Ryan's Ripest Pings

Ok, does everyone feel better, now that we've gotten that out? Take a deep breath and hug already. ;-)

Man, you're being an even bigger jerk than I thought, Paul.

What's that? Is that the sound of a baby crying? Oh, wait, no, it's Ryan. Same thing.

Don't make me fling what's in my diaper in your direction.

Now that you've copped to the fake Ping fight, do I get my award for recognizing it just as soon as you started?

No, but we'll still respect you, Robert.

Chillun's... behave yo'selfs! :-D

< rant >

See, it just goes to prove my theory on diplomacy. Instigation and the attempt at resolution through "offense" just leads to continual warring and counter-offensives, just as differences in religious and political beliefs do. After all the root of the word "offensive"; in terms of being indignant, selfish, arrogant, preturbing, irritating, and grating is the same as "offense", or the principles of taking provocative/retaliatory action.

The best offense is "ALWAYS" a good defense... and trust me, Karma Police Officer is not the job to play when you have skeletons in your closet. The U.S. isn't absent of such (i.e. Native American persecutions? Segregation, enslavement, and oppression of African Americans. Salem Witch trials? Nagasaki and Hiroshima and the killing of "civilians" in Japan via the A-Bomb on those 2 cities. The moving of all people of Asian descent during WWII to concentration camps out West. Our being involved with Ariel Sharon, head of Israel *our ALLY*, also a questionable war criminal [no better than Hussein, a former ally in his own right, just as Osama bin Laden was]), even as I stand here as an American in disbelief at how ignorant many of my fellow American's are to anything outside of a self-serving news vantage. As Harry Browne (Libertarian, HarryBrowne.org) says... we've had 50+ years of failed diplomacy, hell... let's add starting the cause for WWIII to the list while we're at it, shall we?!?

Like a Mr. Jack Zimmerman wrote in a past issue of the Suburban Life newspaper; "History is written by the winner. It'd be nice if it was written by the loser, as who'd want to win only to be told how much of a jerk they are/were for the rest of history?"

Well said...

With one of my cousin's serving overseas right now, I just want her to come home, and come home safe. Especially when you have a cause that defies American principles of "Innocent until PROVEN guilty", and violates the laws of diplomacy oft followed by all countries in the know.

Trust me... we will never stop hatred, never stop hate-mongering, ethnic cleansing, racism, etc. etc. Striving towards peace and all of those good virtues I mentioned is an "ideal" (as in "idealistic"), and a good one at that to strive for (obviously, we should at least "TRY" to get there, even if the probability is grim), but there also comes a time to realize that the quote "Save yourselves" is imperative. Sticking your necks out for others that don't have the kahonies to do so for themselves, and meddling in other people's Holy Wars only leaves you in a position to get yours cut off, and for very little cause. If you can't stand up for yourselves, why should we?

Sad... but true. Us getting involved in Israel, Iraq vs. Iran, the civil war in Afghanistan (where we leant aid to bin Laden and his freedom fighters against the Russian-supported opposition, ultimately "LEADING" to the Taliban taking charge ::gasping::), the warring in Iraq on, now... 3 occasions, and toss in Bosnia... where we stopped the Milosevich regime but now see ethnic cleansing committed by the side "WE" helped. ::smacking forehead:: Yeah... we're doing one hell of a job, and I'm sure they all < sarcasm > appreciate it < / sarcasm >... that's why we had 2 planes stuffed in the World Trade Center, 1 in the Pentagon, and one crashed in PA in appreciation, right?!? Think it'll end after Iraq and Afghanistan? Saudi Arabia, one of our allies is said to be one of the biggest "KNOWN" harborers of terrorism in the world, and not everyone there agrees with us, anymore than the Palestinians want to come by and give us all great big hugs. Ireland suffers from it's own Holy War (still brewing from the times of the Inquisition[s]), complete with IRA-led terrorist acts. North Korea, an ally as recent as Clinton, is mounting a nuclear defense in response to Dubya calling them an "Axis of Evil". I can't necessarily blame them... after watching us blow Afghanistan to bits, and now storming all the way to Baghdad... you have to think they know what they're in for... hard to beat our military might. As the old saying goes... "the best ********** doesn't always win". You fill in the blank... the best of ideas within the smallest allegiance can get deep-sixed by the stupidest idea with the largest support group. Just a fact of life.

As far as the humanitarian principles of war... consider the fact that in fighting for our freedom against Great Britain, we violated the "TRADITIONAL" code of ethics of war (if there was a U.N. back then, we'd likely been held for "war crimes" in doing so) by using guerilla tactics (prior to that, war was done in the open, in rows... remember the marching Redcoats? it was a "Gentlemanly" war model; sort of like football with muskets and cannons), the same Pandora's box we opened, Viet-Cong used against us in Vietnam to their advantage. How does this tie into Chemical and Biological weapons? There's no "HUMANE" weaponry... outside of maybe the gas chamber (still takes life) or paint guns. I'm sure the families of Americans can appreciate how a .22 caliber rifle leaves a smaller exit hole than a .50 caliber (either way the potential for a closed casket is still quite obvious); but either way it's going to hurt, and a painful death full of suffering isn't "humane" in any factor. Considering we Americans "KNOWINGLY" used Napalm during Vietnam... and while we did quit using them, there's been no "KNOWN" usages of chemical or biological weapons in Iraq thus far, and I doubt Hussein will... just to further assist in making "US" Americans look more the villain, playing into the Islamic hate mongering towards us and likely to cause more bloodshed on our soil. The only way to make war "humane" is to fight with water balloons, paint guns, or squirt guns... and until we reach that stage, the Geneva Convention and all manner of treaties created are idiotic attempts to look "humane" in an "inhumane" situation. No amount of excuses, biblical or otherwise, can make up for the reality of the situation.

We are fast becoming one of the least educated nations out there, and it shows... because few if any people "THINK" about things other than Red, White, and Blue; knee-jerk, blind patriotism. Becoming an ignorant zealot is a penance, to me, as bad as harboring terrorism(s). After all, it often leads to supporting "terror-like" causes... out of sheer stupidity.

Our diplomatic experiences worldwide are fairly new as well, really starting with WWI (prior to that, everything was "homefront" centric). A shame we didn't learn from our, and our allies, mistakes during WWI (who basically ripped off the better parts of Germany and gave them to Germany's most hated foes and adversaries) that led to a cause for Hitler. The cause? Revenge for the German people's plight, in WWII. America did the right thing in trying to stay out of WWII... even at that they were provoked, and then we did the right thing by working to defend ourselves and our allies by the necessary means.

Terrorists or Extremist Dictators like bin Laden and/or Hitler have no grounds without a "cause", a cause that is fueled by our antics and actions that substantiate and instigate the hatred. The Worldwide community doesn't side with us, largely because they "SEE" and "UNDERSTAND" this because they've "DEALT" with this for far longer than we have, and openly "SEE" our faults in the matter. That doesn't mean I care much for the French, but I'm not a blind patriot zealot either living in ignorance and taking the Pro Wrestler approach to diplomacy. Shooting first and asking questions later is seldom the answer... and that's exactly what we did in over-stepping the U.N.

< / rant >

That said... I thought cock-fighting was illegal? ::chuckling:: Shame on you two. ;)

You have to know when and where to bury the hatchet. In your friends back is seldom a wise idea. ;)

Then again neither is meddling in other people's backyards when you can't protect your own.

So Paul, Ryan... have a few quality brews, and simmer down. :)