, a lot. They clearly agreed with what was being said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke as well. Here's his transcript: http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/li...920-irna02.htm This is a man who has said stuff like, "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism." He has also called for Israel to be "wiped out from the map."

How the hell have things gotten this bad? 2 apparent mad men are able to basically talk about our destruction while other countries applaud them, at the UN even! Is this ALL George Bush's doing? I don't know about you guys, but this really scares the hell out of me.

I think its pretty sad when we have people actually believing what two bit shit bagged communists like Chaves and fundamentalists like Ahmadinejad have to say. How the hell you can agree with their words is beyond fucking me.

Ahmadaiefadsflkjaefin is pretty much a mirror image of George Bush, I can't really see why people seem so offended with what he says from time to time. He spouts rhetoric to pander to his base, no different than Bush.

A mirror image?? Whens the last time you say Bush saying it wants Allah and all his followers removed from the US?!

[Tirinal]

Honestly, if there weren't some nutjob South American "leader of the people" narcissist lambasting America I would be scared as all hell. It would mean that someone silently competent might actually hold the stage.

Not that most people abroad don't justifiably suppress a gag reflex when commenting on American politics, but Chavez is more a comedic fop than anything. He's how I know all is right and proper with the world.

Edit: Anyone miss the days of Khrushchev literally banging his shoe on hallowed UN podiums and invoking his divine right to nuke capitalistic swine? The Cold War at least brought some class to the proceedings. If you're going to rile up UN delegates, do it right.

[Faltigoth]

Originally Posted by Tirinal

If you're going to rile up UN delegates, do it right.

*sniff sniff* is that sulfur!?! I smell......SATAN!

That = not right.

[Proctor72521]

I think everyone's just getting all paranoid over nothing!

It's rather clear that North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela are aligning themselves to create an orginization that will help third world countries develop nuclear energy capabilities, strictly under humanitarian motives.

[Eomer]

Originally Posted by Tirinal

Edit: Anyone miss the days of Khrushchev literally banging his shoe on hallowed UN podiums and invoking his divine right to nuke capitalistic swine? The Cold War at least brought some class to the proceedings. If you're going to rile up UN delegates, do it right.

"Divine right"? Surely he was not a true communist then!

[dak]

It's rather clear that North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela are aligning themselves to create an orginization that will help third world countries develop nuclear energy capabilities, strictly under humanitarian motives.

I know you are trying to be sarcastic but that quote makes a lot more sense than the alternative notion of them wanting the technology in order to threaten people with global mutual destruction nuclear holocaust. If that was their intention there are MUCH easier, more effective ways to go about it that may even not result in mutual destruction on their behalf.

Do you realize how easy it would be for a well funded country like North Korea or Iran to engineer and spread a weaponized plague that would wipe humanity off the face of the Earth if they really wanted to? The technology is there, the resources needed can be aquired and used infinitely more discrete than those needed to construct an effective nuclear bomb. I can assure you that if you live near a big city there is a lab with all the equipment needed to make such a weapon and people with enough education to do so.

The fact that people are not rotting in the streets from a super virulant altered form of influenza is proof in and of itself that the "Axis of Evils" motives are not as bad as many are claiming. It should even make you really question if these alleged fanatical terror groups are near as organized as people say.

[Proctor72521]

Originally Posted by dak

Do you realize how easy it would be for a well funded country like North Korea or Iran to engineer and spread a weaponized plague that would wipe humanity off the face of the Earth if they really wanted to? The technology is there, the resources needed can be aquired and used infinitely more discrete than those needed to construct an effective nuclear bomb. I can assure you that if you live near a big city there is a lab with all the equipment needed to make such a weapon and people with enough education to do so.

The fact that people are not rotting in the streets from a super virulant altered form of influenza is proof in and of itself that the "Axis of Evils" motives are not as bad as many are claiming. It should even make you really question if these alleged fanatical terror groups are near as organized as people say.

You can't point a weaponinzed virus at another country without expecting it to come back home. Iran is doing nothing but trying to gain power and status. They are a very prideful people and while I don't think they're as nefarious as to try and wipe out the human race, I also don't know what length they'd go to prove themselves.

Nuclear weapons are symbols of status. Anyone can weaponize a virus or strap some biohazardous material to a rocket, but it's not as big of an acomplishment. It's not a measure of their technological advancement as a country. If you understand the culture of that region, you'd be fucking blind to think that they're going to stop at nuclear energy for civilian purposes. Iran is out to restore the prestige that they and the Persian Empire held in times past.